Latvian Church may become condos

The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) Zoning Committee voted to support the redevelopment of the Jamaica Plain Latvian Lutheran Church at 98 Rockview St. at its Oct. 11 meeting.

The committee supported the project in large part because owner Dennis Coghlan is planning to save the church building, committee member Michael Reiskind told the Gazette.

“They’re [planning] to take down the newish addition in front, but the main church building will be saved,” he explained.

The owner is proposing to create three condos—a basement-level unit level and two duplexes, Reiskind added.

“I think it’s a good project,” said Dave Baron, a neighbor of the project and chair of the Zoning Committee. Baron recused himself from the proceedings. “I’m glad they’re preserving the old church. I think that was the thing most people were worried about.”

The project requires zoning relief for the basement-level unit and its entrance; the size of the yard, an existing zoning violation that would need re-approval; and two new dormers, windows that poke out of the sloped roof, Reiskind said.

A hearing with the City Zoning Board of Appeals was scheduled for Oct. 23, after the Gazette’s deadline. Future steps for the project were decided after that meeting.

The near-century-old building sits on a 6,500-square-foot lot that is zoned for three-unit housing, according to City records.

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