Zoning subcommittee approves Feno Street affordable housing overlay with 75% affordability requirement and local preference

The Revere City Zoning Subcommittee on Oct. 6 voted to amend and forward the proposed Feno Street Affordable Housing Overlay District (FSHOD). The approved amendment requires at least 75% of all residential units in the overlay to be affordable and allows a local preference for Revere residents for up to 70% of those affordable units; of that local-preference pool, 20% are to be dedicated for seniors and 20% for veterans.

Why it matters: The overlay is intended to guide development on a targeted parcel and is presented by city staff as an opportunity to increase affordable housing supply and contribute toward the city's goals under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40B. The amendment is intended to balance affordability goals with financing feasibility raised by developers and counsel.

Tom Skrowski, the director who presented the item, reviewed prior discussion and baseline numbers. He said the planning staff’s earlier baseline was lower but acknowledged proposals from councilors raising the target. During debate, councilors discussed financing constraints, local preference rules and unit mix for seniors and veterans. One councilor noted attorney D’Ambrosio’s guidance that an 80% affordability requirement could make financing a project difficult; the council settled on 75% to pursue a balance between maximizing affordable units and preserving project feasibility.

The subcommittee approved the specific amendment language to section 17-30070 (general regulations for the FSHOD) inserting new subsections requiring the 75% affordability floor and the local preference hierarchy. The amendment passed on recorded votes by Councilor Argencio, Councilor Garrino Suaya (Grema/Grama Sawaya on roll calls), Councilor Novosalski and Chairman Zambuto; Councilor Jaramillo was absent. The subcommittee then voted to forward the amended ordinance to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation.

Details approved in the amendment (as read into the record by the subcommittee chair) include:

- A requirement that any development in the FSHOD dedicate at least 75% of total residential units as affordable housing units. - A local-preference provision that allows up to 70% of the affordable units to be reserved for Revere residents; within that local-preference pool, 20% of units are to be set aside for seniors and 20% for veterans.

Committee members discussed implementation mechanics, including using a lottery agent to allocate units and the possibility of defining unit-type designations (studios, one-bedrooms) for veterans or seniors during the marketing and lottery process rather than embedding bedroom-size requirements in the zoning ordinance.

The subcommittee recorded the amendment and the favorable recommendation votes and will forward the ordinance, as amended, to the full City Council for the next steps, including site plan review and any intermunicipal agreements tied to collaboration with nearby Chelsea projects.