Nonantum barber John Mula has been trying to get a zoning change and a special permit to redevelop his building at 386-390 Watertown St. for mixed-use, with 13 new residential units.

At Tuesday night’s special Land Use Committee meeting, Mula’s partner, Nicholas Beaujean, withdrew the request amid confusion over the project’s ownership and a barrage of pushback from neighbors.

“I think one thing that none of us had anticipated was for this to become as divisive as it has,” Beaujean said, emphasizing that he plans to look at other ways ways the project can come back with more support.

The City Council will likely vote to withdraw the permit and zoning request at its next meeting.

A long, bumpy road

Mula’s original plan was approved in 2017 with 10 residential units, but financial factors eventually made the project unfeasible financially, so Mula teamed up with developer Beaujean, and the two revised the project to add a fourth floor with three more units. The lot would have to be changed to an MU4 zoned (mixed use) lot.

The Land Use Committee held a public hearing and voted two weeks ago to recommend the City Council deny the request.

Then, the City Council last week ordered the project back to the Land Use Committee for clarification on the project’s finances, Land Use Committee Chair Andrea Kelley explained Tuesday night.

Mula and Beaujean had sold the property to Newton Park Watertown Realty LLC—an entity created for the development combining both Mula and Beaujean’s interests—and paperwork was filed to reflect that change in ownership, attorney Matt Eckel, representing the project, explained.

“Our team apologizes for any confusion the timing of this transaction created, and it was certainly an oversight not to mention this at our last hearing before the committee, which created procedural issues and questions surrounding who the actual applicant was and who could receive the relief requested.”

The awkward timing of the ownership transfer was the result of several delays in the process, Eckel said. He also addressed some rumors about the project that have emerged in the past few months, including speculation about Beaujean, who Eckel emphasized has been involved with the project for most of the past year.

“It feels as if this reflection of the partnership is being construed as kind of a last-minute pivot. And I agree in terms of the entity and the procedural issues, it did create a problem,” Eckel said.

There are also rumors that Mula received $1.5 million and “took the money and ran,” Eckel said, but Mula won’t get all of that money until the project is built and is still an active partner in the project.

“And we’ve represented that to councilors, to interested parties who have reached out, and the message is either not being received or not cared to be received,” he continued.

Supporters of the project said the residential units would help alleviate the housing shortage crisis in Newton while adding vibrancy to the neighborhood.

“You’ve got a private landowner who wants to increase the supply of market-rate housing, which will allow more families to live in Nonantum,” Zack Bianci said. “I don’t understand how anybody can be against this.”

Opponents of the project say the zoning change would create a precedent for developers to erect large buildings all over Nonantum with similar zoning change requests.

“On the one hand, I want to see John Mula succeed and that hole in the ground be filled,” Fran Yerardi said. “On the other, I don’t want a four-story building in the heart of Nonantum, as I am not naïve to think that it would be the last.”

Clearing the air

Beaujean spoke at Tuesday night’s hearing, further emphasizing Mula’s continued work on the project.

“He’s a classic, old-school Nonantum fellow,” Beaujean said. “He’s casual in conversation, but man, he’s so passionate about this community. He’s been a part of it for 50 years.”

Beaujean also defended himself against what he said was a depiction of him as an out-of-towner because he’s from Rhode Island.

“All of my development projects are in the Greater Boston area. I regularly travel and stay in Boston, and I’m moving back to Boston permanently, very shortly,” Beaujean said. “In fact, I was planning to live in one of the units at this new development on Watertown Street.”

Beaujean explained that the previous project was too small to support the $500,000 to $750,000 cost for underground parking and that 13 units would make the project possible.

He called the rumor that Mula has received $1.5 million “utter fabrication.” Mula has received half that—$750,000, Beaujean explained—and most of that has been used to pay off Mula’s previous mortgage on the property, realtor fees and payments to a former partner.

“Unfortunately, John received nothing,” Beaujean said.

After several residents spoke out against the project Tuesday night and someone raised the idea of filing an appeal or lawsuit if the project is approved, Beaujean motioned to have the special permit and zoning requests withdrawn.

“At that point, what good is any of this for the community, right?” Beaujean asked. “And the site would be under-utilized, it would stay undeveloped, and who knows how long it would result in unnecessary delays and costs to everyone involved?”

Beaujean said he and Mula are still committed to working with the neighborhood on getting a project approved to fill that hole in the ground with less tension.

“And I really hope we can pursue all avenues to develop some building here, and I think we truly aren’t sure now what exact form that will take,” Beaujean said before requesting the project be withdrawn but without prejudice.

Having the withdrawal without prejudice allows the project to come back at a later time.

The committee voted to recommend withdrawal of the items (without prejudice), and the City Council has to vote on that to make it official.