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38 Hichburn Street: Project Change Public Comment

The development on 38 Hichburn Street proposes to build a five-story building with 24 rental units, ground-floor commercial space and eight off-street parking spots. In the latest change, the developer is seeking to add two additional units (increasing total units to 26) and a ground-floor tenant space. The public comment period will end on January 9, 2026. 

Past

Contentious Allston Square Project Change Approved by BPDA

On December 11, the Boston Planning and Development Agency approved a project change by City Realty on the development, known as Allston Square. The change would cut proposed parking from 147 to 38 spaces. The project change, which represented the third change since the development was approved in 2020, was met with frustration and concern from community members at the most recent meeting. Residents say that City Realty has eroded significant trust with the construction delays for a development approved seven years earlier. None of those concerns, however, seem to have made it to the BPDA meeting, which saw virtually no discussion about the project change before a vote of unanimous approval. 

Allston Civic Association Monthly Meeting Notes

The Allston Civic Association came together for their final meeting of the year this Wednesday.

Jennifer Roberts, Allston-Brighton Neighborhood Liaison, highlighted two initiatives hosted by the City in the next month:

• The Disability Outreach Tour will make stops at each neighborhood library on January 6 to meet with the Disability Commission Staff and receive disability resources. Register here. 
• The Homelessness Census will be held on January 22. Volunteers will survey areas with unhoused individuals and provide resources where needed.

Two businesses sought community support from licenses:

• David Laghetto and Pedro Alarcon are seeking a liquor license for Pedro’s Restaurant in anticipation of their opening on 85 Glendale Street. Owned by Pedro Alacron, the restaurant also operates on wheels as a food truck, called Pedro’s Street, which is currently closed for the winter.
• Silvia Li, Meihuei Hu, and Oanh Nguyen are seeking a Common Victualler license, which would grant them permission to sell food, for Phin Coffee House. The restaurant will open at 20 Western Avenue in the Treehouse building and operate Monday to Saturday from 7 am to 6pm. This will be the second location for Phin Coffee House, which is currently on 10 High Street in Boston. 

A third business, Tom Yum Yang, was scheduled to discuss their request to upgrade to an all-alcohol license but was not present.

Zoning Board of Appeals 

The Zoning Board of Appeals met on Tuesday, December 16 and granted approval for a series of variances for a development on 26 Windom Street. The development will add a two-story rear addition to a single-family home, converting its use to a single-family home with an additional unit. The developers sought variances for the following: insufficient lot area, insufficient side area, insufficient rear yard area, and insufficient off-street parking.