By Michael Coughlin Jr.
During Monday’s Jamaica Pond Association (JPA) meeting, the board voted not to approve a proposed project to build a new commercial residential building at 561-579 Centre Street.
Kevin Moloney, a JPA board member, explained that this project had been before the organization a few months ago and that it was agreed upon that the proponents would return after making changes.
According to the presentation shown during the meeting by Richard Lynds, the project attorney, the proposal would demolish the existing gas station at the site, and a new four-story mixed-use commercial residential building would be built.
The proposed building would also contain 12 units and six off-street parking spaces.
As part of Monday’s discussion, Lynds reviewed some of the changes made to the project since it was last presented to the JPA.
Lynds first addressed the building’s appearance, specifically the facade on the Lakeville Road side, which was previously blank and without windows.
“We had the architect go back and incorporate windows into the building to ensure that that side was activated,” said Lynds.
Next, Lynds addressed concerns about the building’s height. He explained that initially, the building was planned to be four stories and 46 feet tall. The height has been adjusted to 40 feet, though the building will remain four stories.
“We feel that the reduction from the 46 feet to the 40 feet puts it in line with some of the surrounding buildings in the area,” said Lynds.
Parking was also addressed during Lynds’ presentation of changes. He mentioned that eight spaces had previously been planned, but based on feedback from the city’s Planning Department, this number has since been reduced to six.
Furthermore, bike spaces have been added, and the proposed commercial space at the lower level has been expanded to make it more marketable for prospective tenants.
Lastly, Lynds discussed concerns about the parking exit off Lakeville Road. While he indicated that the exit remains at that location, they have discussed potentially installing a pedestrian safety device there with the city’s Transportation Department.
Following Lynds’ presentation, the JPA board members were given the floor to ask questions and make comments.
Moloney had asked how the height was reduced without changing the number of units, and Lynds explained that “the overall floor-to-ceiling height was modified to allow for reduced height at the upper level.”
“That fourth level is a bit more shorter than the lower levels beneath it, and we were able to take a few feet off those other levels as well,” he added.
Another board member, Mark Zanger, complimented the shortened top floor in that it broke up the massing, but he thought the building was large compared to the ones around it.
Board member Michael Reiskind asked if the previous owner cleaned up the site before it was sold since it previously housed a gas station.
Lynds noted that he was under the impression that the tanks at the site had been removed and did not have specifics about potential contamination.
After comments and questions from board members were completed, other community members had the opportunity to deliver remarks.
Most of the community members who commented were concerned about the project. They expressed concerns about the size of the building, the lack of sufficient parking, and other issues. Others also pointed out the troublesome traffic already present in the area, which they thought could be exacerbated by this project.
Following all the comments from community members, there was an initial move to get a motion from the JPA Board. However, Lynds asked to respond to comments before any motion occurred but was only going to be allowed to do so briefly and ended up declining to respond to comments at all.
A motion to not approve the project was seconded, which was widely supported by a raise of hands.
Following the vote, Lynds indicated that the aforementioned changes, such as adding windows on one of the facades and reducing the height, were being offered in exchange for support of the project. However, Moloney thought this was not the case and said no correspondence indicated that.
Ultimately, Moloney stated that the JPA Board opposed the project and that he would send a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeal, on which the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council Zoning Committee and Lynds would be copied.