Thomas Breen photo
104 Howe St. today (above) and in preliminary plans (below).
Cambridge Realty Partners
A local developer has submitted plans to build a seven-story, 97-unit apartment complex atop a Howe Street surface parking lot — while intending, he said, to end up building more like 60 apartments.
On March 15, Cambridge Realty Partners submitted the preliminary plans to the City Plan department for a proposed new apartment complex at 104 Howe St.
Nick Falker, a partner at the international development and property management company based out of 817 Grand Ave., told the Independent that these plans are still in the very early stages of development. The ultimate project will wind up looking quite different than what was included in this initial submission, he said.
It is one of two planned projects that aim to bring a total of around 100 new apartments to the busy block.
“The proposed plan is significantly larger than what we are going to do,” Falker told the Independent by email on Wednesday afternoon. “Our goal is to optimize the site, without over or underutilizing the space. Based on our very early stage design, we feel that a 60-unit building, at or below the height of the neighboring buildings, will best achieve that. Ultimately, the final size and density will be determined and agreed to by us and the City. We are looking forward to continuing that conversation.”
Cambridge Realty Partners
Cambridge Realty Partners’ Nick Falker.
According to the preliminary plans, the proposed 40,646 square-foot development would stand seven floors tall with a roof deck on top.
The plan identifies a total of 97 residential units, including 23 two-bedrooms, 12 one-bedrooms, and 62 studios.
“Our intent is to offer reasonable rents,” Falker said, “in-line with market.”
The plan also identifies 4,650 square feet of amenity space and 40 parking spaces, 32 on site at 104 Howe and eight next door at 100 Howe.
The plan will require zoning relief.
Cambridge purchased the surface parking lot, as well as the the adjacent six-story, 84-unit apartment complex at 100 Howe St. and a handful of smaller residential buildings on Edgewood Avenue and Howe Street, on Feb. 13 for a combined sum of $15.3 million.
“We love the location,” Falker said. “We are very excited to develop a new building that will complement the neighborhood.”
City Deputy Economic Development Administrator Steve Fontana told the Independent that, even in the project’s stages, the city supports the developer’s plans to convert the existing lot into a more productive use for the neighborhood.
“We’ve had a few conversations with the new owners of the property regarding the kind of project that they’d like to pursue on the site,” he said, “and we’re pleased that they’re interested in designing an efficient and attractive building that makes the best use of it. We support the idea of creating a residential or mixed-use building there that fits in aesthetically with the other structures on the block.”