On the eighth floor of Boston’s City Hall, the members of the Zoning Board of Appeals sit at the head of a tense meeting room.

In the back, a lawyer for the real estate developer WonderGroup practices his lines under his breath.  In the seats, residents of Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury whisper in worried voices.

This is the culmination of years of work.  Work by WonderGroup to build a 18-unit residential development on a two-acre lot zoned for single-family homes.  And work by neighbors and environmentalists to block the effort.

The project has drawn significant attention.  Citizens see it as a test of Boston’s willingness to override zoning regulations in favor of development.

On Tuesday, the developers overcame a crucial hurdle.  The city’s zoning board waived over 50 regulations, paving the way for the controversial development.

Everyone in the zoning meeting was focused on the wooded two-acre lot on Allandale Street.  On it sits an old farmhouse overlooking Allandale Woods, an urban woodland hard by historic Allandale Farm, the last working farm in Boston.

A few years ago, developer Jacqueline Nunez purchased the land, and—with WonderGroup—she drew up plans to build multiple townhouses.

However, before Nunez could move forward with her plans, she needed the zoning board to grant over 50 variances—or exemptions—from zoning rules.

Mark Fortune, the Zoning Board’s secretary, read all the violations into the record.

“Article 56 Section 7. Four family dwelling unit is a forbidden use. Article 56 section 7. Dwelling units in the basement is a forbidden use. Article 56. Maximum building height has been exceeded.”  Fortune paused only to worry that he’d lose his voice.

All told, it took him nearly seven minutes to read all the violations.

Then, the developer’s lawyer, Don Wiest, defended the plan.  He called the development a model neighborhood that could be replicated elsewhere.

“This project will be the city’s first net-zero neighborhood,” he said.  “They’ll take very little heat to heat in the coldest parts of winter.  There will also be energy generation on the roof with solar cells.”

Developer Nunez says this development is also important for addressing Boston’s housing shortage: “We need housing in our city.  We need housing at all sale levels.”

The Mayor’s office as well as the Boston Planning and Development Agency spoke in support of Nunez’s plan.  However, six City Councilors registered their opposition. 

“This isn’t going to do much for affordable housing, for real workforce housing,”  says Councilor Matt O’Malley, who represents the area.

Developers estimate the townhouses will likely cost over a million dollars each, with a single unit reserved for affordable housing.

As O’Malley talks, about 50 local residents nod along in agreement.  When their turn comes, they emphasize the neighborhood’s rural feel despite being inside the city limits.

Jacqueline Lees, who lives near the proposed construction, explains that the site is on a slope above Allandale Woods.  She says that’s not just a visual problem, but also an environmental one “because the buildings they’re doing are going to affect the hydrology on the land immediately downstream which is a wetland space.”

Despite the objections, the zoning board moved quickly.

With a quick “all in favor?” and a round of “Aye!” more than 50 variances are granted.

Developer Nunez says she hopes to start construction this summer.

 But local residents say: not so fast.  They’re planning to challenge the decision in court.  And, they say, this case is not about just one neighborhood.

“It really makes zoning throughout the city meaningless,” says Polly Selkoe, who lives near the property and is an urban planner.

If the lawsuits go forward, these two sides will meet again, and a judge will decide the future of these two Boston acres.