Eight Streets Neighborhood Association Meeting – June 6, 2007

Minutes

Annoucements:

• Summer meetings will be on hiatus. Next meeting Sept 5.
• June 15 – South End Lower Roxbury Land Trust having annual south end garden tour/Fund raiser. Always the 3^rd Saturday in June.
• Berkeley gardens and private gardens in eight streets will be participating
• Tickets for sale
• Looking for volunteers
• Tour of private gardens and terraces in the South End
• Proceeds benefit the landtrust – this is their largest fundraiser of the year
• Athens II opening in July. Hoping to have an open street fair/food on sidewalk to celebrate the opening.
• Volunteers: looking for people to attend D4 police meeting (last Monday and the Neighborhood forum
• Attempted B/E 3 Taylor St. 5:00AM in the morning memorial day weekend.

18 Milford – Requesting letter to ZBA for past projects that need a variance. Peter Chin, co-owner of 18 Milford presented. The building was purchased in the early eighties and had been unoccupied since there had been a fire in the building in the seventies. It was purchased in 1981 and renovated and turned into 4 apts. It has been occupied since 1982. During course of the renovations, the owners had submitted applications for electrical, plumbing, and miscellaneous renovations. For reasons unclear, there wasn’t proper follow through on all of the paperwork. Recently, an inspector came into the neighborhood and with a visual inspection noticed some of the changes to 18 Milford and upon further investigation found that the proper variances had not been filed.

Peter Chin came to ESNA to present the situation and ask for the neighborhood’s support in obtaining the proper variances for 18 Milford. The outstanding issues that require variances include: roof deck with stair enclosure/headhouse, change occupancy from 3 to 4 (4 family with basement/garden apartment), 2 decks on back of building.

Mr Chin presented plans from initial construction in 1981 along with lease documents that show that this building has always had 4 units with the bottom unit being a basement/garden apartment. His plans also show that the decks on the back of the units are actually smaller than currently allowed and that the roof deck is approx 210 sf with a roof enclosure which is not visible from the street. Mr Chin has reached out to abutters on either side of 18 milford and has gathered their support and is currently seeking

Members of ESNA voted to send a letter to the ZBA that states they are not opposed to the variances that Mr Chin and the co owners of 18 Milford are applying for. This would be to include: variance for

1) having a roof deck with stair enclosure/headhouse

2) changing occupancy from 3 to 4 (4 family with basement/garden apartment),

3) Adding 2 decks on back of building.