Zoning Board of Appeal - 2025-11-25

Board granted extensions for cases at 18-104 West Broadway, 215-217 Brighton Avenue, 610 Chelsea Street, 24 Geneva Street, and 154 Terrace Street.

Approved 180 square feet expansion of 3rd floor livable area due to structural necessity during reconstruction of rear addition with cinder block foundation issues.

Demolition of existing structure and construction of two attached three-bedroom townhouse buildings with garage parking beneath. Relief granted for lot area (6,800 sf vs 8,000 required), front yard setback (14 ft vs 20 ft required), rear yard setback (18 ft vs 22 ft required), parking (2 spaces vs 4 required), and FAR (89% vs 50% max). Applicant: Richard Lins representing owner.

Construction of sunroom on existing deck, removing existing shed. Great Day Improvements representing owner. Relief for side yard setback.

Addition of 2nd floor master bedroom above existing 1st floor. Relief for side yard (5 ft existing) and height (2.5 story limit). Applicant: Douglas Miller.

Finishing existing garage and extending 2nd floor while maintaining ridge height. Relief for off-street parking and front yard setback (inches difference). Applicant: Jose Gonzalez.

Demolition of existing structure and construction of two townhouse buildings totaling four residential homeownership units on combined 13,000+ sf double lot. Each unit has two interior parking spaces, three bedrooms, two bathrooms. Relief for townhouse use, FAR (0.83 vs 0.5 allowed), three stories (vs 2.5 allowed), front yard (15 ft vs 25 ft required), multiple dwellings on one lot. Applicant: Steve Daddario and Sarah Bollardi, represented by attorney Matt Bechle.

Construction of three-story, three-unit residential building on 2,708 sf vacant lot. Relief for off-street parking, screening/buffering, lot area (2,780 sf vs 6,000 required), FAR (1.29 vs 0.4 allowed), building height (3 stories vs 2.5 allowed), front yard (6 ft 5 in vs 15 ft required), side yards. Applicant: James Christopher of 686 Architects.

Construction of four-unit triple decker with fourth unit in finished basement on vacant lot. Relief for lot area, FAR, building height, front yard, side yard, rear yard, parking (3 spaces vs 5 required). Developer: Taj Development Company LLC (Gary Webster), Architect: Stack Architecture (Daniel Fuguere).

Addition of dormer to existing storage room for adequate head height. Relief for preexisting side yard insufficiency. Applicant: Steven DuBois representing Nguyen family.

Construction of five-unit dwelling on 4,330 sf vacant corner lot with three on-grade parking spaces. Three units are 3-bedroom, two units are 1-bedroom. Owners Lisa and Al Beasley (30-year residents at adjacent 159 Howard Ave) plan to occupy ADA-accessible 1st floor unit. Relief for FAR, building height, front yard, side yard, rear yard, parking. Architect: Jennifer from Hugh Architecture.

Construction of new three-family building on vacant lot in Dudley Street area. Relief for lot area, FAR (0.9 vs 0.8 allowed), front yard, side yard, rear yard, parking (2 spaces vs 3 required). Applicant: Vernon Woodworth representing Manny Baptista.

Conditional use permit for New Beginnings Reentry Services to change from transitional housing to community center/day program for formerly incarcerated individuals. No construction proposed. Applicant: Stacy Borden (Executive Director), represented by attorney Steve Bartlett of Foley Hoag.

Change of occupancy from three to two dwelling units, exterior facade renovations, basement living space extension, legalization of existing roof deck, installation of two roof condensers, rear decks projecting 6 ft into rear yard. Landmarks approved. Relief for roof structure restriction and rear yard. Applicant: John Moran, Alpine Advisory Services.

Adding body art studio use to parcel for possible future expansion of Boston Tattoo Company (currently licensed at 244 Newbury Street). Applicant: Jason Juby.

Change of use of 3rd floor to permanent body art studio (previously operated as temporary pop-up). Applicant: Jason Juby, Boston Tattoo Company.

Combination of three vacant lots (former abutters lots program) into single 2,000+ sf lot for three-story, four-unit residential building. Lot has 60 ft frontage on Brook Street qualifying for EBR-3 exception allowing up to six units. Relief for front yard (1 ft vs 3 ft required), rear yard (10 ft vs one-third lot depth), parking. Applicant: Richard Lins.

Finishing basement to add bedroom and bathroom for family member (mother-in-law with double lung transplant). Relief for FAR. Applicant: Edmond Larzano (homeowner).

Conversion of existing single-family two-story to three-unit building with addition. Units are 3-bed/2-bath ranging from 1,335-1,505 sf. Relief for use, FAR (0.95 vs 0.5 allowed), building height. Applicant: Van Hong, Architect: James Christopher of 686 Architects.

Conditional use permit denied for social club (basement) with mahjong tables and pool hall (3rd floor) in existing five-story commercial building in Chinatown. Proposed hours: social club 11AM-7PM, pool hall 3PM-12AM. Strong opposition from Chinatown Neighborhood Council, Chinatown Residents Association, and Chinatown Main Streets. Boston Police reported November 2024 firearm incident and observed illegal gambling. Applicant: Jackson and Alice Lee (landlords), represented by attorney Ryan Spitz.

Proposal for two-family dwelling on vacant lot (combined with adjacent 6 Danny Road three-family). Deferred due to missing survey plot plan. Applicant: Alessandro Musto, represented by attorney Anthony Musto.

Two companion cases deferred for building code and groundwater issues. Applicant: Richard Lins.

Deferred to meet with neighborhood associations and city councilor regarding updates. Applicant: attorney Jeff Drago.

Deferred for substantial design changes and updated site plan/architectural drawings. Applicant: attorney Ryan Spitz.