Board approves replacing closed Dot Ave. gas station with 14-unit residential building

The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved plans by the owner of the shuttered US Petroleum station at Dorchester Avenue and Semont Road in Dorchester to replace it with a four-story, 14-unit residential building with six parking spaces and ground-floor space for a restaurant.

Dimitrios Gerasimidis's attorney, Nicholas Zozula, told the board his client is looking at selling the units as condos, rather than renting them as apartments, but has yet to make a final determination.

In either case, two of the units would be sold, or rented, as affordable, possibly with one at 80% of the Boston-area median income and the other at 100%. However, part of the ZBA approval included discussions with the BPDA about possible lower prices for those unit.

Zozula said that the project calls for eliminating the current wide curb cut on Dorchester Avenue for the gas station, which would add three on-street parking spaces. Access to the building's resident parking spaces would be on Semont Road.

Garasimidis said he has already removed the gas station's tanks and that he hopes to begin construction of the new building this spring.