The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special permit and variances for a 15-unit, three-story apartment building at 69-71 Spencer Ave. at its meeting last week.
The building will have 15 parking spaces, and four of the units will be affordable, according to project attorney Anthony Rossi. Because the development will not have the 30 parking spaces required under the zoning ordinance, residents will not be able to take part in Chelsea’s sticker parking program. There will be one parking space set aside for each unit.
The developer will be knocking down an existing two-family building on the property to build the apartments. Rossi noted that the entire property is in a flood plain, and that the site was redesigned to address drainage issues.
Rossi said Zepaj Development also owns the adjacent parcel, which was also developed in a similar style.
“Mr. Zepaj owns the structure next to it, and tore down the structure next to it a few years back and built a brand new building which is also a large, multi-unit building,” said Rossi.
The owner of the single-family residence on the other side of the proposed apartment building was contacted and wrote a letter in favor of the project, according to Rossi.
“This project consists of 11 one-bedroom and two four-bedroom units,” said Rossi. “By right, it would have been a 12-unit project, but with only two affordable units.”
The developer worked with the city and the planning department to offer a project with 15 units, with four of those units being affordable, Rossi said.
Both the Planning Board and the Planning Department recommended approval of the project with some conditions, including not allowing rental leases of less than 12 months, and not allowing residents to take part in the resident parking program.
“They are providing more affordable housing than required under the ordinance, and it does not substantially deviate from the intent of the zoning,” said Planning Director John DePriest.