The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) held a public hearing on July 24 on a proposal by Pennsylvania-based development company Toll Brothers to develop the former Sam White Landscaping site on Route 9/Boylston Street. The proposal has been submitted to the ZBA for a Comprehensive Permit under MGL Chapter 40B.
The initial proposal was to construct a residential-only building with 244 units and 385 parking stalls, with 61 of the units to be deed-restricted and permanently affordable to households up to 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). Toll Brothers submitted a revised plan that reduced the height to six stories and reduced the number of units to 198 (38 one-bedroom units, 100 two-bedroom units, and 60 three-bedroom units), with 50 of the units deed-restricted to households earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and the number of parking stalls reduced to 273.
The Planning Department provided this presentation to the ZBA. One of the City’s peer reviewers, NBBJ, provided its review of the proposed project, which emphasized the need to respect neighboring abutting properties, review setbacks, increase tree buffers, and include pocket parks along Boylston Street.
A neighborhood coalition, the 528 Boylston Committee has collected over 1,000 signatures from residents who are calling for:
- An independent traffic study to ensure that the project does not exacerbate Route 9 and local traffic congestion and hazards or reduce overall safety
- A development that retains existing trees to avoid flooding and other irreparable environmental damage
- A development that fits within the scale of the surrounding landscape.
More than 120 people attended the public hearing with about 113 people on Zoom at the time public comment began. Residents who offered testimony expressed concerns centered on traffic and the size and scope of the development, and they echoed the sentiments expressed in the petition calling for a more comprehensive traffic study that focuses on impacts on streets in addition to the entrance and egress to Route 9 and on pedestrian access/safety — especially given the proximity to Newton South High School — flooding and drainage, and the size and scope of the development.
Earlier in the month, residents and elected officials attended a site visit to review the location of the proposed development.
Ward 8 Councilor Rick Lipof was among the residents who testified, offering his thoughts and expressing his support for the neighborhood and against the current proposal. He said while he is grateful to the petitioner for having reduced the number of units, the size of the buildings has not changed. He said he wished the project had come before Land Use and stated, “When developers choose to jump over the city and go to the state in the name of increased affordable housing, which is a good thing, we lose control. When I look at this site – I say to myself there’s a reason why it was a mulch site all of this time — because it’s really 2 1/2 acres and not 5.8 … because access is horrific … because that Route 9 bridge — to get to this site, people are going to be using the Parker Street bridge as a turnaround — every single time — it’s extremely dangerous.” In addition, he offered what he thinks would be a more appropriately sized development for this site, “75-100 units, 3-4 stories set back.”
The public hearing was adjourned and continued until September 27.
Ed. Note: After the July 24 meeting, the date of the continuation of the public hearing was changed from September 6 to September 27, and this article has been updated to reflect that change. In addition, the link to the petition was amended from the change.org site to the group‘s website.