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Zoning Board of Appeals — 26 Windom Street 

The Zoning Board of Appeals met on November 6 and deferred a decision on a development at 26 Windom Street until the full board meets. The developer proposed a two-story addition at the rear of the single-family home and was seeking zoning relief on insufficient side yard and rear yard as well as excessive floor area. The decision to defer came after a board member raised concerns that with the two-story addition, the use category of the home would change from a one family to a two family. The developer contended that rather than a two-family home, it should be a single-family plus an affordable dwelling unit (ADU). The full board is expected to make a decision on November 18. 

During the meeting, Connor Newman representing the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services expressed concerns from neighbors that approving these variances would lead to “a dangerous precedent for the area and lead to more households expanding back toward the property line.” Newman says that the Allston Civic Association had similar concerns though they did not submit a letter of opposition. Multiple neighbors and property owners at the meeting raised similar concerns about fire safety resulting from increased density from the extension. 

Allston Square Development Seeks Public Comment for Parking Cuts

Citing elevated costs and interest rates, the developers at 334 Cambridge Street, a project known as Allston Square, are seeking public comment until November 25 to eliminate the amount of parking spaces proposed from 147 parking spaces to 38 spaces. Of the six addresses in the development, they propose to reduce parking in four of those addresses. They will eliminate their proposed off-street parking spaces on 1 Highgate St and 10 Highgate St as well as cut parking from 14 to 10 spaces on 20 Braintree St and from 28 to 22 spaces on 8-12 Wilton St. public comment will conclude on November 26, and you can submit your comments here. 

697 Cambridge Street Public Comment  

Developers for 697 Cambridge Street in Brighton are seeking comment from neighbors until November 28. The proposed development will construct a five-story multi-family building from a two-story commercial structure. Specifically, they will build 42 residential units including 17 studios, 15 one-bedroom units, 7 two-bedroom units and 3 three-bedroom units. In addition, the development will have 24 parking spaces and storage for 43 bikes. You can submit your comments here. 

Boston College Institutional Master Plan 

Boston College is seeking public comment for their renewal for their institutional master plan for 2025-2029 with no changes to the current plan. You can submit your comments here. 

24 Larose Place Abutters Meeting 

The developers at 24 Larose Place held an abutters meeting on November 3. The developer plans to make several changes to the upper floors, including extending living space on their second unit to the attic, adding a dormer and remodeling their second floor. 

James H. Roberts Playground Phase 1 Improvements 

Boston Parks and Recreation announced its community engagement period for its first phase of renovations at James H. Robert Playground (112 Hooker St) in Allston. The full improvements will be expected to be completed next year. The first phase will focus on renovating the splash pad, improving drainage for storm water, and providing tree care. The community meeting for this phase will occur on December 15 on Zoom (bit.ly/jameshroberts1).