Zoning Board of Appeals Approves Several Neighborhood Projects

The Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) on April 26 approved several projects in the Back Bay, Bay Village, and South End, including one at 1112-1116 Boylston St., one at 160 West Canton St., one at 27-29 Isabella St., and one at 755 Boylston St.

1112-1116 Boylston St.—Board Final Arbiter

Attorney Josh Zakim spoke on behalf of the applicant for 1112-1116 Boylston St., which is a recreational cannabis dispensary.

“The board gave approval for this just about a year ago with a one-year sunset proviso,” Zakim said. He said that the opening of the dispensary has “been going through significant delays related to COVID,” including an architectural review from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.

He was before the board requesting an extension or a removal of the proviso, and the board voted to “modify” the proviso to read that the one year sunset will be from the date the certificate of occupancy is issued. Additionally, this is for this applicant only.

160 West Canton St.

Attorney Marc LaCasse spoke on behalf of the homeowners at 160 West Canton St., who would like to install a balcony on the rear of the building at the parlor level. Such construction requires a conditional use permit, and the balcony would project the “standard” 6 feet from the facade of the building and would be supported by cantilever brackets.

Kim Crucioli from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services said that an abutters meeting was held on March 8, where neighbors and the Pilot Block Neighborhood Association expressed support for the project.

City Council President Ed Flynn was also in support, and the ZBA reported that it had received one letter in support.

The ZBA voted to approve.

27-29 Isabella St.

At 27-29 Isabella St., the clients sought to install a pergola on the existing roof deck. Attorney Joe Hanley explained that the building is a five-story building that was constructed in 2018, and features nine units.

He said his client owns the ninth floor unit, and wants to install an “open pergola”that would be about 225 square feet and “…would be tucked next to and back on the roof next to the existing head house and would be done in a way that is consistent with the historic district.”

He said that the pergola would be “situated in a way that there are no visual impacts.” On the deck, the pergola would have a “small triangular section” as well as a “rectangular section,” he said.

Kim Crucioli from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services said that an abutters meeting was held in March of this year, where “no opposition was shown by the abutters.” She also said that the Mayor’s Office had received a letter of non-opposition from the Bay Village Neighborhood Association (BVNA). City Council President Ed Flynn was also in support, and the ZBA reported that it had received one letter in support.

The ZBA approved the pergola with the proviso that it undergo design review by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) to ensure the final structure is consistent with what is being proposed.

755 Boylston St.

755 Boylston St. is the future home to Raising Cane’s, a fast food chicken tender chain. Attorney Marci Costa presented a proposal for 14 outdoor seats on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. She explained that the previous tenant had a 12 seat patio, so this would only be an increase of two seats.

Costa said that the patio is 164 square feet, and “this would not have an adverse effect on the Back Bay community.”

Molly Griffin of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services said that an abutters meeting was held on March 8, where there were “no concerns” from abutters. The applicant had also met with the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB), who “expressed non-opposition,” Griffin said.

A ZBA member said that he did not believe the two additional seats will cause any issues with egress, so the ZBA voted to approve the 14 outdoor seats.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.