Housing plan for Rice Post site angers some in Savin Hill

A plan to demolish a veterans station on Romsey Street in Savin Hill and replace it with a 4-story, 35-unit residential building that was the subject of a city-sponsored open house last Thursday (Oct. 17) has drawn criticism mainly negative comments from neighbors who spoke on the virtual call. Most of them argued that a development of this size is simply too big for the 25,271-square-foot site, which is in a densely built residential neighborhood.

James Baker and John McDonough’s proposal would first require the demolition of the century-old building at 29-33 Romsey St., which was the home of the James J. Rice Amvets Post. #28 since 1947. Another veterans facility, the American Legion Tent. Willis N. Penny Post 399, is located a few blocks away in the shadow of the JFK-UMass T station.

The meeting began with a presentation from consultant Aisling Kerr, who explained that the Baker team spent about six months talking to urban planners before requesting a small project review through the Planning Department.

“There have been several iterations of this project. We are here tonight with all of you to have a robust conversation about what we are proposing now,” Kerr said.

The current proposal calls for 35 units in total, including 4 studio units, 13 one-bedroom units and 18 two-bedroom units spread over four floors. While the first floor would include 2 two-bedroom units, the second and third floors are identical and would accommodate 2 studios, 6 one-bedroom units, and 5 two-bedroom units. The fourth floor is smaller than the second and third and only has one one-bedroom unit and 6 two-bedroom units.

“We were very deliberate in this program because we felt there was a need in this neighborhood, in particular, for one- and two-bedroom units and studios,” Kerr said. “We have a lot of existing three-story, predominantly three- and four-bedrooms.”

But resident Paul Gould said that’s not the case for properties directly across from the proposed site, which are mostly single- and double-family homes. “There are six or seven houses there, but the total number of units is probably twelve. It’s not six triple-decker vehicles in a row on the opposite side of this property,” Gould said. “I am speaking on behalf of my father. He is 95 years old, has lived across the street for 60 years and is opposed to density of this size.”

Said Kerr: “Our fourth floor plan has some pretty substantial setbacks from the third floor. This allows us to narrow the building and make that partial fourth floor essentially invisible from most aspects that anyone passing by will see.”

Jessica Hayes, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 38 years, disagreed with that statement. “I was born and raised in this house. My dad, this was the house he grew up in when he came from Ireland,” Hayes said. “I know you guys said the fourth floor won’t be seen 99 percent of the time, but for me and my dad in this house, we’ll see it 100 percent of the time because we’re on the right, one door down. essentially.” Like many others, she believes the building’s size prevents it from blending in with the rest of the urban landscape.

Kerr responded: “It’s a 25,000+ square foot location, it’s a transit-oriented location, less than a half mile away from two Red Line MBTA stations and 200 feet from Dot Ave, a major thoroughfare. We feel that density is warranted in this location, both given the scale of the site, but also the benefits that come along with what we are proposing here.”

She added: “Of the 35 units currently proposed, 7 of them will be Inclusive Development Policy Units (IDPs). Thirteen percent is needed for this building, but we were more than happy to increase that number to 20 percent.” Baker and McDonough, she said, are also working to provide preferences for veterans in some of these IDP units to honor the site’s history.

Kerr added that “40% affordability, which is our ultimate goal, is very valuable. These are more affordable units in any project than this neighborhood has seen, other than Dot Block, ever. We see this as real value.”

Residents who spoke also raised concerns about parking and traffic issues.

“As others have said, parking is a big deal,” noted Robert Rossi. “We don’t have resident parking here on Romsey Street. All the JFK people park here. Parking is a big deal.”

Stephen Harvey, project manager for the Planning Department, added: “We wouldn’t want today’s Boston to have a one-to-one ratio. Increasing the amount of parking will not alleviate parking and congestion in the area. I hear the concern, but the answer to adding more parking spaces when you are already dealing with enough vehicles is not a solution.”

Neighbors who participated in the call were not happy with the suggestion, saying if the project moves forward, parking and traffic will get worse. Many also shared concerns regarding the increase in the number of delivery drivers on one-way streets.