A Jamaica Plain non-profit is pushing for approval of a new 4-story residential building on property it has owned since 2019 on Cheney Street in Grove Hall, three blocks north of the Franklin Park Zoo.

The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corp. (JPNDC) is proposing to house low-income seniors in 74 new affordable housing units. The project also includes two smaller 3-story buildings for three to six families.

A virtual public meeting, hosted by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), is set for Thurs., July 29, at 6 p.m. The comment period closes on Aug. 13.

Jamaica Plain NDC also plans to partner with the Uphams Corner Health Center to provide home care to the new development’s elderly residents, pitched as an alternative to nursing homes. Peabody Properties would manage the building, according to filings with the BPDA. 

“Senior housing will provide balance to the surrounding Grove Hall neighborhood, which is currently undergoing a wave of new development projects along Blue Hill Avenue and surrounding streets, most of which will provide housing – although financially out of reach for local residents and especially low-income and extremely low-income seniors,” the developers said in a filing.

“In addition, homeownership prices have rapidly increased over the last 5 years, making it impossible for most families to remain in the neighborhood as they move into homeownership,” the filing said.

“The design considers the context of the new development and future projects of the area.”

First proposed in September 2020, the project calls for the demolition of a vacant industrial building, formerly an automotive garage, the setting up of 34 parking spaces, and a landscaped courtyard.

The architects on the project are ICON Architecture and J. Garland Enterprises LLC.