The Boston Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) voted to approve the proposed 78-unit building at 1200 Centre St. on the West Roxbury, Roslindale and Jamaica Plain lines recently.

The proposal is for an all-affordable building, with 16 units limited to 30 percent area median income (AMI) and below, and 62 more will be at or below 50 percent AMI. The proposal needed zoning relief for dimensional violations – excessive height, excessive floor area ration, insufficient front yard, insufficient side yard and insufficient rear yard – as well as it needed a conditional use permit as multi-family residential is not an immediate as-of-right allowed use.

The new six-story building is looking for several environmental and energy efficiency certifications from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Phius, as well as providing bike storage and an area for a potential bikeshare docking station. (Phius is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to decarbonizing the built environment by making high-performance passive building the mainstream market standard.)

Attorney Karla Chaffee, representing law firm Nixon Peabody LLC, which serves as advisor for site acquisition and construction of the complex, said there will be 17 parking spaces under the building, which Hebrew SeniorLife had stated previously would be used for guest parking, as most if not all of its residents here will not have cars.

Chaffee went into the details of the project and pointed to the geography of the site itself and showed that any building that could comply with the setbacks required by the zoning – 100 feet front yard for example – would result in a building so small as to be infeasible.

“It would be infeasible to complete this project if these outdated standards of the code were applied to the project,” she said.

ZBA Board Member Gio Valencia said he liked the project but was concerned about the potential impact on traffic in the area.

“That intersection of Centre and Walter is a very dangerous intersection, especially during the peak hour; cars struggle to cross the street on Centre. So do you have any plans for the safety of your residents as they cross the street?” he asked.

The state is currently working on that exact intersection and will have new crosswalks and a lighted signal when work is done (expected next year). Chaffee said they will have their residents take full advantage of the new safety features.

“It’s really a wonderful coincidence that the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) is putting so much investment forward into this intersection,” she said. “The streetscape improvements will include a signalized crosswalk over to the Arnold Arboretum, and we’re also increasing the sidewalk and crosswalk visibility, so if there were visitors to the residential building from the Rehabilitation Center Campus, that would be a safe and clearlymarked path.”

Representative for the Office of Neighborhood Services (ONS) Jeremy Bembury said the project went through the normal public process and received a vote of ‘non opposition’ from the nearby Longfellow Area Neighborhood Association (which is the most positive vote the organization can give). He said ONS received one letter of support from District 5 City Councilor Enrique Pepén’s office.

Mayor’s Office of Housing Development Officer Nora Lutaz said Hebrew SeniorLife applied for funding from the office for the project and noted that the company “refined” its proposal after numerous community meetings and other methods of gathering feedback.

During the community process, several residents said they were concerned about the height of the building affecting the character of the neighborhood, as it would be a kind of gateway into Roslindale, West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain – https://tinyurl.com/ms277xzv

Chaffee said there were studies produced to make sure there was “no detriment to the community” from the height of the building, as it complied with similar buildings in this area of Centre Street.

Lutz said because of the refinements and the scope of the project towards affordability, the Mayor’s Office of Housing is in support of the project.

The Board voted unanimously to approve it.