South Shore Plaza apartment project receives full Braintree approval

BRAINTREE, MA – The controversial South Shore Plaza housing project in Braintree is gaining momentum after a big win.

Zom Living, which submitted an updated proposal for a residential development at the mall this year, received planning board approval at its Oct. 8 meeting.

With Mayor Erin Joyce now in office and the city facing a severe budget deficit, the project has grown in popularity. Case and point: The planning committee rejected the original project 3:2. This time? Unanimous approval.

The new proposal includes a smaller housing development with plans for a four-story building with 325 apartments, including 33 affordable housing units. A separate 16,000 square foot site will contain planned commercial space as part of the plan.

This new proposal also calls for a larger buffer between the surrounding Braintree neighborhoods and the new development, which would move slightly away from the original site and take up 10 acres between Lakeside Drive and South Shore Plaza.

The Residences at South Shore, as the project is called, would include apartments ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments. An internal parking garage would include 475 spaces for both residents and retail customers.

The new proposal also includes a residents-only swimming pool and an open space with a walking and cycling path that can be used by the public.

Simon Properties, owner of the shopping center, is also involved in the development of the commercial project.

Zom officials say the development could bring significant funding to Braintree, a potentially important factor for a municipality that just passed its first positive tax override vote by a wide margin to address the city's budget deficit.

“The development will generate over $550,000 in annual net property tax revenue for Braintree and is expected to generate approximately $2.4 million in initial building permits and other utility connection fees,” officials said on the project’s newly updated website.

The planning board said in its recommendation that the vote represented a change in policy on land use in the city and said existing infrastructure needed to be used more effectively.

“The days of empty parking lots, excess asphalt, open spaces with no public use or recreational benefits must end,” the statement said.

Although the vote is crucial to the project, it does not mean that the runway is already cleared for takeoff.

The Planning Board still needs to issue a special permit, which seems likely given the recent vote, and the City Council also needs to approve the site's master plan.