By Gazette Staff
The Zoning Committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held a regular meeting on Wednesday, November 5, via Zoom. Chair David Baron and fellow committee members Willie Mitchell, Purple Reign, Peg Preble, Kevin Moloney, Alcurtis Clark, Renee Stacey Welch, Bernie Doherty, Alessia Shelley, David Seldin, Kevin Leary, Kendra Halliwell, and Andrea Howley were in attendance.
The committee took up three matters.
The first was a request from the owners of 49 Oakview Terrace for a full interior renovation of their single-family home, for which they need variances for excessive floor area ratio (FAR) and a lack of side and front yard setbacks .
Alessandra Michener, one of the owners of the property, said her family, which includes four children, presently lives in a small condo at 37 Oakview Terrace. She said they purchased the 49 Oakview Terrace property “to be our forever home on a street we love.”
Michener and her architect explained that the prior owner had owned the property for a number of years and that the property is in need of substantial renovations both to bring it up-to-date and to expand it (by means of a dormer without enlarging the footprint) to provide added space for the family.
A next-door neighbor sent in a letter voicing support. Gary Cohen, who lives on Oakview Terrace, also spoke in favor of the project, noting that none of the homes on the street, all of which were built in the 1890s, are in compliance with the city’s present zoning ordinances.
There were no opponents and the Zoning Committee members unanimously voted in favor of the application.
The next matter was an application from Colleen Beaton, the owner and operator of the Boston’s Boxer Club at 3520 Washington St. (at the corner of Rossmore Rd.), who was seeking permission for a change of the zoning use from a restaurant (the former Wishing Well) to a boxing club, which is a conditional use.
Beaton told the members that there will be no changes to the exterior of the building and only cosmetic changes inside the space.
In response to a question from Baron, Beaton said that the maximum capacity is 25 persons and there are only three parking spaces, which will be set aside for employees, but that 90% of the club’s members come by foot, bicycle, or public transportation. The club has been operating since January of this year pursuant to a temporary certificate of occupancy.
The Stonybrook Neighborhood Association (SNA) sent in a letter stating it is not opposed to the request.
Doherty said that he is in favor of the proposal, stating that the sport of boxing instills discipline and life-skills. Doherty also noted that his father had been a boxing trainer who had trained the legendary Joe DeNucci, who fought twice for the world middleweight championship (losing both by split decisions to the great Emile Griffith) and who after his career became the long-serving State Auditor in Mass. history.
Carla Lisa Caliga, who is a member of the SNA and who also is a nearby neighbor on Burnett St., voiced her support of the proposal, noting that Beaton has cleaned up the exterior of the premises and that the Boxer’s Club has provided programs for local youths. “Colleen has already become an integral member of our community,” said Caliga.
There were no opponents and the members unanimously gave their approval to the project.
The final item on the agenda pertained to 174 Forest Hills Street in which the Laurel Ridge Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center “is seeking to infill an existing porte cochere to create new physical therapy and private dining space.”
Colin O’Leary, the Executive Director of Laurel Ridge, presented the application to the members. He said that it became apparent during COVID that additional space was needed to meet the modern-day needs of the facility’s 120 residents.
Architect Kevin Kozak explained the details of the project with a slide show, noting that the proposed renovations, which essentially will enclose the current porte cochere, will be limited to the first floor of the four-story building and will not expand the existing footprint of the structure.
A variance is needed for the renovation because the facility is an existing non-conforming use within that zoning district. There were no opponents and the members unanimously approved the variance request.
All three of the applicants now will go before the full JPNC to obtain the council’s approval and then must go before the City of Boston Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to obtain their variances. The Zoning Committee was scheduled to hold a meeting this past Wednesday (November 19) to take up a proposal at 6 Brookside Ave. for a new, three-story, single-family home