Image courtesy of Zom Living
Braintree Town Councilors approved a new zoning district for the South Shore Plaza property that gives developer ZOM Living the ability to pursue its proposed $140 million apartment complex.
ZOM Living has been pursuing the development since late 2022 after striking a deal with Simon Property Group to acquire a portion of the plaza’s parking lot.
“For the last six decades, it has been the economic cornerstone of this community and it is in danger,” District 6 Councilor Peter Morin said of the 1.6 million-square-foot shopping mall.
Opposition from neighborhood residents and some officials prompted ZOM Living to withdraw its initial development proposal last year.
A new zoning overlay proposed by the administration of Erin Joyce, a former planning board member elected mayor in 2023, adds multifamily housing to the potential uses of the property.
Representing the developers, attorney Frank Marinelli dismissed opponents’ warnings that the project would strain the school budget, noting that Braintree public schools’ enrollment has declined by 600 students since 2019. The project would include approximately 28 school-aged children, according to a fiscal impact analysis by Karl F. Seidman Consulting Services.
The mixed-use overlay district allows multifamily housing subject to approval of a special permit by the Planning Board.
At a public hearing Tuesday, executives from ZOM Living and mall owner Simon Property Group said the project will refresh the 54-year-old property, which includes the 1.6-million-square-foot South Shore Plaza and a vacant former 99 Restaurant.
The apartment building would replace the restaurant outpad and parking at the southern end of the property.
Councilors and supporters argued that Braintree needs an estimated $400,000 to $600,000 in net new tax revenues from the ZOM Living project to shore up its commercial tax base.
The mall’s assessment has dropped by $44 million since 2020, resulting in a $1.4 million decline in its annual tax bill, Morin said. The 112-acre property is currently assessed at $301.8 million.
The former Lord & Taylor anchor space remains vacant. Hudson Bay Co. received approval in 2022 for a lab conversion, but the project hasn’t moved forward.
In a 7-2 vote, councilors agreed to support the new zoning district, praising the developers for responding to objections from neighbors by reducing the height of the building and adding landscaping to shield it from the existing neighborhood.
The project would include a 10-percent income-restricted component.
Neighbors and former Mayor Charles Kokoros opposed ZOM Living’s original proposal for 530 apartments. The Orlando, Florida-based developer reduced the project to 290 units, but withdrew its application after the Planning Board rejected a rezoning plan in August 2023.
