Another Developer Proposes 40B Housing In Coolidge Corner

BROOKLINE, MA — Space is a commodity in town. With that in mind, a developer wants to convert a parking lot behind medical offices on Harvard Street into a six-story residential building with mostly micro housing units.

The existing building at 209 will stay there, and the new building will include 44 housing units of which 11 will be subsidized. On Tuesday, the Select Board was set to hear a presentation from the applicants, Michael Giuliano, and Christopher Shachoy, followed by public comment.

The new building would sit behind the existing building, hardly visible to folks walking down Harvard Street, according to early sketches included in the proposal. There would be 36 studios, three two-bedroom units, and five three-bedroom units. Eleven of those total units or (25 percent) will be set aside and dubbed affordable for households at 80 percent of area median income, according to this proposal.

The developer would also renovate the existing office building, especially the lobby area, potentially adding a ground level cafe. Rather than adding parking, the developers propose taking two of the existing 63 parking spaces away.

An early version of the project indicated the studios would average about 365 square feet, and one-bedrooms would average 630 square feet.

The applicants first came to the Planning Board with their idea in 2017, proposing 49 residential units.

During the winter of 2017 and 2018 they met twice with Design Advisory Team, had a Housing Advisory Board meeting and met with the Preservation board. Then in April last year they met with the director and assistant director of regulatory planning to discuss their intention to file an official application with the state.

Chapter 40B law allows developers to skirt local zoning laws, such as height and setback restrictions, if the developer dedicates 25 percent of the residential units as affordable. The law is part of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Permit Act, which was enacted in 1969 to address the shortage of affordable housing statewide by reducing barriers created by building, zoning and permit processes.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).