Residents raise parking concerns about West Square condo development
Parking was the theme of a community meeting in South Boston last night, as residents raised concerns about a developer's plans to build "transit-oriented" luxury rental apartments. The plans call for 259 units -- with 143 parking spaces.
The proposal, known as West Square, would cover a full block bounded by West First and Second streets and C and D streets, about a half mile walk to the Broadway MBTA station.
"For a 28-year-old, it's a ten-minute walk," said John Noone a representative of Lincoln Property Company, the building's developer and future manager. Noone said a one-bedroom apartment would cost approximately $2,400 a month.
"We anticipate young kids with jobs at Fidelity and JP Morgan who want to have the opportunity to still live in this neighborhood,'' Noone said at the meeting at the Lithuanian Hall. "Many of them don't have an opportunity to live in a full-service building with cohorts of the same age group."
Lincoln Properties bought the parcel after the previous owner, SB Housing Enhancement LLC, was foreclosed upon. But Housing Enhancement had already received permission from the city to develop the parcel into a development known as Emerald Court, and was granted variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals to build 245 condominium units and 318 parking spaces in a building that would stretch to 69 feet on West First Street, and 50 feet along West Second. The West Square proposal brings the height down to a uniform 45 feet.
The Emerald Court variances don't expire until 2012, and once Lincoln is cleared by the Boston Redevelopment Authority's community input process, it will not need to seek concessions from the Zoning Board.
Paul Greeley, a lifelong South Bostonian and a resident of nearby Bolton Street, remembered the Emerald Court plan, and said he was relieved at Lincoln's height reduction and setbacks from the street.
"This is about quality of life, and this sits very well with me. I'm willing to give up a little bit of parking to have a 45-foot building," he said. "That thing was 69 feet tall, we were never going to see the waterfront, never going to feel the breeze. When you showed me this design, I was ecstatic."
Yet Dianne Horne, a resident of West Second Street, echoed the concern of many of her neighbors in the room, pointing out that a spot in the parking garage would cost West Square tenants $250 extra, and she believes many opt to park on the street for free to save money.
"It's not fair for people on West Second Street who never had a driveway, never had that luxury, to have all the spaces taken away from them now," she said. "We see this all the time everywhere something new is built."
The proposal has 14 more units than the Emerald Court plan, and the building has lost more than half of the originally proposed parking spaces. That's a decrease from 1.3 spaces per unit to less than .6.
The Boston Transportation Department's recommended ratio for South Boston residential developments is 1.0-1.5, with the caveat that lower ratios may be acceptable for elderly facilities, transitional housing and group residences.
"We're not marketing this project to people who have cars," Noone said.
Michaele Morrow asked Noone whether he was familiar with the No. 9 bus, which runs from downtown to City Point. Morrow likened it to a sardine can during rush hour.
"If you're going to entice people with public transportation, and they come in here and see what a nightmare it is, they're going to want to buy a car," she said.
Noone will present a new plan next month that takes residents' parking concerns into account. The comment period on the project will close on June 13.
E-mail Cara Bayles at
carabayles@gmail.com.
