By Gazette Staff
The Zoning Committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held a regular meeting this past Wednesday (January 8). There was one item on the agenda, an application for two variances needed to demolish an existing two-family home and construct a six-unit residential building with eight parking spaces at 19 Kenton Road. Kenton Rd. is a small side street directly across Washington St. from the Scagnoli-Nihill Athletic Complex in the Stonybrook section of Jamaica Plain.
On hand for the session were chair Dave Baron and fellow members Willie Mitchell, Bernard Doherty, Kendra Halliwell, Kevin Moloney, Gerry O’Connor, Peg Treble, Purple Reign, and Rene Stacey Welch.
Caroline Peters, the liaison to Jamaica Plain from Mayor Wu’s office, also was on hand for the meeting.
Joseph Federico, the developer of the project who recently completed similar developments at 97-99 Williams St. and 176 School St., was accompanied by Scott Glidden, a realtor with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, and architect Robert McNeil.
The trio had appeared at a community meeting in September that was moderated by Siggy Jonson, a Community Specialist from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.
Federico’s original proposal at that time had called for the construction of a three-story, eight-unit building on the 9,143 sq. ft. lot. The new structure, which would have consisted of five, 2-bedroom units and three, 3-BR units, required four variances for: a lack of parking; being a multi-family building in a zoning district where it is forbidden; a lack of required setbacks; and not meeting the requirements of floor area ratio (an FAR of 0.7 is required per the building code, but the original plan called for an FAR of 1.14).
However, abutters and other residents of the neighborhood who attended the September meeting expressed their unanimous opposition to the proposal, primarily because of the size of the new structure and because it would not fit in architecturally with the other homes on the street.
In response to those objections, Federico modified his plans by reducing the number of units of the new building to six from the original eight, which also eliminated the need for two of the variances (for parking and setbacks). The design of the building also was changed substantially.
McNeil presented the new plans to the committee. He said there will be a 2-BR unit and a 3-BR unit on the first floor; two 3-BR units on the second floor; and two 3-BR units on the third floor.
He noted that there will be two gabled ends on the front of the new structure (as well as gables on the other sides) that will “fit much better into the neighborhood than the original ‘box’ design with a flat roof that we had before.” He also said there will be brackets and dental trim “to keep with the ‘language’ that already exists on the street.”
Federico explained that the existing building is empty. He said that the plans have been submitted to the Landmarks Commission, but he has not received a ruling yet on any potential historic significance of the building, which dates back to about 1901.
On this point, Doherty noted that he does not favor the proposal because “the whole street is considered an historic area within Jamaica Plain” and said that the Zoning Comm. should hold off on voting on the project until the Landmarks Commission rules on the matter.
Baron pushed back on the historic aspect of the neighborhood, noting that Hatoff’s gas station is just a few doors down at the corner at Washington St.
Jam Wampler, an architect who is a long-time Kenton Rd. resident, said he is “shocked and surprised that anyone would tear down a structure that is in decent shape and is an asset to Kenton Rd. These days we are into rehabbing as much as possible and not tearing down.”
Emily McGinnis, a direct abutter, said she appreciated the new proposal, both as to its reduced size and its revised architectural design.
Rachel O’Connor, a direct abutter at 14 Gartland St. who is the mother of two young children, expressed her reservations about the project. “It is important to keep with the character and the history of the street, but my biggest concern is around the environmental impact that a demolition of this size will have on the immediate neighbors and community,” said O’Connor. “This is a very, very old home and our yard is less than 10 feet from the structure, which has loads of lead paint and dust. If there is anything we can do to mitigate these impacts, we should do so.”
Christine Tobey, another direct abutter, also expressed concerns about the demolition and lead paint issue.
Federico said that any type of hazardous materials the house contains must be abated before the demolition begins and said water will be sprayed over the house to keep down the dust. He also noted that the entire demo process will be completed in 2-3 days and “the impact on surrounding houses will be minimal.”
Curtis Clark, another abutter, suggested that the committee not take a vote until the landmark status is determined, an opinion shared by other speakers.
Jennifer Uhrlane, who lives on Rossmore Rd., said that Kenton Rd. is one of the oldest streets in Jamaica Plain, having been laid out in the 1840s, and the youngest house on Kenton Rd. is 120 years old. She explained that the landmarking process for the house, as well as for the entire street, is underway. She also expressed the view that the “volume” of the proposed new structure does not fit in with the neighborhood.
Michael Babcock, who lives across the street on Kenton Rd., also expressed the view that he “would like to see the process regarding the landmark status play out” before the Zoning Committee takes a vote.
Preble chimed in that taking a vote now before the landmark status is determined “would be placing the cart before the horse.”
In addition, Caliga, a member of the JPNC who is not a Zoning Committee member, echoed a view expressed by a previous speaker that the current home should be preserved and renovated and that the developer can construct a 4-unit structure on an adjacent lot on the property.
Moloney made a motion that the committee defer voting on the matter until the Landmarks Commission makes its determination, which was seconded by Doherty.
Baron pushed back against a delay, in view of the already-long (almost a year) process, as did Halliwell.
“There are tons of beautiful old homes and we cannot save every single one of them,” Halliwell said. “There is a housing crisis. This is why we do not have housing that is affordable because of the length of this kind of process.”
However, the committee voted 6-1 (with two abstentions) in favor of tabling the application, which now will have to be taken up at a future date after the Landmarks Commission makes its determination.
A second matter that had been scheduled for Wednesday’s meeting, 268-274 Centre Street (Viva Mi Arepa), was postponed to the Zoning Committee’s January 22 meeting at the applicant’s request.