Abandoned industrial building in East Boston could become apartments

A developer has proposed converting an abandoned four-story manufacturing plant at 98-100 Condor St. in East Boston into 35 market-rate apartments.

William Thibeault's proposal, filed this week with the Boston Planning Department, includes no affordable units, because it complies with the lot's "waterfront mixed use" zoning, and city regulations currently only require affordable units in buildings that need a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeal. Revised regulations that require affordable units in all such projects regardless of zoning compliance go into effect on Oct. 1, but this building would be grandfathered in.

The building, which would have apartments ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments, will have parking spaces for 7 cars and indoor storage space for 44 bicycles, according to the filing with the Boston Planning Department.

The building originally went up in the early 1900s as the home of the Boston and Lockport Block Co., which made pumps, hoists and, yes, blocks, for use by other factories.

It sits in a state "designated port area" along the East Boston waterfront, but outside the limits of land near the water that would require approval by state environmental officials. It had been in a city-designated "industrial" zone, which would have required a variance, because housing is not allowed in industrial zones by right, but a recent East Boston-wide zoning change moved it into a "mixed use" zone in which housing is allowed.

Recent years have seen the construction of new residential buildings on the other side of Condor Street.

98-100 Condor St. filings and meeting/comment schedule.