Proposed Wollaston retail space gets community support
Update on Nov. 19: The zoning board approved this proposal on Nov. 18, with three amendments: (1) the addition of a white privacy fence on the side facing the Hamel-Lydon Funeral Home, (2) the requirement that the seven parking spots behind the building be used for customers only, and (3) the requirement to increase the setback of one of the storefronts facing Beach Street.
A one-story retail building planned for the corner of Beach and Hancock Streets got a positive reception at a community meeting hosted by Ward 5 Councilor Dan Minton on Thursday, November 13. The proposal will next go before the city’s zoning board on Tuesday, November 18, at 6 pm.
The lot now hosts two small brick buildings and used to have a Bank of America ATM kiosk:
Image: Google Maps
At a public meeting at Central Middle School on Thursday night, representatives for lot owner Elizabeth Wong presented their plans for a one-story, 3,500-square-foot brick retail space with five storefronts.
A rendering of the proposed building, which will have a brick exterior
The proposed building includes space for five shops and seven parking spaces in the back
The proposal includes a subsurface drainage system and seven parking spots behind the building.
Parking was a major topic of discussion at the community meeting, since the project must get special permission from the city, known as a variance, to have fewer than the 17 spots required by current zoning rules. (A representative for the owners didn’t think the space could fit 17 spots, an assessment those in attendance seemed to agree with.)
One resident wondered if project planners had considered having no parking spots, given that Wollaston has historically been a walkable area and that a 2014 parking study had found that no more than 60% of on-street parking spaces were filled within a 5-minute walk of the intersection. “As a community member, I would prefer a place with less parking,” said neighbor Stuart Rowe. “That gives less space for actually using the space.”
Project planners said they had not considered that possibility, and former Ward 5 Councilor Chuck Phelan, whose family runs the Hamel-Lydon Funeral Home next to the lot, noted there was little on-street parking in the immediate area on Hancock Street.
Another resident said that seven spots was a happy medium and that he supported the proposal.
While attendees knew nothing about the early history of the buildings, former Councilor Phelan’s family noted that the “I Fix Cell” building at 654 Hancock Street was where Celtic punk band the Dropkick Murphys used to practice after they formed in 1996. Indeed, this summer, band member Ken Casey made a video explaining how the band would sweep up the hair at the barbershop that used to be located there, then lift up the trap door to go into the basement to practice. It was there, he said, that the band found its first fan.
The proposal will next go before the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday, November 18, at 6 pm. The meeting will be held on the first floor of Old City Hall (1305 Hancock Street) and is open to members of the public, who are invited to comment on the proposal.
In personal news, I was happy to take this photo of the former, current, and future Ward 5 councilors last night. Both former Councilor Phelan and current Councilor Minton graciously offered their help should I need it after I take office, and for that I am so grateful. Both of them have served the ward and the city admirably, and I hope to carry on that tradition.
Past, future, and current Ward 5 councilors: Chuck Phelan, Maggie McKee, and Dan Minton
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