Boston ZBA Approves Warren Building Affordable Housing Renovation in Brighton

BOSTON -- March 25, 2025, Boston's Zoning Board of Appeal unanimously approved variances for the historic Warren Building renovation in Brighton and conditionally approved a contested new home on Doncaster Street in Roslindale. Attorney Nick Sizzula of McDermott, Quilty, Miller and Hanley secured approval for Austin Brighton CDC and the Shopket Companies to convert rear commercial space at the 1879 Washington Street building into two affordable, accessible ground-floor units while retaining active storefronts, all 33 existing income-restricted units remain in perpetuity under the Mayor's Office of Housing's acquisition opportunity program. A proposed single-family dwelling at 42 Doncaster Street passed 6-1, with board member Langham voting no, subject to planning department design review aimed at reducing massing or eliminating a two-car garage; neighbors had raised concerns about a Norway spruce tree removal and a floor area ratio of roughly 1.2 against a permitted 0.5. Four companion cases at 155R and 157 Princeton Street were deferred to May 20, 2025, and an entertainment venue application for El Punto Restaurant and Lounge at 879-881 Blue Hill Avenue, a Dominican-owned facility with a combined capacity of 389, was left without a recorded final vote after extended board questioning about parking layout, security contracts, and egress, and a formal deferral request from the Office of Neighborhood Services.