By Gazette Staff
The Jamaica Pond Association (JPA) held its regular monthly meeting this past Monday, September 9, via Zoom, with Peter Steiger, the JPA’s vice-chair, presiding over the session in the absence of chair Kay Mathew, who, it was noted, was not on hand for a meeting for the first time in years.
Most of the evening’s discussion concerned plans for the site of the former JP Gas service station at 571-579 Centre St., which has not been in business for many years. Although all of those who spoke at the hearing were in favor of developing the blighted block, which sits between Goodrich and Lakeville Rds. and which is surrounded by a high, chain-link fence, they were unanimously opposed to the plans that they heard from the representative of the developer, who wants to construct a four-story building that will have parking for eight spaces at ground level underneath with one commercial unit and 12 apartments, of which two will be affordable.
The block sits amidst a highly-developed and dense block of similar structures, including the 60-unit Pondview apartment building diagonally across the street at 564 Centre St.; a large residential complex directly across the street at 7-29 Lakeville Rd.; and other large residential buildings directly behind it on both Lakeville and Goodrich Rds. In addition, the large Forbes Building complex is located a block away on Centre St.
“It would be wonderful to get rid of that unsightly gas station that has been an eyesore for too many years,” said JPA member Barry Schwartz. “I would love to see something go into that space. But this project seems way too dense for that community and I’d like to see something that is scaled-down.”
Steiger questioned the height differential between the proposed building and the structures behind it (which are 3-4 stories high), and suggested that underground parking would help to lower the height of the building.
However, the representative for the developer said that subterranean parking would be “neither optimal nor economically-feasible for a project this size.”
JPA member Franklyn Salimbene noted that the project “appears to be too big for the space. We’ve lived through the ‘canyon-ization’ of the Fenway area,” he said, and suggested that the proposed building would begin that process on Centre St.
When the developer’s representative said that reducing the size iof the building to nine residential units might require eliminating the affordable housing aspect of the project, Sailmbene termed that response “an unfortunate answer that developers always use.”
Alexandra Rollins, who has lived on Goodrich Rd. for 27 years, said, “We remember the old days when there were two gas stations down there and we’re happy not to have two. This neighborhood is getting absolutely overwhelmed with traffic. In our neighborhood we have houses with little children, but vehicles go zooming down our street thinking they can access the J-way, but they can’t (because Goodrich Rd. is a dead end) and then they zoom back.
“To add another entryway from the building’s parking area onto Goodrich Rd. is ill-conceived and the exit onto Lakeview Rd. is just as poor, because it too, is a very small street,” Rollins added. “This building is just way too big. Traffic on Centre St. already is impossible and is absolutely stopped for four of the eight business hours every day. Asking to add more on there is not reasonable and a bad idea.”
Sally Zimerman of 6 Beaufort Rd. said she concurred with the other speakers that the height is excessive and the project is too big, and also took issue with design aspects of the building.
Gordon Upton of Goodrich Rd. said that the proposed building is too big and will shut out the air space in the vicinity of the building. He also said that an additional curb cut will be unsafe.
“This project will just create more traffic and more density,” he said. “We’ve had enough of every couple of years, some developer coming along to try to ram something through.”
Marc Denker, who lives on 576 Centre St., directly across from the site, agreed with the height and traffic concerns, and added that the parking problems in the neighborhood will be exacerbated.
“We’ll lose significant air space and are concerned that the office space will add traffic and affect parking in the area,” he said.
Fran Price, a resident of 11 Lakeville Rd. for 43 years, said the proposed building is “simply too large for that site. The building that has been designed is like a wall along the street. This project is too ambitious for the site.”
Another resident also expressed dissatisfaction with the design, saying “the blank wall on Centre St. is ugly.”
Centre St. resident Keihly Moore, who lives across the street, added, “Three stories, instead of four, would be a better match for the area. This building is just a wall and needs more articulation and more depth.”
Jeri Levitt, a resident of the Lakeville Place condos that are a direct abutter behind the proposed building, said the condo association has been trying to work with the developer to resolve their concerns and asked for a month’s delay in order to work out an abutter’s agreement.
When Kevin Moloney, the chair of the JPA’s Zoning Committee who was leading the discussion, asked the representative of the developer (who is seeking a number of variances for the project that eventually will require approval from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals) if he would agree to come back in a month. The representative agreed to do so, suggesting that the developer would be amenable to revising the plans in order to take into account the issues and concerns raised by the residents.
Moloney said the matter will be discussed at the JPA’s next meeting on Monday, October 7, at which time a vote will be taken to determine whether the JPA will give the proposal a favorable recommendation.
The month’s delay likely will require the Zoning Committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council to continue its hearing on the matter to its November meeting.
District 6 Councillor Ben Weber, who was on hand for the meeting, said his office “will be happy to facilitate further discussions. I’m very interested in that space. The gas station has been out of business for 16 of the 17 years that I’ve lived here.”
Weber also presented an update on the renovations at the Forbes Building and spoke about the proposal for the nearby Rogerson House at 434 Jamaicaway for a new, seven-story building with three stories for memory care and four stories of senior residential housing.
He also said that he is seeking to have the Parks Dept. hire a full-time employee for the Jamaica Pond area and to improve signage along the pond’s pathways in order to keep bicycles off the pedestrian paths.
Michael Giordano from the office of State Rep. William MacGregor confirmed that the legislature passed a bill that will increase the number of liquor licenses for the City of Boston and which is awaiting the governor’s signature.
Tony Dreyfus from the JPA’s Parks, Parkways, and Open Spaces Committee said that the state has agreed to replace trees along the Jamaicaway with a $150,000 appropriation in the state budget that he said will pay for 75 new trees.
Michael Reiskind spoke for the Jamaica Plain Business and Professional Assoc. (JPBPA). He said that Yascha Franklin-Hodge, the head of the city’s streets department who lives in JP, spoke to the group in August about upcoming projects, such as adding more bicycle lanes and speed humps on the city’s side streets.
Reiskind also noted that the long-delayed (about 10 years) Centre-South Streetscape Project from the Hyde Sq. rotary to Forest Hills that will include improvements for the streets, including street furniture, bicycle lanes, and other amenities, finally is set to get underway.
Reiskind also said the city is planning improvements to the sidewalks at the bus stops along the MBTA’s Route 39.
Reiskind said that Bluefin, a fresh fish market and seafood eatery at 660B Centre St., is seeking a common victualer license from the city which the association supported.
Reiskind provided some additional information about the legislation that will add 200 new liquor licenses in Boston, of which 195 are so-called “neighborhood licenses.” Reiskind said that JP originally was slated to receive 10 of the licenses, but that number was bumped up to 15, consisting of five new licenses per year for three years, two for beer & wine and three for all-alcohol.
The “neighborhood license” designation means that if the establishment holding the license goes out of business, the license must remain in the neighborhood.
The meeting concluded with some of those on hand discussing the controversial proposal for the professional women’s soccer team at White Stadium and its impact on Jamaica Plain.