Another apartment building rejected on Washington Street in Roslindale

So essentially, the board's argument is that four-story density isn't allowed because the area isn't four-story dense, only three-story dense. That begs the question - how do areas get dense? If one building adding a single extra story is beyond the pale, the board seems to be saying that the existing density is essentially locked in and unchangeable. And that's without even touching on their insistence on parking.

Boston needs to be re-zoned, top to bottom. The zoning board should not have ultra-granular approval power over every lot.

The whole idea is to have dense housing next to rail lines. You think people want to be commuting from Weymouth instead? There are four story apartments going up in freakin Dedham, where there’s a commuter rail you maybe can get to by bus.

This is Forest Hills! It’s the orange line, and the commuter rail, and like thirty bus lines. And bike lanes, and restaurants, and the edge of the arboretum. Let people live there!

And this is why we have so little housing

NOTHING IN A CITY CAN EVER CHANGE. EVERYTHING MUST BE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE DAY I MOVED IN. NOTHING CAN BE TALLER. EVERYONE MUST BE EXPECTED TO HAVE A CAR FOR EVERY BEDROOM. WHEN I BOUGHT MY HOUSE I BOUGHT PERSONAL VETO RIGHTS TO EVERY LOT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND MY CITY.

How it started: We could use more density. We are mostly three-story buildings here, and a four-story building across the street.

How it ended: Your four-story building is "too dense." Changes the character!

Laughable.

Please, Mayor Wu, please replace the current members of this atrocious ZBA. These people hate the city in which they live and hate everything that makes it a city. The mayor can replace these people tomorrow if she wants to. All the plans and process in the world don't mean anything if the ultimate decisionmakers are fundamentally opposed to transit-oriented housing. The mayor has to make this a priority if she is serious about her climate, housing, and transit agenda.

How is 4 stories and 14 units on Boston's main street "too dense"? What will these extra ~30 residents do to overwhelm the neighborhood?

How would adding "bulk" make it harder to turn left off Mosgrove? The existing building already comes to the sidewalk, as do dozens of other buildings in Roslindale. Adding extra floors on top won't obscure any sightlines, unless you're looking up for flying cars. https://goo.gl/maps/aHuEfFWVQ478QHH68

The meeting discussed multiple issues.

Among these were that the design did not fit into the general neighborhood. The zoning requires it to have some kind of look that is like other homes in the area.

There was also insufficient space to the front and back. This area is in place to help prevent fire from jumping between buildings. Parts of the city like South Boston and East Boston that literally have building just 4 feet apart, and sometimes less, can see fire spread quickly. With some space you cut down on that tremendously.

The neighbors also weighed in and noted that some of the projects that had already been approved in that area never properly included abutters and neighborhood associations as the statute requires. The city council is aware of this and even had a hearing last year on fixing that. So far things have stayed the same if not worse. It's a struggle to get accurate info to participate in some of these meetings and people dispatching the data often cut-off video links so they don't work, or fail to put up telephone numbers for those that cannot, for what ever reason, connect by computer.

Finally, there was an overwhelming number of letters against the building as laid out from abutters, whose voice is somewhat louder than anyone else's.

It was also pointed out that the plan calls for a rebuild of the current commercial space but the current occupants are under the impression that they are remaining with a new structure being built around them. Apparently that may not be the case. Are we on the same page anywhere?

No parking barely entered into the bulk of the meeting since other issues took precedent.

As to the building at 3992 Washington (at Archdale) having funding issues, there is no surprise there. Banks don't want to lend funds to buildings that are rental units at this time.

The proposed building at 43 Lochdale went before the neighborhood as rental units and was approved by many. After they were approved the banks stiffed them. They then went before the ZBA to switch to condos instead because that is what the bank was willing to give them money to do. ZBA approved that change to condos without any further interaction with the neighborhood. Bait and switch? Hard to say.

So the issue here is not just the ZBA, density, or parking. The abutters spoke out, and there were few to no letters in support. A majority were against.

So the ZBA did its job by the statute.

As to the auto body shop that is up for another presentation soon and it will have some parking in he revised plan. The original design had plenty of parking but the owner was talked out of it by special interests, and summarily got shot down because there was none. He's not making that mistake a 2nd time. The neighbors want him to sell and retire due to his declining health. They like him. Had the original plan gone forward without the coercion to change the plans, it may not have been delayed this long.

They know who they are.

These new buildings are not going up all over because the developer seeks to be socially responsible to create affordable housing. This is always about making a buck. We need to keep sight of that.

This development would lower housing costs in Boston.
Haha

I’m all about more housing, but I feel like the design of the first floor commercial space on almost every new project lacks any ability for a potential tenant to differentiate their storefront with signage/identity. They all looks like spaces designed for an attorney or an Edward Jones.