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Zoning board approves conversion of Washington Ave funeral home into nine residential units
Summary
Chelsea's Zoning Board of Appeals voted Jan. 13 to approve the conversion of a former funeral home at 22123 Washington Ave into a nine‑unit, family‑oriented residential building with one ground‑floor retail unit subject to standard planning conditions.
The Chelsea Zoning Board of Appeals voted Jan. 13 to approve Case 2025‑22123, allowing the conversion of a former funeral home at 22123 Washington Ave into a nine‑unit residential building with one retail space and several dimensional variances.
The application, presented by Anthony Ross on behalf of the petitioner, described a revised design made after two planning‑board reviews. The new unit mix calls for one four‑bedroom unit, six three‑bedroom units, one two‑bedroom unit and one one‑bedroom unit. Ross said the team reduced the retail component to a single storefront and altered the facade to read as residential rather than commercial. “So as far as parking, we do have 11 parking spaces,” Ross said during his presentation.
John from the Planning Department recommended approval with conditions and listed required submissions: a shared parking plan; an exterior lighting plan compliant with International Dark Sky Association standards; a rodent control plan; a waste‑management plan; a construction management plan; design review with the Department of Permitting & Land Use with historical commission comments; installation of a white roof on the flat portions; use of permeable pavement; and a restriction that occupants be ineligible for the city’s on‑street parking sticker program.
During deliberation board members worked through the special‑permit criteria (community need, traffic and safety, neighborhood character, natural environment and fiscal impact). The applicants argued that converting the property from a funeral home to residences will reduce peak parking demand associated with wakes and funerals, add family housing and improve neighborhood character. The applicant noted the existing structure’s placement along lot lines drives the need for several zoning variances and said demolition and rebuilding to meet current setbacks would be financially infeasible.
The board voted in favor of approval, adopting the planning department’s standard conditions. The vote was taken by voice; the motion carried with ayes recorded.
What happens next: The conditions require the petitioner to submit the listed plans and undergo design review before permits are issued. The project was granted the requested variances and the special permit allowing a dwelling containing seven or more units and the other dimensional relief cited in the application. No timeline for construction was set at the hearing.
