The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) approved a Jamaica Plain project on Green Street at the board’s March meeting.
The BPDA board approved the $2.25 million project at 197-201 Green St. that will create 23 residential units – including income-restricted artist live/work units near Green Street MBTA station.
The developer, City Realty, will redevelop 11,726 square feet of underutilized commercial and residential land by combining two existing parcels at 197-201 Green St.
According to its ruling, the BPDA commented that the project will revitalize the area by replacing the vacant commercial land and single-family dwelling with a new mixed-use building. The also includes vehicular and pedestrian access measures and improvements.
Plans filed with the city show City Realty will construct a new four-story residential building totaling approximately 20,480 gross square feet with 23 residential rental units, approximately 720 square feet of ground floor retail space with at-grade parking for six vehicles, and storage for 22 bicycles.
“The project is within the PLAN: JP/ROX corridor, and triggers density bonus requirements,” wrote the BPDA board in its ruling. “Four units within the project will be income-restricted, one of which will be made affordable to households earning not more than 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), and three will be made affordable to households earning not more than 70 percent of AMI. All four IDP units are to be built out as artist live/work units.”
In a statement City Realty said its goal when conceptualizing this project was to revitalize the neighborhood by replacing the existing outdated free standing single-family dwelling and vacant land with a mixed-use building that will add new housing units to the increasingly popular Jamaica Plain community.
The project will exceed the 20,000-square foot total build-out requirement for a project in a Boston neighborhood, and therefore required BPDA approval under the Article 80 Small Project Review regulations of Boston Zoning Code. The BPDA said the project will provide substantial benefits to the Jamaica Plain community by; creating much needed market rate residential housing in the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood; creating on-site affordable rental units, which will meet the Boston Planning & Development Agency’s affordable housing standards; revitalizing two underutilized parcels and replacing the current vacant lot and single- family dwelling with housing and retail space; creating commercial retail space along Green Street to accommodate Jamaica Plain’s growing population of residents, which will allow residents to not only live, but also shop and have access to amenities in the neighborhood; encouraging alternative modes of transportation through the use of bicycling and walking, due to the close proximity of the bus lines and at the Green Street, Forest Hills and Stony Brook MBTA stations; as well as creating bike racks and a dedicated bike room for storage of bikes within