ZOM Withdraws Development Plan On Braintree Mall Site Following Opposition
More than six months after Florida-based ZOM Living proposed plans for hundreds of units next to the South Shore Plaza mall in Braintree, opposition from residents and city officials has pushed the developer to drop its plans.
The developer had made significant changes to its plans, opting for 290 units, down from the originally proposed 495. But a planning board vote against the recommended zoning for the project in an Aug. 8 meeting prompted ZOM to withdraw its proposal, The Patriot Ledger first reported.
Jim Dunlop, managing director at ZOM Living, told Bisnow Tuesday that although the outcome was unfavorable, the company did expect to face some opposition as part of the development process.
"It just didn't go our way, and it happens," Dunlop said.
The project met fierce opposition when first proposed and throughout its planning process with the city. Most of the pushback has been on the size of the project, which those opposed said would have created more traffic, overcrowded the school system and acted as "an eyesore for all who live within viewing distance," Boston.com reported.
Supporters of the project argued that it would bring much-needed housing to the city.
Earlier this month, ZOM modified its plans by cutting the number of units down from 395 — which had been previously reduced from 495 units in April — to 290 units in one building.
The project was slated to be ZOM's entry into the Greater Boston market. Dunlop told Bisnow in January that Boston had been high on its list of markets for expansion.
The firm wanted to expand into the market before the pandemic and had looked at towns and cities along the Route 128 corridor and in Boston like Allston and Dorchester Avenue before striking a partnership with Simon Property Group for the parking lot next to its South Shore Plaza mall.
Dunlop said the firm is actively looking for other areas in the region to build housing.
"We are looking pretty broadly in the Boston metro for similar towns of quality and infrastructure," Dunlop said. "Hopefully, more welcoming of multifamily."
