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Zoning board rejects 70-unit building in South Boston over lack of parking
U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch and City Councilors Ed Flynn and Henry Santana opposed the project.
Boston’s Zoning Board of Appeals rejected a proposed 70-unit apartment building in South Boston last week, pointing to a lack of parking as a key concern.
Developer Sing Ming Chan’s proposal to erect a nine-story mixed-use building with 70 rental units and ground-level retail at 49 D St., South Boston, was on the table. However, the proposal was missing one key element—parking. The Zoning Board of Appeals took note.
At the April 29 meeting, the board voted 5-2 to reject allowing the proposal to move forward. The board then voted unanimously to reject the plans without prejudice, allowing the developer to return with revised plans in less than a year.
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The Boston Planning Department approved the plans without parking in November.
Sitting on the site now is an aging two-story industrial building with surface parking on the proposed site, next to a gas station.
George Morancy, the developer’s attorney at the meeting, said the initial plans included creating 14 on-site parking spaces underneath the building.
However, after investigating, the developer found that the high water table and soil content would make it prohibitively expensive to build, with estimates at $5 million.
He said the project, even without parking, fits the city’s goal of adding more housing near transit hubs, with two Red Line stops nearby. To ease neighbors’ concerns, the developer signed two memoranda of understanding with nearby parking locations for about 90 spots, promising to lease spots to future residents.
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Even so, Morancy said, “We believe this works well as a no-parking project.”
The project included 70 bicycle spots, and a bike lane is out front.
“As all our neighbors are fully aware, a very small percentage of new residents regularly use bicycles for travel,” said U.S. Rep Stephen Lynch, in a letter read out loud at the meeting. “The vast majority of new residents own cars.”
“For the city and the ZBA to persist in this fantasy that parking is not necessary is disingenuous,” Lynch continued. “The homeowners, voters, and taxpayers feel that we are being treated with a lack of respect by Mayor Wu and her administration.”
The Andrew Square Civic Association and Cityside Neighborhood Association both opposed the project.
A representative from the mayor’s office said it received over 150 letters opposing the project and 320 in support. Many said they were not against the project’s density but were concerned about the lack of parking.
Representatives for City Councilors Ed Flynn and Henry Santana also voiced opposition to the project.
Linda Zablocki, president of the Andrew Square Civic Association, voiced concerns over the developer’s lack of listening to concerns and worried about how rideshare and taxi drop-off zones crossed the bike lane to get to the building.
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“We are looking for tragedies if this building is approved,” she said.
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