West Roxbury's bird neighborhood could get two new streets; somebody named Sam should buy a house on one of them

The Zoning Board of Appeal next week considers a request from a Canton developer for permission to build 29 new single-family homes at the end of the West Roxbury neighborhood where many of the streets are named for birds.

According to CAD Builders' application, their development would include two new roads, one named Starling Street and the other Toucan Road.

The proposed subdivision would be off Willet Street, not far from Thrush, Heron and Grouse streets, at the opposite end of the neighborhood from Bobolink Street. The neighborhood also has streets that honor eagles, plovers, sparrows, curlews and partridges, but still does not have any roads paying homage to ovenbirds, killdeer or bustards, let alone loons, great tits and blue-footed boobies.

In addition to Toucan Road, the subdivision is notable in a city where most development now consists of either enlarging existing buildings or putting up towers - few neighborhoods still have any vacant land left that is large enough for a subdivision of single-family homes.

Two of the houses would be sold as affordable, with deed restrictions requiring them to stay that way for 50 years.

The BPDA board approved the subdivision last summer.

The zoning hearing starts at 10 a.m. on Tuesday in the eighth-floor hearing room in City Hall.

Documents related to the proposal.

Subdivision map, which shows Starling dead-ending at Toucan. A newly paved Willet is on the right: