By Gazette Staff
The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 25, via Zoom. Chair Renee Stacey Welch presided over the session. JPNC members in attendance included at-large members Purple Reign, Sarah Freeman, Michael Reiskind, and David Baron; Area A members Willie Mitchell and Peter DeCotis; Area B members Leah Dzintars and Lorenzo Bartoloni; and Area C members Katherine O’Shea, Nick Chaves, and Carla-Lisa Caliga.
Also on hand were Caroline Peters, the liaison to Jamaica Plain from Mayor Michelle Wu’s office; District 6 City Councilor Ben Weber; State Representative Sam Montano; State Senator Liz Miranda; Willie Gomez, the coordinator from the city’s Latin Quarter and Hyde Sq. Task Force (who noted that signage has been placed on Centre St. identifying the area as Boston’s Latin Quarter); and Todd Washburn, the Chief of Staff and Director of Administration for the Arnold Arboretum.
Washburn digressed at the start of the meeting to express the Arboretum’s concern about the impending development at the former Sisters of Poor Clare Monastery at 920 Centre St. because of the potential impact on the public view corridor from the Arboretum and on the health of the trees themselves because of shadows that will be cast by the proposed new building.
The project calls for 38 senior citizen apartments in the former monastery building itself and a new, 85-unit condo building behind it. Washburn said the Boston Planning and Development Agency has scheduled a virtual public meeting this Monday, March 3, from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
The council heard the reports from its various committees.
First up was Baron, who presented the report of the Zoning Committee, of which he is the chair. He said the committee met on February 5 and took up four matters for which the property owners were seeking variances.
The first matter was the request of a new restaurant, Viva Mi Arepa, a Venezuelan restaurant where Il Panino used to be at 268-274 Centre Street, for a special permit for takeout service.
Baron noted that there had been problems with parking with the previous establishment because it is located on the corner at Lamartine St. He said the Zoning Committee members asked the owners to address that issue.
The second matter was a request from the condo owners at 36-38 Wyvern Street to frame two new dormers and a finished attic, adding a master bedroom, a full bathroom, and a utility closet, for which variances were needed for building height; excessive stories; insufficient rear yard; and insufficient front yard.
Baron said the other condo owner in the building enthusiastically endorsed the project. “The feeling of the Zoning Committee was that this was a de minimis request,” said Baron, who noted that there was a brief discussion about the new dormer adding shade onto the adjacent property.
A third item was a request from the owner of 62 Patten Street for a basement renovation that will add a bathroom, walls, sheetrock and plastering, move the washer and dryer, and install a French drain with a sump pump.
There will be no bedrooms in the new basement space, which will be used for an office. A variance was needed because of excessive floor area ratio (FAR).
Baron said the Zoning Committee voted in favor of all three matters and the full JPNC unanimously supported the Zoning Committee’s actions. The applicants still must go before the Boston ZBA to obtain their variances.
Baron said that the Zoning Committee addressed a fourth matter regarding 561-579 Centre Street, which was a former gas station, where the developer is seeking to construct a new, four-story, mixed-use building with twelve (12) residential units and one ground-floor commercial space with eight (8) off-street parking spaces. The existing structures will be demolished.
Variances are needed for: Forbidden Use: Retail; Zoning Violations: Conformity with Building Alignment; Floor Area Ratio Excessive; Building Height Excessive (Feet and Stories); Rear Yard Insufficient; Front Yard Insufficient; Usable Open Space Insufficient; Lot Area Insufficient; and Off-Street Parking Insufficient
Baron said there was a lot of resistance from neighbors, particularly from residents of Lakeview St. Baron said the Zoning Committee continued the matter to allow the developer and neighbors to continue talking.
Katherine O’Shea presented the report of the Outreach Committee, of which she is the chair. She noted that the committee discussed preparations for the JPNC’s upcoming biennial election in June. She said that the date for the election needs to be chosen, with Saturday, June 21, as the preferred possible date, with the committee also discussing whether the JPNC should remain an elected board, a topic that was discussed at length by the full JPNC later in the meeting (see below).
She also noted that a community advocate spoke to the committee about the efforts to reopen the Hennigan Pool. District 6 Councillor Weber said he has been aware of this issue and that there seems to be a problem with the pool’s filtration system. He also noted that the pool has been transferred to the school department and there will be a meeting coming up to discuss the issue.
“This pool has been closed for way too long and needs to be a resource for the community,” said Weber.
Reiskind from the Public Service Committee said that the committee voted to support three requests of Ula Café at 284 Amory Street for a beer and wine license, for a takeout license, and for a live entertainment license. The full JPNC voted unanimously in support of granting the three licenses.
Reiskind said that the committee also discussed traffic issues in JP and made note of the five new liquor licenses in JP pursuant to recent state legislation that created more licenses in the city of Boston.
Purple Reign presented the report of the Housing and Development Committee from its last meeting at which the members discussed the proposed redevelopment of Rogerson House. Her report was as follows:
— The discussion was led by Emilee Regan from Dot Joyce Consulting. The plan for the project includes 67 new affordable senior housing units and upgrades to the existing memory care facility, addressing significant wait lists in Boston.
— Regan emphasized the urgent demand for affordable senior housing, noting a wait list of 140 persons for just one property.
— Sarah Freeman raised issues at the meeting about the potential loss of mature trees, while Juliet Davison expressed frustration with the developers’ lack of responsiveness to community feedback.
— Jeff Wiesner questioned the validity of the traffic studies presented, prompting Regan to acknowledge the need for a new analysis for the project’s second phase.
— Other residents who spoke included Paul Drolet and Bernie Doherty, who advocated for increased resident participation in the development process, and Carolyn Royce, who voiced strong support for Rogerson Communities, citing their positive reputation.
The Arborway Yard Subcommittee presented an update, with Royce reporting on the stalled design process because of MBTA funding issues. (Earlier in the meeting, both Senator Miranda and Rep. Montano told the JPNC that there is no funding for the garage project in the state budget, as was reported in the Gazette two weeks ago.)
Chaves presented the report of the Parks Committee. He presented recent updates that included the collaboration of the Parks Comm. with the Jamaica Pond Assoc. regarding ongoing pond maintenance and the designation of a portion of Perkins St. between Chestnut St. and the Jamaicaway as Frederick Olmsted Way.
He also noted that the 10th annual Love Your Block cleanup is set for March 3 and volunteers are being sought.
The members then discussed plans for the JPNC’s upcoming bi-annual election and whether the JPNC should continue as an elected body.
DeCotis noted that similar organizations do not hold elections and that the election process discourages many individuals from taking part in the council.
“There are some challenges to doing this because of the need to change our by-laws,” said DeCotis, “but it also might result in us having more people join the council.”
However, Baron said that the elections “bring a lot of visibility to the JPNC” and serve to encourage others to join.
O’Shea suggested that modifying the requirements to run for a seat on the JPNC, such as reducing the number of signatures needed for nomination papers, could encourage participation.
Freeman noted that the elective nature of the JPNC sets it apart from other volunteer organizations. “It feels like this gives us legitimacy,” Freeman said.
“The election is a great way to do outreach to make JP residents aware of the JPNC,” added Chaves.
Peters noted that most other neighborhood councils in the city are not elected, but are selected by the mayor, and that the JPNC is among the most-respected neighborhood councils in Boston.
“To be on the council, you have to earn it,” added Mitchell. “It’s something you have to be proud of and stand for it.”
The meeting concluded with the group agreeing to leave the status quo, but will discuss modifying the nomination process at a future meeting in order to encourage more candidates to step forward.
The next meeting of the JPNC is set for Tuesday, March 25.
Author: Staff
http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/2025/03/13/jpnc-approves-votes-of-zoning-committee-2/