A gathering of Chelsea residents opposed to YIHE Forbes, LLC’s construction proposal took center stage at the Chelsea Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting held on Sep.11, which also addressed various other zoning appeals affecting the community.
The Senior Center, situated across from City Hall, hosted the meeting where attendance grew noticeably as the proceedings moved through multiple appeals. Interest intensified when Forbes’ attorney Paul Feldman took the floor to present the company’s case.
The proposed development would sit across the train tracks from Crescent Avenue on Forbes Street, offering only a single point of entry and exit with constrained buildable area.
“A $25 million investment doesn’t work on this size of space,” Feldman noted, contrasting the current proposal with earlier 2015 plans that had envisioned a substantially larger undertaking featuring high-rises and hundreds of residential units.
Building on concepts from that 2015 proposal, YIHE has returned with a revised plan to reconstruct approximately 18 acres of Forbes Street in Chelsea. The project would deliver 630 residential units spanning roughly 700,000 sq. ft., along with a newly constructed 3-acre public waterfront pathway accessible to residents. The housing mix includes 80 studios, 330 one-bedroom, and 220 two-bedroom apartments.
According to Feldman’s estimates, the development would generate approximately $1.7 million in annual tax revenue for Chelsea.
“There are going to be $3 million in building and department fees estimated,” Feldman continued.
Project opponents voiced concerns about insufficient transparency regarding actual costs and the allocation of tax revenue to community priorities, particularly noting that local schools had received minimal outreach regarding the development.
The revised plan represents a significant reduction from the 2015 proposal, cutting the footprint to less than half its previous size (approximately 1.5 million sq. ft.). Nevertheless, Chelsea residents remain largely opposed to the project.
Following presentations by Feldman, chief project engineer Richard Salvo, and traffic engineer Jeffrey Dirk, resident RoseannBongiovanni offered a sharp response.
“I’m offended by so much of what you’ve said here tonight,” Bongiovanni began, then added “I can’t go [to the new development] because I have two children. Because you are not family friendly.”
Bongiovanni represents one of many concerned residents in Chelsea. Homeowners along Crescent Avenue worry about increased traffic congestion, while others have identified multiple additional concerns.
Residents raised several significant objections including an anticipated 170 additional vehicles on local roads, inadequate emergency evacuation routes, insufficient community engagement, lack of project transparency, studios and apartments priced at 80 percent of the calculated median area income, parking limitations, minimal community benefit, a relatively low seawall height of 11 ft., and overall infrastructure scale.
“Every time the community has raised a concern, it’s fallen on deaf ears,” Bongiovanni stated.
Many in attendance expressed skepticism that the broader community would be able to afford housing in the proposed development, further diminishing support for approval.
Following more than two hours of detailed presentations from both supporters and opponents, the meeting adjourned.
The Forbes project will return for final consideration at the Oct. 9 ZBA meeting.
- CLOSET DRAWS CONTROVERSY
The agenda included nine total projects, resulting in three approvals and five others being continued to either the Sep. 25 Planning Board meeting or the Oct. 9 Zoning Board meeting.
One notable case involved 34 Beacon St., where Carol Brown sought approval to construct an extended closet in the tight space between her home and the adjacent property at 32 Beacon St.
Brown argued she had the right to modify her property and build the extension, while two neighboring homeowners objected, citing flooding and snow accumulation concerns that would be exacerbated by the planned structure.
“We have bent over backwards for these neighbors,” Brown stated.
The three homeowners engaged in back-and-forth accusations throughout the hearing. Though Brown’s neighbors declined to provide formal statements, considerable tension was evident among all parties.
The project received approval subject to specific conditions, particularly regarding water management on Brown’s property.
- TEMPLE ON GARFIELD AVE WITHDRAWS
At the previous ZBA meeting on Aug.14, TapanChowdhury had presented plans for a Buddhist Temple at 165 Garfield Ave., but that appeal has subsequently been withdrawn.
- Approved appeals carried conditions, while remaining appeals were postponed to future meetings pending project revisions.
The ZBA’s next meeting is scheduled for October 9 at 6 p.m. at the Senior Center.