and Sue Baxter, can you give us a thumbs up that you're transcribed? Okay, we're it's being transcribed. Great. Okay. Um, so the first item is the dedication of the street hockey rink at Billingsfield in West Roberry for Michael and Mary
O'Brien. And the person here to speak to that is Karen Tobin. If you could raise your hand and we will unmute you. Hi. >> Hi. Please go ahead with your presentation, ma'am. >> Okay.
>> Uh, good morning. My name is Karen Tobin. Um, I have been a resident of West Roxberry for 27 years with my husband, John, and our two sons, James and Marcus. Uh, first I want to congratulate uh, Commissioner Fernandez Bibo on your appointment. Uh, the parks
and recreation team plays a critical role in our community. uh working with residents to provide beautiful parks and public spaces. Um when the building fields renovation came up, I was very impressed with the significant engagement the team had with residents, listening to concerns and answering
questions. Uh we are thrilled with the results and look forward to the new um park opening soon. Um I'm here today to support the in support of the petition submitted requesting the new street hockey rink at Billingsfield be named after the O'Brien
family. Uh Mike and Mary Beth O'Brien are longtime residents of West Roxbury where they raised their four children. Kyle, Owen, Brendan, and Grace. Um all graduates of Boston public schools. Uh since 2008, the O'Briens have been hosting a local event, the Shamrock
Shudo. This event is an all-day street hockey tournament on Temple Street in West Roxbury, where hundreds of kids come and play with their friends. Mike and Mary Beth spend countless hours preparing um securing sponsors, getting shirts and sticks for all the kids, um
organizing food and drinks, coaches and refs. Um it is an amazing community event that is pulled off with the help of many volunteers, local businesses, and community leaders lending their support.
Uh Mike was also president of Parkway Youth Hockey and served on the board of directors for over 10 years. Um he worked while he was there he worked to ensure costs were kept down and any child that played wanted to play hockey
um had the opportunity to to do so. Um I cannot think of a better family worthy of the community recognition than the O'Brians. I want to thank um state representative uh Bill McGregor, uh city councelor Ben Weber, uh city councelor at large Henry
Santana and Erin Murphy. Um and the president and vice president of Parkway Youth, Richie Burgers and Chris Buuzi for all of your um support. And thank you to Carrie Marsh Dixon for answering all of my questions. I appreciate it.
Thank you. Um, I will just note that we did receive 120 signatures on a petition for this request. We also received um letters of support from state rep. William McGregor who I believe is here um on this call and city councelor Aaron Murphy Senior
Santana and Ben Weber and is a letter also from the Parkway youth hockey group. >> Great. And Carrie, I do see Bill McGregor here. Um, would we like Bill to say a couple words before we open it up to the commissioners? >> Yes.
>> Bill, uh, can you unmute? >> I'm uh, sometimes I got to find the button here. So, uh, Commissioner, um, congratulations again on your appointment and great to see everyone. Uh, Bill McGregor, state representative
for the 10th Suffach District. And uh you know I you know one of the things uh when I was running I advocated for the street hockey court um because I knew how popular it was and I was I'm excited to see it come in and uh Karen Tobin
reached out to me and mentioned um naming it after the O'Brien family. I really like I I got really excited because it's the the family that I I just couldn't think of a better family. So, um they're the ones that are
responsible them and their neighbors, but they they are one of the uh main families responsible for bringing uh Shamrock Shootout to West Roxbury and bringing street hockey basically back to West Roxbury. So, um because of them, it
is such a popular sport and it just brings the whole community together, I believe. Even I know Paul Canaly can probably mention this, but um I think the most we've had um there is like almost 800 uh kids playing. So we had 800 families
uh one year um all there for a full day event. Um so it really is a you know they they bring the community together. They um show how important sports are for kids. They the community spirit, the
um teamwork, and kids just uh are just so happy. And they're able to get so many volunteers involved, and they're able to get so many local businesses to sponsor, and um that, you know, the the firefighters will bring the uh fire
truck. I mean, they'll uh Paul will uh be a DJ for free. Um it it's just it it really is a truly amazing event and uh we we owe so much to like the O'Brien family. I I actually call it West Roxberry Day that and the Corb road race
or the West Roberry Day. Um and I won't say how long I've been in West Roxberry, Karen. So um but uh anyway, yeah, I I was very excited that Karen reached out. I think we probably could have got 2,000 signatures if need be. Um, so I just
want to be here personally and uh let you know speak up and support as well. >> Thank you, SA. And I see Jordan Frizz is here with councelor Weber's office. >> Yes, good morning everyone and uh congratulations to you again, Commissioner. Um, nice to see you,
Karen. Yeah, I just wanted to echo everything that uh Rep. McGregor said. Um I was wearing my um my shirt from the Shamrock shootout yesterday during the um CO 5K. So I you know near and dear to my heart as well as the counselors. Um you know this has been going on for over 15 years the um Shamrock shootout. So we
couldn't imagine a more appropriate way than to dedicate this after Mike and Mary uh Beth as as Rep. McGregor said. Um so we just wanted to be here to support and thank you so much for giving us the time. Thank you. >> Thank you so much for your comments. Um,
Carrie, is there anything else you'd like to add? >> No, I think that's it. But I will acknowledge that uh I see Washington and Jessica Pierre are associate commissioners who have joined the hearing. >> Welcome Jessica and AC. Nice to see you both. Um, with that, uh, do any of the
associate commissioners have any questions or comments? hearing and seeing none. Carrie, we'd like to open this up for public comment. Um, so if there's anybody in the audience um that would like to make a comment, can you please
raise your virtual hand and then we'll call you in order? Uh, let's see. I see Anna Calderon. Could you unmute, please? Good morning, everyone. Anna Calderum. um councelor Santana's chief of staff
and I just wanted to make sure to also raise counselor support on this. Um and thank you everyone who work to make today happen. Looking forward to the outcome. Thank you. >> Thank you for that. And uh Paul, I see
your hand next. >> Hi, good morning. My name's Paul Canaly. Uh I just want to thank everyone for this. Uh thanks Bishop Karen Tolin who uh spearheaded this. Uh, thank you, uh, Representative McGregor. Just a real quick, there is no better family, uh, Michael Bryan. Uh, little thing with the
Shamrock Shootout, been going on 18 years. I've been involved in it myself. Um, little backside of the Shamrock Shootout, people don't realize how much money is actually raised and very quietly given away to very needy people, whether they're tragic circumstances or not. Um, also with the, um, I go along
with generosity is my point. Uh I served on the board of Parkway for 10 years with Michael Bryant. He was president for numerous of those years. Another thing people don't realize is how much money we gave away in tuitions to um especially kids in the city. We we Michael Bryan teamed up with um School
of Boston. If anyone's not familiar with it, it's a um we started by I'm going to say Willie O. Willie Ori. We gave approximately each year seven or eight free tuitions to kids in the city of Boston who otherwise would have not played hockey.
They played for free. They got free equipment. It was all spearheaded by Michael Bryan. So that's just a side note of his generosity what he's done for the community. So uh thank Bryant again. Thank everyone for the outcome of this vote. Thank you. >> Thank you Paul for those comments.
Okay. So Carrie, uh, let's see. We've heard from the electeds. Are there any other public comments? Okay, great. Um, so with this, I'd like to make a motion on the request to
dedicate the street hockey rink at Billingsfield and West Roxberry for Michael and Mary Beth O'Brien. Would someone like to second that motion? Seconded. Second. Okay, great. And I'm going to go ahead
and um call on each of you by name. So, as I see you on my screen, uh Sandy, >> oh, sorry, Sandy, we can't hear you. >> Sorry. Uh yes. Yes, I >> William. >> Hi,
>> Jean. Hi >> uh Jessica >> I >> Icy >> I >> and David. >> Okay, great. Um and I am an I and the
motion passes. Congratulations Karen and Paul. Really excited to see this in my own neighborhood. >> Thank you so much. >> Okay, fantastic. Uh, all right. Carrie, can you please read the second item on the agenda? >> This is a request to rename Fennelin
Street Playground in Doorchester for Kendrick Price. And u, Miss Foreman, I just saw you. If you could raise your hand so we can find you. There you are. Thank you. >> Great. Can you hear me? >> Yes, we can. >> Perfect. Good morning all and
congratulations, Commissioner. very nice to um see you and meet you. Um okay, so I am Marilyn Foreman and I am a resident on Merrill Street which intersects with Fenolon Street. I've been a resident
here um since the 60s when my parents immigrated here. I didn't really have a choice. I came with them from the Caribbean island of Monzerat and they purchased their first home over here. Um, so I grew up went to Boston public
schools here. Um, and uh, since coming back, uh, my husband and I purchased the home that I grew up in. Um, and as a child, uh, our our neighborhood was, um, involved in the in the white flight and
there was very little to no investment. Uh, it was a very terrible looking community. Um, we had tons of kids and for us we didn't see the blight. We were kids. Uh, we played basketball
on a telephone pole with a milk crate and were angry with cars when they decided to drive up the street because they were interfering with our game. So what we did was we went um one of the older kids, I was probably about 11
years old, one of the teens, 15, 16 year olds, decided that they were going to write a petition so that we could get one of the vacant lots that were in our neighborhood, which is at the corner of Fenolon and Mel Street uh turned over to a basketball court. So they taught us
how to write a petition and we went door to door all through our neighborhood. me at 11. Um, and we received many many uh signatures to support this request to to have a basketball court so we don't have
to play in the street. We then got on a train. My first experience with the neighborhood kids, we were like the little rascals. We went to city hall and at that time our mayor was Mayor Kevin White. We went and petitioned Kevin White and we told him about everything
that was happening in our community and the need for us to have a space for us to play. And so after that meeting, we interrupted a meeting he was already having, but he did come out to see who all these children were. And he promised
us that he would come to our neighborhood and he would look and he saw what was in that lot. someone had just was, you know, taking advantage and piling bricks in there and doing their chipping, selling their bricks, but we had nowhere to play. About a month later, there was a sign that went up and
said sight of the new Merill Street basketball court. So, we had a basketball court since then. Um, over the years, the there again, no investment. So, the playground started to deteriorate. Um, and maybe a couple
of times the city did come and repainted. Um, more recently, I'm going to fast forward, right? More recently, um, maybe three years ago, uh, Jaylen Brown came to our community and and they did this whole paint thing. He redid our
whole playground, the basketball court, and made it absolutely beautiful. I want to back go backwards just a little bit now because one of the kids that were in our neighborhood um you know I was I was grown up now an adult
but one of the children that played in our neighborhood um an amazing young man his name was Kendrick Price and this child lived on the basketball court but he was he was he was um a very bright
student. His family also lived in the community I believe in the 60s. They lived on Greenwood Street. Um and Kendrick uh played on the Fenolon Street Court and as well as the Sarah Greenwood
which is on Greenwood Street. Um did very very well. He then transferred all of those skills to a basketball court at Buck Buckingham Brown and Nicholls where he did his school, received a scholarship after finishing school, went
on to the University of Michigan, did excellent there, got injured, came back home, started up a nonprofit where he was teaching young children um financial literacy, u basketball fundamentals, and life skills. He did an amazing thing.
Um, and then one night on his way home in his neighborhood, feet from his house, he met his demise. He was murdered by gun violence. Um, and a dream shattered uh for many children who benefited from what he started with
them. Um, but we are not focusing on that part of it. We are focusing on the lives he touched in all of our young people. And we thought, you know, what better way to pay tribute to him than to name our basketball court, to rename
that basketball court in his honor. um not for no other reason than to inspire young people so that they can continue on with their education, have an outlet to come and to play and not just think
of it as Fenolon Street uh playground, but think of it uh as the Kendrick Christ basketball court. And when they ask who is Kendrick Christ, we give them the history of this modernday hero. He's not Martin Luther King. He's Kendrick
Price. But he had so much to contribute to the community. And we want every young person who plays on that court also to feel like, you know, there is hope for them too. Education first, but they do need this outlet uh where they
come and they meet and they compete with other young people and they go on to give back to the community in the way that Kendrick did. So, there's a story and a and history to be told about this young man. And we feel like um that he
that his name is just so befitting for uh that that place because it has meaning now. It's not just a basketball court named after a street which just is a street name. Now it has history. history that can go on forever and they
can share, you know, um what they've learned about Kendrick. Um Kendrick also um he coached boys over at the Brook Charter School on American Legion Highway. a scholarship fund was set up
in Kendrick's name over there so that other young people can also achieve you know their their uh education and get support from this fund. He also um was an assistant coach at the UMass Boston
um and has contributed so much to the community in the way that his name is living on and he is giving back in meaningful ways to children um all over. So we again are asking that we have this
playground. It's not really a playground. It's a it's a basketball court. Maybe it is now because there's hopscotch in there along the sides, but it's a place where young people gather and there has never really been any violence associated with this space. But every day, because I still live on
Merill Street, when I pass and I see all of the young people there and I hear them laughing and I see them playing, there is hope. We want to continue uh this legacy that um Kendrick's life is all about. his mom is still
around the corner. Um she has joined his um foundation. Um she also teaches art and sewing and um you all are welcome to to visit that site and to contribute if you'd like. But um I am respectfully
asking that we consider changing the name to the uh Kendrick Price Basketball. Thank you. Thank you so much, Marilyn, for those comments. Um, I also know that we have some representatives here. I see. Is
there anybody from Senator Liz Miranda's office? Okay, I don't see or hear none. I did see Representative Christopher Rorell. Are you here? Okay, Chris, I see you. Do you mind unmuting?
>> Good morning, everyone. Um, and congratulations, Commissioner. I haven't seen you to wish you a congratulations or congratulations on your appointment and hi to the comm the wonderful committee members. Uh my name is Christopher Warel. I am the state representative of the fifth suffk
district as Dorchester and Roxberry and uh this wonderful park uh called Mero Playground. Uh like um Miss Foreman said, um this is one of her first um duties of activism is making sure that
we had a playground to grow up in. Um I lived two blocks away from this exact playground. I I had the pleasure of knowing Kendrick Price. I I seen him when I was getting off the court. He decided to continue to play basketball.
he decided to continue to teach young children how to play and the fundamentals of basketball. He was a pillar in our community and um a pillar on that basketball court. Uh when um if you know anything around the area
Ellington area, we don't have um you know, we have we have a little bit of a political dynasty, but not a basketball dynasty. And Kendrick was that person. Uh Kendrick Kendrick um was someone that came out of our neighborhood, you know, like Miss Foreman said, going to prep
school um then going to Michigan State and just excelling and coming back to the community and giving to the community. So I just see it fit. Um, I don't know who Merrill is, uh, but I know who Kendrick is and the community knows who Kendrick is. And this will be an amazing opportunity to to make sure
that we have the story of, uh, the Kendrick Price uh, basketball court um, to tell generations to come. Thank you guys for uh, listening to me. And uh, that's it. >> Thank you so much, Rob. Um, and let's
see. Do we have somebody from um Brian Rorell's uh office here? Okay. >> I could tell you I don't like to speak for my brother, but I can tell you that
he is all in alignment with um changing the name and again shares the same sentiment because we grew up with Kendrick as well. >> Thank you so much, Chris. Uh Carrie, is there anything else you'd like to add? >> Uh, I would just summarize that we received a petition with 311 signatures
to change the name of the what the parks department refers to this as the Fennelin Street playground. Um, we received a letter from State Senator Liz Miranda, state rep. Christopher Morell, and city councelor Brian Warell. And we also received a letter from the Erie Ellington and Brinsley Partnership
Neighborhood Association in support of this. >> Fantastic. Um, with that, do any of the commissioners have any questions? >> I wanted to say this is a great project. Good to see you again, Marilyn. Um,
beyond the renaming, I'm wondering if we can or if we have precedent for putting up a plaque that tells a little bit about about the young man we're renaming renaming the park for. Is that something we can do? Is that something the community wants? That's a question.
>> I could answer that briefly. Um, Terry, >> we have standard signage that we provide for any naming so that everything is consistent throughout the parks department. Um, we could definitely talk with the proponent if there's something else that they would like to provide, but the parks department has a very standard green sign with the logo and
the name just to keep it simple and consistent. But we can definitely speak with the proponent if that's of interest. >> Thank you. >> Any others? Okay. Hearing, seeing none, uh, with
that, I'd like to open it up for public comment. Um, if you'd like to share any comments, can you please raise your hand and we will call on you in the order that you raise your virtual hand. Great. I don't see any public hands
with that. Um, if there are no further comments or questions, I'd like to make a motion to request the rename of Fenolin Street Playground in Dorchester for Kendrick Price. Would someone like to second the motion? >> Second.
>> Second. >> Great. And I'll go in order here. Uh, Sandy >> I. >> William. >> Hi. >> Jean. >> Hi. Jessica
>> I >> David >> I >> Icy >> I >> and I am an I as well. This motion passes. Congratulations Marilyn. Can't wait to go see the courts myself.
Fantastic. Uh Carrie, can you please read the next item on our agenda? This is a vote to approve 3458 Washington Street in Jamaica Plane, which is across the street from the English High School Athletic Fields.
And um Dylan Dasco, Phil Sema, I'm not sure which one of you who would like to make the presentation. >> Yeah, I'll just quickly open and I'll turn it over to the design team, but um I'm Dylan Dasco. Nice to see everyone. Um representing the development team for
3458 Washington Street. Uh this project consists of 36 residential dwelling units and some ground floor commercial space. The project is located right on the corner of Washington Street and Ken Road. And as it pertains to this um it's across the street from English school
athletic fields. So I'll turn it over to Balance Architects in Verdon landscape um to go through our presentation to describe you know the plans and the drawings and some of the street improvements as well. >> Hi, good morning. Uh this is Ashkit Si
from Balance. Uh and I'm also with Chad our founder. Um can I share my screen? Do I have access? >> Hello. >> Uh let us know. Are you able? Okay, great.
>> Says host disabled participant sharing. I am unable to Oh, there you go. >> Should be all set. >> Yeah, bear with us. Thank you. >> Thank you. So, I think yeah, Dylan introduced the project um for us. Yeah, this another go around Washington Street
right at the edge of Kenton and Washington sitting um second um right opposite our athletic complex which is about 60 ft and also the English high athletic field is about 300 ft from our
site. So both of them pretty close. Um just a walkthrough of existing conditions of how what the existing building is like on site and then our proposed conditions which is a 36 um unit. Um multif family housing with um
commercial space on the ground floor just to walk you by just a site plan. Um I think we did a pretty comprehensive job working with the landscape team and the client team and the abutters to get an idea of how to make this building um
enhance the entire area. And we also did this by widening our uh sidewalks and with the help of the landscape team completely beautify and add more tree canopies to the entire walkway both on Washington and on Kenton.
Um just to walk you down the grading plan. So our highest point is at the edge of where which houses our commercial area and then it becomes all residential as you go back and we have our storm water drainage right at the back of our site towards the parking
that is on Kenton Street Kenton Road. Um for shadows I think uh we don't really affect the ground or the park as much. All the shadows normally fall mostly on
Washington and Kenton and the abotting properties around. Um we're not block it's a five-story building so it doesn't really block much out on this on the on the ground itself. Um it's only a little
um one second. It casts only during the winter months and will fall primarily on the adjacent rights of way specifically just if as you can see Washington and Kenton Street in the winter months
and this is just a quick rundown of how our our ground floor plan looks like with with the commercial being right at the edge of Kenton and Washington and the vestibule and we have a pretty significant and big um ride of wave on
both sides. And I think I can take it up to verdant to explain the landscape and the mix of the tree canopy. >> Thank you. A Do you have my plans there or should I share my screen?
>> Yes, I can share your plans. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for having me. I'm Michael with Verden Landscape Architecture and I'll run you through some of our landscape plan and some of the improvements and how they might relate to the nearby public space. So, you'll
see with our landscape plan, a lot of it is outward facing with improvements to Washington Street and Kent Road. What we're doing is we're following Boston Complete Streets guidelines to widen the public right of way on both those streets. We have a 4 foot wide
furnishing zone on Washington Street and then about 6 to 8 feet of concrete paving. We're also including new street trees which I'll get to the species in a minute. Um included with that is a
street bench for um anyone to use. We're also proposing some daylighting um to help increase pedestrian safety. And as a ship mentioned, there is reciprocal curb ramp at Kenton Road in Washington Street and we'll be working
with u the PSSE to make that work and be fully accessible along the out along the edge of the site by 8 Kenton Road. We have done a lot of coordination with Kia Butters to minimize any privacy concerns. So what
we're proposing there is an 8 foot tall privacy wall with the finish to be coordinated with um the same finish of the architecture. So it creates something nice and cohesive. We were also able to coordinate some of our plances with them.
One thing we also considered was we didn't want to burden the nearby public spaces with dog waste. So we're proposing a dogway station for the residents to use. And uh next slide please. This is our planting plan where a
majority of our plantings have to do with the street trees along Washington Street Kent Road. We're proposing common hackberries, skinny jeans oaks, and black pillows which are all off Boston's preferred
street tree list. along at the south of our plan. The neighbors have a buddy plant bed and so we're trying to mix in some plantings with them to make the transition between the two properties better. And most of these plantings will
be native and drought tolerant. That I'll pass back to the team. Thank you. >> Great. Does that conclude your presentation? >> Yes, it does. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Dylan. Uh Carrie, is there anything you'd like to add, please?
>> Uh I would just note that this project was triggered for review because it's within 100 ft of English High School um athletic fields which are maintained by the parks department. Jill Zik was the interim chief landscape architect when this project came in and she reviewed it and found no issues. Um, her memo to the
parks commission does support the approved planting of two trees on Kenton Street and three trees on Washington Street, which you saw in the plans that were submitted here. That's it. >> Thank you, Carrie. Um, do any of the
associate commissioners have any questions or comments? >> I had a question about parking and traffic. Um, how many parking spaces are you adding through your project? >> Yes, we have about uh seven parking
spaces towards the back. One um ADA parking space and six regular >> and uh we uh they'll all enter through Kenton Kenton Road. And um and uh major on the Washington Street the drop off.
If I can show you the site plan. Yeah, we have our existing gob cut um a flex post so we don't and there's a drop off zone marked right here which is right in front of the main entry in the lobby for ease of access. So no one also parks at the edge of the site and you
have enough leeway to park and drop off stuff and then drive all the way back if want to access the seven parking spots. Is this um correct me if I'm wrong, is this directly adjacent to the project that's currently going up on the old
Doyles site and is it directly adjacent to a four-way um intersection with uh parking lights there? I'm sorry, with stop lights there. >> Uh is the project on this street? >> Yeah, right. Yeah.
>> Yeah. So where a plot over? >> Okay. So there's a plot between you and them. >> Yeah. Yes. Okay, I'm just thinking about the cumulative traffic effects, which is where my, you know, my question comes from. >> Um, okay, that's all I've got for now.
>> Jean, I saw you unmuted as well. >> Uh, thanks, Commissioner. Just a quick question about the street tree planting. And despite our our best intentions, um, a lot of times uh, when we're planting trees in a situation like this, it can
be fairly hostile from a climatic standpoint. Um, is a developer on board for long term? And um, is there some sort of a commitment to maintain these trees in good health? Um, and they can't do it on their own.
You know, natural rainfall is not enough. So I did see that there's some permeable pavements which is a which is a step in the right direction. Um but what else in the form of guarantees um you know regular maintenance um to to
kind of protect and preserve and ensure the good health of the street tree plantings. >> Yeah, thanks Gene. We we are uh planning to hold this property longterm um with Burns Reality and so it's part of our you know development strategy and commitment to um not be absent owners.
We are very involved in property maintenance and um we have you know dedicated professional team um that can handle landscaping as well as we hire like professional landscaping when when necessary to support um you know the
maintenance and improvements of all these properties that um we are looking to develop. Okay, thank you. >> William, I saw you unmuted as well. >> Yep. No particular questions, just three notes of appreciation. Uh, very much appreciate the dogway station. Thank
you. Uh, the EV chargers. I didn't hear them mentioned, but I saw them on your plans. Uh, as well as the street trees. So, thank you very much. >> Yes. >> Fantastic. Any other commissioners? Thank you. I wasn't sure if I heard about affordability.
Are the units are we going to have some mixed affordability there? >> Yes, we do. Um and you know, forgive me, I don't have the metrics right off the top of my head, but it's um between, you know, the 17 and 20%. And I don't have the, you know, exact
AMI percentages off the top of my head, but it's all in that document, too, that was submitted. Great. And uh Dylan, I actually have a question for you. Um following up on Jean's comments here around maintenance of the trees, I know that every time we plant these, there's usually a 2-year
warranty associated with them. Um, can you also ensure that there's a significant watering program associated with your u maintenance contract for um maintenance of your um you know the sort of buffer strip and and sure that those
trees are um surviving some of these harsh summers. Um >> yes, absolutely. >> Great. >> All right. Any other commissioner comments? Okay. hearing. Seeing none, um I'd like to open this up for public comment. Um
if there are members of the public that'd like to comment, can you please raise your hand and we will enable you to speak? Um please state your name as well for the record. Okay. Hearing and saying none. All right. If I don't if there are any other uh questions from the
commissioners, I'll go ahead and make a motion. Um I'd like to make a motion to vote to approve 3458 Washington Street and Jamaica Plane um which is across the street from English High School Athletic Fields. Um and then Carrie adding for the record here with the intention of
long-term maintenance and watering for the street trees. Uh is there anybody who would like to make a second to that motion? Second. >> Okay, >> great. And I'll go in order here. Uh,
Jean >> I, >> William, >> I, >> Sandy, >> I, >> Jessica, >> I, >> David, >> Icy, >> I,
>> and I am an I. Congratulations. We look forward to seeing this. >> Thank you so much. We do, too. >> Thank you. Okay, Carrie, can you please read the next item? >> The vote to approve 361 Belgrade A in
Roslandale, which is adjacent to the West Roxberry Parkway, which is under the jurisdiction of the Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation. And because this is um some new people, I'll just explain that the reason we are reviewing a project that is subject to
the Department of Conservation Recreation is because DCR does not have a review capacity for projects. Um and so we as a parks commission review projects that are under the jurisdiction, sorry, that are adjacent to property that is under the
jurisdiction of DCR within the city of Boston. >> And u Mr. Upton, would you >> Yes. Um, thank you, uh, Gary. Um, my name is Jake Upton. Um, I'm the principal of Upton Partners. Um, the
project at 361 Belgrade has been, um, a project that has been sort of long in its process of, um, approvals and we've been at it for a long time. Um, right now the project is um, it consists of
124 units of residential housing. um 17% of those are affordable units at at a range of different levels of affordability. Um there are a number of public enhancements that have been done through the street design, street improvements. Um it is in um right at
the Belleview station um uh MBTA commuter line. And so the commuter line runs to the back of the property. Um um and then on one side is the West Roxbury Parkway. And um we um have a a budding
property. We are putting a a parking garage uh underneath uh taking a surface lot and putting it below grade and uh doing some improvements along that buffer area. Um so with that, I'm um going to hand over to our design team to walk through the uh the process and the
design of the project um in the overview. >> Thanks, Jake. Uh my name is Ben Thomas. I'm a senior associate at Aerost Street. Um I'm here with the design team. We have uh Ida and Diana from the Aerost Street office. We also have uh Michael
Bradner who is the landscape architect with High Point on the project. Um before we begin, just want to say congratulations commissioner and thank you uh to the commission for hearing us out. Um we're really excited about this project and um I can share my screen to
oh I have the host test disabled participant screen sharing uh for this one as well. So when when available I will share my screen and we can talk about 361 fel grade. >> It should be all set Ben. >> Okay great. Thank you very much.
Can everyone see my screen? Okay. Um, so over at 361 Belgrade, um, as Jake mentioned, this is a, um, been a a fairly, uh, long process for us. Um, you know, we've envisioned the project early on back in 2016 as a charter school. Um,
and that went through a series of public meetings, open houses, uh, small project review. Uh and as the project in the site evolved um we began to reinvision it as a multif family uh housing project with a 2500 square foot retail component
on the ground floor um that can be uh best suited to um facilitate um better street frontage for the community. um as well as propose a uh a site use that is um more engaging with the public um as
opposed to the existing um uh car uh replace or car uh shop that's that's currently there. Um just to give a a little bit of context here. So 361 Belgrade as Jake mentioned is along the
Needm commuter line. It sits right on the edge of Rosendale and West Roberry. Uh and is located along Bel uh Belgrade Avenue, which is connecting the Rosendale Village over to the more commercial district um in West Roxbury.
Um as we get closer to the site, you can see here the existing um car repairs that's on site. That's here on the lefth hand side there and then here uh central to Belgrade Avenue. Uh we are adjacent to the West Roxbury Parkway over here on
the lefthand side, the Belleview station to the rear of the property and then Anowan and Bgrade um to either side here and here. Um what's interesting about this project is that uh it does have public streets on three sides. Um and it
also sits between uh two different um zoning areas, the neighborhood shopping district and the two family 5000 square foot. Um, also to note is there's a significant drop in the elevation of grade. Um, over on the West Roxbury Parkway, we're at about 150 feet,
whereas it's the back side of Anowan Avenue, there's uh we're at 132. So, there's about 18 foot vertical drop from one side of the property to the other. So, going into our project characteristics a little bit, um overall
the project square footage is uh the project site is 43,000 square feet. Um that puts us at around um 115,000 for GFA, uh which is a little bit lower than what we had originally gone in with. Uh puts a 2.7 F. Um as we mentioned, this
is 124 new dwelling units. um 21 of those um or 17% is our commitment to affordability for the unit policy. Um in addition to that, uh from a project benefit standpoint and working with the city, uh we've established over 400
linear feet of Boston complete streets guideline implementation. Uh we're also um proposing over 7,000 square feet of increased green space along West Roxbury Parkway. uh 2500 square feet uh within the footprint for
local business. Um and then there's significant work being done at the Belgrade and Anolan intersection in order to provide more of a uh traffic calming configuration uh where we're providing TE's uh intersections as opposed to the straight
shot that's currently on site. Um we're also restriping Belgrade Avenue. Um, and then we've been coordinating with the West Roxbury Parkway and the bridge improvement project along West Robury Parkway. Um, and then lastly, we do have a contribution to the MBTA bus station
infrastructure infrastructure that um will be coming by way of uh a new stations um small bus stations for uh the public to use. Um lastly in here we are providing uh
more infrastructure for bicycles. We have a blue bike station proposed along Belgrade Avenue. There currently is one that exists there in the street which we're providing uh a space for it more safely on the public way. Um we also
have a total of 170 bike parking spaces both interior and exterior. uh as well as 83 resident parking spaces that will be 25% of those will be EV ready day one and we'll be providing the infrastructure for 100% um electrical
vehicle charging in the future. Some of the unique uh site conditions that we have here is uh as I mentioned, we have two uh zoning districts that we're subject to. We have the 18 foot vertical drop from West Roberry Parkway over to the Belleview station. Um we
also have a unique no build zone up against the West Roberry Parkway that we're preserving. Um and then um we have approximately or 250 feet um of the Belleview commuter rail platform um is
within 100 ft of our property here. Uh we do have zoning approval, but just to quickly run run you through uh what we sought during the zoning approval process. Um we did seek relief for uh
maximum floor area ratio. Uh at the time it was 3.0 for the project. Uh we're down to 2.7. Um this is a fivetory building uh which uh was approved to go to 63 ft. Um and then uh along with our
uh uh public street beautifification um we uh sought concessions on the minimum front yard uh to make it more in line with what's currently on Belgrade Avenue. And then um as Michael Rner will speak to uh we've implemented the complete streets um along all of
Belgrade. And then similarly on the adjacent lot for the 2F5000 there is no uh above ground physical footprint for the property there. Uh we are dedicating this area uh to the left side of the above ground building um to
open uh green space and uh green roof system. Uh this image illustrates uh how we're working with the grade to have it be more of um a true public face. We
understand that it's around 300 ft of street that we're working with and what we didn't want to do is we didn't want to provide a solid wall up against the street. This is a social area. We have a lot of foot traffic coming through and so the way that we've designed this is
to really work from right to left. um that would be Anowan to West Roxbury Parkway is that we've uh treated Anowan as our more public edge with our retail frontage. As we move towards the center of the lot, we have our sight entry
which gives you views into our tenant courtyard and then you work your way to the far left um which is more in line with what the West Roxbury Parkway um feeling is with that green space that's really edging that major thoroughare.
This is a view from Anowan. Uh you can see this is our retail component um along the corner giving a lot of light and a lot of uh visibility to the public edge. Um on the right hand side is our revised uh corner for Anowan which comes
out and gives a significant amount of space back to the back back to public use so that they can have that commute down to the train and to get their blue bikes um pretty easily coordinated and not uh and beautified uh through the
green spaces that we're providing. Uh this is just another view down uh Belgrade Avenue. You can see the street trees that we're uh proposing to put in along with widening the public way and that direct corner access for the retail.
This is our midblock entry. This is the tenant courtyard here um to have high visibility from uh the public way into green space as well as providing a green uh edge along the street. And then over on the far side, um over
on the left hand side here is our passive green space. Um that is proposing to be partly green roof uh up against the building. And then um as we make our way into that no build zone, we'll be um providing a newly planted
area uh which currently today is a uh imper impermeable parking lot on the site. Uh we did go through some shadow studies for the project. Um we are really only
up against a small uh property on the right hand side which uh we've worked with the property owners as well as the city to set back the building in order to have minimal impact um throughout the day and throughout the year uh if anything on that property
which we've studied uh the equinoxes and solstesses for these studies. And then from a site design point of view, um everything highlighted in the purple is usable open space as defined by the zoning code. And then we wanted
to highlight as well the in green here um everything that the proponent is proposing to do as off-site improvements um for the project which includes the Boston complete streets, includes the um bike parking station as well as this um
updated uh intersection plan for Belgrade and Anowan. And then from a site plan review, I'd like to hand it over to uh Michael Rner from High Point to walk you through some of the specifics around the site plan.
>> Thanks, Ben. I'll uh first also jump on the bag bandwagon and congratulate Commissioner Fernandez Bibbo on your appointment. Um nice to see you again. Um, so I guess I'll also start from right to left. And this is a this is a
coded site plan, but I'll just take it out of order. And you can see at the uh top right the location of the MBTA uh commuter rail station. Um, working working our way clockwise around the site. We do have the the uh garage entry
for visitors and residents. Um at that location we have a building entry at the lower level which is labeled number five and that is mostly resident uh access the um and then another entry um is that
the bike room Ben number four. >> Yes. So that's yeah that's we have a significant number of bikes um interior as well as exterior. We we do have um um the street uh furnishing uh strip as well and I'll talk a little bit about
that more in a moment. But the um u and you can see number 11 is is uh labeled as bike parking as well. And then there is a series of raised planters and bench seating uh built-in seating at that corner of Anowan and Belgrade uh to
provide uh uh a social space a relief from the pavement because there is quite a lot of pavement at the corner there. Um we have the entry to the commercial space is labeled number six at that corner that Ben pointed out. The blue bike station which is being slightly re
relocated towards Anowan Street. There's that strip of bike parking. And then we're starting to walk up the hill and you could see the um street tree and furnishing strip which is similar to the previous project you just looked at. Has a 4 foot wide uh paving strip with
permeable pavers. Um there's a blend of street trees there which are a combination of sweet gum trees and princeton elm which is these are pretty tough urban condition uh street trees. the um entry where it says site entry is
our at grade entry into um I'll call it the most public entry of the building. Um and you can see through that there's like there's as the architectural plans showed there's like an arcade there. You can um see there's
visual access into that interior court courtyard space as well. And then as you continue up the hill, you can see the larger green space which is um heavily planted. Um very heavy buffer strip planting along West Roxberry Parkway. Um
and then uh to the right of that we have that island of planting which sits over uh the parking which goes underneath. So that's actually on a structured u parking deck. Yep. Next slide. Um, and then it's just an enlargement of
that uh that area as well. And go to the next slide. And then we cut a section through that West Roxbury Parkway on the left and our building to the right. You can see the how the parking extends under that landscape area. We have some uh Birmed planting to
give a little more privacy to the uh the units that face onto that green space as well. Next, >> then lastly, we have our grading and storm water management plans here. Um, can zoom in a little bit here. It's a little light, but as Michael mentioned,
we do have that burm here, uh, up against the building for privacy against the units that are there. Um, as we you can see more easily here uh through the tree canopy that uh we have uh bike parking all along the edge of this um
with um some obvious zones for people to get out of their cars and park on the side and then you work your way down to that blue bike station and safer crossings here. >> I'm going to jump in one more time. We are replacing the street lighting also along this along Belgrade. >> Yes. and oppos on the opposite side, the
south side of the street as well. >> Uh new street lights. >> And then from a storm water management plan, um you can see here uh the upper right of your screen that we are proposing a groundwater infiltration system. This is within the building
footprint um in order to allow us to capture all of the storm water from the roofs of the building. Um and then also the green roof here as well as our courtyard in the center. Um so that'll all be drained down to um this area here
and then leeched back into the groundwater um safely and effectively. So thank you uh to the commission and uh we look forward to your questions. >> There's one point I'd like to make before just because there is some activity that's been happening kind of right in this area for those that are
familiar. uh the West Roxbury Parkway bridge uh that goes over the train tracks um just to the um west of the project. Um that is currently in construction and those uh are our street
plans and sidewalk plans and landscape plans have all been coordinated with that. Um and right now just to give a status uh the street uh lights have been installed. I think most of the um apparatuses are now in place. Um and the
MB and um Mass DO who has jurisdiction over the bridge construction is in the process of um building a new bridge and sequencing the bridge with the two-way traffic and they're doing it in a way to minimize the traffic impact. And as part
of that, they have um um widened their scope uh slightly um or within their rightway. Um and they did remove a couple of the trees that had been slated to remain. Um we had no knowledge of
that. Um although we understand to be consistent with our landscape plan, um we're proposing to replace those uh same trees. Um and um and then another point that I'd like to make is uh just anticipation of longerterm management.
We are intending to be long-term owners of this property um and as but it's also as part of our um uh previous approvals um with the PIC the public improvement um approval um which has to do with the sidewalk and the rightaways of the
sidewalk. we've um accepted uh you know long-term maintenance responsibilities for all of these parcels. So anyway, just wanted to uh communicate that in anticipation of clarifying, you know, potential questions, but um but we're
now open for any questions that anybody has. Um >> thank you, Jake. We appreciate your presentation. Um Carrie, would you like to share any additional context for the commissioners? >> Sure. Um, and I'll refer to this site plan that you have in front of you here. Um, you have a memo, associate
commissioners in your packet that is from myself and Jill Zik who is the interim chief landscape architect at the parks department. Um I will u just make clear that the area that you're seeing p predominantly in green on your screen um
to the left of the building is property that was originally part of the West Roxbury Parkway and it was um the state legislature authorized the sale of that piece of the parkway to a car dealership for a parking lot um through the acts of
1977 chapter 851. The deed that was created through that transaction requires that that former park parcel remain open space and no structures are allowed. The deed further specifies that no buildings or structures shall be constructed or
maintained within the 20 foot building restriction line that you saw on one of the plans in in red. Um and so we the parks department had a number of questions about the use of this parcel that was is deed restricted to remain
open space that was formerly part of the parkway. Um, so we had submitted a comment letter to the planning to the Boston Redevelopment Authority actually um in October of 2022 and we raised some questions about that piece of the
project which I would just summarize as saying that the questions we had were whether that open space parcel could be used um could be combined with the other lot and used to determine you know the amount of square footage that might be constructed in this project whether or
not it could be reszoned. um for multif family use, whether or not um an underground parking garage could be constructed underneath it, um the possible use of the um parcel for storm water management and the lease of the
site to a developer for 99 years. Um we also noted that the deed required that the DCR approve all tree planting, landscaping, and fencing on that parcel, etc. So the DCR, we were able to engage them on the review of of certain portions of this project and they
provided a letter which is in the packet dated January 25th, 2023. And I'll just read for the record that DCR provided its approval of the site plan under the deed restrictions for land adjacent to 361 Belgrade Avenue in a letter dated
January 25th, 2023 as follows. One, the project on the premises is consistent with the applicable terms and limitations of the DCR restrictions. Two, the DCR restrictions remain valid, legally enforceable, and cannot be released without the approval of the
Massachusetts legislature. And three, subject to the plans and letter that were provided on December 23rd, 2022, DCR hereby provides its approval of the project on the premises pursuant to the DCR restrictions.
Um, as far as other issues that were um in that are in the memo provided to the associate commissioners, we'll just acknowledge that there are 7200 square feet of publicly accessible open space that will be provided adjacent to the West Roberry Parkway. And um finally
with regard to trees um Jill Zik had acknowledged that there are two public rightway trees along Anowan Avenue and eight public rightway trees around along Belgrade Avenue that are shown on the plans. Um,
as noted, there were four very uh very mature Zelcoa trees that were um along the front of that property along um Bgrade, I'm sorry, along West Roxray Parkway that the state removed after we had gone through quite lengths to make sure that they would be protected. Um
but they are no longer there. Um, and Jill Zik also finally asks that it would be helpful if the parks commissioners could confirm if the sidewalk reconstruction supports long-term tree health by including additional rooting space for the street trees under the sidewalk pavement in addition to the
permeable furnishing zone through a sandbased structural soil or other sidewalk support strategy hospitable to storm water storage and tree roots. And that's all. >> Thank you so much, Carrie. Um, with that, I'd like to open it up to the
commissioners. Um, any questions? >> I was wondering if you could say more about the green infrastructure features of your site. Um, there were some open space features mentioned, but I couldn't tell which ones were specifically to deal with storm water and which were
not. So from a storm water perspective, um we are putting in a storm water management system in terms of the um all of the rainfall falling on the roofs itself.
And so um currently it's an impermeable lot with no uh storm water management on site. Um and so that system will capture the majority of the rain uh falling uh on the building top. Um and then um as a
kind of a more passive approach um having the green the green roof and the uh more robust planting where there's currently an imperous surface. Um the storm water um management will be um greater for the project um by
eliminating that imperous surface. Um and then um if Michael could speak to the street trees um which there are currently none on um the Belgrade side. Um it's my understanding that uh the introduction of those um may also be um
not only providing beautifification um but providing an opportunity for more of that runoff to get into the ground as opposed to into the street. I I'll also just interject some historical on the the the design of the redesign of the
sidewalk. We did um investigate um having the structure that was um requested um by having sand underneath and sort of the ability for the trees roots to go under the sidewalk. Um, however, there are a number of utilities
that are under that in that area and those agencies were not willing to have the roots go into there because of the damage that it could do to the there's a um I think there's a a main water line um in line that is in close proximity
under the under the that portion of the um so we actually um can't can't commit to that um because of those reasons. We were willing to do that, but um but that is not going to be possible through the Boston Water and Sewer uh commission um
requests or requirements. >> Is there room for um tree wells? Did you take a look at that particular option versus the structural soils option? >> Um I believe we have the tree wells. Um
Michael, can you >> I'll jump in. Um, I'm going to just share my screen, uh, if I might. >> Thank you. Everybody see this? >> Yeah. Yeah. So, this was a section
through um our street tree infrastructure that you mentioned. So, the street curve uh uh Belgrade Avenue is on the right on this and the sidewalk is on the left. And as uh Jake mentioned, there's a there's like a 10-in and a 12-in sewer and drain line
um somewhere in this zone. So, we had to stop our our infiltration basically at the edge of the concrete. But here's our 4 foot wide furnishing strip. And you could see that we have a multi-layered system with sandbased structural soil and and a drainage layer um to allow
maximum uh infiltration there. And that is a continuous system all along the sidewalk. We have permeable pavers uh basically going all the way down. I can So what is hatched in blue here, this is
all infiltration. So all of the all of the storm water that comes off of the sidewalk and sheds into this area is going to be picked up into this um into these permeable paper areas and infiltrated. >> Great. And at the end of the building,
is there anything like that in that non-build space that you've you've set aside? Is there anything like that or is it all just surface features? uh because of the uh um configuration of the corner there. Oh,
I'll I'll just share it again. >> Um I'm sorry. You're referring to the corner at Anowan. >> Um I think so. The open space port portion that's been set aside. We were just talking about this this >> the area on the left over here. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah. So currently um the existing parking lot actually goes all the way actually goes into the right of line if you're following my hand. That's the that's the extent of the existing parking lot. So all of this now becomes
um ongrade landscaping. So all of that becomes um permeable landscaping. the >> uh any storm water that would fall on this portion which is over the parking garage is either going to um shed off the surface either north or south or be
infiltrated and then picked up on the the roof drainage system which is which is underneath and then um infiltrated into the underground system which is in this area. >> Thank you. Any
other questions? >> Yeah, I do. I have a question about the tree planting detail as well. Um, and that that detail that was just shown was helpful. I'm wondering um as part of some of the earlier reviews with different departments, um, was there ever a suggestion you
would consider something other than bark mulch in the tree pets? um and particularly you know port in place um permeable rubberized system. >> Uh that's never come up in a discussion
that I've ever had. Um certainly willing to consider it. >> Okay. The the city does seem to be deploying it um fairly in a fairly widespread manner. I'm not saying I'm opposed to the bark mulch, but I was
just curious if another material had been considered. And then I guess a quick question on the open space parcel. Um is the intent primarily as a you know something to be viewed um and as a landscape buffer between the development
and and the parkway? um or is it a space that's intended to accommodate access by people and um spending some time within the space? >> Well, it's a it's a privately owned
parcel of land, but we do recognize the uh historical of it being kind of a missing tooth, if you will, of the buffer of the West Roxbury Parkway. So, the the design intent is to um have it be um a visual green connection to its
original design. Um which we spent um I think close to a million dollars putting those spaces from a surface lot down below grade to achieve that um from an urban design perspective. Um so that is um you know kind of the the the the goal
and the intent. Um we are acknowledging that people may you know in the neighborhood be walking their dogs and it might be a a place for them and we're providing um poop bags and things um on site and are not opposed to people using
it in that way. Um, but we do have some fairly uh stringent deed restrictions um on the parcel for what it actually can be used for and those go to DCR's control rights that have are historically were part of the deal that was put in place in 1977.
And we um are being respectful of that and not looking to change the use of that parcel um officially in any way. Um so um um we're trying to be very true to our deed restrictions um trying to
accomplish the public use and the public nature of the visual connection to what this was historically. We think our design achieves that. Um, and we've been, you know, collaborating now with, uh, 16 divisions of the MBTA, um, as
well as DCR, um, DOT, Boston Water and Sewer, um, PIC Commission, um, um, parks commission. Um, so we have a lot of overlapping jurisdictional things that are happening here. Um and one of the
things that is still sort of we're working through is uh well all the coordination with the MBTA and the bus lines um and where the bus stations and where they may go in the future and we may need to be accommod.
So um so a lot of moving pieces here to sort of you know clarify and that's how we've found the balance uh to achieve all of the different um needs for all the stakeholders and what the community wants and needs were that we understood
from their local representations um there. So we think we've we found that balance and uh logically you know we think that you know people can use it in that way it visually it's going to be a big win for everybody and particularly now with the new intersection and the
new bridge that's going in there and the new and we worked very closely with walk up Rosundelle and other organizations locally um to coordinate our plans with the bike plan the bike paths and the expansion of the bike paths on the West Roxbury Parkway and some u safety issues
that have been historically happening um at the crossing of the MBTA tracks because of the dilapidated bridge construction as well as um you know access to the MBTA commuter rail station down on the other side in the blue bikes
location. So there's a lot of very interested parties that have all you know been at the table and we've been trying to balance this as a team overall um over a long period of time and we think we're there. Um then we hopefully
um your commission will agree. >> Okay, that's great. Thank you, J. >> Okay, fantastic. Um any other commissioner comments? >> Fantastic. At this moment, I'd like to open it up for public comment. Um if
you're a member of the public that'd like to comment, can you please raise your virtual hand and we'll call on you in order. Also, please state your name for the record. Okay. Hearing and seeing none, um I think if we don't have any further
questions or comments, I'll go ahead and make a motion to vote to approve 3458 Washington Street in Jamaica Plane. Oh, sorry, wrong one. >> I'm looking at the Sorry. Um
bear with me here. This is sorry to vote to approve. So I'm going to start over again. Um I'd like to make a motion to vote to approve 361 Belgrade Avenue in Rosendale adjacent to West Roxberry Parkway which is under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts
Department of Conservation and Recreation. Would someone like to make a second? >> Second. >> Okay. And in order here, Jean >> I >> William >> Hi
>> Sandy >> I >> Jessica >> I >> David. >> Oh David >> I >> and Icy >> I
>> fantastic and I am an I. The motion is approved. Congratulations team. >> Thank you. Thank you >> your consideration. Appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Fantastic. Carrie, can you please read the next item? >> A vote to approve 944 Saratoga Street in
East Boston, which is adjacent to Noise Playground. Um, John Connelly, are you going to start the presentation? >> Uh, thank you. I'm going to actually have Richard Lind uh start if you don't mind.
>> Thank you. Can you hear me? Okay. >> Yes, we can. >> Thank you. And uh thank you, commissioner, and congratulations on your appointment. Uh for the record, my name is Richard Lind. I'm an attorney with a business address at 245 Sumar Street. On behalf of the developer, which is CDE 944 Saratoga LLC. Uh with
us is John Connley who is the principal. Uh we also have Bill Menszinger from Embark who is our project architect. Uh we also have Natalie Adams from Verdant, our landscape architect, and Rick Salivo from Engineering Alliance, uh who is our PE for this project. Uh by way of very
brief overview, uh commissioners, uh this is proposes new construction of a four-story uh seafra compliant multif family housing uh project with about 23,000 square feet of gross floor area. Uh this sits on an approximately 8600 square foot lot in the Oran Heights
section of East Boston. Uh this project would include a total of 21 rental units. Uh that includes a mix of studios, onebedrooms, and two bedrooms. Uh this is located in the MU4 uh zoning subdist, which is part of the East Boston neighborhood uh district. Uh MU4
is a new zone, relatively new zoning classification for this area uh and allowed this project to proceed as a matter of right uh only subject to article 80 and approval by the Boston planning department which was granted in November of 2024. Uh our overall height and uh Bill will
go into this in more detail uh is just over 57 feet with an F of 2.76. We do propose a total of nine on on-site garage parking spaces. Uh and there'll be also a total of 26 bike parking spaces proposed, 22 on the interior for
residents with additional four outdoor visitor spaces. Uh fully compliant with the city's bike parking requirements uh as reviewed by the Boston Planning Department. Uh this project is located in close proximity to Orian Heights Square which contains a number of uh retail establishments. It's within close
walking distance of the Orient Heights TA Station uh as well as within walking distance of Constitution Beach. Uh because this project is located adjacent to the Memphis Playground, it's subject to uh commission review. Uh and that's why we're here today. Uh just real quick
again by way of overview, the public benefits include adding 21 market rate uh rental units uh while eliminating a vacant uh overgrown formally industrial lot uh near Oran Heights section. Uh the estimated $8 million in construction
costs will create approximately 40 temporary construction jobs uh and will increase certainly eyes on noise playground uh including park safety uh which is consistent with the experience that we saw with the adjacent project at 946 Saratoga Street uh which is
completed by the same developer in 2021 and reviewed by the parks commission as well. Uh we do propose a number of public realm improvements uh as part of the article 80 process which we reviewed thoroughly with planning uh as well as uh other agencies. Uh and that includes
wider sidewalks, crosswalk improvements, and additional street trees. Uh we also anticipate a substantial new meal property tax contribution to the city of Boston once this project is completed and occupied. Uh at this time uh madam commissioner I will turn it over to Bill Menszinger of Embark uh who will walk
you through the program and the plans and I'm available for any specific questions regarding zoning or process on this matter. Bill. >> Uh thank you Richie. Appreciate that. And uh I think I'm going to stay on the bandwagon and just extend my uh congratulations to Commissioner new
commissioner Fernandez. So that's great news to hear. John uh Connley uh the owner and developer. Did you want to speak first or do you want me just to jump right in and I can share too? >> Uh, you're free. You're free to start. Thank you, Bill. >> Great. Thank you. Um, Commissioner, do I
have or or Carrie, do I have uh >> you you should have access now. I just saw that. >> Great. And I'm also here with Natalie Adams with Verdant, our landscape architect, and Rick Salvo with EIS with is our civil engineer to help. They're going to speak a little bit on the site
design um in the middle of the presentation. So, uh again, we're really excited about this project. It's been a long time coming and we're um we actually worked we actually worked with John and Richie on uh the previous development which is in the far end of
the screen. That's the sister building. is that that was a 9 unit multifam threetory and then here we are proposing a fourstory under the zoning requirements of a new 21 unit u building. Uh it's going to be a multif
family with a small commercial uh public uh amenity space at the corner which is going to be a wei work space. The project um is designed to meet passive house standards so it's going to be an all electric building. It's also AC
fraud compliant uh design with flood resilient ground floor construction. No units on the first floor. All um all sort of transient access or public uh access. The site is uh very uh nicely located uh in the heart of East Boston along
Saratoga Street. It's very transient oriented oriented, walkable. The Orient Height Blue Line is less than a quarter mile walking distance uh right on Bennington Street right up the road. Uh you have the beautiful Constitution Beach to the south. Uh the Chelsea uh
Riverway up to the north with the expressway. Uh really uh nice uh nice site there. Couple views. So this is the aerial view of the top left corner. If I zoom in here of our uh park, you can see the 946
Saratoga straight ahead and the little league field and the sock fields are directly adjacent. There's a center drive aisle that's sort of uh that's an easement that's uh currently housing the storm water control management system for 944. I'll let Rick speak to that in a little bit, but uh for the new uh
design ideas, but couple just existing views. So we uh incorrectly put the orientation here, but this is a a view looking uh east down Saratoga. Uh you can see 94 946 Saratoga. So our site would be uh right here, right in front
of that building. Um on the bottom left is directly north. So the play the soccer field on the left. Um and this is our site here. So uh it's fully uh ready for uh development and uh looking to the east 946. And then the site would be just past this three-story building
here. A couple things. I think Richie mentioned the program, but it's a 21 unit building. Uh made up of four studio units. Um rough, you know, uh sorry, nine one-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units. All open concept
layout units, roughly 9 foot uh floor uh 9 foot ceilings. Most of the units, I think 18 of them will have private balconies um to take advantage of the beautiful green space and and the park views as well as some of the water views. Uh this is an all electric
building. Uh it's going to be a quiet system and uh that's uh it's going to be a very efficient building. some of the uh street and landscape improvements. I'm going to hand it over but uh to Natalie and Rick, but high level the
building is contextually designed to uh you know with neighborhood character and community housing needs in in mind. So we have a modal setback approach. I modal meaning alignment with the uh existing uh neighborhood streets. And there's a nice height alignment. These
dark blue planes are showing a threetory elevation. So, what we're trying to do is bring that threetory height line across uh to our building contextually before it steps up that extra floor. And I'm going to hand it off to Rick and
Ally to speak a little bit about site design and landscape. And then I'll come in and look at we'll look at the floor plans and the architectural elevations and views. >> I guess I'll go first. Uh good evening everyone. Good morning. Rick Salv with um Engineering Alliance. Um what you're
looking at right now is is the existing conditions uh plan that shows the subject parcel. Bill, can we go to the next slide? I assume you have the little drawings here. This is the plan that was recently approved by um specific repairs. So this
has been through the PIC process. Um we're most of the way through Boston Water and Sewer. Um and we've received an order of conditions um from the Boston Conservation Commission. Um the street improvements um include adding um sidewalk uh and granite curbing as there
was none in front of this prop property prior. Um we will be adding it which will complete um the connection by Noise Park um at Noise Park, west of Noise Park. Um there is existing vertical granite curbing and a portion of a curb cut in there. will be completing that.
Relocating the crosswalk out of the entrance to Noise Park and putting it just right so the pedestrians don't um don't conflict with any of the maintenance vehicles um that are going in and out of there. As far as on-site storm water is concerned, um there's a
previous uh paver, not pavement, but paver um system um that was installed on the site next door. will be continuing that onto this property um to manage the surface runoff. Um the roof runoff from the building will be placed into a um
cult system that'll be embedded in that um pvious paver um system to take the um water from the roof of this project. Um traditional water sewer connections um will be made and I that's really a
general overview of the civil portion of it. I think now I'll turn over to Natalie um to go through the the landscaping that kind of marries to the civil. >> Thanks Rick and Bill. Thank you commissioners and congratulations commissioner. My name is Natalie Adams. I'm principal at Verdant Landscape
Architecture. The landscape land shows the relationship between 946 on the right and 944 on the left. Note we are mirroring the pavement design and there's approximately 28.6 six uh or 28.5 ft between the two buildings. And
this is uh I'm going to go through enlargement areas to better describe as I move through the plan. So, next slide, please. >> Yeah, there you go. >> Oh, sure. Thanks. Thanks, Bill. Uh the next two slides are public realm slides and note the proposed public realm
improvement along the project frontage includes 5 and 1/2 ft wide concrete pedestrian zone and a three- foot wide tree trench zone with pvious pavers to dominate the new street tree which is a scarlet oak. It's on the BPD approved
tree list. The tree will be installed in structural soil beneath the sidewalk to provide approximately a thousand cubic feet of soil volume. This is consistent with the BPD standards. There's the storm water planner. You'll note has been incorporated into the design at the
request of a city agency during the PIC review process. The planner will contribute to storm water management while enhancing the streetscape with additional vegetation. We will look at irrigating the street tree, but with the tree installed next to a storm water planter, it's it's unlikely it'll need a
lot of irrigation, but we will look into that. This plan further illustrates the proposed curb extension and crosswalk location serving the noise playground and uh pedestrian uh safety improvements were requested during the PIC review
process and um are intended to improve visibility, traffic calming, pedestrian access um to the playground and surrounding amenities. Next page please. Yeah, thank you. This is the planting plan. We are proposing three quaking
aspens to the rear the north side of the rear property line and a row of uh tender uh 10 excuse me slender silhouette sweet gums along the west side of the building. These trees will provide seasonal interest screening and additional uh canopy coverage while
contributing to the site's overall landscape character. At the rear of the property, we have designated a pet relief area. I don't know if you can zoom in on that, Bill. And um yeah, signage will be installed both within the building and at the pet relief area
to direct users appropriately. The area will include a free draining stone mulch and marking boulders and a pet waste station to support proper maintenance and usability. This sheet also includes, if you can zoom out, the plant schedule,
um which are all native shrubs and perennials. I think there's only one that's a a crossover and they will contribute to the resilient and sustainable landscape. Next page, this is the tricky page. There's an existing
Tillia Cordata um uh Lynen tree adjacent to the project and we've been working with everyone to get this tree protected uh through construction. and a certified artist uh arborist has evaluated the health and condition of the tree and um
we have pruned uh some of the limbs and branches that may interfere with the construction activities. It should be noted that preconstruction during um the building at 944, you can see there was a building located at on a portion of that
treere's roots. Yes, thank you. Prior to the start of construction, a tree protection fence will be installed in coordination with parks to establish a clearly defined the tree protection zone, TPZ, and additional tree protection measures will include um the
application of mulch within that TPZ and the provision of supplemental irrigation during and after um the construction to support the treere's health. So, we're really really on board with keeping this tree healthy. the if you can tell the building is is stepping back to embrace it. And we've also have a certified
arborist continue to monitor and evaluate the condition of the tree during construction and following the completion to ensure its long-term health and viability. That's it for me. Thank you. >> Great. Thanks, Alie. And just to reinforce that uh move, so we're the architecture is really trying is is
working, you know, from day one to to create a movement here. So it just this aerial view sort of starts to show that. So you have a three-story element coming in balcony stepping in about 8 feet and stepping back. So really allow the the existing tree canopy to not be um
compressed really open up and um sort of have a nice uh feeling of being in the tree canopy. This also this area also is where the retail space opens up the ground floor. There's a wei work uh nice reading patio. So it's you have you're also you're opening up to the patio to
the park and really in that tree canopy. So says a lot about the um the nature and really beautifi helps to beautify um that edge getting into the floor plans. Um so really again this is a open open
parking garage so it's covered but it's drive-in. So, nine parking spaces, seven standard, two tandem in the back. There is the pet relief area um in in the rear that Natalie spoke about as well as a pet spa zone. So, all covered. So, very
convenient. You come down, you can use the pet spa or if you're coming in from the park, you can um come in covered and then head your way up up up the elevator, the back um up through the stairs in a rear entry. But the main entry along Saratoga is this front
corner here. So, two primary entrances along Saratoga. One being the multifam residence. So, this is a transient lobby uh purely just to come in um get your get go up stair or the elevator due to the flood requirements. There's no seating and lounge areas. There's also a
uh bike room which we'll look at enlarged plan later, but 22 on-site um enclosed secure bike spaces with direct access to the outside. And to the left corner, really activating the front facade along Saratoga Street with a lot
of glass is the uh co-work space that'll be available to the public and also serve as an amenity to the residents. So, it's a wei work co-work space. You can see the deck and the tree opening up to the tree canopy. So we envision a lot of glass there, nice quiet reading zone,
place to take a, you know, work on your laptop, grab a coffee. Um, so it really is a nice benefit that we see to the community rounding up with an additional uh small meeting spaces to be to be rented and uh on-site trash as well and
and and additional storage. It rounds up the first floor plan. Making our way upstairs, the main the primary uh building systems, emergency building systems are elevated above the flood plane. So the main electrical room is on the second floor. We have a mix of the
studios ones and two bedrooms. The two bedrooms primarily taking advantage of the front of the building or some of the larger corners. And you can see a lot of the private balconies each roughly about five by seven or larger. Um, as we move
up, here's an enlarged the enlarged bike room. So, we have a mixture of uh extra wide bike space on the ground, post and ring style to meet Boston requirements. Two two more post and rings for four, a nice uh repair station and access aisle,
as well as lift assist bikes for 16. There are additional bikes outside um the poster rings in that furnishing zone that Natalie had shown. Uh levels two and I mean three and four are pretty much identical. So uh ones
and twos on these floors with the studio sort of overlooking 946 Saratoga. And then the top floor again a very a similar sort of stacked efficient double loaded corridor element with a private
amenity roof deck. just a a small space um size for 20-ish uh little grill uh potential grill station seating area, small little lobby there, as well as um two two egress points uh off of that space opens up to beautiful Constitution
Beach and Waterviews. The exterior pallet is contextual in familiar in terms of architecture, familiar in sense of the materials that are in the neighborhood, but also New England materials, long-lasting and
durable. So, we're proposing a gray wire cut uh soft blended brick on the front facade, very ri uh rhythmic and regular size large windows, also poking um allowing for some nice balcony elements to create ins and outs. The pallet
overall is brick. It's a fiber cement siding prefinished. So, it comes with longterm uh warranties as well as a wood tone siding to within some of the more intimate spaces, the main entrances and then the recesses up at the up at the
residential balconies. This is a view standing on the back from the little league field looking back at the building. So, a lot of that material comes around. This is the same color fiber cement. So, the brick turns the fiber cement panel in the back. So, it's a gray, but with this warmth of the uh
north uh the southwestern light, it warms that up as a a warmer gray tone. Here's the s the the west part facing side. So, you can see the the brick at the fourtory steps down with the wood tone siding where the tree is carries
around threetory of the fiber cement clapboard and large format paddle as it wraps. And then making our way 90 degrees around. This is facing the uh the driveway looking back at the sister of building 946 Saratoga. So you can see
the threetory datam coming across with some of these reveal elements with the wood. Here's just a perspective view of uh looking at the existing park connection as well as the relocated uh crosswalk coming up. This would be
the weiwork uh entrance here and then this would be the main uh residential entrance with 946 in the background. Here we did quickly add I know Carrie there was a discussion about the meeting the you know the rendering is not
showing the um fence standard. So this is roughly a chain link black vinyl coated chain link photoshopped in. But we'll work closely with you guys on the the height and the specification to get that correct as it wraps both the side and
the um the rear. Here's a view looking west of Saratoga Street. So you can see the three-story datam sort of carrying across to a portion of our building before that steps up and also making its way around the threetory datam with another uh two
stories above that of lightening the facade pallet to kind of give the height some relief as a as a heads up and an aerial view in context. text there and looking back the other way with looking at the
existing tillia koba we do have a shadow study uh that we we had included in the presentation. So the overview of the shadow study is you know we did set we studied the fall and spring equinox as well as solstice
months. the winter time during the the morning extends very low sun extends deep shadows. Aside from that, uh the park is uh fairly open except up until noon where it's pushing off to the east. summer very the only shadows are casted
early in the morning um about four you know 30 feet onto the site uh to the west every um aside from that it's full sun not put opposing any new shadows on the fields and then spring and fall equinox we're looking from not about
8:00 a.m. you know sunrise to about 100 p.m. There will be no more shadows. This is a noon shot where it's off to the east and those shadows will be gone quickly with the height of the sun. Similar. This is the vernal quinox. And that pretty much concludes the
architectural uh presentation. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you so much, Bill. Um with that, I'd like to open it up to the commissioners. Are there any are there any questions or comments you'd like to share?
>> I could summarize the staff memo if that would help. >> Yes. Sorry, Carrie. >> Um there's staff memo from myself and Jill Zick to the parks commissioners. Um the parks department did provide comment letters on this project, three of them during the article 80 process at the
planning department. um expressing uh concerns about some of the edge conditions and interface between the building and the park. Um the first one would be the height of the building which has changed uh as the zoning has changed for this site. Um now the zoning
as you just saw will uh the building complies with the zoning but that building will provide shadows on the park from September 21st to March 21st basically from dawn until 12 or 1:00 in the afternoon. um the adjacency to noise playground. Um we would like the
proponent to acknowledge that they are building a they are developing a building adjacent to a very active recreation facility is heavily used yearround for athletic purposes and other permitted events. Um the proponent should acknowledge that the project site is immediately adjacent to a
multi-purpose ball field as well as a little league field. The lights in the playground are on from dusk until 11:00 p.m. every night from April 1st to November 30th. And the light sorry the fields and courts are available for use during daylight hours from December 1st
to March 31st. Ball mitigation u may be desired to deflect errant balls. Um that will be the responsibility of the proponent and will need to be installed entirely on the subject property. Um, regarding fencing, um, as noted, the
renderings were not showing fencing around the perimeter of the property. So, the parks department has requested that the fence be installed, um, with, uh, to standards that the parks department can provide chain link fence that is vinyl coated with black vinyl
that would be 10t tall and be installed at least one foot inside the subject property and include a poured concrete mo strip. and that there should not be any gates, openings, or other entrances directly from the subject property into the park. The future residents will need to use the same entrances as everyone
else. Um, as you saw, there is a pet hygiene space provided at the back which will help eliminate some impacts to the park. Um, we would ask that it be well maintained in order to eliminate any knock negative impacts. Um, regarding trees, I don't think I saw an image that
shows what that 24inch lynen in the park looks like today. Um, if you have one and I missed it, it'd be helpful to show the parks commissioners. Um, the proponent did remove 30% of that tree canopy of the parks tree without seeking permission from the parks department.
Um, the the tree limbs were hanging over the property line over into the um proponent's subject parcel. Um the parks, sorry, the Boston tree warden has gone out um in the last month to evaluate the viability of that tree
after the pruning occurred. And the tree is in good condition right now, but the tree warden would like to have a certified, it sounds like this is in process, but just for the record, that the tree ward would like to have a certified arborist provide um additional can uh a plan for the preservation of
the tree during construction, the protection of the critical root zone, and also that no further pruning can occur without the approval of the tree warden. And then also measures to be taken after construction to ensure the viability of the tree. So that that's still something that needs to be
proposed to the tree warden. Um and then lastly, um we've we've requested a number of times for information about demolition and construction as it may impact the park. the proponent has provided what is standard for the city um that gets approved through the Boston Transportation Department, but we've
requested um for several years now additional information um that is really critical because this building is being constructed so close to two sides of a park. That includes where the construction staging will happen, including cranes, heavy equipment, deliveries, truck routes, contractor
parking, storage, etc. the management of the dust and noise during construction, the excavation and grading and how that might impact park use. Um any driving of piles, foundation supports, foundation footings, um the groundwater management during construction after erosion and
sediment control so that doesn't impact the park, storm water management in general, um impact to trees, which we just discussed, um etc. So, that's still something that we um would with the commissioner's um approval, we would still work with the proponent to resolve
any of those issues prior to construction. That's it. >> Thank you, Carrie. Any questions or comments from the commissioners? >> Couple questions about tree planting and also the Lynen tree that we're trying to
to salvage here. Um, I think the landscape plan showed some upright deciduous trees along the park side of of the development. So, on the left side of the of the building. Um, maybe Sycamores. Uh, is is that right? I'm not
sure that all the ren renderings showed those. >> Hi, it's Natalie Adams, the landscape architect for the project. No, I they weren't in the renderings. And you know, many times you see architects are trying to show you the building to describe it. So I let it go. But the there's 10 liad
dendrum tulip varia slender silhouette along the along the long side of the park. And along the back there's um the populous tremuloides or quaking aspens and there's three of those. So those weren't shown in the renderings. Yeah. >> Okay. Very good. Um just an observation
that's a pretty narrow corridor there. I think the offset was um 7 foot8 in from the property line to the building face. Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's very narrow. Yeah. >> Even with an upright tree, it's probably going to fill that void in entirely. I I
would guess >> some silhouettes are really they don't get much more than 5t wide. I found that you can group them together like that. But we'll be especially careful and we'll take your comments under consideration, you know, while we develop the planting. Yeah. >> Okay. Thanks, Natalie. um relative to
the fence and mowers concrete mower strip installation um particularly in the vicinity of Lynden that'll have to be done with with extreme care and caution. So um it's a little bit counterintuitive there how we actually install that and ensure
protection of of the tree that we're trying to save but it can be done um I guess to to a certain extent with with with great care. And then just another observation because you know there's not expansive landscape areas to maintain on this project but um one tricky area will
be this um small storm water area at the front of the building that's planted. And my experience with these is that they can look very poor very quickly. So they're going to definitely require attention of of the developer or the
subsequent management management company. So that's just another observation. >> Agreed. Thank you for that. >> That's all I had. Thank you. >> Any other comments? >> Okay, fantastic. Um, I'd like to go ahead and open this up for public
comment. So, if you're a member of the public and like to comment on this project, can you please raise your virtual hand and please state your name for the record. Okay. Hearing and seeing none. Um, if there are no other questions or comments, um, I'd like to make a motion
to vote to approve 944 Sarah Saratoga Street and East Boston adjacent to Noil's Playground with a proviso that they continue to work with the parks department staff on the construction
management plan for the site. Is there a second? >> I'll second the motion. >> Fantastic. And I'll go through the list here. Jean, >> I >> William, >> hi
>> Sandy. >> I >> Jessica >> I >> David. >> And Icy >> I. >> This motion passes. I'm an I too, by the way. Um, this motion passes. Um,
congratulations. Look forward to working with you all in the construction aspects of this. >> Thank you. look forward to working with you as well. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Okay, Carrie, I know we're almost at time here and I think we have one last item on the agenda. >> We do and I apologize. I misspelled your
name on it, so I apologize for that. Um, this is a vote to approve Diana Fernandez Babau to serve on the community preservation committee as a representative of the Boston Parks and Recreation Commission. >> Do any commissioners have questions or comments?
I just choose to wish you luck and thank you for your contribution. It's quite an intensive process. >> Congratulations in the appointment, Diana. >> Thank you so much. I'm very excited wearing the the parks hat here to help advance our work.
>> So, we have to put forward a motion here, right? >> Um but before that, I just want to open it up to public comment. Is there any member of the public that has any comments or >> uh questions? Okay. Hearing and seeing none. Um I
Carrie I don't think I can make a motion. Correct. Since this is technically >> uh >> I would ask to move the motion. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Is there a second? >> I'll second.
>> Okay. I'll go through the list. Jean. >> Hi. >> William. >> Hi. Sandy >> I >> Jessica >> I >> David >> Icy >> I
>> and I will abstain since this vote uh includes myself. Uh the motion passes. Thank you all so much. Really appreciate your faith in my ability to represent parks and recreation in this space. Um and with that I think we have one last
motion which is to adjourn. Um, do I have a second um to adjourn this meeting? >> Second. >> Fantastic. So moved. Um, thank you so much all. Have a wonderful night. Um, and I'll see you soon.
>> Thank you. Thank you.