Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pleasant Street Conversion topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
After heated neighborhood comments, ZBA approves revised plan for 714–716 Pleasant Street with reduced unit count
Summary
Following lengthy public comment and board scrutiny over scale, parking and drainage, the Zoning Board approved a revised plan for 714–716 Pleasant Street after the applicant agreed to reduce the proposal and accept staff conditions on design and parking.
Neighbors and the board pressed the applicant on May 18 over the bulk, parking and potential drainage impacts of a proposed conversion at 714–716 Pleasant Street. Attorney Mark Borenstein for AA Eagle Properties LLC outlined a plan to convert an existing large two‑family into an eight‑unit multifamily low‑rise by finishing existing third‑floor volume and providing 12 rear parking spaces. The planning division (Amy Beth Leith) summarized the relief requested: lot area and frontage variances, side yard setback relief, and a parking shortfall. Staff recommended conditions to preserve architectural features and to add a bike rack, landscaping, and conduit for future EV charging.
Several abutters opposed the scale. Jean, an abutter, said the tight‑fit proposal did not "reflect the RL zone design capability" and warned of inadequate snow storage and drainage impacts. Other nearby residents and contractors, including Adam Gabel, spoke in support of the applicant, praising the quality of work and the benefit of adding housing.
After discussion the applicant offered to revise the proposal downward (to seven units) and to supply conduit for EV charging rather than installed chargers at occupancy; the board accepted modified conditions and voted to approve the variances and special permits with the amended relief, striking certain recommended conditions (d and g) and modifying others per the applicant‑staff agreement.
Why it matters: the project preserves an existing building, adds rental housing in a transit‑oriented area, and shows how neighbor concerns over parking and scale can prompt applicants to revise proposals during hearings. The board required specific architectural revisions to preserve porch details and window patterns and asked for explicit parking assignment and trash/dumpster screening in final site plans.
