Point of Pines fire station back on track with $6.4M loan order

  City CFO Richard Viscay was at the City Council meeting this week with a loan order for $6.4 for the Point of Pines fire station.

  “This is the final amount we will need to begin construction of the new Point of Pines fire station,” Viscay told the council. “It includes everything, the entire project as bid out by the project manager.”

  Back in the summer of 2019, a feasibility study was completed, and a $9.2 million bond was issued. A year later the existing fire station was demolished. But along the way the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency stepped in with an appeal and notification that the agency was assuming jurisdiction over project due to flooding concerns. But last summer, after a site visit with local officials, DEP withdrew their appeal and left the conditions of the Revere Conservation Commission in place. Winter Street architects updated the plan to reflect the resiliency of the building regarding any flooding concerns.

  Now, the plan and the $6.4 million loan order will head to a public hearing.

Council approves special permit to raze Shirley Ave. building

  City councillors approved a special permit for Shirley Avenue, LLC to raze the existing non-conforming building at 163 Shirley Ave. and replace it with a new four-story mixed-use non-conforming building.

  Attorney Lawrence Simeone presented an update on the project to the council. Simeone said a lot of time and planning had gone into the project. “I think we’ve got it right. We listened to issued raised by the neighbors.”

  Ward 2 City Councillor Ira Novoselsky, who lives in and represents the neighborhood, helped develop a list of 26 conditions that reflected concerns of abutters and neighbors concerned about privacy and space.

  Simeone explained that the plan had been scaled back from a five-story building to four stories. The ground floor with have two commercial units and the remaining floors will be residential with 14 studio units and 10 one-bedroom apartments. There were conditions about the removal of large trees, the placement of windows and fencing around the new building.

  “It was great to see compromise with this project,” said Novoselsky. “It was great work on both ends to reach common ground. This project continues the transformation of Shirley Ave.”

 Fellow city councillors were pleased to hear that the developer had worked so closely with neighbors and the ward councillor.

  “Thank you for listening to the neighborhood and doing the right thing,” said Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna.

  Other councillors said they would vote in favor of the special permit because it had Novoselsky’s support.

  “Architect David Barsky has designed most of the new buildings on Shirley Ave. It’s completely revitalized the area,” said Novoselsky.