We noticed a seemingly exciting zoning application for 314-18 Brown St., seeking a permit for nineteen apartments in an existing two-story structure. Thinking that yet another new development was in the works for this immediate area, which has seen plenty of action in recent months, we hiked over there to see what’s what. Turns out things were less exciting than we had hoped. But still kind of interesting.

The building

Formerly a cigar factory, this building was redeveloped in the last few years and dubbed the Metro Lofts. It has fifteen residential units, with a mix of owner-occupied apartments along with rentals. Each unit comes with a parking space.

According to the minutes from a couple of NLNA zoning meetings from the end of last year, this zoning application has nothing to do with the current apartments, but instead involves the 3200 sqft basement space, currently used as (slightly damp) storage spaces. The current developer, 314 Brown S4 LLC, purchased the basement unit after the original developer absconded and the bank foreclosed. Apparently, the original plan for the condo building was to create four units in the basement, and the new developer intends to finish the job. In December, NLNA gave their support to add new windows and create four new residential units.

So sure, this isn’t as groundbreaking as a brand new nineteen-unit building. But it’s definitely satisfying to see the original plan for this building finally coming to fruition over five years after it was originally redeveloped.