The Chelsea Zoning Board of Appeals approved a string of special permits and variances Wednesday night for conversions and restorations across the city, while deferring a larger Library Street addition for further review by the planning board.

The board unanimously approved changes to projects on Pearl Street, Broadway and Washington Avenue and cleared a third-floor reconstruction request from Roy Grillo, each subject to standard planning-department conditions including design review, a white roof requirement and lighting plans that meet International Dark-Sky Association guidelines.

Why it matters: The approved items convert underused commercial/residential spaces into additional housing stock and modify buildings to meet current safety codes, while the Library Street proposal — a sizable addition that would create up to 12 units but leave a two-spot parking shortfall — was sent back to the planning board for one more round of review before the ZBA considers it again on Jan. 13, 2026.

David Midland, attorney for the petitioners on Pearl Street, told the board the project had been revised following planning-board and historic-commission feedback: “So now we're looking at 9 residential units and 2 commercial units,” he said, describing a reduction from the original 12-unit submission and changes to unit layouts, entrance configuration and exterior materials.

Planning staff summarized recurring conditions applied to approvals. “The planning department recommends approval with standing conditions as applicable,” John of the planning department said, listing requirements that included lighting and construction-management plans, design review with consideration of Chelsea Historical Commission comments, and a restriction making occupants of certain new units ineligible for on-street parking stickers.

At Broadway, architect David Choi said the planning board had asked for more storage and for larger bedroom sizes; the proponent agreed. Choi described changes implemented to meet a minimum two-bedroom size and to reduce an oversized rear unit to roughly 900 square feet while enlarging sleeping areas.

A larger, more contested filing at 444–46 Library Street, presented by John Mackey for owner Efren Molina with architect Beth McDougall, would add three stories above existing garage structures and attach the addition to an existing three‑family house. “The project … is going to construct 3 levels on top of the existing garage,” Mackey said, and the design team described stepping the new upper floors back three feet to allow windows and adding two affordable units as part of the project.

Board members focused on parking and circulation for the Library Street plan. The applicant’s renderings show 10 on-site parking spaces for a proposed total of 12 units, and the board pressed the applicant about how spaces would be assigned and how cars would exit the rear curb cuts. Architect Beth McDougall walked members through the plan and said the design connects the garage roofs to the house with a roofed passage so the development is treated as one primary building under zoning rules; she noted the top floors had been stepped back to allow light and windows.

Next steps: The Library Street case was continued to the planning board for review and will return to the ZBA at the Jan. 13, 2026 meeting for additional public input and final action. Other approved matters will proceed to permitting subject to the conditions the planning department spelled out at the hearing.

Votes at a glance: The board made and seconded motions to approve the following petitions; approvals were taken by voice vote and recorded as passed by the board in session (individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript): Pearl Street (case 2025-17124126) — approved with conditions; Broadway (case 2025-19403–405) — approved with conditions; Roy Grillo (case 2025-205961) — approved with conditions; 272 Washington Ave / JCG Investments (case 2025-21271) — approved with conditions. The 123 Washington matter was continued; the Library Street proposal was continued to the planning board and will return to the ZBA on Jan. 13, 2026.

What the record shows: Planning staff repeatedly recommended approval with standard conditions, and applicants described design tweaks to satisfy planning-board and historical-commission concerns. Several board members framed the projects as incremental increases in housing stock appropriate to downtown Broadway and other mixed-use streets. Concerns that remain on larger projects center on parking allocation and vehicular circulation in tight rear yards.

The board closed the session with holiday remarks and adjourned.