By Journal Staff
The Revere Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) held its regular monthly meeting last
Wednesday, February 25, in the City Councillor Joseph A. DelGrosso City Council Chamber. On hand for the session were chair Michael Tucker and fellow members Aklog Limeneh, Arthur Pelton, and John Lopes.
The first matter taken up was an application from local resident Christopher Fazio, the principal of 690 Washington Ave. LLC, for variances (from the lack of required setbacks and exceeding the maximum building coverage on a lot) in order to raze an existing structure and construct a two-family home with an attached accessory dwelling unit (ADU). The property is located across the street and a few doors down from the Stop and Shop on Washington Ave.
Attorney Matt Graves presented the application. “Sadly, this is a classic example of a blighted property that has been uninhabited for a number of years and has been condemned by the city,” said Graves, who noted that there had been a fire at the property and that it has been boarded up for years. “The developer plans to raze it and construct an attractive new structure that fits in with the neighborhood.”
Graves said that the variances are needed because of the unique shape and sloping topography of the lot. “This property will be transformed from a dilapidated and unsightly building into an attractive and safe residence with sufficient parking (including for the ADU). This will be a significant improvement in terms of safety, aesthetics, and neighborhood character,” Graves added.
Graves said Ward 6 Councillor Chris Giannino supports the project. There were no opponents and the commissioners unanimously approved the project.
Next up was a request from 700 Broadway, LLC (Jamie Russo, manager) for five variances (including setback and parking requirements) to construct a five-story, 20-unit apartment building at that location.
Attorney Brian McGrail from Wakefield presented the application. He said the project “will replace an obsolete and aging structure with a modern residential structure that meets current building, fire, and accessibility standards. The variances are warranted because of the unique physical conditions of the lot including irregular shape and sloping topography that restrict reasonable development.
“This project is on Broadway’s business corridor near public transit and makes it well-suited to promote walkability, to support the local economy, and to support the city’s housing needs,” McGrail added.
However, four groups of neighbors from adjacent properties on Broadway, Malden St., and Tuckerman St. voiced their opposition to the project. All cited the already-existing parking issues in their neighborhood which they said will be exacerbated by the project, which will have only 10 parking spaces for the 20 units. In addition they noted that the size of the building will not fit in with the scale of the neighborhood, which is comprised of smaller homes and structures.
The Malden St. homeowners also asserted that the high-rise building will loom over their backyard, taking away their privacy and thereby negatively affecting the value of their property.
After both Lopes and Pelton suggested that the developer should meet with the residents to work out the parking issue, the members voted to continue the matter until March.
McGrail presented the next application on behalf of another project by Russo to construct a 30-unit apartment building at 1 Shirley Ave., which is located at the corner of Beach St. and Shirley Ave. across from the Dunkin Donuts at Bell Circle.
Seven variances are required, including lack of minimum setbacks, lack of parking, exceeding the 50-foot height limit, and exceeding the limit of five stories.
“This is a uniquely-constrained parcel, with sloping topography and uneven geometry,” said McGrail, who added that Russo will be demolishing the existing warehouse on the site and replacing it with a modern apartment building “that will improve the overall quality of the area and will provide needed multi-family housing in the city.”
Ward 2 City Councillor Ira Novoselsky spoke in favor of the application.
“I’ve spoken to the developer,” said Novoselsky. “The top floor will be stepped-back with parking spaces underneath, consistent with the other projects on Shirley Ave. This will make Shirley Ave. a better place to live.”
There were no opponents and the ZBA members unanimously approved the application, though with the condition that the tenants will not be eligible to participate in the city’s resident and visitor on-street permit parking program.
Next up was a request from the owner of the new La Quinta Hotel at 125 Squire Rd. to construct an additional floor onto the existing structure, which still is under construction, in order to create a function room.
Variances are needed in order for the developer to exceed the 50-foot height limit and the limit of five stories.
Local realtor Lou Markakis presented the application. He said the first phase of the project, consisting of 100 of the hotel’s 156 rooms, is 90 percent complete.
However, he said that the hotel has received numerous requests from Revere residents for the addition of a function room for private and community events, which prompted the owners to add a function room on the top floor.
There were no opponents and the members unanimously approved issuing the variance.
The final matter of the evening was an application from the owner of 37 Page St. to construct a permanent 25’ x 20’ hip-roof structure over an existing backyard patio. A variance is required because 10 feet of side-yard setback is required per the zoning ordinance, but the project will be only five feet away from the neighboring property.
Architect Jacob Levine presented the application, which included a rendering of the completed project. There were no opponents and the members unanimously approved granting the variance.