Concern over density continues to haunt even small-scale neighborhood developments in Dorchester as abutters grapple with the impacts of extra-large projects in residential areas.

At the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association’s monthly planning board meeting on Tuesday evening, attendees heard pitches on several small projects involving increases in density from one- to three-family houses or the addition of a single family house. These items drew notes of concern from civic group member Don Walsh, who said he worried about “cramming.”

Those worries were amplified when discussion turned to the condominium building proposed for the site of the Scally & Trayers Funeral Home.

Developer Giuseppe Arcari and his team came to the meeting once again with their third proposal for the property. The 14,688-square-foot parcel at 54 Pleasant St. sits at a crucial junction of Pleasant and Pearl streets, near the intersection with Stoughton Street.

Although the unit count remains 17, down from 21 in the initial plan, the design was altered to leave more space between the proposed building and abutters. About 20 feet now separates the structures, and the closest portion of the apartment building to abutters has been reduced to one story, while the rest remain at three floors. The immediate abutter said the change was “an improvement.”

Underground parking of 20 spaces is still part of the design, but seemingly intractable concerns remain over density. An abutters’ meeting that attracted about 30 attendees concluded with near-unanimous agreement that 17 units was simply too many for the space. While some pushed for the zoning-allowable six units, the group as a whole agreed that nine would be reasonable.

A smaller development would have aesthetic and financial drawbacks, architect Stephen Sousa told the group on Tuesday. The underground parking would have to be moved to ground-level, reducing the amount of green space, and the French Second Empire detail that neighbors agree makes for an attractive building might be a casualty.

Additionally, Arcari is planning on condominiums for the units at the prominent corner lot. Calculations done through the city’s affordable housing guidelines require a developer to commit to a sale model – condos or rentals – for a property. If the owner later wants to change that model, he or she must engage in a second community process for approval.

“At 17 I can do condominiums,” Arcari said. “Anything below that and I’m going to commit to [rental] apartments.” He questioned how a comparable number of transient renters would be a bigger boon for the neighborhood than homeowners.

In response to traffic concerns expressed at the prior meeting, Arcari and his team paid for an independent traffic study to assess the impact on the overall vehicle flow at the often-crammed intersection. The study concluded that the impacts were “negligible,” though neighbors reacted skeptically to that conclusion, citing gridlocked traffic along Pleasant Street when used as a cut-through to avoid the “parking lot” that is Dorchester Avenue during rush hour.

City Councillor Frank Baker said he would support the neighbors, but did offer a word of caution: “I worry we’re negotiating ourselves out of a better building, a product that’ll be here in 20 years,” he said.

Going forward, the development team plans to begin the planning and development process. Abutters asked that the proponents present directly to abutters, which is standard procedure during the planning exercise. “We will be back,” Sousa said. “This is a long process.”

Also addressed at the meeting was a proposed rehabilitation of “Cafe 1221” at 1221 Dorchester Avenue to become a limited-menu Vietnamese restaurant named “Bella’s Kitchen.” The plan was met with some apprehension from attendees.

Ken Le plans to enter into a lease to take over the troubled site, brighten the front face with windows, and expand the interior. He anticipates a 140-seat capacity and is in the process of pursuing a transfer of the existing beer and wine license. The property currently has a karaoke license, largely unused, which Le’s lawyer, Khuong Nguyen, said will be a feature of the site.

Meeting members raised questions of parking, to which the lawyer responded by saying that the cafe has an arrangement to use a number of King Do parking spaces, though it is non-binding, asked about restaurant management experience, and inquired if it will effectively operate as a bar.

Nguyen said they are aiming for a “family atmosphere,” and Le said tentative restaurant hours would be from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. He does not yet have a Zoning Board of Appeals date.