Just last month, we brought you the story of a 22 unit project on an oddly shaped lot that was seeking support from the Brewerytown Sharswood Community Civic Association ahead of a ZBA hearing. A reminder, the plans here called for a duplex on 28th Street and a four-story, 20 unit building on Marston Street. While the folks who attended the community meeting seemed unworried about the duplex, some were unhappy with the height of the apartment building. It seems the developers were unwilling to proceed without the support of the local RCO, and this week they returned to the community with some revised plans.

The latest and not exactly greatest plan for 1542-46 N Marston St. chops off the top floor of the apartment building, reducing the number of units from 20 to 14. As we can see from the updated renderings and plans from KJO Architecture the exterior of the building has remained the same, with a red brick facade, recessed balconies, and no bays projecting out above the sidewalk.

The changes won’t impact the seven parking spots included in the project. Incidentally, the there’s no parking required here by the code, but we don’t think that a plan sans parking would’ve had a shot with the community. We had hoped that the inclusion of parking would have paved the way for support for 22 units here, but it wasn’t meant to be, it seems.

The new plans also get rid of the shared rooftop deck, unfortunately. With a relative dearth of parks nearby it’s a shame tenants will lose access to an outdoor space to hang out, especially as it’s unlikely they would’ve been visible for neighbors or folks strolling by. Still, if the community was unenthused, we can understand why the developers opted to eliminate it.

With the RCO zoning committee voting unanimously in support of the revised project, we’d expect that the ZBA will give their approval when they hear the case in late August. Some might argue that the RCO process has resulted in a superior project here, but the six households who won’t be able to live in this nice new building in this amenity rich neighborhood would beg to differ. So would we.

The development team returning to the RCO only a few weeks after their initial meeting is a good sign they’re serious about proceeding with the project, even with the diminished unit count. That’s great news, as one bedroom units projected at $1,000/mo and two bedroom units in a range of $1,200 to $1,400 will put these units in the price range of many folks looking for housing in this evolving neighborhood. Here’s to hoping we see the project get approved at the ZBA this summer and break ground sometime before the end of the year.