The number of affordable-housing units for the $8.5 million mixed-use development at 1470 Tremont St. has increased to four units, as the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) has decided to count all 33 units in factoring the development’s affordable-housing requirement, according to spokesperson Nick Martin.
The BRA had initially said that only three affordable-housing units were required, as eight units are already at the site and were either being renovated or demolished. The BRA was at that time basing the affordable-housing requirement off of 25 units and said that the City did not have a policy on counting renovated or demolished units already on site towards the requirement.
“We made the determination that all of the project’s proposed units (not just the new component) should be factored in when calculating the required number of affordable units,” Martin said in an email. “The project will, therefore, contain four affordable units, and the developer has also agreed to contribute $87,000 to the [City’s affordable-housing] fund to support affordable housing elsewhere in the city.”
Martin said that going forward, for all projects that undergo a Article 80 review, new units and units substantially renovated (defined as an unit renovation worth greater than 50 percent of its assessed value) will be factored in when the BRA calculates the affordable-housing requirement.
The proposal for 1470 Tremont St. is a residential and commercial development by Mission Hill-based developer Jason Savage. Savage is also a developer of the 66-unit Clutch Works project at 1486 Tremont St.
The 1470 Tremont St. proposal includes demolition of an existing two-family dwelling and conversion of existing row-houses. There are currently seven parcels of land that Savage plans to roll into one parcel totaling 10,213 square feet. The site would be built into three buildings, totaling 35,837 square feet of residential and commercial space.
The final development would consist of 33 residential units and corner retail space. The residential units would consist of some three- and four-bedroom units, but mostly one-bedroom and studio units.
The development is also slated to include 10 new garage parking spaces and covered storage for 33 bicycles.
The project is seeking zoning relief variances for several requirements including maximum building height, minimum usable open space per dwelling unit, and minimum rear yard. The project is expected to have a 5-story height, 40 square feet of open space per unit, and no rear yard.
Martin said the project could go before the BRA board May 12, but the agenda has not been set yet for the meeting.
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