Housing and Development

Resurrecting Ashes at Sewall Avenue

By Chelsea Rice

BROOKLINE—Six months ago, a turn-of-the-century Victorian home on Sewall Avenue burned to the ground. Now there is an empty lot—and neighbors want to know what will become of it.

On a recent evening, the developer invited residents to a design meeting for 109 Sewall Ave. But many neighbors blamed the developer for the fire, even though Feurman is no longer a suspect, according to the Fire Department.

Because no one has yet been charged with the arson, neighbors are frustrated with the unresolved case and still point their fingers at the developer, who is building new single-family units on the lot.

“I’m totally against this,” said 60-year-old Janet Wynn, who lives at 108 Sewall Ave. “How can they go ahead and approve the new development when they haven’t yet figured out who is responsible for the arson?”

Developer Jeff Feurman, who neighbors suspect for the Victorian’s destruction, plans to redevelop the lot into a residential building with eight units, for $1.5 million each, and two affordable housing units, for $200,000 each.

The town Planning Board, which approves development plans and handles zoning, formed the design group in July to ensure the new development took into account the neighbors’ concerns.

In the brick units across the street, neighbors worry that the new development would block the sun in their courtyard, and that it will not be consistent with the neighborhood’s 1920’s architecture. Residents and architects Ai Kurokawa and Arjun Mande attend the design meetings regularly to confront these issues.

“I’m happy to be working with the neighborhood on this one,” Feurman said. “I know [the neighborhood was] upset when the old house burned down, and they obviously just needed to point the finger at somebody, but now I want to make sure they are happy [with the development].”

Since the last meeting in September, Feurman and the design group have negotiated the building’s height, proximity to the street, and entrance. The design is now the primary concern.

The group’s next step is to reform the new design that Feurman presented Oct. 21, which was “too contemporary and almost institution looking,” said Lara Curtis, a senior staff member of the Planning Board who attended the recent design group meeting at the Old Lincoln School.

Feurman lived behind the old house when he attended Boston University and wanted to buy it for the past 20 years. Feurman said he used to call the owner on a regular basis, waiting for the house to go on the market in his price range.

“The Brookline Tab flat out asked me if I burned it down,” Feurman said. “I couldn’t believe they would ask me such a thing.”

“I was devastated [when the house burned down],” Feurman said.

Feurman denies the arson accusations and said he has lost money from the ordeal. According to Lara Curtis, a member of the design group from the Planning Board, zoning limits the new development to a smaller scale than the original house.