By Dan Murphy
A new residential development with ground-floor retail project is now being planned for 222 Friend St. in the West End, instead of the life science building previously proposed for the site, according to representatives for the applicant on hand for an April 14 virtual meeting of the city’s Impact Advisory Group (IAG).
KS Partners intends to raze an existing three-story commercial building and adjacent 32-space surface parking lot to make way for a 15-story (plus mechanicals), mixed-use building comprising 216 residential units, along with more than 4,800 square feet of at-grade retail space. The proposed residential unit mix comprises 97 studios, 62 one-bedrooms, 51 two-bedrooms, and six three-bedrooms, with the affordable housing component located entirely on site.
The expected timeframe for the project is 14 to 16 months, said Todd Grienfield of KS Partners.
No parking would be provided on site, but the project design includes a 650 square-foot bike room for tenants on the building’s first level.
In contrast, a proposed life science building, which the applicant had pitched for the site around two years ago, would have stood 11 stories, with a 12-foot mechanical penthouse.
The project has now been repositioned as residential in accordance with the preferences of the area’s business community and other stakeholders in the neighborhood, said Harry Collins, an attorney for the applicant.
This proposed change in use would result in a reduction of 76 feet in linear curb-cuts, said Collins, along with the creation of 2,200 square feet of additional retail space via the elimination of back-of-house and loading spaces, which are no longer needed to support lab activities.
IAG member Jane Forrestall described the current project iteration as a “much improved plan,” but like some of her fellow group members, she still expressed considerable concern with its proposed height.
“That’s one thing I have a major concern with,” said Forrestall. “I think this is a great plan. I like it. I might even want to move in.”
Regarding what he called a ‘consensus’ on the matter of the proposed project’s excessive height, Stephen Harvey of the city’s Planning Department said he would communicate this concern to his team. But he said the same issue was also raised in response to the project’s earlier iteration, while advising IAG members that “any height reduction [would put] the project on an even tighter budget.”
The city’s Planning Department was scheduled to convene a virtual public meeting to discuss the proposed project in this latest iteration on Wednesday, April 22.
The public comment period for the supplemental filing for the project is open through May 6. To submit a public comment, visit the city’s project page at https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/222-friend-street, or email Stephen J. Harvey at [email protected].