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Planning board recommends 218–230 Broadway project with design and historic review conditions
Summary
The board recommended approval of a project to add units at 218–230 Broadway, including eight inclusionary units among the new build; the board conditioned its recommendation on design review, historic‑commission input, lighting and transit‑demand measures.
The Chelsea Planning Board recommended approval for a proposal to add residential units above existing retail at 218–230 Broadway and attached conditions including design review and historic commission review.
Anthony Ross, attorney for the petitioner, and Hector Angel, the property principal, described a project that keeps four retail tenants at street level and adds approximately 30 residential units above. Ross told the board the applicants intend eight of the added units to be inclusionary affordable units, and that the building will be fully sprinklered and equipped with fire alarm systems. "Out of the 30 units, we will have 8 of those units to be inclusionary," Ross said in the presentation.
Why it matters: the site sits in a historic district and the board emphasized that final façade and exterior treatment will follow the historical commission’s guidance and the city’s design‑review process. Staff recommended standing conditions plus an exterior lighting plan meeting international dark‑sky standards and a transportation demand management plan to reduce on‑street parking pressure.
Board concerns and responses: members raised questions about parking (the project proposes no new on‑site parking and tenants would not be eligible for on‑street stickers), unit mix and family‑friendly housing (members asked why the new units included very few or no three‑bedroom units), loading and moving logistics for the retail and residential tenants, and whether the building’s windows or façade treatments would be restored; the applicant said historic commission recommendations will govern façade work and that retail tenants will remain in place during the conversion.
Board action and next steps: following staff’s conditions, a board member moved to recommend approval with John’s enumerated conditions; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The packet and conditions noted that applicant must return to the historic commission and design review as required before final permitting.
