By Dan Murphy
Neighbors got a look at the latest, revised plans for 33-61 Temple St. on Tuesday, June 21, at the third public meeting sponsored by the Boston Redevelopment Authority to review the proposed residential redevelopment project.
Dedham-based JDMD Owner, LLC intends to transform the interconnected Hiriam J. Archer and Frank J. Donahue buildings at Temple and Derne streets, which were previously owned and occupied by Suffolk University, into a 71-unit condominium development, marking a reduction from the previous proposal of 75 units. The number of four-bedroom condos has been increased to three from two, while the number of two-bedroom units rose from 16 to 13, said Matt Duggan of Chelsea’s The Architectural Team.
The latest plan also lowers the earlier proposed building height by 20 feet, maintaining its current height with mechanicals of 95 feet. To achieve this, new mechanical will be relocated from atop the building’s seventh floor to inside its sixth level. “Nothing will be higher than the existing roof-scape,” Duggan said.
The capacity of a basement garage located beneath the Donahue building has been reduced to 54 spaces from the previously proposed 60 spaces. While some had suggested that access for the garage should be moved from “Donahue Alley” off Temple Street to Derne Street, Christopher Tracy, senior project manager for the BRA, said the Boston Landmarks Commission had rejected this idea.
Also, in an effort to better integrate with the aesthetics of the neighborhood, Duggan said the Donahue building would be stripped of its existing “brick-and-window” skin and replaced with more appropriate materials.
The latest proposal takes into consideration feedback from the community, Boston Landmarks Commission, the BRA and members of the Impact Advisory Group (IAG), who helped advise the city in identifying social and environmental impacts of project and determining the appropriate mitigation from the developer, according to the BRA.
Comments on the proposal can be submitted until Friday, July 1, to Christopher Tracy, senior project manager, via email at [email protected], by phone at 617-918-4259 or by fax at 617-742-4464. They can also be mailed to Tracy at the Boston Redevelopment Authority, One City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA 02201.