The year-long battle to downsize a proposed first-in-New England over-55 community for gays and lesbians near Fenway Park in Boston has ended with reluctant support from a neighborhood group.
A last-minute compromise was hammered out following a meeting between the neighborhood and the developer last month mediated by City Councilor Michael Ross and a representative from Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s office.
Under the terms of the agreement, Abbott Real Estate Development and Stonewall Communities, a pair of Boston-based companies, will build Stonewall Audubon Circle, 47 studio, one- and two-bedroom condominiums targeted, but not restricted to, gays and lesbians 55 years of age and older. The project will fill a vacant lot on Miner Street, between Harvard Vanguard’s Kenmore Square facility and Beacon Street. Unit prices are expected to range from $400,000 to $600,000.
A year ago, Abbott had proposed a 9-story brick-and-glass building that would house 66 units. But in response to vocal opposition, the number of units was reduced to 59. The final number is a dozen less units and the height has come down by 1.5 stories.
“This is the best we can do,” said Katherine Greenough, a member of the Audubon Circle Neighborhood Association’s board of directors, before the association voted on the proposal. “They lost millions in profits by reducing the number of units by a dozen. It’s a huge concession.”
But most of the residents in the audience were not impressed. In a two-hour plus community meeting, many abutters expressed their displeasure with the proposed compromise with comments such as “I’m glad it’s coming down in size, but it’s still too tall,” and, “This seems more like a victory for the developer who probably came in asking for 9 stories knowing they would had to settle at 7.5, which is what they got.”
The association vote on the project was 22 in favor with two abstentions. The vote led to the final compromise but was not a requirement for approval.
James McAuliffe, principal of Abbott Real Estate Development, said he was pleased with the “overwhelming support” of the neighborhood for the project. But just three months ago Abbott’s Vice President Lee Bloom said the association “was not representative of the community.”
