ZBA clears Tokyo Kuma to convert 1341 Beacon Street bank into retail; loading-zone and trash plans required

The Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a special permit allowing Tokyo Kuma to convert the long-vacant bank at 1341 Beacon Street into a retail store, subject to several conditions requiring interdepartmental approvals.

Attorney Robert Allen said the proposed retail use (about 5,383 square feet) does not require exterior alterations and that the Transportation Board approved converting two nearby taxi-stand curb spaces to an on-street loading/passenger zone roughly 75 feet from the building. He said the applicant will schedule deliveries to use that newly designated curb space and that trash pickup three times a week should manage cardboard and other recyclables.

Neighbors in opposition said their primary concern was preventing large-truck loading on Webster Street, a narrow residential lane; Jonathan Davis and Bruce Levin asked the board to make clear that loading will occur on Beacon Street and not on Webster Street. Planning staff said the planning board supported reuse without façade changes and recommended conditions including submission of the Transportation Board-approved loading-zone plan and a trash/rodent-control plan subject to Health Department review. The building commissioner will also confirm emergency-access and life-safety compliance prior to a building permit being issued.

Board members found the special-permit standards met and voted unanimously for the waiver of an on-site loading requirement, subject to the planning and transportation approvals and the recommended conditions.