The City’s Zoning Board of Appeals during a hearing last month approved the 1785 Columbus Ave. project, according to Inspectional Services Department (ISD) spokesperson Lisa Timberlake. ISD oversees the ZBA.
The developer for the project is Horizons Watermark LLC, which is a joint venture between Horizons for Homeless Children and Watermark Development Inc. Horizons for Homeless Children is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of young homeless children.
The site currently contains a vacant warehouse previously used for storage, an auto body shop, and a surface parking lot.
The new building would be seven stories tall, occupied by Horizons on the second and third floors, and social service-oriented tenants on the upper floors. The building would contain ground floor local cafe, and 157 parking spaces. Potentially 500 persons may work in the proposed building.
The proposed new building fits into the goals of Plan: JP/ROX, even though the planning of this project predates the Plan: JP/Rox initiative by almost six years.
Plan: JP/ROX is a planning and development review of the Washington Street Corridor between the Forest Hills T Station and the Jackson Square T Station. The plan is currently in the zoning stage.