Restaurant Openings: Tonino, Mike & Patty’s, Happy Lemon, and More

A high-end Italian restaurant, a breakfast sandwich shop, and a boba tea spot -- Jamaica Plain has several new restaurants offering very different fare. Claire Makley and Luke Fetbroth opened Tonino on Oct. 20 in the former Little Dipper space (669A Centre St.) in partnership with local restauranteur David Doyle and his wife, Mari Pérez-Alers. Tonino is an Italian restaurant inspired by the trattorias, enotecas and aperitivo bars of the smaller neighborhoods surrounding Rome’s city center. The menu includes tomato pie, which has a direct influence from Fetboth's childhood trips to Philadelphia.

2,402 Views

Bubble Tea Biz, Happy Lemon, Looking to Open on Washington Street

International bubble tea business Happy Lemon is looking to bring its flavor to Jamaica Plain. Happy Lemon representatives will speak in a virtual meeting on Wednesday to give details of their plan, and to gain support from the neighborhood.  

Happy Lemon was founded in 2006, and created a rock salt cheese tea, and first opened in the U.S. in 2014. There are more than 1,000 Happy Lemon stores in the world. This would be Happy Lemon's second store in Boston, with its first opening in The Corner Mall in Downtown Crossing several years ago.

5,300 Views
Rendering of proposed development at 3478 Washington St.

No Bites Yet for Small Grocery in Doyle’s Block Redevelopment

When neighbors discuss what businesses they want, grocery stores are a perennial favorite. And that's the plan for the re-development of the Doyle's block: A small grocery store, in addition to a new restaurant and condos. So far, however, no grocer has agreed to move in to what would be a 4,178 square-foot space at the corner of Washington and Gartland. That doesn't trouble Lee Goodman, the JP native who's heading up the renovations. Goodman told Jamaica Plain News he'd sent the plans to six or eight grocers.

3,812 Views

3390 Washington St. Impact Advisory Group Meeting on Feb. 1

The impact advisory group (IAG) for a proposed 160-residential unit development with a first floor restaurant will meet on Feb. 1. The owner of BMS Paper, a store on the site, would redevelop the site to add the mixed-use building. The proposal includes off street parking for 195 vehicles. The eatery would be a "moderately priced neighborhood style restaurant," and the total project would be in 199,000 sq.

1,625 Views

Rescheduled Public Meeting Dec. 8: 38 Units for Low/Extremely Low-Income Seniors Proposed for Washington Street

Editor's note: This meeting was originally rescheduled for Dec. 1, and has been moved to Dec. 8.  If you have already registered you will receive an email with this updated information and the new registration link. If you have not yet registered and wish to do so, please use the updated link found here. 

There will be a public meeting on Dec.

2,293 Views

160 Residential Units, Restaurant Proposed for 3390 Washington Street

A property owner is proposing to put in 160 residential units and a restaurant on a two-acre site at 3390 Washington St. In a letter of intent (LOI) sent to the Boston Development & Planning Agency, Chris Tracy, Senior Director of O'Neill and Associates, wrote that longtime owner and operator Robert Harrington of BMS Paper, wants to continue that business and expand upon the building. The LOI says that approximately 160 residential market rate and affordable units would be built. It is required by city law to build a certain amount of affordable units with any large project. The eatery would be a "moderately priced neighborhood style restaurant," and the total project would be in 199,000 sq. ft.

2,574 Views

Third Cliff Bakery to Open First Store on Washington Street in New Building

A local bakery has signed a lease for an under construction Washington Street mixed-use building to open its first brick and mortar business. Third Cliff Bakery's owner Meg Crowley announced the news via a Facebook post saying they will be opening in the Vita condos building at 3525 Washington St. this fall. Crowley also announced she is looking to raise $75,000 via Mainvest, and $21,000 had been raised as of April 3. Third Cliff Bakery is a local independent business that has operated as a mobile cafe as the Third Cliff Trike for three years, having participated at the Egleston Square Farmers Market, CommonWealth Kitchen and more.

7,076 Views
Rendering of ground floor for 3353 Washington St.

JP Neighborhood Council’s Letter Opposing Variances for 211 Green St.

City Hall went against the recommendation of the JP Neighborhood Council, an elected advisory group, to approve variances for a controversial development at the corner of Washington and Green. Here is the text of the May 4 letter from the JPNC to the ZBA:
Christine Araujo, Chair

Board of Appeal 1010 Massachusetts Ave.,

4th Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02118

Re: 211 Green Street, Ward 11, BOA675434

Dear Ms. Araujo:

At the April 2017 meeting of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council, held Tuesday, April 25, the Council members voted 9-3-0 to request the Board of Appeal to DENY ALL EIGHT VARIANCES SOUGHT FOR THIS PROJECT because:

1. The appeal for this project does not satisfy the requirements of Article 7, §7.3 of the Boston Zoning Code for the granting of variances;

2. This project was approved by the BPDA before the final draft of Plan JP/Rox was prepared by the agency and approved by the BPDA board.. The developer seeks variances for a site where under current zoning, residential housing is forbidden and the height is excessive; while at the same time requesting the increased height granted in the final draft of Plan JP /Rox without achieving the affordability required by it.

2,958 Views
Rendering of 3353 Washington St.

Six-Story, 45-Unit Building Divides Residents, Neighborhood Board

 

[Editor's note: Since the original posting, we've added context around a quote from the chairman of the JPNC Zoning Committee.]

A plan by the neighborhood's best-known landlord for a six-story development at Washington and Green failed to win approval — or suffer disapproval - from a narrowly divided neighborhood advisory group. Last month marked two years since Mordechai Levin started talks with the city to raze four existing buildings and erect a residential development with retail at 3353 Washington St. Current plans call for a 68-foot tall building with five stories plus rooftop mezzanines. In zoning terms, it's a six-story building. However, Architect Deb Katz and her team have set back the rooftop elevations to reduce the "perception of massing."

4,179 Views

BPDA Approves 45-Unit Building at 3353 Washington St.

The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) approved a 45-unit development proposed for the corner of Green and Washington streets at its December meeting. The proposed development was met with robust dissent from many neighbors when it was introduced to the community earlier this year. According to the BPDA press release announcing its approval of the $18 million project, 3353 Washington St. will be an approximately 45,286-square-foot residential building with about 2,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The five-story building will include approximately 45 rental units.

3,180 Views