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Council hears proposal for Fennell Street affordable-housing overlay that would rely on Chelsea cooperation
Summary
An applicant proposed a two‑acre overlay to encourage multifamily affordable housing adjacent to Chelsea; councilors pressed on affordability percentage, school impacts and intermunicipal utility agreements and referred the zoning change to the zoning committee.
Tom Skrovsky presented a proposed Fennell Street affordable-housing overlay district on behalf of property interests on land that is titled Fennell Street but lies adjacent to Chelsea and directly borders Chelsea Housing Authority property. Skrovsky said the two parcels total roughly two acres, have been vacant for decades, and could complement Chelsea's master planning for nearby public housing.
Skrovsky said any development here "couldn't occur without the cooperation from the city of Chelsea" because access, water and sewer tie-ins would cross Chelsea property. He proposed an overlay that would be similar to the city's RC‑4 residential district but would require an affordability component for projects opting into the overlay; he suggested 25% as a starting point for discussion.
Attorney Jerry D'Ambrosio, who said he represents a potential developer, described the parcel as effectively an appendage to a larger Chelsea redevelopment and urged flexibility so a Revere project could be harmonized with Chelsea’s planning. "The geography of this spot is undeniable," D'Ambrosio said, and added that access and utility tie-ins would likely be coordinated with Chelsea DPW and other Chelsea agencies.
Councilors questioned details about oversight, the affordability percentage, whether the district would be by‑right or require a special permit, school impacts and local preference for Revere residents. Skrovsky said the overlay as proposed would allow development by right if the project met the overlay's affordability threshold; oversight would be exercised by the site-plan review committee and the building commissioner.
Councilor Kelly asked whether the proposal could instead require a special permit so the council could set affordability parameters case by case; other councilors urged higher affordability targets, with several mentioning 70%–80% as preferable for the city’s housing goals. Skrovsky said local preference of up to 70% could be applied in an affordable housing program and that intermunicipal agreements would address water/sewer and school impacts.
Why this matters: Councilors and the presenter tied the proposal to the city's housing production goals under Chapter 40B and to the Chelsea Housing Authority's master plan. A successful project could add affordable units to help Revere meet state expectations for housing production.
What’s next: The council referred the zoning change to the zoning committee for further review; councilors requested detail on affordability percentages, local-preference rules, potential AMI tiers, intermunicipal agreements with Chelsea, and public-safety and traffic impacts prior to a final vote.
