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ZBA approves 7‑story, 94‑unit senior affordable housing project behind Tobin Towers; board notes local preference limits
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a seven‑story, 94‑unit senior housing project at 80 Clay St. by a private partnership; the project includes 22 garage spaces plus surface parking, significant stormwater mitigation and an initial local preference during lease-up as allowed by state requirements.
A private partnership between Affordable Housing Services Collaborative and PBD (DVD) Properties won zoning relief Sept. 9 to build a seven‑story, 94 one‑bedroom senior (62+) affordable apartment building on excess land behind Quincy Housing Authority’s Tobin Towers at 80 Clay Street.
Attorney Edward Fleming and members of the project team described the proposal as a private development on housing-authority excess land; the authority is not a partner in ownership. The project would add 94 one‑bedroom apartments intended for seniors, include 22 below‑grade garage parking spaces and surface parking, and provide a total of about 111 spaces across the back parcel, the team said. The building was presented as energy‑efficient (passive‑house design goals, Enterprise Green Communities standards) and PV‑ready.
Team members outlined site improvements: a revised one‑way circulation pattern, a centralized drop‑off and pick‑up area, new sidewalks and accessible routes linking Tobin Towers to Hancock and Wentworth, seating areas and planting, and a dog run screened from abutters on Chapman Street. Civil engineers said the redesign reduces impervious coverage by 5% for the project area and reduces runoff volume by 33% and peak discharge rate by 27% compared with current conditions.
The project requires multiple forms of zoning relief: a special permit for residential use in the Business C district and variances for lot size per dwelling unit and building height (the proposal is about 77.8–80 feet where the city cap is 60 feet). The team noted the Walliston Overlay District under development would allow taller buildings in this area and said the Planning Board has reviewed and approved the project; the project was peer‑reviewed for traffic and drainage and received a DPW communication noting all prior comments had been addressed.
Affordable Housing Services Collaborative staff described the tenant mix as predominantly one‑person households across a range of incomes: most units will serve households at 30% of area median income (AMI) up to a small number at 80% AMI. The team said they will request an initial local preference of up to 70% during the initial lease‑up, consistent with state housing program rules; a board member and Councilor Dan Minton asked about the possibility of permanent Quincy preference, and project staff explained state rules limit such local preference to the initial lease up and compliance with fair-housing rules.
Traffic engineers estimated modest trip generation — roughly nine trips in the morning peak and under 20 in the PM peak — and the board discussed signalized turning and potential queuing issues on Wentworth and Hancock; staff said those concerns were included in the traffic peer review. Several councilors and the neighborhood meeting attendees supported the project as meeting a local need for senior affordable housing. With no letters of opposition and one DPW memo on file, the board voted to approve the special permit and variances presented.
