Zom Living's original proposal included 495 apartments at South Shore Plaza in Braintree. Image courtesy of Zom Living

A Florida developer’s first Massachusetts project proposes 495 apartments at the South Shore Plaza property in Braintree.

Zom Living of Orlando, Florida is seeking to develop a section of the parking lot for The Residences on Granite project, including 180 age-restricted senior apartments. It’s the first big effort to reimagine a portion of a major Boston-area retail property since the pandemic.

“It’s a very attractive location to us, and also we feel that we’re not negatively impacting any [existing] residents,” said Jim Dunlop, managing director for Zom Living.

The company has been looking for development opportunities in Greater Boston since before the pandemic, Dunlop said.

The proposal includes a pair of 5-story apartment buildings including parking on the lower levels.

Attorney Frank Marinelli of Braintree, who represents Zom, said the project requires a two-step approval process.

The Residences on Granite development requires a planned unit development approval from the Braintree Town Council, followed by a special permit from the Braintree Planning Board. Developers hope to begin construction in the first half of 2024, Marinelli said.

 The south section of the parking lot, located near the Nordstrom entrance, is rarely filled near capacity, Marinelli noted. The development site spans 9 acres and has three exits and entrances to Granite Street, which is the main entrance to the 1.6 million-square-foot shopping mall owned by Simon Property Group.

Good multifamily development sites in Greater Boston are hard to secure, Dunlop noted, but regional shopping malls that have lost department store anchors and contain large surface parking areas present an opportunity.  The firm has the Braintree property under agreement with Simon Property Group, pending final approvals, Dunlop said.

Other recent multifamily developments at retail properties in eastern Massachusetts including The Hanover Co.’s apartment project at Hanover Mall and Avalon Woburn at the former Woburn Mall, now known as Woburn Village.