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ZBA approves revised plan for 125 Perry St., adding eight units and parking with conditions
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals on July 14 approved amended variances for Perry 125 LLC to revise a previously approved multifamily project at 125 Perry Street, increasing the building from 24 to 32 units, raising the roofline and adding parking and landscaping; approval included two conditions imposed by the board.
Lowell Zoning Board of Appeals on July 14 approved amended variances that allow Perry 125 LLC to revise an already-approved redevelopment at 125 Perry Street to add eight residential units and other site changes.
The board granted relief for lot area per dwelling unit, minimum usable open space per dwelling unit and building height after the applicant described a redesign that swaps a flat roof for a pitched roof and adds a leased parcel behind the site to expand parking and landscaping.
Attorney John Geary, representing Perry 125 LLC, told the board the project’s original approvals from May and June 2023 assumed a flat roof for a four‑story, garage‑front building with 24 units. The pitched roof design increases the fourth floor’s ceiling space and yields eight additional units — two one‑bedrooms and six two‑bedrooms — bringing the proposal to 32 units. Geary said the developer secured a long‑term land lease with the abutting Concord Crossing Condominium Trust that adds 19,188 square feet to the site; combined with the parcel’s existing 15,408 square feet, the project now occupies 34,596 square feet.
The redesign raised the building height to 47.5 feet, 2.5 feet above the TMU district maximum of 45 feet, so the applicant asked for height relief. Geary and civil engineer Mark O’Hara described additional parking and utility work: the revised plans show 68 off‑street parking spaces total (the two‑spaces‑per‑unit standard would require 64), including 25 spaces in the ground‑floor garage, and a new sewer manhole and water connection to enable revised stormwater handling. O’Hara said an expanded underground drainage system and tie‑in to an existing detention basin will mitigate the roughly 1,800 square feet of additional impervious surface created by the extra parking.
Landscape architect Angie Virge said the redesign adds green space and six new large trees (30–50 feet at maturity) and includes layered plantings to soften the garage façade; she said the developer will add granite veneer on certain bump‑out areas to reduce the visible concrete.
Board members and city staff described the changes as an improvement over the prior approval. The city’s economic development team and DPD staff told the board they view the additional units favorably. Several board members praised the pitched roof as more aesthetically pleasing and noted the project is already under construction, with foundation work underway.
The board approved the variances by roll call and attached two conditions requested by members: the applicant must install granite veneer on the four bump‑out areas along Perry Street and must install signage marking ingress and egress areas. The board also noted the applicant will appear before the Planning Board on Aug. 18 to amend special permits and the revised site plan review.
The board approved the motion on a unanimous roll call vote.
