In a 7-0 vote, the North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) approved of the plan to erect a one-story addition to the building at 20 Parmenter St. The building is commonly known as the North End Union and has been “in transition” for many years since Joe Perroncello took control as Trustee of the 20 Parmenter St Trust. The vote took place at NEWNC’s June monthly meeting at the Nazzaro Center.
The council did attach one condition: The developer would sign a statement agreeing not have a restaurant (and/or patio) on the site. Residents present at the meeting asked for the condition given the increasing noise and saturation of restaurants in the area.
At the meeting, the developer presented a shadow study showing a slight impact from the addition which would bring the building to 46 feet in height. The total height would be higher with the roofhouse and equipment, but still under the zoned 55 foot limit. The reason for the request is that all roof height changes automatically trigger a zoning review.
Mr. Perroncello indicated that the six units would be “family-sized” residential rental units and indicated that he would not rent to college students. Should the market improve, some of the units could be corporate rentals. There are 2 roof decks on the site; 1 private and 1 community for the residents as required by open space regulations. Parking would be available to residents on the site in 20 spots. None of the units will be classified as “affordable” units, although the owner did contribute one affordable unit at a different location on Hanover St.
Besides the no-restaurant condition, resident questions/concerns centered around roof deck parties, neighbor notification and the general philosophy of adding height to North End buildings.
Mr. Perroncello intends to keep the Federal-style architecture of the building which is undergoing renovation. A sketch of the renovated building can be seen here (pdf). For more details, please see this previous article.
