The Housing and Development Committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held its regular monthly meeting last Tuesday evening, August 18, via Zoom.
On hand for the session were chair Purple Reign, vice chair Willie Mitchell, and fellow members Sarah Freeman, JPNC chair Alcurtis Clark, JPNC vice-chair Bernie Doherty, Lorenzo Bartoloni, Adam Burrows, Caliga, Eryn-Ashlei Bailey, Pam Bender, Gert Thorn, and Kathy Brown.
Also in attendance was Zavia Dickerson, the new liaison to Jamaica Plain from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.
The committee heard a presentation from John Holland, Seamus Holland, and Paul Baccala of the Sixteen Penny Design Group for the proposed development at 920 Centre St., the site of the former monastery of the Poor Clare Nuns.
Sixteen Penny appeared before the full JPNC — which included many members of the Housing Committee — at its meeting at the end of July to lay out its plans, but walked through its proposal once again for the full Housing Committee.
The project will consist of 158 units, 79 condos and 79 rentals, of which 38 (all of which will be rentals) will be designated as affordable at an average of 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
John Holland noted that this is the third iteration of the project since 2023. Sixteen Penny originally had planned to incorporate the former monastery into the project, but objections to that plan by the Arnold Arboretum (which borders the property) and the city led to the current revamped proposal that will demolish the existing building and construct five adjoining blocks of structures that will form a U-shape.
The building will be five stories high. The condos, of which 49 percent will be 1-bedroom units, 46 percent will be 2-BR, and five percent will be 3-BR, are being designed to appeal to long-time JP residents who are seeking to downsize from their present homes, but who want to remain in the community. All of the condo units will be market rate.
For the apartments, there will be 24 studios, 38 1-BR, 13 1+-BR, and 4 2-BR units, with the mix of affordable units to be spread across the unit-sizes as determined by the city.
The target demographic for the apartments are persons who have a low dependency on a motor vehicle and who are seeking an urban lifestyle that allows easy access to public transportation and JP’s services and amenities, including employees of local businesses for whom there are limited affordable housing options close to their workplace.
Holland noted that variances are needed for excessive height (57 feet vs. the 35 feet that is allowed; the present monastery structure is 45 feet high), excessive Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and maximum units per acre. He pointed out that the existing monastery building, which was constructed prior to the enactment of the current zoning ordinances, also is in violation of those zoning parameters.
Paul Baccala, an architect with Sixteen Penny, described some of the specifics of the project to the members, including the plans for a bus shelter, open space, landscaping, parking underneath for 158 vehicles, and a rain garden.
The project will increase the tree canopy and decrease the amount of impervious surface compared to the present monastery property.
A number of members of the committee and from the JP community asked questions and offered their opinions. The principal objections pertained to the overall size and scope of the project; conversely, the supporters applauded the size of the project, citing in particular the high percentage of affordable units.
With regard to the other item on the evening’s agenda, Bailey from the committee’s Arborway Yard subcommittee spoke briefly about the revived MBTA Arborway Yard garage project. She suggested that Attorney General Andrea Campbell may be able to offer legal assistance to the JP community to ensure that the T adheres to the terms of the original Memorandum of Understanding from 1999 which designated eight acres on the site for community development.