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Planning Board hears detailed proposal for 21-unit building at 506 South Street; applicant asks to continue
Summary
Applicant for 506 South Street presented plans for a new four‑story, 21‑unit residential building with 35 parking spaces and drainage controls. The public hearing drew neighbors’ concerns about parking, green space and transformer placement; the board continued the hearing to June 25.
At a public hearing on April 16, the Quincy Planning Board reviewed a proposal by South Street Assets LLC to demolish an existing three‑family house at 506 South Street and build a four‑story, 21‑unit condominium building with 35 parking spaces and professionally designed drainage controls.
Edward Fleming, attorney for the applicant, and David Lee and Cindy Zhu, project managers, described the site as a roughly 19,984‑square‑foot parcel in the Business B zoning district and said the building would contain one‑ and two‑bedroom units with a mix of under‑building and surface parking (21 deeded spaces below and 14 at grade). The plan included stormwater infiltration and landscaping intended to retain several large rear trees, bicycle storage for 18 bikes, and screening for rooftop mechanical equipment.
Architect Brian Donahue presented renderings and elevations showing material changes to break up massing and a garage entrance that responds to the lot’s topography. Civil engineer Chi Minh described drainage designs that separate roof runoff and parking‑lot runoff, using treatment systems and underground chambers sized to the site’s soil conditions. The team said they had responded to peer‑review comments and would provide a photometric lighting plan and additional peer‑review revisions in the next submittal.
Members of the public raised concerns about parking adequacy, loss of green space, the placement and safety of an electrical transformer near the driveway, sight lines and potential construction staging impacts on nearby Ellington Road. Jack Mayo and other residents said the neighborhood already experiences heavy on‑street parking and that the new building could increase spillover. Councilor Richard Ashford and nearby residents urged more parking or guarantees that some spaces remain for visitors.
The applicant said the condominium association would deed one space per unit and that additional spaces could be leased or sold; they also said they planned private trash pickup and would work with National Grid on transformer placement and with the city’s traffic engineer on any sidewalk work. The board asked for clarifications about landscaping, lighting, trash collection and the transformer location and noted outstanding peer‑review items.
After discussion, the applicant requested — and the board granted — a continuance to the June 25 meeting so the team could submit revised plans addressing peer‑review and department comments. The continuance was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.
