The Women’s Development Corporation’s (WDC) preliminary plan for a five-story apartment complex on Elmwood Avenue was approved at last week’s City Plan Commission (CPC) meeting. The building will have 44 affordable units for individuals and families making at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI). The ground floor will also feature around 1,700 square feet of commercial space. The lot at 327 Elmwood Avenue has been vacant for years. According to The Boston Globe, it was once the site of the Peter Pan Diner.

“The project would be a mix of 30%, 50%, 60%, and 80% [AMI],” WDC Director of Real Estate Charlie Thomas-Davison said. “Tax credit regulation requires that [residents’ AMIs] average at no more than 60%, so we tend to shoot for something slightly safer, like 58% as an average.”

WDC requested a couple of variances at the meeting, including a design waiver for a recessed entrance and dimensional adjustments. The fifth story of the building in the design plan brings it over the 50-foot, four-story limit for a structure in a commercial zone, but Thomas-Davison explained that the project was not feasible without the additional units provided by the fifth floor.

“We often see projects that give us one thing for extra height, and this project has given us two things, and the second thing is affordable housing, which we don’t see that often,” CPC Vice Chair Charlotte Lipschitz said. “So I think, in terms of what they’re giving back to the community for that extra nine feet, it seems like a good deal.”

The other commissioners agreed, and some even encouraged WDC to take the proposal further. 

“Did you ever consider going one more story higher?” Commissioner Dave Caldwell asked. Thomas-Davison said that they had, but a sixth story brought more construction considerations into the fold.

Finding the project consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan, the Commission approved the dimensional adjustments and design waiver along with the rest of the preliminary plan.

The units will be a mixture of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. There is no parking on-site, as parking is not required for buildings on lots of less than 10,000 square feet. However, the plan allows for ample bicycle storage and parking. WDC has not yet made public a timeline for the project.

By Keating Zelenke / Mary A. Gowdey Special Projects Fellow / kzelenke@ppsri.org