The 60-unit building proposed for 320 Revere Beach Parkway would be made up entirely of studio apartments averaging 475 square feet, on a lot about 60 percent of the minimum size, with 12 to 16 parking spaces where Chelsea’s zoning requires 90. The details are in the application and plans filed with the Zoning Board of Appeals, which takes up the case tonight, Tuesday, October 13, at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.
The building
According to the plans, prepared by B/WIDE Architecture for Anthony Quiles and Peter Piantidosi, the five-story building would have a garage on the ground floor and four floors of studios above it, 15 per floor. Four units would be accessible. The plans count 6,773 square feet of open space, including a 2,214-square-foot roof deck and 416 square feet of balconies. An aerial photo on the cover sheet places the lot on the Parkway at Garfield Avenue.
The petitioner is 320 Revere Beach Realty, LLC, of Somerville. The filings in the packet do not say how many of the 60 units would be affordable.
Where it misses the zoning
Michael McAteer, the city’s director of Inspectional Services, denied a building permit on July 28. His letter lists eight ways the building fails the rules for the Retail Business 2 district:
- Lot size: 12,485 square feet. The minimum is 21,000.
- Parking: 16 spaces proposed, against 90 required. McAteer noted that a parallel parking space does not conform to the rules for enclosed parking. The cover sheet of the plans shows 12 garage spaces.
- Density: 210 units per acre. The district allows 12, or 45 by special permit.
- Height: 51 feet. The limit is 36 feet, or 60 by special permit.
- Stories: five. The limit is three, or five by special permit.
- Rear setback: zero feet. The minimum is 20.
- Side setback: 7 feet. The minimum is 10.
- Usable open space: 2,875 square feet by the city’s count. The minimum is 6,000.
The developer’s case
In its petition, filed August 4, the developer argues that the lot’s size, shape and surroundings, “typical of dense commercial corridors along Revere Beach Parkway,” make the zoning impossible to meet. “Literal enforcement would prevent any reasonable redevelopment of the parcel for multifamily residential use,” the petition says. It adds that “no negative impacts to public safety, neighborhood character, or infrastructure are anticipated, particularly given proximity to major transit corridors,” and that the project fits the city’s goals for housing production and transit-oriented development.
Parts of the petition do not match the rest of the filing. Its written summary describes a 67-unit building of six stories and 61 feet, and cites a denial letter dated December 1, 2025. The hearing notice, the July 28 denial and the plans all describe 60 units, five stories and 51 feet.
What comes next
The Planning Board takes up site plan review for the same building on October 27. In other cases this year the zoning board has opened the hearing, sent the project to the Planning Board for a recommendation, and voted after it came back. In August the board approved two projects that way, at 37 Central Avenue and 1 Lafayette Avenue.
It is one of nine items on tonight’s agenda. Our preview of the full agenda.
Rendering: B/WIDE Architecture, from the application filed with the Zoning Board of Appeals.