It depends on who you talk to with the responses you get as Frank Schillace of JPlain Developers LLC discovered at the August 3 Article 80 public meeting.

Schillace and his attorney had met earlier on March 17 with the Jamaica Plain Housing Committee (JPHC) for his proposed five-story, 48-unit residential building at 406 South Huntington Ave.

There he heard the usual criticism that the building was too high and the affordability too low; also, predictably, no one spoke in favor.

Neighborhood council and JPHC members often boast that they represent the views of the neighbors, yet none ever attend neighborhood meetings and so were premature in their criticism of 406 South Huntington.

The Article 80 meeting was almost exclusively neighborhood callers (about 25) and most were in favor although they hoped for higher affordability.

Schillace and his architect Monte French filed a Small Project Review Notification on July 13 with one major change: the unit count was reduced from 48 to 44.

Lynds explained on Aug. 3 that the 20,000 square foot lot is in a local convenience subdistrict and required only two zoning variances.

“It’s consistent with the BPDA planning objectives for this area,” Lynds said. “This is a wide street and the city thinks about this larger type of building; five-six stories on a highly visible, highly traveled street is where the height will be in the future.”

Lynds said the residential building will have 44 rental apartments with four artist live-work units on the ground floor. There will be eight affordable units set between 60 percent and 70 percent area median income (AMI).

After Lynds gave a long review of the zoning process, there was a long description of the landscape plans by the architect Cameron Christopher of Monte French Design, who emphasized the wider setback of 12 feet from South Huntington Avenue and the widened and improved sidewalks.

The elevations Christopher showed on the screen-share had far more façade and window detail and color than those shown at the March meeting of only a white box.

The residential floors will be woodframe set on a conventional podium; the ground floor will have the four apartments, lobby, two stairwells, storage and bike racks.

Christopher went into detail on the “tripartite facade structure” with several bays of façade materials and colors; granite floor base, face brick ground floor and upper floors of terra cotta and wood fibre cement clapboard.

A long building on Barbara Street, the facade is broken up with five insets and bays with balconies.

The south corner on South Huntington is dominated by balconies.

Michael Cohen started off the public comments; he said he’s lived in Hyde Square since 2011.

“The [ original] building has been vacant for years,”he said, “the owner did nothing with it.”

Cohen liked the new building but wanted more four bedroom apartments and a six story building,“ the more units the better,” he said.

Abbott Gilbane agreed.

“This is the building I’ve been looking for,” he said. “I live in Cambridge, I work at 31 Heath St. [The Positive Zone School]. I haven’t been able to find anything close to work. This is a good location but it needs additional units.”

John Donnelly said he lived at 11 Barbara St.; he was a But.

“I’m not opposed to housing, I’m opposed to size, it’s big, too big. I work in Andover. I commute. This will put more cars on the street.”

Alex Train is CEO of Victory Programs that has had its new headquarters building opposite Barbara Street since 2022.

“I appreciate the scale,” he said, “I’m concerned about affordability, I want higher levels of affordability.

One of Victory Program’s missions in that of homelessness. Train said he would like to partner on the affordability question.

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Dan Bish from Hyde Square liked the building especially the balconies. He was in support, but wished it had been six stories.

Samantha Nee said she lived in the yellow house at 410 South Huntington.

“Studios and one-bedrooms drive up prices,” she said, “and attract more transients. We want more larger bedrooms.”

Karen Brouhard was also a neighbor and agreed with Nee, “we need more family units, more larger bedrooms,” she said.

Brouhard was in support.

“I support creating housing, more housing in his neighborhood,” she said. “I look forward to seeing this unfold.”

Joe Wade was in support yet Rebecca Marks was a BUT.

“I’m happy that this developer is building housing but five stories is out of character, pretty tall,” she said.

Diane Brock of Barbara Street was another BUT.

“I support new housing but the height of the building is too big,”she said.

Phoebe Cooper liked the design.

“The city needs more housing,” she said, “it will help small business.”

Jeff McGuinn said he lives on Halifax Street and was worried that the building height would set a precedent.

Lynds explained that the zoning board will “look at this with a higher lever of scrutiny.”

“Higher buildings [on major streets] is one of the long term planning objectives of the BPDA,” Lynds added.

Lynds summed up as the hearing concluded.

“The comment period closes on Aug. 17,”he said, “We’ll refine and make adjustments and submit to the BPDA board, at the earliest in September. Probably later.”

“Then it’s to the zoning board later in the fall. We expect to start in 2017,” Lynds said,