Image courtesy of The Architectural Team
Development of an $80 million hotel in the North End received approval from the Boston Planning & Development Agency over objections from Boston city councilor and state Sen. Lydia Edwards.
At their monthly board meeting, BPDA directors also approved a new Herb Chambers dealership and youth fieldhouse in Dorchester, and three multifamily projects totaling 164 housing units.
The 134-room hotel, to be constructed on the former J. Pace market property at 42 Cross St., was redesigned last fall after objections from Edwards and neighborhood residents. Critics said the 5-story building would wall off parts of the neighborhood from the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway and disturb residents with a rooftop restaurant.
As parts of a $1.3 million public benefits package, developers agreed to donate $100,000 for improvements to Cutillo Park, $75,000 for a Bluebikes station in the North End and $50,000 to a group of community and educational organizations.
Edwards reiterated her opposition to the board Thursday, saying the hotel would ruin views from condominiums on Stillman Street and hurt property values.
“Is what is happening here something that, but for it happening, we would never have this beautification?” Edwards said. “You know damn well it’s not true. We could have a lot of these benefits with housing. We could have a lot of benefits with other things.”
Edwards predicted the valet-only parking arrangement would aggravate a traffic bottleneck near an on-ramp to Interstate 93 across from the development site.
The new design of the 69,613-square-foot structure includes a 2-story passageway from the Greenway to Cutillo Park, two ground-floor restaurants and a seasonal rooftop dining terrace.
Developer William Caulder of Cross Street Ventures agreed to reconstruct the Cross Street Plaza with new outdoor seating and make Cutillo Park ADA-compliant through grade changes on Morton Street.
The project still needs to receive a series of approvals from the Zoning Board of Appeal, including a conditional use permit, and variances for building height, floor area ratio and restaurant use above the first floor.
In Allston, the BPDA board approved a 111-unit apartment building in a redevelopment of an industrial building and parking lot at 90 Braintree St. The 6-story building will include 22 income-restricted units, five of which will be artist live-work space. Developer Anchor Line Partners agreed to contribute $500,000 to the Allston Brighton Community Development Corp., $75,000 for bike lane improvements, $49,000 for a new Bluebikes station and $111,000 for improvements to Penniman Park.
Plans for a pair of new athletic facilities moved forward in Mission Hill and Dorchester.
On Columbia Point, a new fieldhouse for local youths will be developed by the Martin Richard Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester at 315 Mount Vernon St. The plans include indoor athletic facilities, classrooms and conference space.
And Wentworth Institute of Technology received approval to build an athletic field above one level of parking on a 3-acre parking lot at 600 Parker St. in Mission Hill.
Two condo projects totaling 53 units were approved by the board in Dorchester and South End.
At 1154-1156 Dorchester Ave. a 20-unit condo project including ground-floor office and community space will occupy an addition to an existing building. At 1395 Washington St. in South End, an existing building will be demolished to make way for a 6-story building including retail space.
Directors also agreed to let five of the city’s urban renewal plans expire this spring while extending nine others through the end of the year. The Brunswick-King, Boylston-Essex, School-Franklin, Park Plaza and Kittredge Square plans will sunset in April. Mayor MIchelle Wu announced this month the administration is researching ways to protect affordable housing and open space requirements at properties in the nine remaining plans.
