1299 Beacon Street

Project Name: 1299 Beacon Street
Comprehensive Permit (Chapter 40B affordable housing)

STATUS: ZBA Approved with Conditions 10/2/2019; decision to be filed with Town Clerk / Notice of Decision to be mailed to abutters

Initial Proposal: 108 units (12 stories) of age-restricted rental housing on 18,632 sf lot; 2 levels of retail; 2 levels of below grade parking (183 parking spaces for residential and retail)

Revised Proposal: 74 units (8-10 stories) of age-restricted rental housing; 2 levels of retail 2 levels of below grade parking (99 parking spaces for residential and retail)
Revised Proposal (July 10, 2019): 65 units (8-9 stories) of age-restricted rental housing; 2 levels retail; 2 levels below grade parking (57 parking spaces)
Revised Proposal (July 15, 2019): 55 units (8-9 stories) of age-restricted rental housing; 2 levels retail; 2 levels below grade parking (57 parking spaces) ZBA APPROVED 10/2/2019

Applicant: Brighton Allston Properties, LLC (Raj Dhanda)
Location: 1299 Beacon Street (between Trader Joe's and Post Office)

Contact the Zoning Board of Appeals or the Planning Department

If you have any questions for staff or comments for the ZBA, please email Senior Planner Maria Morelli. The Planning Department main number is 617-730-2130.

ZBA TIMELINE

The timeline (PDF) features all stages of the 40B process and indicates the stage of the project at this time.

KEY DATES

NOTE: The official mechanism for notification in accordance with the Open Meeting Law is the Town Calendar not this web page. Visit the Town Calendar for hearing agendas.

Site Eligibility Stage

August 16, 2016: The applicant will present the Site Eligibility proposal for the Board of Selectmen. Notice of Hearing (PDF) The Board of Selectmen will draft comments to submit to subsidizing agency and consider public comments. To submit comments directly to MassHousing on site eligibility, please download these instructions (PDF).

September 6, 2016: Board of Selectmen discusses Town's Response to MassHousing (due September 9).

January 3, 2016: Board of Selectman discusses Town's Response to MassHousing in regard to REVISED Site Eligibility proposal dated November 4, 2016. See BOS Calendar for agenda.

ZBA Application - ZBA Public Hearing

Hearings are held in Select Board's Hearing Room, Sixth Floor, Town Hall, unless otherwise noted. See Town Calendar.

TRANSCRIPTS are available about two weeks after a hearing. Links to full transcripts are provided at the bottom of this page.
March 23, 2018: The Applicant submitted ZBA application for a Comprehensive Permit
April 18, 2018: ZBA Public Hearing is opened and continued (no Board Discussion or Testimony)
April 25, 2017: Continued to May 9, 2018
May 9, 2018: Applicant presents proposal. The ZBA's 40B consultant presents an overview of Chapter 40B. Transcript here. (PDF)
May 30, 2018: ZBA Site Visit - Open to public (Because this is not a public hearing, no testimony will be accepted during the site visit.)
June 13, 2018: ZBA Hearing / Staff Report / Public Comment
> NOTE: June 13 hearing is Room 111 first floor of Town Hall and cannot be televised.
July 11, 2018: ZBA Hearing. Testimony from Town Depts and traffic/parking peer reviewers)
> Public comment confined to technical questions for peer reviewers
Sept 5, 2018: ZBA Hearing. Testimony from design peer reviewer and Town Boards
> Public comment confined to technical questions for peer reviewer

October 17, 2018: CONTINUED TO NOVEMBER 28, 2018

November 28, 2018: CONTINUED TO JANUARY 14, 2019

January 14, 2019: CONTINUED TO JANUARY 30, 2019

January 30, 2019: Architecture

February 13, 2019: Hearing CONTINUED to Feb 27

February 27, 2019: CONTINUED

April 3, 2019: CONTINUED TO APRIL 24 (no hearing)

April 24, 2019: Traffic / Parking / Site Logistics / Public Safety / Rubbish-Recycling / Geotechnical / Stormwater / Prelim Building Code

May 1, 2019: Geotech/Build. Code, Site Circulation/Logistics, Trash, Parking

June 3, 2019: Revised plans and peer review

July 10, 2019: Parking, geotech, construction management planning

July 15, 2019: Response to ZBA charge (parking ratio)

September 16, 2019: Will be CONTINUED to September 18 (not hearing on 9/16)

September 18 (not 16), 2019: Soil test, Waivers, Conditions

October 2, 2019: Conditions

Public Hearing scheduled to close (180 days from opening + 274 day extension): October 3, 2019

Presentations
Planning Department: July 11 Design Analysis Report and Presentation - Maria Morelli, Senior Planner

Planning Department presentation to Brookline Preservation Commission - Maria Morelli, Senior Planner

Design Peer Review Report and Presentation - Sept. 5, 2018

APPLICATION PLANS AND HEARING MATERIALS

October 2, 2019 Hearing

NOTE PUBLIC HEARING CLOSES October 3, 2019. No testimony will be accepted after October 3.

CURRENT Revised Draft Conditions V3 and Exhibit 4-Abutters in 100 foot radius (certified by Assessor)
- Applicant's proposed changes to Draft v3 for ZBA's consideration. Technical response from staff pending for ZBA's consideration.
Exhibit 1: Waiver Requests Approved by the ZBA 9/18/2019
Exhibit 2: Terms to be included in Town Regulatory Agreement
Exhibit 3: Notice of Public Hearing (to open public hearing April 18, 2018)
Draft Conditions (old)
DOCUMENTS REFERENCED IN DECISION - reviewed in prior hearings
parking demand management August 13, 2019 | program mix
rubbish and recycling management
ground plane: integrated site plan choreography
geotechnical: foundation methods, construction means/methods, water table, hazardous material, soil types, soil testing
- Geotechnical Report January 2019 (Four levels subgrade) - Plans revised for 2 levels and reviewed by geotechnical peer reviewer July 2019
- Applicant's Soil Lab Test and GEI Summary report (July 2019) Reviewed by geotech peer reviewer September 18, 2019
Stormwater Report
prelim construction management planning July 30, 2019

September 18 (not 16), 2019 Hearing

1 - Soil Testing

Applicant's Soil Lab Test and GEI Summary report (July 2019)
Independent Geotech Peer Review (response to applicant's soil test)

2 - Waivers (Applicant's request for waivers from zoning consistent with the latest plans)

Draft version 1: Comments from staff to be posted
Architectural plans
Site plans and civil engineering drawings
Landscape plan
Waivers key
For reference only (reviewed by ZBA at previous hearings)
- Components related to plans:
- parking demand management August 13, 2019 | program mix
- rubbish and recycling management
- ground plane: integrated site plan choreography
- geotechnical: foundation methods, construction means/methods, water table, hazardous material, soil types, soil testing
- stormwater management
- prelim construction management planning July 30, 2019

3 - DRAFT Conditions [Procedural History and Findings Only]

JULY 15, 2019 Hearing

JULY 10, 2019 Hearing

Applicant Materials

Architecture/Parking: See PLANS under JUNE 3, 2019 Hearing
Updated Construction Management Plan -June 11, 2019
- UPDATED Construction Management Plan (response to 7/9 Geotech peer review + Autoturn analyses) - July 9, 2019
July 3-8, 2019 soil tests [Lab results will be available week of July 16.]
Parking Demand Management

Peer Review

Geotech (July 9)
Parking (July 8)

June 3, 2019 HEARING

Applicant Materials

Revised architecture elevations and floor plans/parking plans, illustrations of functions on ground plan. JUNE 3, 2019 PRESENTATION TO ZBA
- Summary of changes:
- 8 and 10 stories reduced to 8 and 9 stories (-10,000 sf)
- 74 units reduced to 65 units
- Garage reduced from 3 subgrade levels to 2
- Parking spaces reduced from 87 to 52
- Retail use excludes all food use
- Retail space increased from 5000 sf to about 6600 sf (one to two levels)
- Stepback at Sewall facade increased from 3 ft to 6 ft (at third floor and up instead of fourth and up). Additional volumes reduced on Sewall facade.
- Loading area made deeper
Updated traffic counts: reduced housing, no food use (plus comparison of Senior Housing w/ Apartment use codes)
Updated parking demand narrative
Construction management planning
Soil testing: schedule during hearing
Updated trash/recyclables management