Company that kept JP supplied in the early days of the pandemic wants to add residential units, restaurant

BMS Paper Supply says it wants to build 160 apartments and a restaurant on its two-acre site at 3390 Washington St. in Jamaica Plain.

In a letter of intent filed with the BPDA, BMS says it would stay on the site and continue to offer its commercial and retail customers a range of kitchen-related offerings. In March and April, when supermarkets and other stores ran out, BMS became the go-to place for residents in the know to pick up everything from toilet paper and masks to large bags of flour.

The restaurant would be a "moderately priced neighborhood style restaurant," the letter, by BMS's development project manager, Christopher Tracy, says, adding:

The Proposed Project represents a unique opportunity to create new housing while renovating and rejuvenating a community based business in the heart of JP.

The next step will be for BMS to file detailed plans with the BPDA, which, because of the project's size, will trigger a detailed review by the BPDA and an "impact advisory group" of local residents.

The company's current building is in a stretch of Washington Street, from Forest Hills to Egleston Square, that has seen a number of new residential buildings go up or be proposed in recent years - such as a proposal by the Pine Street Inn just down the street that has city approval but which is now the subject of a lawsuit by the landlord of the Turtle Swamp brewery across the street over parking.

3390 Washington St. letter of intent (530k PDF).