The proposed development at 236-240 Salem St. has been reduced from four stories to three

Editor's note: This story has been modified from its original version. The original version utilized the terms "apartment" and "rental" which was an incorrect representation of the intent of the building. The units in this development will not be rental units.

What was originally proposed as a five-story, 25-unit condominium complex located at 236-240 Salem St. has been re-submitted to the city for a third time. The "final iteration," as it was coined by property owner and principal of HHC One Salem LLC, Milan Patel, has been submitted with only three stories and 16 units; two of which will be listed as affordable.

"I think they’ve done a tremendous job presenting this to the city and the neighborhood," said Patel of his team of architects and engineers. "Hopefully this last, final iteration will be what the city and the neighborhood is looking for. I think they'll be happy with this final design and this last revision."

Originally proposed in August 2016, the development has undergone much discussion from city officials and abutters within the neighborhood – primarily due to its initial requirement of a height variance, since the area’s zoning only allows for three-story buildings.

Following the initial feedback, Patel scaled down the development to 19 units and four stories. These plans were presented at a March 8 public hearing of the Medford Zoning Board of Appeals.

Patel and his team of architects and engineers argued that a costly environmental cleanup, projected to cost $491,000, was a significant financial hardship that warranted a height variance.

However the board, and neighborhood abutters, remained unconvinced.

"I’m just asking the developer to build a home within our rules. That’s all I’m asking," said Eddie Mochado, a direct abutter of the development, at the March 8 meeting. "We don’t want the fourth floor."

"If someone gets a property for a dollar because it’s non-conforming and it was cut out that way, then that can eliminate a hardship," said Scott Carman, chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals. "...if the land was bought at a discount because it needs to be cleaned up, you don’t get to double dip. Or whether or not you get to double dip is a consideration to us."

Following a vote to delay the decision on whether or not to grant the height variance, Patel re-submitted the newest plans to the city for a three-story, 16-unit development on March 27.

Patel said that several features of the building will have to be "scaled back" in order to account for the site cleanup and the loss of revenue from the overall reduction of units. One such example is the project’s green roof.

Additionally, a mechanized, stacked parking structure that caused some safety concerns with residents has been eliminated from the final design plan.

In the past Patel had mentioned the possibility of starting a scholarship fund for Medford High School seniors and contributing $75,000 in capital improvement to the Roberts School – which sits about 250 feet from the proposed development. Neither of these potential ideas will now be able to come to fruition.

There will be 37 parking spaces, 11 of which will be located on the adjacent lot at 4-6 Court Street. There is a minimum of 33 spaces required for the number of units.

Abutters and those who stood opposed to the project as it was originally proposed praised the newest plans, some hailing it as a prime example of good communication and compromise between a neighborhood and a developer.

"In my opinion it was truly a win for the neighborhood," said City Council vice president Michael Marks. "Development that makes sense is a good thing for our community. Development for the sake of development can be harmful for our community."

"This is the political process acting as it is supposed to," wrote Richard Carle on Facebook. "A developer bought [a] brownfield property at a discount and wanted to maximize his investment with a structure that, while aesthetically pleasing, was too big for the space on many levels. The community objected, the board asked for revisions, and ultimately we have this."

The development will go back to the Medford Zoning Board of Appeals for a vote on Thursday, April 27, at 7 p.m. in Room 201 of Medford City Hall.