Owners of a Ferry Street rooming house are preparing to go back before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) on May 7 to try their hand a second time of refurbishing the old building.
Andrew Philbin filed with the Board to renovate 322-324 Ferry St., adding a new third floor, adding basement apartments and renovating the existing units – decreasing the numbers of rooms from 21 to 19 separate units.
“The Applicant’s proposal will convert the units from older, less favorable lodging units with shared bath facilities to 19 newly constructed one-bedroom units, each with its own kitchen and bath,” read the filing. “The newly renovated and expanded building will attract new residents and revitalize this housing stock. It will convert a more transient form of occupancy into a more stable and long-term residency. The requested relief for the proposed construction will result in needed multi-family housing for the City of Everett and encourage an appropriate and efficient use of the real estate.”
The current configuration of the rooming house leaves it without any parking. In the new configuration, the Philbins reported that they will have two spaces that they will devote to a type of Zip Car service. There will be no parking for the residents of the development.
That was a sticking point last summer when the Philbins came before the ZBA to propose a complete demolition of the rooming house and a new construction of an apartment building.
That didn’t fly with the Board, which asked that they re-tool the project and find some way of adding parking or securing an agreement with the lot across the street.
That didn’t happen and now the Philbins have come back with a rehabilitation project with the same parking situation.
- Also on the agenda will be Joseph Bono of the North End, who is looking to establish a smoke shop at 181 Broadway. Bono has been the long-time owner of Al Dente Restaurant in the North End. He is seeking to put a smoke shop/cigar shop on Lower Broadway where the current tattoo parlor is located. The matter has been delayed several times on the ZBA agenda.
- The electronic billboard on the Parkway that has been the issue of litigation and numerous continuances is once again on the agenda, and this time there might be progress to report. The litigation is between the billboard company and the developer of the new apartment building on the old Boston Harley site.