City plan for 26 affordable condos on vacant lots in Dorchester wins approval

The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved a developer's plans to build 26 affordable condos on three city-owned vacant lots on Geneva Avenue, between Olney and Everton streets, and a fourth vacant lot on Eunice Street in Dorchester.

Norfolk Design and Contruction of Walpole will build the units as part of the city's Welcome Home, Boston program, which is using $58 million in federal ARPA funds to create affordable housing.

The mostly two- and three-bedroom units approved today will be sold to families making between 80% and 100% of the Boston-area median income.

At the hearing, nobody opposed the proposals for a three-story, six-unit building with four parking spaces at 241 Geneva Ave., a four-story building with seven units at 268 Geneva Ave. and a four-story building with seven units at 276 Geneva Ave..

However, two Eunice Street residents opposed the proposal for a three-story building with six units and three parking spaces at 22 Eunice St..

Kamali Mayhew said Eunice is a narrow dead end that already has parking issues and that she worries six new residential units with just three parking spaces will only exacerbate problems, especially on street-cleaning days, when residents from around the corner use it to park on. Also, construction could exacerbate the street's rat problems, she said.

Matt Eckle, an attorney for the project, said Norfolk put in three parking spaces as a compromise for the site, which he said is near bus lines and two train stations. He said, if anything, construction might help the street's rat problems because Norfolk will follow city rodent-control guidelines while putting up the building.