West Main apartment building proposal achieves comprehensive permit at Zoning Board
An apartment building proposal for 1362 Main St. has received final approval for a comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The building, a 369-unit called West Main, has been in front of the board since January. The developer is applying for a permit through the ZBA because of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40B, which allows special permits for residential developments if they provide sufficient affordable housing and if the community in which they want to build does not meet the state’s affordable housing benchmarks.
As a part of the Chapter 40B requirements, 93 of the building’s units will be priced to be affordable for households making 80% of the area’s median income.
The ZBA officially closed the public hearing on this case in August, but the developer and the city have been in continued negotiations to finalize the terms of the permit.
At this week’s ZBA meeting, Assistant City Solicitor Michelle Learned appeared in front of the board to lay out the proposed permit decision negotiated with the project’s legal team. The conditions included some last-minute changes in response to a letter from Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy about the long-term financial consequences of the development — which lies in a non-residential part of the city — to the order of an additional $150,000 in funding to city services.
Board member Glenna Gelineau questioned the developer’s lawyer about the pricing of some of the affordable apartments. The board has previously pressed to add more deeply affordable units to the project, priced for households making a lower 60% AMI threshold. The developers had committed to offering 14 of the 93 affordable units at this deeper affordability level.
After a short recess, the developer agreed to offer four more of the affordable units at 60% AMI, bringing the total number to 18.
The board voted 4–1 to adopt the proposed comprehensive permit decision, with one dissent by member Matthew Deveaux.
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