The Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) approved two projects in the Back Bay and South End areas at its July 26 virtual hearing.
121 St. Botolph St.
At 121 St. Botolph St., Derrick Tyler proposed to renovate the fifth floor, which is the second floor of Unit 4, to include a new kitchen and to refinish the existing roof deck.
He said that the fifth level faces St. Botolph St., and the owners are hoping to add 217 square feet to the lefthand side of the building for a relocated kitchen.
Conor Newman from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services said that due to staff turnover, there is “not a lot” of information regarding the community process for this proposal, but the office has not received any letters in support or in opposition of the project, and has not heard any concerns from the community.
Jeff Hampton from the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) recommended approval of this proposal, and the ZBA also voted to approve.
116 Appleton St.
At 116 Appleton St., the proposal is to construct a new roof deck with access by hatch, as well as to build a new deck in the rear at the second level.
Architect Eben Kunz first addressed the building code issue with using a hatch rather than a headhouse, which is required by code.
“What we provided in its place is a hatch which lifts up and provides a full, uninterrupted passage to the roof deck.”
The ZBA voted to grant the zoning code relief for the hatch.
Kunz then talked about the dimensions of the roof and rear deck. He said that “the roof deck has been constructed or designed to fall within a distance that provides virtually no view of the railings” on Appleton St. or Chandler St in the rear. The deck is about 20 feet long and a little over 16 feet wide, he said.
The rear deck would be supported by brackets on the rear facade, and would be “accessed through a full door in the center of the bay.” It measures six feet by 16 feet, Kunz said.
Kim Crucioli of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services said that an abutters meeting was held on June 15, where there was “generally no opposition from abutters,” but some people had concerns related to what the South End Landmark District Commission deals with in its reviews of proposals like this.
City Councilor Ed Flynn was in support of the proposal, and the ZBA reported that it received letters both in support and in opposition, with concerns regarding the deck in the back as it faces a public way.
Jeff Hampton of the BPDA said that the BPDA recommends approval with design review for the rear deck, and that Landmarks will review the roof deck.
The ZBA voted to approve the proposal with design review from both the BPDA and the Landmarks Commission.