Flatiron-style residential building to replace vacant lot in the North End

The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved a five-story, six-unit residential building on the triangular lot where Commercial Street ends at Atlantic Avenue in the North End.

Property owner Richard Walsh will occupy one of the three-bedroom units, which will give him a quick commute to his job at Walsh Brothers, Inc., just on the other side of Commercial Street.

Under Walsh's plans, the lot, formerly home to a series of small buildings that included a laundry and a gas station, will house four single-floor units and two duplexes, with a common rooftop deck and a ground-floor garage for six cars.

The neighborhood as a whole split on the proposal - the North End Waterfront Council supported it while the North End Waterfront Residents Association opposed it.

Some residents who testified praised the proposal as a modest, well designed replacement for what has long been a neighborhood eyesore. Residents of two neighboring buildings opposed the proposal, saying it would deprive them of their views of the waterfront and fresh air.

Because of the split, the mayor's office took no position on the proposal. City Councilor Lydia Edwards (North End, Charlestown, East Boston), however, opposed the proposal, as did at-large Councilors Julia Mejia and Michelle Wu.