By Adam Swift
The owner of the Capri Restaurant at 1559 North Shore Road, Claudia Gallego, is looking to add two floors to the existing building to allow for the construction of eight one-bedroom apartments.
The proposal was before the city council last week for a public hearing and will go before the council’s zoning subcommittee at its next meeting on Monday, Feb. 9 for further discussion.
“Many of you here may know Claudia, she is a resident of Ward 6 here in Revere and the owner/operator of Capri Bistro,” said Nancy O’Neil, the attorney representing the developer. “So the applicant here is a Revere resident, a local small business owner. The proposal here tonight is to construct a two-story addition over the Capri Bistro … this addition would contain eight one-bedroom apartments.”
O’Neil said the apartments would be on the smaller side, about 360 square feet each, with the total proposed living space coming in at about 3,000 square feet.
“Residential apartment use, as well as the underlying restaurant use, are allowed by right in the general business district where the property is located,” said O’Neil. “Under this proposal, the footprint of the structure would not change. The proposal is to build up and create two new stories.”
The total building height would be just short of 30 feet, which is about half the building height which is allowed by right in the zoning district.
“This building would be on the smaller side for recent developments in the Shirley Ave. neighborhood,” said O’Neil. “The proposed apartments are designed as transit-oriented units. This property is a three-minute walk from the Revere Beach station on the Blue Line; so given the proximity of this building to public transportation, residents are expected to utilize the train and walk to local businesses in the Shirley Avenue neighborhood for their day-to-day needs.”
Revere Director of Planning and Community Development Tom Skwierawski said he supported the proposal.
“(Gallego) has been working with the city and our TDI partnership on a program called Build on Your Business on Shirley Avenue where we’re helping to support small business owners, providing them with opportunities and tools to help build above their business,” said Skwieraski. “It is a tool to create more housing production and support small business owners.”
Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky said he supported the project.
“It’s right at the corner where I live, and I know Claudia very well and we have actually been working on this for about two years,” he said. “When it comes to zoning, there will be a parking restriction like we do in all the other locations, so there will be no parking and no (parking) permits issued to any of the tenants.”
Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelly asked if the sewer and water system on the site would need to be upgraded.
O’Neil said the project still needs to go before the city’s site plan review committee, and if it determines there is a need for a utility upgrade, the applicant will address it.
One resident from nearby on North Shore Road did file a letter in opposition to the project to the city.
