Recently, the Boston Planning and Development Agency Board (BPDA) – which still governs approvals, despite the BPDA now technically being the Boston Planning Department – voted unanimously to approve the proposed project at 170-172 Western Avenue.

The site – a part of Barry’s Corner – has been the home of Flint’s Dry Cleaners since the 1960s, and at the Boston Planning Deaprtment Article 80 Public Meeting in the spring, community support was high for the plan – https://gvimes.link/flntsprj

The dry cleaner is staying on the site; however, the building will be razed and a new, 20-unit, eight-story building will take its place with space for the family dry cleaner and a new nail salon. The proposed project will have three affordable units as dictated by the city’s Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) at 60 percent area median income. It will have a total of 28 bicycle spaces and no vehicle parking per the Western Avenue Corridor Study’s “vision for transit-oriented development and reduced auto-dependency.”

The project will need a vote from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), and the developers expect to need relief for floor area ratio, height, and off-street parking. With the city’s recent overtures towards less parking – the Boston City Council is mulling no parking requirements at all in future projects – the community support behind the project, and the fact that the ZBA has a history of approving projects with many more zoning variance requests, it seems likely to go through that process unscathed.

The project will also include the creation of an estimated 120 construction jobs, seven permanent jobs in the new retail nails space, improvements to the site (renovated sidewalks, landscaping, bike storage) and $5,500 donated to the Boston Transportation Department for future improvements.

Boston Planning Urban Designer Andrew Zimmerman spoke to the building’s new design, which he said was set back further than the current structure per Boston’s Complete Streets planning guide, which emphasizes the pedestrian street experience. Basically, the frontage allows for more space for pedestrians in the area, which is already a big space for foot traffic (Harvard Ed Portal, Trader Joe’s, Smith Playground, Jamaica Mi Hungry, and more).

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“Streetscape enhancements including removing an obsolete curb cut on Travis Street and planting four new trees – one on Western Avenue and three on Travis – to enhance the pedestrian experience,” he said. “New curb ramps and a new crosswalk will be installed on Travis Street to accommodate improved bicycle infrastructure along Western Avenue.”

Readers may remember some residents asked that the Flint’s sign remain at the new building. Zimmerman said this was considered, but nothing was set in stone.

“The proponent is exploring re-incorporating elements of the beloved Flint Cleaners’ existing sign into the project as a way to honor the site’s history and character,” he said.

The BPDA voted unanimously to approve the project with few questions and no concerns.