By Dan Murphy
The latest, revised plans for razing an existing parking garage and building a residential development in its place at 142-146 St. Mary’s St. in the Audubon Circle neighborhood were unveiled during a city-sponsored meeting of the project’s Impact Advisory Group (IAG) held virtually on Nov. 12.
Newton developer and longtime owner of the property, Allen Associates Properties, now intends to transform a two-story, non-conforming garage located along the tracks for the MBTA’s D train on the Green line at the intersection of Boston and Brookline into an 84,520 GFA (gross floor area) development – a reduction from the previously proposed 91,000 GFA development. As a result of the reduction in GFA, the proposed project’s FAR (floor area ratio) has been reduced to 2.85 from the previous 3.07, said Ben Wan, a principal at Boston-based RODE Architects.
Spanning five stories above a two-story garage, the proposed development would now contain 85 units (down from the previously proposed 90 units), including a mix of market-rate studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms. Thirteen units have been designated as IDP (Inclusionary Development Policy Units), including a two-bedroom accessible unit, said Wan.
The latest project plans also include a significant reduction in parking, with 82 garage spaces and 18 exterior spaces now proposed, as opposed to the previously proposed 105 garage spaces and 23 exterior spaces.
Other changes to the proposed project outlined in the Draft Project Impact Report (DPIR), which came in response to feedback from both the city’s Planning Department and the MBTA, include moving access to the garage from St. Mary Street to a shared alley, as well as a reduction in the size of the second-level amenity lounge to 2,100 square feet from the previously proposed 2,700 square feet.
The revised project plans also include a 25-percent increase in open space, bringing that number to 8,370 square feet – up from the previously proposed 6,674 square feet, said Wan.
Commitment from the developer now include a $150,000 grant to the Town of Brookline Parks and Open Space Division for the enhancement and maintenance of Monmouth Street Park in Brookline.
Moreover, the developer has also committed to a proposed pedestrian connection to the MBTA’s Fenway station on the Green’s D line.
The city’s public-comment period for this project runs through Nov. 22; comments can be submitted via the project page at http://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/142-146-st-marys-street, or emailed directly to Ebony DaRosa, the Planning Department’s project manager, at [email protected].