Special to the Journal
The Revere Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) held its regular monthly meeting last Wednesday evening, October 23, in the City Councillor Joseph A. DelGrosso City Council Chamber. Chair Michael Tucker and fellow members Aklog Limeneh, John Lopes, James O’Brien, Arthur Pelton, and alternate Peggy Pratt were on hand for the session.
The first matter on the agenda was a request from 1784 Holdings, LLC, of Scottsdale, AZ, requesting a six-month extension of the one-year exercise period of the variances that were granted by the ZBA to enable the razing of an existing garage facility and the construction of a new, 5-story, self-storage facility with associated parking, pedestrian access, and vehicular access drives at 195 American Legion Highway.
Larry Beals from Beals Associates spoke briefly about the request. “Basically, we just need a little more time to finish the project,” Beals said. There were no opponents and the ZBA unanimously approved the extension.
Next up was an application from Cody Gardner, 193 Rice Avenue, who came before the board requesting “a special permit from the ZBA pursuant to Revere Revised Ordinances (RRO) Section 17.40.040 to enable the appellant to modify an existing non-conforming two-family structure by constructing a 566 sq. ft. addition at 193 Rice Avenue.”
Mr. Gardner appeared on his own behalf and was accompanied by his surveyor. The members had no questions for Gardner.
Ward 5 City Councillor Angela Gurarino-Sawaya spoke in favor of the request, noting that Rebecca Gardner has been a lifelong resident and that the Gardners are expecting twins, which is what necessitates their request for the addition.
There were no no opponents and the ZBA unanimously approved the extension.
Zepaj Development, LLC, of 78 Mill Street, Middleton, came before the board requesting “a variance of RRO Section 17.28.020 with respect to minimum parking requirements for apartment use in the General Business (GB) District to enable the appellant to construct a 48-unit residential apartment building with 42 parking spaces at 791 Broadway.”
Mario Zepaj represented himself and presented an architectural diagram of the project. He said the building will consist of eight studio, 36 one-bedroom, and four two-bedroom units and was asking the board to accept a modification to the original plan by eliminating the stacked parking component, which would have provided additional parking spaces.
Guarino-Sawaya spoke on behalf of the modification. “I was ecstatic when I heard that the stackers were being removed,” said Guarino-Sawaya, who listed several reasons for her position, including safety concerns, the fire hazards posed by electric vehicles, and the reliability of stacker systems.
However, Christine Robertson of 187 Charger St., suggested to the board, “If you give this variance, you will be setting a precedent for other projects that have included stackers.”
The board approved the modification by a 4-1 vote, with chair Tucker voting against it. The board added the condition that the tenants of the property will not be eligible for the city’s resident and visitor parking program.
Next up was an application from Billiken Investments, LLC, 407 Proctor Avenue, requesting “the following variances of the RRO of the City of Revere to enable the appellant to subdivide existing Lot 557 at 87 Derby Road, into new proposed lots Lot A Derby Street and Lot B Derby Street for the purpose of constructing a new single-family dwelling on proposed Lot B Derby Street:
1. RRO Section 17.24.010 with respect to minimum area requirement of 8,000 s.f. within the RB District for proposed lot B which is shown to be 4,364 s.f.;
2. RRO Section 17.24.010 with respect to minimum frontage requirement of 80 feet for proposed lot A within the RB District which is shown to be 76.53′;
3. RRO Section 17.24.010 with respect to minimum front yard setback requirement of 20 ft. within the RB District for the proposed structure on proposed lot B;
4. RRO Section 17.24.010 with respect to minimum rear yard setback requirement of 30 ft. within the RB District for the proposed structure on proposed lot B;
5. RRO Section 17.24.010 with respect to the maximum principle building coverage
requirement of 30% within the RB District for the proposed structure on proposed lot B.
Attorney Nancy O’Neil presented the application to the board. O’Neil said the lot is a “large corner lot and is well-suited to subdivision.” O’Neil explained that there presently is a two-family home on the property, with sufficient parking, and the subdivision is being sought to enable the construction of a new single-family home that also will have sufficient parking.
There were no opponents and the board unanimously approved the application.
Sheri Murray, 41 Irving Street, Revere, came before the board to request “a variance of RRO Section 17.24.010(y) with respect to maximum height requirement of 30’ to enable the appellant to construct a second floor with a walk-up finished attic on an existing two-family dwelling at 41 Irving Street.”
Atty. Larry Simeone presented the application. He said the present building is a two-family building consisting of 1.5 floors and with the addition, it will reach a height of 32′. There were no opponents and the board unanimously approved the application.
The final agenda item was an application from 125 Squire Road Real Estate Holdings, LLC, Jewel Saeed, 55 Berkshire Street, Swampscott, “requesting the following variances of the Revere Revised Ordinances to enable the appellant to construct an additional 56 hotel rooms to the rear of a hotel currently under construction at 125 Squire Road:
1. RRO Section 17.24.010 with respect to rear yard setback.
2. RRO Section 17.24.010 with respect to FAR.
3. RRO Section 17.28.020 with respect to minimum parking requirements.”
Lynn Realtor Lou Markakis represented the applicant. He noted that the site, which formerly was the location of Papa Gino’s, consists of more than one acre and is permitted by right for a hotel.
“We have found the demand for hotel rooms is through the roof,” said Markakis. He said that the original plans called for 100 hotel rooms and the new proposal will add 56 more rooms. The building will have the same height, with 75 parking spaces. Markakis said that the applicant has consulted with city officials and residents and has modified his original plans to address the various concerns of all involved, including parking, fire safety, and shadowing. He noted that the developer also has conducted a traffic study which indicates that there will be no impact from the addition.
Markakis further noted that the additional 56 rooms will generate between $250,000-500,000 in hotel excise tax revenue for the city.
City Councilor Anthony Zambuto spoke in favor of the proposal. “I’ve been the biggest proponent of hotels for our city because they bring the biggest amount of revenue for the least amount of services,” the veteran councilor said. “It’s like a gift to the city coffers and that’s why I’ve always supported every hotel project that’s come before the city. This particular project, with the extra 56 rooms, could generate as much as $450,000 annually for the city with very little zoning relief needed.”
Ward 5 Councilor Guarino-Sawaya also weighed in. “I’d like to echo what Councilor Zambuto said. This will bring in about $400,000 in additional excise tax revenue. This is the best kind of commercial revenue for the city. It’s awesome for the economy and it will employ a lot of people,” Guarino-Sawaya said.
An adjoining businessman spoke in favor of the proposal, “This will be good for business,” he said. Another proponent said the hotel will be good for the area.
A neighbor of the developer, who lives in Swampscott, said, “Mr. Saheed always does the right thing for the community. He has an impeccable record as a businessman and family man and has developed other hotels.”
Robertson, a resident of Charger St. for 45 years, spoke in opposition to the request. “I have seen the growth of Squire Rd. over the years and have seen the increase in traffic, noise, congestion, and trash. Squire Rd. is not the place to allow businesses to enlarge their original proposals such as this. Squire Rd. is not the Atlantic City boardwalk. We endure this — the traffic, noise, and littering. We don’t need to add to the mess that we endure every day. Let them try to build their projects where they live and see how far they get. We should not allow developers to defecate here and enjoy their filet mignons somewhere else.” said Robertson.
The board unanimously approved the application.
The next meeting of the ZBA is set for December 18.
