By Adam Swift
A developer is proposing a 50-unit mixed use development at 114 Shirley Ave.
Currently, there are two commercial spaces and three residential units in the building on the property.
The developer, Trichilo Development of 13 Victoria Street in Revere, is requesting a special permit from the city council to raze the existing building and build a new five-story building with two commercial units on the ground floor and 48 residential units on the upper floors.
Project attorney Joseph Cattoggio said the project is slightly smaller than the 52 residential unit plan that was originally presented to the city’s site plan review committee.
“There were some recommendations that were made at that point that were incorporated into a revised plan,” said Cattoggio.
Brian Harkins of the city’s public arts commission and the Massachusetts TDI adjunct fellow for the arts in Revere spoke in favor of the project at Monday night’s city council public hearing on the project. Harkins said he has worked with Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky and others in the Shirley Avenue district, meeting with the developer to ensure that the project is integrated into the community.
“They are going to work with us to be able to have an arts community and cultural center down on Shirley Avenue,” Harkins said.
Novoselsky said the proposed project is similar to several other projects along Shirley Avenue, with four floors of residential space with commercial space on the ground floor.
“There will be no parking, and residents will not get parking permits, as we have done in the past,” he said. “We did have a neighborhood meeting, and we had four or five residents show up. No one was super against it, there was one person saying it would block their light, but that’s about all I got for negative feedback.”
Councillor-at-Large Robert Haas, III said his one concern about the project was that there was no mention of affordable units.
“I know Brian talked about the arts, and it is kind of geared to that with one- and two-bedrooms, but I would love to see something for seniors in these, even if it is just a couple of units,” he said.
The special permit request will next go before the council’s zoning subcommittee before coming back before the full council for a potential vote.
