The city gave its initial approval for a 10-story luxury apartment building to be built in the downtown.
The Site Plan Review Committee gave its support Tuesday to Procopio Enterprises Inc., a Saugus construction company, for the $80 million project to be the former parking lot on Munroe Street that has been used as a community garden for more than a decade.
Approval was given despite the fact that the city’s Water and Sewer Commission was not present at the meeting.
Daniel O’Neill, the agency’s executive director, said RaeAnna Hughes, the commission’s engineer, was absent because of the death of her father, Raymond Hughes.
“Over the next few weeks we will be reviewing their plans and provide comments,” he said.
The project will feature 189 apartments priced in the mid $2,000s per month, an underground garage, a 6,000-square-foot roof deck with ocean and Boston skyline views, and 15,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the first floor on Oxford and Munroe streets.
Construction is expected to start this fall with a completion date of 2020.
