Porter Square Neighbors Association

The information provided here summarizes the applicable zoning and traffic requirements to develop the lot at 1924 Massachusetts Avenue by right. The variances required for the proposed hotel or apartment building are also included.

This information was collected by Lajos Heder, Costanza Eggers, and Susan Hunziker in meetings with Sue Clippinger and Ranjit Singanayagum on August 22 and 23, 2007. Additional information came in a meeting on September 27 that was attended by Susan Hunziker, Nolan Browne, Nancy Cole, Ranjit Singanayagum, Stuart Dash, Les Barber, and Meehn Su Gim.

ABOUT THE LOT
The site is almost 15,000 square feet and falls into two roughly equal sections that are zoned differently. The front half is slightly larger and is zoned as Business C. The back half is zoned as Residence B.

For the purposes of the math that follows, the lot is 14,500 sq ft; the Business C section is 8000 sq ft and the Residence B section is 6500 sq ft. The actual numbers might be larger or smaller, but not by very much.

WHAT CAN BE BUILT BY RIGHT IN BUSINESS C
Hotels and housing are allowed. The floor area ratio (FAR) for a hotel is 1.25; for housing, the FAR is 2. The first 100 feet of the edge along Mass Ave falls into the Mass Ave Overlay district; for all practical purposes, this covers the entire Business C section of the lot. Any structure can be as high as 55 ft.

Commercial uses + parking
A hotel (or other commercial structure) can be 10,000 sq ft (8000 x 1.25).

Required parking for a hotel is one space for every two rooms; if the hotel includes a restaurant, the required parking is half of what would be required for a restaurant. Restaurants must provide one space for every 10 seats; so the requirement on this site is 1 space for every 20 seats.

Required parking for other commercial uses depends on the use.

If the parking is to be provided on or under the Residence B section of the lot, a variance is required (commercial parking on residential lot.)

Housing + parking
There are two options. One is condos or apartments; the other is a lodging house. A lodging house is essentially a dorm or single-room occupancy housing that is not intended for short-term transient use; specifically, these rooms are not rented by the day as hotel rooms are.

A block of condos or apartments can be 16,000 sq ft (8000 x 2); when you add the affordable housing bonus of 30%, the condo block can 20,800 sq ft (8000 x 2 x 1.3)

The maximum number of housing units allowed, including affordable units, is 20. To get this number, divide the section of the lot by 500 sq. ft required per residential unit in Business C (8000/500= 16). If the developer adds two units of affordable housing, two more units of market rate housing can be added.

Required parking for housing is one space per unit. If the parking is to be provided on this lot, the spaces themselves and access to them cannot be on or under the Residence B section without a variance (multifamily parking on a one- or two-family lot).

A lodging house can be 10,000 sq ft. Although it is a form of housing, the affordable housing bonus does not apply, but the commercial FAR does. The minimum size of a room is 70 sq ft. Bathrooms and cooking facilities are shared. One bathroom is required for every 8 occupants (not rooms). A kitchen is required for more than 5 occupants, and a maximum of 20 occupants can share the same kitchen.

Required parking is one space is required for every four rooms, plus one space for a live-in manager.

Commercial + housing + parking
A building that includes commercial space and housing has less commercial space because a different formula is used. The amount of space devoted to the commercial use is subtracted from the lot area and divided by the FAR. To get the housing, multiply the remaining space on the lot by 2. Divide the total lot area by 500 to get the number of allowed units.

Here’s an example. If 2000 sq ft of the lot were taken for the commercial use, the area available for it would be 1600 sq ft (2000/1.25). The residential use can occupy 12,000 sq ft (6000 x 2). The number of dwelling units, however, is still 16. The affordable housing bonus raises the sq ft to 15,600 (12,000 x 1.3) and the number of units to 20.

Required parking is one space per housing unit and whatever the commercial use requires.

WHAT CAN BE BUILT BY RIGHT IN RESIDENCE B
Detached one- or two-family residential structures are allowed. The maximum height is 35 ft. There is a requirement, separate from the FAR, of 2500 sq. ft. of lot area per residential unit.

The FAR is .5 for the first 5000 sq. ft and 0.35 for the remainder. The maximum size of such a structure is 3025 sq ft (2500 + 535); the maximum number of units it can contain is 2; with the affordable housing bonus, which is permitted only by special permit, this figure is 4, with one of those units affordable.

Required parking is one space per dwelling unit.

WHAT CAN BE MOVED WITHIN THE LOT
The residential footage allowed by right on the Residence B section can be moved to the Business C section, but the use must be the same. It cannot be applied to a commercial or multi-family development. The affordable housing units can be moved in either direction, subject to design standards contained in the Inclusionary Housing section of the zoning ordinance.

TRAFFIC CIRCULATION, CURB CUT, AND LOADING REQUIREMENTS
An easement that allows the Masonic Temple access to a small alley at the back of the building requires that this access be at grade (street level). Thus, the descent to the garage cannot begin until after that point. To allow safe access to an underground garage, it will probably be necessary for the ramp to curve around on the Residence B section of the lot.

To obtain a curb cut, the property owner must go through a curb cut permit process, which starts with an application submitted to Inspectional Services and requires approval by the Traffic & Parking, Historical Commission, Department of Public Works, and a vote by the city council. The details of this process are available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/ed/pubs/sbys/sbs_curbcut_1998.pdf

Loading requirements for a hotel is one loading bay. This area must be enclosed if it is within 50 feet of a residential district and is used for “regular night operation, such as that of a bakery, restaurant, hotel, bottling plant or similar uses.”

MASS AVE OVERLAY REQUIREMENTS
• The principal entrance must be on the avenue.
• If the structure contains commercial or retail space on the ground floor, the entrance must be on the avenue.
• No exclusively vehicular uses (parking lots) adjacent to the avenue; must be behind or under the structure.
• Maximum of 30 ft for vehicle access for every 100 feet of lot frontage.
• A minimum of 25% of the façade along the avenue must consist of glass; for a retail and office use, 50% of the ground floor façade must be glass.

TRANSITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
When a commercial zone abuts a residential zone, the front yard setback required for the residential zone extends 50 feet into the commercial zone. For this lot, the setback requirement is 15 feet in the Residence B district and would affect roughly half of the Business C section of along Porter Road. This space cannot be used for operations, storage, or parking, but a curb cut could pass through it.

VARIANCES, PERMITS, AND NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
• A structure on either section of the lot that is larger or higher than what is allowed by right requires a variance.

• Parking on or under the Residence B section that serves any of the uses allowed on the Business C section requires a variance.

• An advisory public meeting (Development Consultation) is required for any development of 2,000 sq ft or more.

• Construction in the transitional area requires a variance.

• If the building itself provides shelter for parking in the back or an outdoor restaurant seating along Mass Avenue, for example, if cantilevered over these open areas, the square footage of the sheltered sections is considered part of the building and would be subtracted from the amount available for the rest of the building. Exempting these areas from the FAR calculation requires a variance.