625 Putnam Development Update

UPDATE: I've added the public meeting notice filed by the city at the bottom of the post. Note the waivers for parking and yard requirements asked for by the applicant.

Last week, the Homeowner's Rehab (HRI) and ICON Architecture team held a public meeting to update the progress on the proposed housing development at 625 Putnam (discussed in detail in this post). I wasn't able to attend the meeting, but Jane Jones, a Senior Project Manager at HRI, passed along the following notes:

• A more specific building program has been developed: 40 total units, made up of 10 one-bedroom units, 20 two-bedroom units and 10 three-bedroom units. Three of the units will be handicapped-accessible.
• Structured underground parking will provide 28 off-street parking spaces [ed: 0.7 parking spaces per unit is about what the city recommends for affordable projects such as this with good transit access. Ms. Jones said that about 60% of residents have their own cars in a typical HRI development.]
• The city believes that six new on-street parking spaces could be created on the block to alleviate neighbors' concerns about parking.

HRI will present the updated plans in a public meeting with the City Planning Board on August 18th as the next step in the process.

If others were at the meeting, please share additional info/observations in the comments...

The Public Meeting notice for the 8/18 meeting:

The Planning Board of the City of Cambridge will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Second Floor Meeting Room at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts on a Special Permit application (PB#240) by Homeowners Rehab, Inc., for a 40 unit residential development at 625 Putnam Avenue. The proposal is to construct 27,970 square feet of residential use and 28 parking spaces. The application is for a Multifamily Development (Sections 4.26 and 10.47) with a request to waive the side yard requirements as allowed under Section 5.24.4(3) and waive the parking requirement as allowed under Section 6.35.1(6) and 10.45.

The applicant also requests a waiver of the Special Permit Application fee. Copies of this petition are on file in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, Cambridge, Massachusetts and at the Community Development Department, 344 Broadway. Questions concerning the petition may be addressed to Liza Paden at 617 349 4647 or lpaden@cambridgema.gov.