Special to the Gazette
The Zoning Committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held a regular meeting on Wednesday, April 2. Chair David Baron and fellow members Willie Mitchell, Peg Treble, Bernie Doherty, Kendra Halliwell, Andrea Howley, and Purple Reign were on hand for the session, as was Caroline Peters, who is the representative to JP from Mayor Wu’s office.
The first item on the agenda pertained to an application by the owners of 19 Cheshire St. for an attic remodeling project. Homeowners Scott Hadland and Jason Vassy, both of whom are doctors and who have two two children, presented the application. Hadland noted that they are looking to expand their living space into their attic to create two bedrooms and a bathroom to accommodate their growing family.
The building consists of two condominiums that are side-by-side. Hadland said that there will be no work done on the exterior of the building. Hadland presented four letters of support from abutters, including the owner of the other unit in the building.
There were no opponents and the committee unanimously approved the project.
The next matter was a request from homeowners Susan and Bailey Chang of 8 Greenley Place to enclose a porch and add a carport with a deck atop it. They said the reason for the request for a variance is that the new setback for the proposed carport and deck will be only 7.5 feet instead of the 10 feet required by the city’s zoning ordinances.
Susan Chang said they have spoken to all of the abutters and none expressed any opposition to the proposal. One neighbor, KC of 10 Greenley Place, spoke at the meeting and voiced her support for the project. There were no opponents and the committee unanimously approved the project.
The third item was a proposal to build four, two-unit townhouse buildings at 90 Allandale St.
Atty. John Pulgini presented the application. He said the lot consists of 87,162 sq. ft. that currently contains a single-family home that will be razed. Each townhouse unit will be three bedrooms with a two-car garage underneath. Each unit will consist of between 2700-3700 sq. ft.
The project required a number of technical variances (18 altogether) because of the proximity of the units to each other within the lot, including that the area is zoned for single family.
In addition, there were conservation-related issues because of an intermittent stream that runs through part of the property. The townhomes will be located away from the stream, ensuring that approximately 40,000 sq. ft. of the lot will be left untouched and will remain as open space subject to a conservation restriction that will be overseen by the city’s Urban Wilds Program.
Frank O’Brien, a resident of Roslindale, brought up the legal issue that these are “forbidden uses in this zoning district and that the project does not meet the criteria for granting a variance.”
Elizabeth Donovan at 107 Allandale St. also raised the issue that the project “requires 18 variances, but our state Supreme Judicial Court frowns-upon the granting of that many variances to one property, when what really needs to be done is rezoning.”
Donovan also queried about the number of trees that will be cut down that will reduce the canopy. However, Pulgini said that 10 trees, some of which are invasive species, will be cut down, but a large number of native trees will be added under the auspices of the city’s Urban Wilds Program
A Ms. Reed of 115 Allandale St. said that the stream “will become a river” in the spring and that there is a “major issue with civil engineering.” She also suggested that the project should be downsized to three, single-family homes because of parking problems that she suggested will be created by the addition of eight housing units in the neighborhood.
Zoning Comm. member Doherty emphasized that the district was established for single-family homes when the city’s zoning ordinances were rewritten in the 1980s. “I think you are overbuilding on that land,” Doherty said. “I don’t want to see an incremental takeaway from our zoning code, which I think has some value to it.”
Celeste Walker of the Jamaica Hills Association (JHA) submitted a letter on behalf of the JHA that opposed the application, citing the “forbidden use” of the townhouse project in a single-family district.
Walker also spoke at the meeting. “There was a strong feeling among the members of the JHA that this should not be approved as proposed, mainly because of the single-family requirement of the zoning district,” Walker said.
Halliwell however, contended, “This essentially is single-family housing and will preserve open space. I think it is a good way to provide housing on this site.”
The committee voted 4-3 against the proposal, with Doherty, Preble, Howley, and Purple Reign opposed and Halliwell, Mitchell, and Baron in favor.
The final matter on the agenda was the large project being proposed for 3390 and 3390 Rear Washington St.
Christopher Tracy of O’Neill & Associates appeared with Bob Harrington, the owner of BMS Paper and Market, which occupies the site presently. Tracy noted that the project has been undergoing a review since 2020 and has been scaled down substantially from an original 105 units to 82 rental units (43 in the rear building and 39 in the front building) on the two-acre site of which approximately 17 percent will be affordable units.
The current plans call for BMS to remain in its current building fronting Washington St., with a second floor to be added for a restaurant space. Two large residential apartment buildings will be constructed in the rear of the lot behind the existing commercial building. There will be four studio units, 20 1-bedrooms, and 15 2-bedrooms in the front residential building and eight studios, 20 1-BR, 11 2-BR, and four 3-BR units in the rear building.
There will be parking for 87 vehicles as well as parking spaces for bicycles. Harrington, the property owner, will continue to operate his popular retail business on the ground floor of the present building with plans to expand to include a bakery. There also will be a restaurant on the second floor above the retail space.
Architect David O’Sullivan went through the architectural plans for the project, explaining how it will wrap around the new Pine Street building because of the irregular shape of the lot. He said both buildings will be totally electric with solar panels on the roofs.
The Stoneybrook Neighborhood Association (SNA) sent a letter in support of the project.
Jennifer Uhrhane, who lives on Rossmore Rd. and is a member of the SNA, spoke in favor of the project. “Bob has been extremely cooperative and really listened to the neighbors’ concerns about the design,” said Uhrhane. “Our neighborhood advocated for two buildings instead of one and there have been a lot of design improvements to the project. I also think supporting a local business owner who wants to expand his business is an important thing.”
Bradley Cohen of Rossmore Rd., another member of the SNA, also stated his support for the project. “Bob has been a fantastic neighbor for many, many years. This is a great project and he was very open to input from the community. He will bring many affordable units which are sorely-needed, especially the three-bedroom units.”
Joy Silverstein, a Kenton Rd. resident, also voiced her support for the project.
The committee voted unanimously to support granting the variances.