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Roslindale Square wallpaper store wins approval to add two floors of apartments
By adamg on Mon, 12/03/2018 - 1:37pm
The Zoning Board of Appeals last week approved plans by Wallpaper City on Poplar Street to add two floors with a total of eight apartments.
Wallpaper City owner Russell Flynn's proposal calls for six one-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units. The units on the top floor will each have their own private roof decks. Wallpaper City will stay in its current location.
The proposal includes no off-street parking spaces for residents. Flynn's architect on the project said Roslindale Square is "fairly commuter friendly," with a commuter-rail station, "lots of bus stops" and a Hubway station.
City Councilors Tim McCarthy (Roslindale, Mattapan, Hyde Park) and Michelle Wu, Annissa Essaibi-George and Michael Flaherty approved the proposal, as did the mayor's office, Roslindale Village Main Street and WalkUp Roslindale.
This will be the second single-story building in the square to have residential floors added in recent years - landlord Vinny Marino added two floors of apartments to the Washington Street building where Tony's Market and Redd's in Rozzie used to be. The square has several buildings that had upper floors lopped off as the square settled into senescence before its current revival started in the early 1990s.
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Comments
Perfect
This is exactly what we need in Roslindale and West Roxbury. We don't need to knock down single families on large lots to build duplexes nearly as much as we need to build right where the buses and trains are and there are one story buildings.
They should do this with the PetCo building too while its empty.
Frankly I think we need both.
Frankly I think we need both. There are many, many detached single family and 2 family homes within 1 block of Roslindale center and I see zero reason to keep it that way.
Listen pal
I live in one of those houses and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you bulldoze it like I'm Arthur Dent or something.
I have no issue with conversions, etc... but if we're going to spend time and money having developers go to zoning hearings, I'd rather they focus on density on major transport areas and lines. I.e. infilling the Square is way better than building duplexes off of Metropolitan.
While the 'save the trees' thing can be overplayed (see sad comments about that development of a vacant, garbage strewn lot at across from the Burger King, there's also something to be said for adding housing to existing building footprints.
nobody can force you to sell or change
So currently thats a 2F area, if I am reading this correctly. If it became a 3F zone, then individuals could make there home bigger or divide it into multiple apartments. That wouldn't force you to sell.
this is only ok if the
this is only ok if the building code changes to require 549042839042% more soundproofing. until then I'm saving my pennies to buy a single fam and get away from the guitar playing assholes my absentee upstairs neighbor rented his place out to.
Buy them up and have at it
Buy them up and have at it then....
I would if I had the money
I would if I had the money and also if I were, you know, a developer by trade. All I can do is try to get the laws changed to make it easier for other people to do this...
Wallpaper City Owner Opposition to Pedestrian Safety Improvement
While this is a good thing by providing more needed housing there are some important community relations aspects everyone should be aware of. There will be no parking built with these units. However, the building owners - the Flynns, who run a great business and contribute to the Roslindale community - have been leading an effort to try to get the city to roll back the pedestrian and bicycling safety improvements the city has recently made in the Village. Their complaint was that the changes removed parking spaces from the streets making it harder for their customers to park and shop..It is an astounding bit of hypocrisy because the owners park their own vehicles directly in front of their store all day long in the three 15 minute spots. As a result, their customers park in the Village Market parking lot. Meanwhile, there are always plenty of parking spaces available in the 2 hour Taft Hill city parking lot. Plus, the Flynns could pay for parking their own vehicles in the MBTA parking lot for a few dollars a day. I will continue to shop at WallPaper City but am making it clear to them that they need to work with the community rather than against in the effort to make Roslindale Village a safe and attractive destination for pedestrians.
Ironic
I actually think that small businesses need parking more than residents. The fact that we don't have the same variety and amount of services that existed in the 50's is the one valid reason can say that a family must have a car. Back then street vendors would come around to sell in season fruit and vegetables, sharpen knives, clams and all sorts. That was one of the reason a person could raise their family with out a car. The could get the shopping done without taking 7 kids on the trolley or bus.
Of course many of our small business owners park their own vehicle out front and complain about losing spaces. But it is important to work with small business and safe streets. IT CAN BE DONE. There are small parking lots in Dorchester and JP marked visitor 2 hour and resident parking.
Long Overdue
I'd be happy with at least a third floor there.
Sadly for the Flynns - they may be building into a downturn. Real estate across the country has flattened and even here there seems to be a noticeable slowdown.
honestly, thank god. maybe
honestly, thank god. maybe it'll finally get prices back down to some kind of fundamentals. over half a millions for a basic, tiny, hasn't-been-touched-since-1978 starter home is absurd.
They will save money and time on construction
I renovated my kitchen and had a lot of extra plumbing and electrical work done in early 2008. I had no problems getting the work done at a reasonable price and getting inspections done, too.
If they bid out the work as things slow, they will save money and time on construction. If there is an up turn after, they come out ahead.
Senescence
Nice word of the day!
Go to the wax museum!
I agree, great word.
If you want to see living senescence go to Kelleher's on Centre Street during the day. They don't call it the wax museum for nothing!
Senesence
LOL! I'm a legal secretary and still had to look this word up! GOOD ONE! :-)
And will the units be wallpapered?
I'm genuinely curious about how Wallpaper City stays in business. Do that many people really need to buy wallpaper these days? It seems like a decorating style that went out of fashion decades ago.
Hello 1985
yeah Wallpaper seems to have died out after the 1980s.
I did have some lovely flower print wallpaper in my bedroom growing up that my mom put up.
Now, you couldn't pay me to have wallpaper
Related.. maybe this is why they are moving into rentals? The wallpaper biz isn't cutting it anymore.
wall paper isn't the same as it was 1985
There are lots of options. There are new (old fashioned) wall paper murals. I saw some design show with a hand painted wallpaper mural of cherry tree blossoms (amazing).
I poke fun
I poke fun
but tbh.. I live in a triple deckah thats a condo building. We have beautiful Oak woodwork in our entry way. We were thinking some nice period (or 1920s era) wallpaper would look nice.
And I may have to go to this place to see if they have prints/patterns I like.
Paint and windows
They sell more than just wallpaper.
Can't say I'm a regular customer, but it's always my first stop for paint and paper. Good product, fair prices and very knowledgeable salespeople.
I think they do a fair amount of commercial biz too.
Wallpaper City
I’m a regular customer of Wallpaper City. They are a terrific local business mostly paint (Benjamin Moore dealer) and painting supplies plus window treatments and yes of course wallpaper.
I’ve been working with them since 2004 and would strongly recommend them for your paining projects
Exactly - 50/50 paint/wallpaper
They have a lot of commercial accounts I think for both.
They also sell
Blinds and curtains and the like...
Wallpaper isn't going out of style
It's more niche now.
But I was just in a business bathroom with nice wallpaper and am now thinking about it for my place.
Nice wallpaper, well installed, is timeless and classy.
(Don't get me started on stripping it though. Ugh. When I put it in my place it will be there until I die!)
Thanks!
For all the responses. I didn’t know they sold paint also (I tend to only be in Roslindale Village when they’re closed, apparently.)
Plaster the walls, maybe a
Plaster the walls, maybe a stucco if you are bold enough , hang paintings that can be changed. Swap them around, new look little effort. But if you can , throw in a stained glass window, they never get old as they get old .