East Boston Development News: Affordable Housing Approved for Orient Heights but with a side of controversy

Universal Hub is reporting that the Zoning Board of Appeal approved a proposal for a two-building complex with 35 affordable apartments and 22 affordable condos in Orient Heights. Sounds fair enough but the owner of a commercial building behind the proposed project is not too thrilled about it. 

The East Boston Community Development Corp., which is behind the proposal, is offering up one building to house the apartments, with 14 parking spaces, and the other to house the condos, with 22 parking spaces. The buildings would be located at 80 and 82 Shawsheen Rd.  The new buildings will have solar panels and will be located on either side of a new public plaza – which will have space to extend the East Boston Greenway to one day connect to a proposed Winthrop Greenway. 

So now the controversy.  According to Universal Hub, the parcel of land in question was initially used for oil trucks and was sold to the East Boston Community Development Co. back in 2022. It sits between a Blue Line yard, the back of a CVS parking lot, Barnes Avenue, and two commercial buildings on Saratoga Street, with a two-way driveway connecting the site to Saratoga Street.

So the big question is, how will people drive to and from these new buildings? The family that owns 1144 Saratoga Street (Belle Isle Wines + Spirits and Domino’s) is against the proposed use of the driveway next to their building for access to the 14 parking spaces and the rental building.

Why, you ask? Well, the family that owns the building owns the driveway and has had an easement since 1998 allowing access to this land.  The easement was intended for the limited use of the trucks during the weekdays and emergency access at night or on Sundays.  The concern is now residents will be using that driveway and that’s not sitting right with the owners.

But, of course, there’s always another side of the story.  You can read all the back and forth here.