The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board has approved Viet-AID’s Bloomfield Gardens development, a 27-unit residential building proposed for a long-vacant lot at Geneva Avenue and Bloomfield Street, but the project still needs zoning changes to proceed.

Though the immediate area is densely populated, and several three-story buildings similar to the one proposed, several abutters have been fighting the density of Bloomfield Gardens—some of whom have admitted they’d rather see nothing developed at the site.

When Viet-AID first proposed it, plans called for a 34-unit, 50-foot high building. But in the face of opposition the non-profit developer went back to the drawing board and shrunk the numbers to 27-units and a 43-foot height, in turn raising its per-unit cost of construction.

“The density is right in line with all the multi-family buildings across the street from the site,” said Viet-AID’s interim director Matt Thall. “We think the proposal is very comparable with the neighborhood and its surroundings.”

Some neighbors say that still isn’t enough.

“I don’t think there’s been a dramatic change in my opinion. I don’t think they’ve come down enough,” said Joseph Ureneck, who lives nearby. “I will probably go to the zoning hearing and say no to it.”
That hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23.