A 15-home development in Upper Falls is closer to breaking ground after the City Council approved a special permit for it on Monday night.

The Land Use Committee approved a special permit for the project last week, which combines three parcels along Thurston Road into 14 attached single-family homes in seven buildings in a multi-family-zoned district. The planned development consists of about 50,000 square feet of floor space.

The developer filed the petition in April, and it was continued to May 12 to work on changes to meet the Planning Department’s requests, Sondria Berman of the Planning Department said at the July 7 committee meeting.

Now, the petition still asks for a permit for single-family-attached homes and a reduction of setback requirements in the rear as well as relief from parking requirements.

While it’s a zoning matter, Berman noted that the permit only needs a simple majority because it’s within a half-mile of an MBTA green line stop and includes two homes set at a rate deemed “affordable.”

Having the developer strictly adhere to rear setback requirements for parking stalls and driveways, as well as lighting and screening, “is impractical due to the nature of the use or the location, size, frontage, depth, shape or grade of the lot,” Berman continued.

On Monday night, Ward 5 Councilor Julie Irish voiced support for the project and commended the public outreach and collaboration that accompanied the permitting process.

“This has been a process marked by real neighbor engagement, well-attended community meetings and hearings that led to meaningful changes, and it became a better project because neighbors stayed engaged,” Irish said.

And, she continued, she wants to keep it that way. So, she offered an amendment to form a liaison group, consisting of a city councilor from the ward and others who would be appointed to it.

“This is a dense project—14 units on a combined lot—but more important, this density isn’t happening in a vacuum,” Irish continued. “This site sits literally steps away from an active playground, a playground where a Countryside School aftercare program runs, and steps away from an elementary school bus stop. So, construction impacts, including noise, dust, truck traffic and changes to sightlines, will be felt directly by families and children nearby, not just adjacent property owners. I’d like the same engagement to continue through the construction process in a form that doesn’t rely on good will alone.”

Irish’s amendment was unanimously passed, and so was the overall permit for the project.

Council President John Oliver then commended Irish on making her first comments to the full City Council as a city councilor, and she got a standing ovation from her colleagues.

You can watch Monday night’s meeting on NewTV.

Check out the project site plans here.