Developer Makes Second Try At Worcester Apartments On Poet Hill

WORCESTER, MA — A Topsfield developer will make a second attempt to get approval to build an apartment building on top of Worcester's Poet Hill with fewer parking spaces than required by city ordinance.

Boghos Properties, LLC, initially applied in December to build a seven-story, 216-unit building in a neighborhood along Heman Street close to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute campus.

Boghos asked the Zoning Board of Appeals to approve a variance to allow the development to have fewer parking spaces — about 329 — than required by city law. Under the zoning code, multifamily developments have to have two parking spaces per unit.

Developer Ray Boghos told the ZBA at a Feb. 2 meeting that the development is geared toward Millennial and Generation Z renters who prefer not to own cars, and so the project didn't need two spaces per unit. The ZBA denied the Boghos zoning variance in a 3 to 2 vote, however, citing concerns about street parking in the thickly settled area around Fairmount Park.

On March 16, the Planning Board unanimously approved the site plan for development with 210 units and 423 parking spots.

Boghos resubmitted the variance request from the ZBA at the end of March seeking a reduction in parking spaces — but still more than previously requested. The new plan calls for about 381 spaces at the Heman Street site, about 50 more than before.

Parking is a major driver of construction costs for housing developers, and some cities have done away with minimum parking rules to reduce the cost of housing. Boston is considering eliminating parking requirements for buildings that are 60 percent or more affordable. Cambridge is considering eliminating parking minimums completely.

The ZBA is set to hold a public hearing on the request on May 2.