A developer who wants to build a 24-unit condominium building on a Granite Avenue site adjacent to Cedar Grove Cemetery offered updates on his plans during a city-organized virtual meeting on Oct. 20 that involved discussion about the traffic situation at Hill Top Street’s intersection with Granite Avenue just north of the bridge over the Neponset.
The project, originally proposed in late 2024 by Denis Keohane, includes a 25-space parking garage on the ground floor at 157 Granite Ave. The building will primarily consist of two-bedroom units ranging from 1,000 to 1,300 square feet, with additional 800-square-foot single bedroom units and a newly proposed singular 1,300 square foot three-bedroom unit, according to project architect Cheryl Tougias.
There are existing commercial buildings and a condominium complex adjacent to the site.
“The design of the building is intended to fill in the missing tooth between the commercial building on the left and the condominium building on the right,” Tougias said.
One condo unit from the original proposal was removed to reduce the rear side of the building because of “perceived intrusiveness” to the Cedar Grove Cemetery brought up in community discussions, said George Morancy, an attorney working for Keohane.
The meeting also addressed changes that would impact the busy Granite Avenue and Hill Top Street intersection. A curb cut and driveway access from Granite Avenue for resident and guest parking would need to be added under the existing plan, as well as alterations to pedestrian and traffic markings and upgrades to the traffic signalization at the Granite Avenue and Hill Top Street intersection according to Ian McKinnon, a transportation consultant advising Keohane.
A northbound left turn signal at the intersection has been proposed to improve northbound access onto the property. Developers also suggested relocating the existing pedestrian crosswalk on Granite Avenue north into the intersection, which McKinnon claimed would improve driver and pedestrian visibility and differentiate the driveway of the existing condo from the new development.
A map shown during the Oct. 20 meeting shows possible traffic signal changes associated with the proposed development at 157 Granite Ave. Image courtesy Boston Planning Dept//BSC Group
“I think every effort is being made to improve and prioritize Granite Avenue and Hilltop Street,” said McKinnon. “We’re very optimistic working with them that we’re going to be able to improve all of Granite Ave better than it operates today.”
Some residents attending the meeting were skeptical about the proposed development and the traffic changes, including Dennis Bird, who lives nearby. He worries about traffic congestion caused by the new residents as well as potential new developments on the Milton side of the Neponset River.
“So many people at the last couple of Cedar Grove (Civic Association) meetings that this was discussed at are not in favor of this project in the least,” Bird said.
Morancy told Bird that the developers’ collaboration with Boston Transportation Dept. could lead to a reassessment of how to address residents’ traffic concerns.
“One result or one consequence of this proposed project is that the city is now very directly examining how everything is working,” Morancy said. “What we do hope is that by virtue of this project’s spurring this analysis by the planning department, that those issues can be effectively resolved.”
The estimated $10.6 million project remains under review and a comment period is open through Oct. 31, according to the project website.
