Residential complex approved for West Broadway; South Boston to lose another gas station

The Board of Appeals today approved a developer's plans to replace the Gulf station at West Broadway and A Street with 7-story, 65-unit residential building.

Developer Michael Moore's plans call for 88 parking spaces in a garage that would stack cars four high and ground-floor space for a restaurant. The building would also have a "green" roof with shrubs and other plantings.

One of the owners of two buildings on Silver Street said he was "really taken aback" by the size and density of the building.

But it was a proposal for a three-unit building with three parking spaces at 793 East 6 St. that really exposed the depth of feeling among opponents of South Boston's current development explosion.

Brian Manning, who lives at 791 East 6 St., and whose family goes back three generations in South Boston, strongly opposed the proposal to replace the existing one-story building there:

"We're basically just sick to death of this overdevelopment in South Boston," he said. He said the new building would mean even more competition for on-street parking, in a neighborhood famous for its lack of parking. "Nobody who buys a million dollar condo just one car. ... Million-dollar condos do not help the neighborhood, they destroy them."

And then he issued a warning to board members and other people in the board hearing room who might not live in South Boston - that they will face the same issues. "It's coming," he said.

The board then approved the project.

87-93 West Broadway presentation (6.5M PDF).