2026-09-16 - Planning Board
Summary
Based on auto-captions cross-checked against the official minutes; may contain misheard names or figures.
Time on topic (from transcript timestamps; approximate, includes side talk):
| Topic | Minutes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 216 and 221 Chandler Street | 23 | 27% |
| 79 Pullman Street (ZB-2026-073) | 15 | 17% |
| 1 and 3 Suburban Road | 14 | 16% |
| Other business | 7 | 8% |
| 114 Lincoln Street | 7 | 8% |
| 114 Austin Street | 6 | 8% |
| 104 Eastern Avenue (ZB-2026-067) | 5 | 6% |
| 69 Orient Street (ZB-2026-017) | 4 | 5% |
| Procedure | 3 | 4% |
| Postponements | 1 | 1% |
- Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
- Chair Albert LaValley opened at 5:30 PM with Stephen Toomey, Brandon King (remote) and alternate Carlos Rosende seated, so most votes were 3-0 (the chair voting last).
- Michelle M. Smith, Stephen Cary and Olivia Houle presented for staff. Adjourned at 6:56 PM.
1 and 3 Suburban Road
4:07-18:13
- The most contentious moment: a roughly 300-unit housing proposal, taken out of order because a large group of neighbors (the attorney described "a sea of green") was in the room.
- Chair LaValley recalled that an earlier zoning map amendment for the site was withdrawn after residents raised the unusual soils and history of the site, and said the project's size and soils exceed in-house staff review capacity.
- After the 3-0 peer review vote (stormwater design and O&M, soils and infiltration, groundwater impacts), he said the Board's policy is not to open a hearing on an item that is not ready, so no presentation or public comment was heard; written comments have been shared with the developer and residents will be heard once the peer review is back.
- Attorney Joshua Lee Smith objected that the applicant had pushed hard for this first hearing date, said he had not been told of a peer review in advance, and argued the scope is narrow and the work could be done quickly.
- Michelle M. Smith said a November 18 meeting was more realistic because the Board must also vote on the peer reviewer's fee, which the applicant may appeal; Lee Smith rejected November 18.
- The Board voted 3-0 to continue to October 28 with the constructive grant deadline extended to November 18 (staff said November 19 for the other item; the chair briefly misspoke "October 29" and was corrected).
- The Board also supported having the peer reviewer attend later meetings, with that cost included in the scope.
- Whether October 28 holds is uncertain, since staff doubted a consultant could be under contract in time.
216 and 221 Chandler Street
1:02:46-1:26:02
- A revision of a 2024 approval by an affiliate of the same developer group: 21 units now 28, with ground-floor units, retail cut from about 2,900 to 1,020 SF, and all resident parking at 20 designated spaces in the existing lot at 221.
- Two public speakers: Francesco Bivona (District 5) supported the ground-level commercial space and reduced parking minimums; Jeff Madison objected to the reduced parking, uncrossed foot traffic, and construction crane and loading impacts rerouting traffic onto Austin, Dewey and Mason Streets.
- Staff recommended eliminating the substandard on-site loading space and petitioning the City Council for an on-street loading space (with the on-site 9 by 18 foot space as a fallback), and noted the Chandler Street redesign is still in progress.
- Board members confirmed that a condition already requires pedestrian crossing warning signs with solar-powered flashing LED borders at the Chandler Street crosswalk, which the applicant accepted.
- The Board voted 4-0 to close the hearings and approve the special permits, and 3-0 to approve the site plan, with a construction management plan required.
114 Lincoln Street
18:13-24:52
- Six units, nine parking spaces, to be addressed as 1 Henchman Street in the city system.
- Approved 3-0 with staff conditions after Stephen Cary described added windows and a pergola on the Lincoln Street facade, moving the bike rack, and a pending stormwater mounding analysis.
79 Pullman Street (ZB-2026-073)
24:52-39:45
- A Taco Bell with a full drive-thru replacing the earlier Chipotle pickup-window design; approved 3-0.
- The Board struck the extra interior tree requirement (granting a waiver), replaced the ornamental grasses in the narrow strip between the drive-thru and parking with a low open ornamental fence, and allowed the second test pit to be waived if supplemental geotechnical data shows consistent soils.
104 Eastern Avenue (ZB-2026-067)
39:45-44:55
- Three-family on slopes over 15%, six parking spaces; applicant Excellent Investments Corp., attorney Mark Borenstein appearing remotely.
- Approved 3-0 with a construction management plan condition because the street is heavily parked.
69 Orient Street (ZB-2026-017)
44:55-49:11
- The frontage subdivision (ML Realty Group) was approved 3-0 after the hearing was closed.
- The duplex on the new lots must return for site plan review because of slopes.
114 Austin Street
49:11-55:40
- A five-unit townhouse plan including a replica of a burned historic carriage house in the Crown Hill local historic district, re-approved 3-0 after its earlier approval lapsed and ownership changed.
- Condition 9 (no driveway parking) was amended to cover "HOA or lease agreements" because the new owner has not decided between sale and rental.
- A Historical Commission certificate of appropriateness hearing was set for the next evening.
Postponements
2:50-4:07
- Granted 3-0: 6 Woburn Street to October 7 (grant deadline October 29) and 256 and 262 Sunderland Road to October 28 (deadline November 19).
Other business
55:40-1:02:46
- Three ANR plans (240 Moreland Street, 26 Milton Street, 28 Chequesset Road) were endorsed 3-0; two others were not properly before the Board.
- No minutes were ready for approval.
Issues discussed: 1 and 3 Suburban Road, 216 and 221 Chandler Street, 114 Lincoln Street, 256 and 262 Sunderland Road, 6 Woburn Street, 79 Pullman Street (ZB-2026-073), 104 Eastern Avenue (ZB-2026-067), 69 Orient Street (ZB-2026-017), 114 Austin Street, 24-28 Chequesset Road
Agenda
Planning Board members: Albert LaValley (Chair), Conor McCormack (Vice Chair), Brandon King, Anthony Dell'Aera, Stephen Toomey, Carlos Rosende (Alternate). Meeting at 5:30 PM, Levi Lincoln Chamber (Room 309), Worcester City Hall, with Zoom and phone participation. Application materials at worcesterma.gov/planning-regulatory/boards/planning-board.
Call to Order - 5:30 PM. Requests for Continuances, Postponements, & Withdrawals.
New Business
- 6 Woburn Street (PB-2026-024): Public Meeting - Definitive Site Plan
- 114 Lincoln Street (PB-2026-049): Public Meeting - Definitive Site Plan
- 79 Pullman Street (PB-2026-062): Public Meeting - Parking Plan
- 256 & 262 Sunderland Road (PB-2026-065): Public Meeting - Definitive Site Plan; Public Hearing - More than One Building on a Lot
- 104 Eastern Avenue (PB-2026-071): Public Meeting - Definitive Site Plan
- 69 Orient Street (PB-2026-072): Public Hearing - Definitive "Frontage" Subdivision Plan
- 1 & 3 Suburban Road (PB-2026-073): Public Meeting - Definitive Site Plan; Public Hearing - More than One Building on a Lot
- 114 Austin Street (PB-2026-074): Public Meeting - Definitive Site Plan
- 216 & 221 Chandler Street (PB-2026-075): Public Meeting - Definitive Site Plan; Public Hearing - Special Permit (IZ) for relief from minimum off-street parking and/or loading requirements, parking dimensional requirements, and landscaping requirements (Article VII, Section 6.A.ii); Public Hearing - Special Permit (CCOD) for relief from the maximum number and/or dimensional requirements for off-street parking in the Commercial Corridors Overlay District (Article IX, Section 7.E.)
Other Business (Public Meeting)
- Approval Not Required (ANR) Plans: AN-2026-034 - 240 Moreland Street (Public); AN-2026-036 - 52 Butler Street (Public & Private); AN-2026-044 - 129 Blackstone River Road (Public); AN-2026-047 - 26 Milton Street (Private); AN-2026-048 - 28 Chequesset Road (Private)
- Communications
- Board Policy and Procedures
- Approval of Minutes - 6/3/2026; 6/24/2026; 7/15/2026; 8/5/2026; 8/26/2026
Adjournment
Official Minutes
Planning Board Meeting Minutes, posted on PrimeGov (summary of actions, not verbatim; ligature characters normalized). Source: https://worcesterma.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument?meetingTemplateId=76166&compileOutputType=1
Planning Board
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Worcester City Hall – Levi Lincoln Chamber,
with remote participation options available via Zoom online at
“https://worcesterma.zoomgov/j/1617314979” and call-in
number 1-669-254-5252 (Access Code: 161 731 4979 #).
Attendance:
Board Members Present: Albert LaValley, Chair
Stephen Toomey
Brandon King (Participated Remotely)
Carlos Rosende, Alternate
Conor McCormack, Vice-Chair
Anthony Dell’Aera
Board Members Absent:
Staff Present: Michelle Smith, Division of Planning & Regulatory Services
(DPRS)
Stephen Cary, Division of Planning & Regulatory Services (DPRS)
Olivia Houle, Division of Planning & Regulatory Services (DPRS)
Kobe Boaten, LAW
Leslie Rodriguez, DPW (Participated Remotely)
Todd Miller, Inspectional Services Division (ISD) (Participated
Remotely)
Call to Order:
Board Chair Albert LaValley called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm.
Mr. LaValley read requests for continuances, postponements, and withdrawals into the record.
CONTINUANCES, POSTPONENTS, & WITHDRAWALS
Item 1: 6 Woburn Street (PB-2026-024) – Definitive Site Plan
Request to postpone the Public Hearing to October 7, 2026
Extend the Constructive Grant Deadline to October 29, 2026
Item 4: 256 & 262 Sunderland Road (PB-2026-065) – Definitive Site Plan
Request to postpone the Public Hearing to October 28, 2026
Extend the Constructive Grant Deadline to November 19, 2026
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to grant the
postponements.
New Business:
Item 7: 1 & 3 Suburban Road (PB-2026-073)
a. Public Meeting – Definitive Site Plan
b. Public Hearing – More Than One Building on a Lot Plan
Chair LaValley announced this item would be taken first and provided a procedural overview of how the
Board will handle this item. He asked the Board to authorize peer review for this development so that
staff can send this out for peer review.
No comments from the Board.
Mr. LaValley made a motion for the peer review.
Pursuant to MGL Ch. 44, Section 53G and Article 2, Section 8.F. of the Planning Board’s
Rules & Regulations for Site Plan and Section 8, A. of the Planning Board’s Subdivision
Regulations, on motion by Mr. LaValley, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to
require a peer review for the Definitive Site Plan and More Than One Building on a Lot
applications for 1-3 Suburban Road due to the size, scale and complexity of the proposed
project and potential related impacts for the following general scope of work:
Review of the proposed stormwater management system design and related O&M,
existing and proposed site soil conditions and suitability for infiltration, as well as
project development impacts on groundwater for compliance with all relevant laws,
ordinances, and regulations including but not limited to Massachusetts Stormwater
Standards and Handbook, the City of Worcester Zoning Ordinance, and the Planning
Board’s Rules & Regulations.
Mr. LaValley noted that public comments have been shared with the Board and the developer and
announced public comments would be taken at a later meeting when the project was ready to move
forward with its peer review.
Joshua Lee Smith, attorney on behalf of the applicant, stated they were anticipating providing a
presentation then continuing with comments from the staff and Board to come later. He stated a lot of
folks are present to have a hearing.
Mr. LaValley stated the Board’s policy is to not allow items to move forward for a hearing until it is
ready to proceed and asked when the project should be continued to.
Mr. Lee Smith stated they would request to continue to the October 28, 2026 meeting and explained
why this request is reasonable.
Ms. Smith stated staff will work to develop a scope of work for the peer review and noted the November
18, 2026 meeting would be a more realistic date for continuance. She explained how the peer review
timeline typically plays out.
Mr. Lee Smith stated he is hopeful the project will be ready to come before the Board by October 28 th.
On a motion by Mr. LaValley, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to continue
the October 28, 2026 meeting of the Board.
Item 2: 114 Lincoln Street (PB-2026-049)
a. Public Meeting – Definitive Site Plan
Donald O’Neil, attorney on behalf of the applicant, Tiffany Nguyen, gave an overview of the project to
the Board. He stated the applicant seeks to construct a low-rise multi-family structure with 6 units and
9 parking spaces. He stated he is in agreement with the recommended conditions of approval.
Steve Cary, DPRS, described the proposed site development to the board and its location. He described
the relief granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals and the recommended conditions of approval.
Public Comment:
No comments.
Board Discussion:
The Board unanimously expressed support for the project.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to approve the
Definitive Site Plan for 114 Lincoln Street subject to staff recommended conditions of
approval.
List of Exhibits:
Exhibit A: Definitive Site Plan Application; filed June 3, 2026; prepared by Donald J. O’Neil, Esq.
Exhibit B: Definitive Site Plan; revised 08/24/2026; prepared by Joe Graham.
Exhibit C: Architectural Drawings, undated; prepared by Joe Graham.
Item 3: 79 Pullman Street (PB-2026-062)
a. Public Meeting – Parking Plan
Patrick Doherty, engineer on behalf of the applicant, Lacy Topaz LLC, described the proposal to the
Board and the area surrounding the site. He described the relief granted by the Zoning Board of
Appeals Board. He stated the applicant seeks to construct a restaurant and drive-thru for a Taco Bell
and described the site plan to the Board. Mr. Doherty discussed concerns with some of the staff
recommended conditions including the ability to provide grasses in between the drive through and
parking area and the ability to provide another interior tree. He also discussed the test pit that has been
performed at this point and feels an additional test pit should not be required.
Michelle Smith, DPRS, described the proposal to the Board, noting the board has previously reviewed a
similar proposal for a Chipotle restaurant in this location. Ms. Smith asked the applicant to summarize
how the test pit complies with MA stormwater requirements. She stated the applicant needs to provide
the interior tree unless the Board wishes to waive that requirement. Regarding the grasses, Ms. Smith
described the intent of the condition and stated it’s up to the Board if they feel this condition should
remain.
Leslie Rodriguez, DPW, stated no comments.
Public Comment:
No public comment.
Board Discussion:
Mr. LaValley asked the Board to comment on the conditions of concern raised by the applicant.
Mr. King raised concerns with folks driving through the buffer in the winter months and isn’t opposed
to requiring the grasses. He asked staff to clarify where the additional interior tree could be planted.
Ms. Smith described potential locations on site that may accommodate an additional interior tree.
Mr. King stated he is concerned with feasibility and would be fine without the extra interior tree.
Mr. Toomey agreed with Mr. King on the interior tree and noted ornamental grass would be nice in the
strip but me be difficult to keep alive and suggested fencing the area in instead.
Mr. Rosende agreed fencing would be a feasible alternate to the grasses.
Mr. LaValley stated he feels there are an adequate number of trees on site and would be willing to grant
the waiver.
Ms. Smith suggested revised language for condition 1c and condition 2 and noted condition 1b would be
struck.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to approve the
Parking Plan for 79 Pullman Street subject to staff recommended conditions of approval,
as modified during the discussion.
List of Exhibits:
Exhibit A: Parking Plan (Accessory Parking Lot) Application; submitted 6/25/2026; prepared by
Patrick Doherty, MidPoint Engineering & Consulting, LLC
Exhibit B: Site Plans; revised 8/19/2026; prepared by MidPoint Engineering & Consulting, LLC
Exhibit C: Survey; dated 7/10/2026; prepared by HS&T Group, Inc
Exhibit D: Stormwater Report; revised 4/16/2026; prepared by MidPoint Engineering &
Consulting, LLC
Exhibit E: Traffic Impact Study; dated April 2026; prepared by AK Associates
Item 5: 104 Eastern Avenue (PB-2026-071)
a. Public Meeting – Definitive Site Plan
Mark Borenstein, attorney on behalf of the applicant, described the proposal before the Board. He
stated the applicant seeks to construct a three-family dwelling with 6 parking spaces on a site with
slopes greater than 15%. He described the relief previously granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Steve Cary, DPRS, described the proposal before the Board and the building’s orientation to the street.
He also described the ZBA relief and how the building and site were designed to work with site
conditions. He described the staff recommended conditions of approval.
Leslie Rodrigez, DPW, stated no comment.
Public Comment:
No public comment.
Board Discussion:
The Board unanimously stated no comments.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to approve the
Definitive Site Plan for 104 Eastern Avenue subject to staff recommended conditions of
approval.
List of Exhibits:
Exhibit A: Definitive Site Plan Application; filed August 5, 2026; prepared by Mark A. Borenstein
Exhibit B: Definitive Site Plan; revised July 31, 2026; prepared by Quinn Engineering, Inc.
Exhibit C: Architectural Drawings, dated October 1, 2025; prepared by Acropolis Design
Item 6: 69 Orient Street (PB-2026-072)
a. a Public Hearing – Definitive “Frontage” Subdivision Plan
Michael Sowydra, attorney on behalf of the applicant, described the proposal to the board and the relief
previously granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals. He stated the applicant ultimately seeks to
construct a duplex on the newly created lots. He described the waivers sought from the Board.
Olivia Houle, DPRS, stated the applicant seeks Definitive “Frontage” Subdivision approval in order to
allow the existing lot to be divided to create two additional lots. She stated the applicant seeks to
construct a duplex on the newly created lots and advised the Board that the duplex will need to come
back before the Board for Definitive Site Plan review due to the presence of slopes greater than 15%.
Leslie Rodriguez, DPW, stated no comments.
Public Comment:
No public comment.
Board Discussion:
The Board unanimously stated no comments and expressed support.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to close the
public hearing.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to approve the
Definitive “Frontage” Subdivision Plan for 69 Orient Street subject to staff
recommended conditions of approval.
List of Exhibits:
Exhibit A: Definitive “Frontage” Subdivision Plan Application; filed 8/12/2026; prepared by Peter,
Mitrakas, & LaForce, LLP
Exhibit B: Definitive “Frontage” Subdivision Plan; dated 8/12/2026; prepared by HS&T Group, Inc
Item 8: 114 Austin Street (PB-2026-074)
a. Public Meeting – Definitive Site Plan
Joshua Lee Smith, attorney on behalf of the applicant, described the proposal before the Board and
noted it was previously approved by the Board but the approval expired. He noted the applicant does
not propose any changes since the project was last approved. He described the proposal which is to
construct a 5-unit townhouse and associated parking. He gave a history of the project, including a fire
that destroyed a historic carriage house and noted they still intend to construct one of the units to
replicate the old carriage house.
Michelle Smith, DPRS, stated the Board previously approved and amended this design and now the
applicant seeks re-approval since it lapsed. She noted some minor changes since this was last in front of
the Board and described the staff recommended conditions of approval. She recommended adjusting
condition 9 to include additional language “or lease agreements” after HOA.
Leslie Rodriguez, DPW, stated no comments.
Public Comment:
No public comment.
Board Discussion:
The board expressed unanimous support.
Mr. LaValley asked the applicant to confirm they are amendable to the modified language suggested by
Ms. Smith on condition 9.
Mr. Lee Smith confirmed that language is acceptable.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to approve the
Definitive Site Plan for 114 Austin Street subject to staff recommended conditions of
approval, as modified during the discussion.
List of Exhibits:
Exhibit A: Application; received 8/18/2026: prepared by Joshua Lee Smith, Bowdich & Dewey, LLP
Exhibit B: Site Plan; dated 8/13/2026; prepared by J. M. Grenier Associates Inc. and MP Design
Consultants
Exhibit C: Survey; 8/3/2026; prepared PFS Land Surveying, Inc.
Exhibit D: Stormwater Report; dated 8/13/2026; prepared by J.M Grener Associates, Inc.
Exhibit E: Architectural Plans & Elevations; dated 7/1/2026; prepared by Dixon Salo Architects
Inc.
Item 9: 216 & 221 Chandler Street (PB-2026-075)
a. Public Meeting – Definitive Site Plan
b. Public Hearing – Special Permit (IZ) for relief from minimum off-street parking and/or
loading requirements, parking dimensional requirements, and landscaping requirements
(Article VII, Section 6.A.ii)
c. Public Hearing – Special Permit (CCOD) for relief the maximum number and/or
dimensional requirements for off-street parking in the Commercial Corridors Overlay
District (Article IX, Section 7.E.)
Joshua Lee Smith, attorney on behalf of the applicant, described the proposal before the Board. He
noted the Board previously approved a similar proposal and described how it has changed since then.
He confirmed the parking configuration at 221 Chandler Street will remain unchanged, which is an
existing parking lot serving a variety of mixed uses, which also remains the same. He stated at 216
Chandler Street, the 6-story building footprint is slightly smaller, and they propose to decrease the
commercial space and to increase the number of dwelling units from 21 to 28 units. He stated they do
not propose any changes to the number of stories but the development now includes ground floor
residential units.
Jesse Hildenberg, architect on behalf of the applicant, described changes to the building and
highlighted the increase in glazing. He discussed the façade changes and materials proposed.
Olivia Houle, DPRS, stated the current proposal is similar to what the Board had approved in 2024. She
confirmed the applicant seeks to construct a six-story mixed-use building with 28 residential units and
1,020 SF of commercial retail space. She noted the ground floor units that are now proposed require the
building to be set back 5 FT from the property line, which the applicant has achieved by shrinking the
building footprint. She described the parking proposed at 221 Chandler Street and the specific relief the
applicant has applied for through the Special Permits. She described the recommended conditions of
approval.
Leslie Rodriguez, DPW, stated no comments.
Public Comment:
Francesco Bivona, Worcester resident, expressed support for the proposed development and
appreciated the ground level commercial space and reduction in parking.
Jeff Madison, Worcester resident, expressed concerns regarding the reduction of parking provided.
While he appreciated the design of the building, he noted often times people have 2 or more cars and
many local businesses use the parking lot at 221 Chandler Street. He also expressed concern with the
increase in foot traffic for residents utilizing the parking lot across the street without a crossing signal
and the staging of construction vehicles while the building is being constructed.
Board Discussion:
Mr. King expressed support for the project but noted he recalled a pedestrian beacon being discussed in
the prior iteration.
Mr. Toomey noted the crosswalk in front of the building should provide a safe crossing if folks use it.
Mr. Rosende noted that the conditions of approval for the Inclusionary Zoning Special permit required
a pedestrian beacon to be installed.
Mr. LaValley stated he appreciates the public comments and expressed support for the reduction in
parking requirements. He also noted the applicant will be required to submit a construction
management plan to minimize disruption on the street during construction.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 4-0 to close the
public hearing.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 4-0 to approve the
Special Permits for 216 & 221 Chandler Street subject to staff recommended conditions of
approval.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to approve the
Definitive Site Plan for 216 & 221 Chandler Street subject to staff recommended
conditions of approval.
List of Exhibits:
Exhibit A: Definitive Site Plan Application; filed 8/13/2026; prepared by Bowditch & Dewey, LLP
Exhibit B: Special Permit (IZ) Application; filed 8/13/2026; prepared by Bowditch & Dewey, LLP
Exhibit C: Special Permit (CCOD) Application; filed 9/2/2026; prepared by Bowditch & Dewey,
LLP
Exhibit D: Site Plans; dated 8/13/2026, revised 8/21/2026; prepared by J.M. Grenier Associates,
Inc. & MP Design Consultants
Exhibit E: Architectural Plans and Renderings; dated 8/17/2026; prepared by Dixon Salo
Architects
Exhibit F: Project Impact Statement; prepared by Bowditch & Dewey, LLP
Exhibit G: CCOD Admin Parking Reduction Letter; dated 1/2/25; prepared by the Worcester
Inspectional Services Department
Exhibit H: Transportation Demand Management Plan; undated
Exhibit I: Transportation Impact Assessment; dated 11/19/2024; prepared by Vanasse &
Associates, Inc.
Exhibit J: Stormwater Management Report; dated 8/21/2026; prepared by J.M. Grenier Associates
Inc.
Other Business (Public Meeting)
Item 10: Approval Not Required (ANR) Plans
a. AN-2026-034 – 240 Moreland Street (Public)
b. AN-2026-036 – 52 Butler Street (Public & Private)
c. AN-2026-044 – 129 Blackstone River Road (Public)
d. AN-2026-047 - 26 Milton Street (Private)
e. AN-2026-048 - 28 Chequesset Road (Private)
Stephen Cary, DPRS, described the ANR items a, d, & e to the Board.
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board voted 3-0 to endorse ANR
plans 10 a, d, & e.
13. Communications
14. Board Policy and Procedures
16. Approval of Minutes – 6/3/2026; 6/24/2026; 7/15/2026; 8/5/2026; 8/26/2026
No discussion.
Adjournment
On a motion by Mr. King, seconded by Mr. Toomey, the Board unanimously voted to
adjourn at 6:56pm.
Sources
- Video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=xswpUr73L7o
- Agenda: https://worcesterma.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument?meetingTemplateId=76165&compileOutputType=1
- Minutes: https://worcesterma.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument?meetingTemplateId=76166&compileOutputType=1
Video
Transcript
Auto-generated YouTube captions; names and terms are likely misheard.
Transcript
0:00Uh well, good evening everyone. Welcome
0:03to the Wednesday, September 16th, 2026
0:07meeting of the city of Worcester
0:08Planning Board. My name is Albert
0:09Lavali. I'm going to chair tonight's
0:11meeting. Uh before we begin, a couple
0:13brief announcements concerning how our
0:15meeting is going to proceed tonight. Uh
0:17first, all our meetings are in a hybrid
0:18format, which means you can participate
0:20either in person here at city hall or by
0:23going online to
0:24worcestermath.zoomv.com/j161.
0:25zoomggov.com/j161-731-4979
0:33or by calling in at 669254-5252
0:38and entering access code 161731-4979
0:43followed by the pound sign
0:46uh for remote uh to manage remote
0:48participation during our hybrid meetings
0:49and prevent disruptions we do or all
0:52participants are automatically blocked
0:53from unmuting themselves turning on
0:55their video or sending chat messages.
0:57For those participants who would like to
0:59comment on an item on our agenda, we ask
1:01that you use the raise your hand feature
1:03in Zoom during the discussion on that
1:04item. And if you are joined by phone,
1:07you can do the same thing by pressing
1:08star9.
1:10Uh staff will then call in members of
1:12the public one at a time and give them
1:13permission to unmute themselves. If
1:15you're joined by phone, you can do that
1:16by pressing star six. Uh next, I note
1:19this is a public meeting which is both
1:21being broadcast and recorded. Minutes
1:23will also be published at a later date.
1:24To help with that process, we ask all
1:26speakers participating in person to use
1:28a microphone. To please clearly identify
1:30yourself each time you speak and the
1:32first time you speak, please state your
1:33city or town of residents for the
1:35record. To help maintain an orderly
1:36meeting, please address all comments and
1:38questions through the chair rather than
1:39directly to any of the other speakers or
1:41applicants.
1:43Uh there are a couple items on our
1:45agenda tonight that are going to be
1:46continued. Uh I'm going to read through
1:48those shortly. If you're here on one of
1:50those items, please note that no
1:51additional notice will be sent to you
1:53before the next meeting. Best thing to
1:55do is call the planning department the
1:56day prior to or the day of that meeting
1:59to confirm if the item is going to be
2:00heard or postponed that night. It is not
2:03uncommon for items to be postponed
2:05multiple times before they're heard by
2:06this board. Once an item is called,
2:09there will be a brief presentation of
2:10the item followed by any additional
2:12comments and clarification from members
2:13of the city staff. then an opportunity
2:15for anyone from the public to speak on
2:17that item before we proceed to board
2:19discussion and action.
2:22Uh finally, all applicants should be
2:24aware that approvals are generally
2:25conditional. Decisions are generally
2:26signed by the board at the next meeting
2:27and where appropriate filed with the
2:29city clerk the following day, which is
2:31what begins any appeals periods.
2:33Decisions are generally not released to
2:34the applicant until all conditions of
2:36approval have been satisfactorily
2:37addressed. It is the applicant's
2:38responsibility to address conditions of
2:40approval and a lack of doing so may
2:42result in delays or enforcements.
2:45Applicants are asked to please call the
2:46planning division if they have any
2:47questions about that.
2:50Okay, moving into postponements. Uh item
2:54number one, six Wuburn Street, a
2:56definitive site plan. The request is to
2:57postpone the public hearing to October
2:59726 and extend the constructive grant
3:02deadline to October 2926.
3:04And item number four, 256 and 262
3:08Sunderland Road, a definitive site plan.
3:10The request is to postpone the public
3:11hearing to October 2826 and extend the
3:14constructive grant deadline to November
3:161926.
3:18Is there a motion on the postponements?
3:27I make a motion to postpone items number
3:30one and items number four with the
3:33public hearing dates for October 7th for
3:36item number one and the constructive
3:38grant deadline to October 29th and the
3:40public hearing for item number four to
3:42October 28th and constructive grant
3:44deadline to November 19th.
3:48>> Is there a second on the motion?
3:51>> Second. Uh on the motion, Mr. King,
3:55>> yes.
3:55>> Mr. Tumi,
3:56>> yes.
3:57>> I vote yes as well. That motion passes
3:59three to zero.
4:01Okay. Uh we are going to do something a
4:04little out of order tonight. Uh I do
4:06understand there's a number of folks in
4:07the room here for the suburban road
4:10application.
4:12Uh and I think what's going to happen
4:14tonight will probably be pretty short.
4:16So, um, hopefully we can, uh, rather
4:20than have you guys have to wait for a
4:22couple hours for something to happen
4:23quickly, we can we can do it now. Um, so
4:28that said, I would call
4:32item number 7, one and three, Suburban
4:34Road. This is a definitive or a public
4:36meeting for a definitive site plan and a
4:38public hearing for more than one
4:39building on a lot.
4:42Um so I'll explain a little bit about
4:45what I think needs to happen here. Um
4:47the board's obviously I think for many
4:50folks in this room it's obvious to you
4:51we're familiar with this application
4:54uh due to the um zoning map amendment
4:57that was before this board a few months
4:59back. My understanding is that amendment
5:01was also was ultimately uh withdrawn.
5:05But during public comment on that item,
5:07a number of
5:09um you raised issues with the history
5:12and nature of the soils on the site,
5:14which are ultimately a little bit
5:16unusual. The developer has now submitted
5:18a project proposal for approximately 300
5:20units of housing on that site, which is
5:22before the board tonight, for both a
5:24definitive site plan and a more than one
5:26building on a lot uh application.
5:30As the public may be aware, a project of
5:33this size, 300 units, requires extensive
5:36uh review by city staff to make sure it
5:39complies with the city's many many uh
5:42ordinances and requirements and criteria
5:46for whatever the particular approvals
5:48that it's seeking are.
5:51Uh in the case of this particular
5:54application, the unusual nature of the
5:56site along with its size and impact
6:00um require in my opinion a level of
6:02review that's beyond the capabilities
6:04that exist inhouse with our city staff.
6:08Formidable though they are. Uh to that
6:10end, I'm asking my colleagues uh to
6:13support a motion which I'm going to make
6:15shortly authorizing the staff to pursue
6:17that peer review. This is a necessary
6:19step that the board needs to take in
6:20order to authorize staff to go out and
6:23solicit proposals uh and ultimately get
6:27that process started. Um before we do
6:30that, uh I just ask if anybody uh on the
6:33board has any questions about that
6:35requirement.
6:42All right. Hearing none, um here's the
6:44motion that I propose pursuant to MGL
6:47chapter 44 section 53G and article 2
6:49section 8F of the planning board's rules
6:52and regulations for site plan and
6:53section 8A of the planning board
6:55subdivision regulations. I motion to
6:57require peer review for the definitive
6:59site plan and more than one building on
7:00a lot applications for 1 to three
7:02suburban road to the size, scale, and
7:04complexity of the proposed project and
7:06potential related impacts for the
7:08following general scope of work. Uh
7:10review of the proposed storm water
7:12management system design and related uh
7:15operations and maintenance plan,
7:16existing and proposed site soil
7:18conditions and suitability for
7:19infiltration as well as project
7:22development and impact on groundwater
7:24for compliance with all relevant laws,
7:26ordinances, regulations, including but
7:28not limited to mass storm water uh
7:31standards and handbook, the city of
7:32Wester zoning ordinance, and the pling
7:33board's rules and regulations.
7:37Is there a second on the motion? Second
7:42>> on the motion then Mr. King.
7:44>> Yes.
7:44>> Mr. Tumi.
7:46>> Yes.
7:46>> I vote yes as well. That motion passes
7:48three to zero.
7:51Uh next up, consistent with the policy
7:53of this board to not conduct discussions
7:55on items that are not uh prepared to
7:58move forward tonight. I will also be
8:00motioning we continue the hearing to a
8:02later date when that review, that peer
8:04review has been completed. uh for those
8:07in the public uh please note that the
8:09general nature of all the written
8:10comments you've submitted um have been
8:13shared with the developer and you will
8:15also have an opportunity to speak when
8:17the plan uh in the peer review are back
8:20and it's available and ready to move
8:23forward. Um but at this time we're not
8:27going to have any public comment
8:28tonight. We're just going to uh wait
8:30until we have all the information um so
8:33that this item can move forward. Any
8:37comments from the board on that?
8:40>> No.
8:41>> Miss M chair, may I?
8:43>> No.
8:45>> Uh, I make the motion that we can Well,
8:48actually, yes, Josh, I do need you. I'm
8:49sorry. Uh, we are going to continue this
8:52until we get the peer review back. We
8:54need your permission to do that.
8:57Um, I don't have a reasonable timeline
9:00on how long that takes.
9:02So, I'd like to put it at a date that's
9:04in the future, but not so far in the
9:06future that uh we're likely to eclipse
9:08it. Do you have a suggestion?
9:10>> Um, well, first of all, Mr. chair, just
9:13for clarification because this is news
9:15to me. Um, with respect to the peer
9:18review, we we're fully we acknowledge
9:20it's it's the board's um discretion as
9:23to whether they want to entertain a
9:25motion which they've accepted with
9:27respect to a peer review. Um, we were
9:30anticipating, however, to be able to at
9:32least open the matter tonight and u
9:35provide a a presentation knowing full
9:37well that uh there there could have been
9:40a motion with respect to peer review uh
9:43as well as further uh comments to to
9:47come um from both the public and the
9:49staff uh as well as the board. Um a
9:53number of folks came tonight uh beyond
9:56just our project team. Um, obviously a
9:58number of neighbors came anticipating a
10:00meeting. We advertised for the meeting.
10:02U, we pushed really hard to have this
10:04first meeting at least to be heard. Uh,
10:07allow the neighbors to be heard. And so
10:09we're we would respectfully request that
10:11we be able to do that.
10:14>> Attorney Smith, with with respect, um,
10:16you're aware that the policy of this
10:18board is that we do not move items to
10:20public hearings until they are ready,
10:24uh, to actually move forward. There's a
10:27number of things that uh peer review
10:29could uncover here that might change the
10:30scope of your project. I think it's not
10:33fair to folks to have them come out to
10:34multiple meetings. These folks have
10:36already been I believe uh at least to
10:39one meeting of this board and probably
10:40other city city meetings as well. Uh I
10:44don't think that they want to come and
10:46offer comments at Nauseium forever. I
10:49think they'd like to offer comments on
10:50something that's ready to move forward.
10:52So consistent with our policy, that's
10:54how we'll act tonight. If you do have a
10:56suggestion on the date, however, I'd
10:58hear it.
10:59>> Um,
11:02well, if
11:05if the motion is to uh engage a peer
11:09reviewer, I would say not the next
11:12meeting, but the meeting thereafter.
11:15Do you think that's realistic
11:18for the peer reviewer to be be engaged,
11:20contracted by the city, the appropriate
11:22funds sequestered in all the ways that
11:24they're supposed to be and then uh have
11:26their comments back? I I think it's not,
11:28but
11:30I I think it is. Um and it's a case by
11:33case basis. Um the scope is limited, Mr.
11:37Chair, in terms of the peer review
11:39itself. Um we've got the data already in
11:42in hand. Um, so I I think it's feasible
11:47uh through you. Can I ask Michelle when
11:50that date would be? If not the next
11:53meeting, then the meeting thereafter.
11:54>> It's October 28th.
11:58>> And the that would move the constructive
11:59grant deadline to November 19th. And
12:02through the chair, I would just say that
12:04it is likely well we will work to pursue
12:07and develop a more detailed scope of
12:08work based on what was motioned um and
12:11work to solicit proposals um and and
12:14proceed to getting under contract. I
12:16think it's likely um that probably the
12:19November meeting is a bit more realistic
12:21in terms of when I would expect us to
12:23get someone actually under contract to
12:25begin working. Um, so that that would be
12:28maybe my suggestion um to ensure that
12:31that we're able to get the consultant
12:33under contract and then that we are also
12:35able to get the technical comments from
12:38the peer reviewer back and share them
12:40with the applicant and then allow for at
12:42least two weeks to elapse to be able to
12:44get revisions in response to those
12:46comments. I think that's probably more
12:47realistic. I say that partially because
12:49you're going to need to vote to
12:51authorize um basically once we get those
12:54quotes, you're going to need to vote at
12:55a at a future meeting, not related to
12:57the hearing, just as a procedural matter
12:59to authorize basically moving money into
13:01the account and confirming the the fee u
13:04based on those proposals. Um and the
13:07applicant has the opportunity to appeal
13:08that depending on what that amount is.
13:10And so just to allow for that process to
13:12play out, um I'm hopeful we can get them
13:14for the next meeting, but for whatever
13:16reason, if we aren't able to get
13:17responses back when we make the request
13:19starting tomorrow, um I think that's
13:22probably a safer date. Um but
13:24ultimately, the applicant needs to
13:26consent to whatever date the hearing is
13:28continued to. Um so
13:32>> and it's also an option that it just
13:34keeps coming back and getting postponed
13:36if it's not ready, as you know. I just I
13:38feel like that's unfair to folks who
13:40obviously have an interest in this and
13:41want to come and participate in the
13:42discussion. So, I'd like us to pick a
13:44realistic but not too far in the future
13:46date. If you tell me that's October
13:4929th, that will be the motion. If you're
13:52okay with November 18th, that could be
13:55the motion.
13:55>> Definitely not November 18th.
13:58>> I'm sorry. Definitely not.
13:59>> No, no, not not November 18th. I think
14:02it I I I know that the city of Worcester
14:06I won't say it's unprecedented but I
14:08think there's only been one other
14:09instance where a peer reviewer has been
14:11engaged in connection with a project. I
14:13do this in other communities and it it
14:15does not take that long.
14:17>> That's been my experience as well though
14:19it's not instantaneous.
14:21>> Agreed. And there are a number of
14:23factors involved um with respect to
14:25that.
14:27But I'm hopeful that the the city can
14:30expedite this and not I know they're not
14:32going to drag it out. I know Michelle
14:33and her team will not will not we'll try
14:36to make this as expeditious as possible.
14:38When when is the next through the chair
14:40when is the next actual plan?
14:42>> October 7th.
14:47>> Is there is there something
14:52Is there something wrong with being able
14:54to not to to meet with on October 7th
14:57with the board?
14:58>> We're going to need at least one meeting
15:00because my understanding is there's a
15:01procedural action that has to be voted
15:04which will then trigger the work to
15:05actually get done. So it's like step one
15:08is contracting
15:09vote, step two is peer review then
15:12meeting.
15:14And that's also not giving your client
15:16any time to adapt the proposal based on,
15:19you know, suggestions from peer
15:20reviewers.
15:23>> Assuming that that's even necessary.
15:27>> In my experience, most peer reviews come
15:29back with at least a few things you want
15:30to address.
15:31>> Understood.
15:34>> Um, well, I don't mean to be a dead
15:37horse, Mr. chair. But I I do want to
15:39again
15:41express it was my understanding that um
15:43we were going to we were going to have
15:44this date. We honestly we we pushed to
15:46have this date um to be able to meet.
15:49Obviously my client is engaged in a um
15:53contract with respect to this site. So
15:55they've got their own internal
15:56timelines. Um
15:58>> I believe you were advised that the
16:00board would feel that this needed to get
16:02postponed.
16:04>> That's not true.
16:06My understanding
16:07>> maybe my information is incorrect.
16:08>> If we if we advertised and we had the
16:11meeting, the anticipation would be what
16:13we're seeing right now, which I see a
16:15sea of green right here. A number of
16:17neighbors were are going to take the
16:20time to come down to city hall to hear
16:22about this project and now we can't do
16:26that. I So I I again I'd respectfully
16:28ask if we could at least open present
16:31what we have.
16:32>> It doesn't undermine your reviewer's
16:34review. I I do understand, but it wastes
16:36everyone in this room's time, especially
16:38the people that are going to come and
16:39speak about a project that's not yet
16:41been reviewed.
16:45And that's the position of this board.
16:50So, what date would you like?
16:52>> Uh the 28th. Mr.
16:55Is there a motion to postpone uh or
16:58continue the public hearing for 1 to3
17:00Suburban Road to October 28th and extend
17:02the constructed grant deadline to
17:04November 18th, 2026?
17:07>> I would make that motion.
17:09>> Second
17:09>> on the motion. Mr. King,
17:11>> yes.
17:11>> Mr. Tumi,
17:12>> yes.
17:12>> I vote yes as well. That motion passes 3
17:14to zero.
17:18Uh moving into the rest of our agenda.
17:21And uh folks, if you didn't hear the
17:24dates on that, that's October 29th is
17:27the next hearing, but please do call the
17:29planning department. It's not unusual
17:31for these things to get postponed
17:33multiple times.
17:35>> Through the chair, I just want to
17:36correct it's October 28th, um not the
17:3829th.
17:40>> Thank you. October 28th.
17:44and through the chair just a point of
17:46clarification relative to the scope. Um
17:49we'll work on developing this over the
17:51next few weeks but uh can the board
17:53confirm the preference to about a peer
17:56reviewer? Would you be looking for the
17:57peer reviewer to attend subsequent
17:59meetings just so we can develop the
18:00scope with that cost included? We can
18:02put it as a separate line item but just
18:03to be sure we know.
18:05>> Um anyone care to comment?
18:08>> I'd support them coming to the meeting.
18:11>> We'll we'll have it included. Thank you.
18:13Okay. Thank you. All right. Next on the
18:16agenda, item number two is going to be
18:18114 Lincoln Street. This will be a
18:20public meeting for a definitive site
18:22plan.
18:24Good evening, Mr. Chair and members of
18:26the board. For the record, my name is
18:27Donald O'Neal. I'm a lawyer here in
18:30Worcester with an office at 688 Pleasant
18:32Street. here this evening on behalf of
18:34Tiffany Nuin uh in connection with this
18:37property at 114
18:39Lincoln Street or one Frederick Street
18:41as I guess it will be known moving
18:44forward. Uh this is I'll be brief. Um
18:49it is a uh six-unit low-rise multif
18:53family building with nine parking
18:55spaces. Um
18:58and it's been reviewed by staff. uh was
19:01reviewed at the zoning board level as
19:03well. Um I have reviewed the
19:06recommendations of approval prepared by
19:08staff on pages 2, three and four, all 14
19:12of them and um I am in agreement
19:16actually with those. Um
19:19there are no waiverss are required. Um,
19:23also available online, um, is Joseph
19:27Graham who's done the engineering on the
19:28project and also Robert O'Neal who's
19:30done the survey work. And all three of
19:33us are available to answer any questions
19:36that you may have. Otherwise, we would
19:38ask for your approval of this
19:39submission.
19:41>> Okay. Uh, thank you. Comments from city
19:44staff.
19:45>> This is Steve Kerry in the planning
19:46division. Um, I'll also try to be brief.
19:48This is 114 Lincoln Street. Actually now
19:50known in our city system as one Henchman
19:53Street. Um the project before you is a
19:56six dwelling unit low-rise multif family
19:59with uh nine parking spaces. Um the
20:02building is actually oriented to face
20:04towards Henchman Street um with the
20:06parking sort of off to the left um away
20:09away from Lincoln Street. Um they had
20:12previously gone to the zoning board of
20:13appeals for that reduction of parking to
20:16have nine instead of the 12 that would
20:17be required by right as well as uh
20:20relief from the 5-ft uh buffer around
20:23the parking lot that would be required.
20:25Um DAP is proposing um plantings um in
20:29that in that buffer in accordance with
20:31landscaping standards. We also have a
20:33condition of approval around that um
20:34just to make sure that that is properly
20:36buffered from the residential um uses
20:39that are uh to basically the north and
20:42uh west of it. Um it just it's just
20:44non-compliant with regards to that that
20:465-ft buffer. Um DTM and DPW had
20:50requested a turning analysis to make
20:52sure that that that last parking space
20:54could be navigated out of. Um they did
20:56provide that. Um our conditions of
20:59approval are um largely around uh
21:03there's some some annotational ones just
21:04ensuring that um that the project is
21:08demonstrating its zoning compliance
21:09which we don't uh we don't anticipate
21:11any any issue with it. they just have to
21:13basically reflect that the front yard is
21:14in fact Henchman Street. Um where as I
21:17mentioned the building is oriented
21:18towards and then the other conditions of
21:20approval are around the um or not all of
21:23the other ones but some of the other
21:24ones are um around the sort of facade
21:28facing Lincoln Street. This stretch of
21:30Lincoln Street um is is sort of a a
21:33walkable corridor. Um it has fairly wide
21:35sidewalks. Just across Hman Street from
21:38this development is a convenience store,
21:39a Chinese restaurant. Um there is uh you
21:42know a medical use the um Lincoln Street
21:45um UMass Hanaman campus is further up
21:47Lincoln Street. So um people do do walk
21:50along this um and the um architectural
21:54facade on Lincoln Street was we felt um
21:57uh could could be more active. Um so we
22:00have conditions of approval around
22:01adding a couple of windows onto that
22:03here. I can scroll to it.
22:05um
22:08on that facade, a couple of windows here
22:10to match how it is on the other side.
22:12And then the applicant has also uh
22:14reflected a pergola on that side of the
22:17building as well to sort of where where
22:19there is a where there is a walkway
22:21again to at least um there really was an
22:23opportunity for a we did ask about a um
22:25having a egress there, an entry there,
22:27but that that really wasn't feasible
22:29with the sort of layout. But they are
22:31offering a putting a pergola there um to
22:33sort of again kind of create a more
22:35feeling of less of sort of a blank wall
22:37that someone would be walking by. Um the
22:39plan also right now that you're seeing
22:41on the screen also reflects a bicycle
22:42rack on that side. And while we
22:44definitely appreciate covered bicycle
22:45rack um that would be within the
22:47accessory uh accessory structure setback
22:49area. So we've asked that they move that
22:51to the uh front of the building on
22:53Henchman Street side um to be zoning
22:56compliant. But again, do definitely want
22:57to see and are glad to see exterior
22:59bicycle parking. Um and that's a
23:01condition of approval as well. Um and
23:04then um the applicant has provided a
23:06storm water report. We are waiting on
23:07that for for a couple weeks. Um and uh
23:10we just need to see a mounding analysis
23:13for that storm water report. I believe
23:14they they've done test pits. They didn't
23:16find any estimated seasonal high
23:17groundwater. I mean, no ground water was
23:19was detected, but just based on the
23:21depth of how far down those um testing
23:23pits went, they weren't quite deep
23:25enough to demonstrate the 4T of
23:27separation. So, we do want to see a
23:29mounding analysis. Um I think that's all
23:32I have for comments, but uh happy to
23:34answer any questions from the board or
23:35the applicant.
23:36>> All right. Thank you, Mr. Kerry. Is
23:38there any additional comment on this
23:39from uh DBW?
23:42>> We don't have any additional comments at
23:44this moment. Thank you.
23:46>> Okay. Thank you very much. Uh, anyone
23:48from the public wishing to speak on this
23:50item tonight?
23:52>> I don't see anybody in the room. Is
23:53there anybody online?
23:55>> Uh, Steve carrying the planning
23:56division. Not seeing anyone with their
23:57hand raised online.
23:59>> Board members.
24:00>> Uh, Mr. King, do you mind going first?
24:04>> Uh, yeah. No true comments on this one.
24:05Thank you. Happy to support.
24:08>> Thank you. Uh, Mr. Tumi,
24:10>> no comments. Thank you,
24:12>> Mr. Rosende.
24:13>> No comments. Thank you.
24:15>> Um, I also have no comments. I think
24:16this has been adequately reviewed. Uh
24:19I'm actually kind of excited to see a
24:21development in this area. I'm familiar
24:23with the corridor and uh used to be on
24:25my walk to work. So,
24:27it's great. Uh happy to support. I think
24:29we're ready for a motion.
24:32>> All right. I would make a motion to
24:35approve item the definitive site plan
24:38for item number two, 114 Lincoln Street.
24:42>> Second.
24:42>> On the motion, Mr. King.
24:44>> Yes.
24:45>> Mr. Tumi? Yes,
24:46>> I vote yes as well. Motion passes three
24:48to zero. Good luck to the applicant.
24:50>> Thank you very much.
24:52>> Uh, next up, item number 3, 79 Pullman
24:55Street. This will be a public meeting
24:56for a parking plan.
25:04>> Uh, good evening. My name is Patrick
25:06Doherty. I'm a professional engineer
25:07with Midpoint Engineering. Uh, my office
25:09is at 37 Sutton Road in Webster, Mass.
25:13here on behalf of the applicant charter
25:14foods. Um the property 79 Pullman Street
25:18is about 68 acres. Um former use of the
25:22property was a Silven Learning Center.
25:24It had about a 2400 ft building with a
25:27parking lot of about 26 parking spaces.
25:31Um it's got frontage on three streets.
25:34West Mountain would be um to the north,
25:37Pullman Street to the east, and Brook
25:39Street to the west. The site was
25:42previously presented to this board as
25:43well as the ZBA for a 23
25:4828 square foot um food service building
25:52with a pickup window and that was for a
25:53Chipotle use. We're now before this uh
25:57commission and had previously gone
25:59before the ZBA for a similar use for
26:02food service with drive-thru. The
26:04building's going to be slightly smaller.
26:06Um and we are um proposing this for a
26:09Taco Bell use.
26:11The um
26:14things that have changed from the prior
26:16approval, um we've got a similar size
26:18building, a couple hundred or 100 square
26:20ft smaller, about the same amount of
26:22parking spaces, but we've separated the
26:24drive-thru uh lanes from the parking
26:28spaces. Um we've also reduced parking by
26:32two spaces um per request from city
26:35staff.
26:37Um the along with the parking spaces in
26:40the building um we're going to be um
26:42constructing a you know fully landscaped
26:44plan according to the zoning
26:46regulations. Um we're going to be moving
26:48the access driveway slightly south
26:51further away from the intersection. Um
26:54all the pedestrian and vehicle areas
26:56will be lit safely with dark sky
26:59compliant um lighting
27:01and um we'll be adding pedestrian paths
27:04right now on Pullman Street. There is
27:07not a sidewalk on our side of the
27:09street. So we're going to be bringing a
27:10ADA accessible route from West Mountain
27:14down Pullman Street and into our site.
27:16Um we we we've been through this I guess
27:20a couple of times now and we have um
27:23spoken with staff on their review. Um I
27:25believe that that all of their comments
27:27can be addressed. Um there's a couple of
27:30of items that that I wanted to just go
27:33through on their recommendations.
27:35Um the first is they've they've
27:38recommended that the small strip between
27:40the drive-through lane and the parking
27:43spaces um include some tall grasses or
27:46or some other treatment. I I don't think
27:48they're going to do well there. There's
27:49not proposed to be irrigation and that's
27:51only a two foot wide strip with pavement
27:54on either side. Um I think we can
27:56address their concerns by maybe putting
27:57a a short fence uh decorative um you
28:01know fence just along where the parking
28:03spaces are. Um the second comment is um
28:08they've asked to pro provide one
28:10additional interior tree for the
28:13interior parking spaces. I don't know
28:15that that um we can really fit an extra
28:19tree in there. what we have. There's 27
28:23spaces and if we were required to have
28:25one per uh 10 spaces, we' we'd have I
28:28guess three trees. We're providing a
28:30tree by the menu board, a tree um in the
28:34triangle area by the building, and then
28:36a tree on either end of the parking on
28:39the south side of the site. Um
28:43there's not really much more green space
28:45inside the parking lot, but I I believe
28:46that we do kind of comply. There is a
28:48provision um in the zoning bylaw that
28:51says where if all parking spaces were
28:53abudding a buffer area then no interior
28:56spaces no interior trees would be
28:57required but um we do have some some
29:01spaces that aren't abuing a a um buffer
29:05area. So we we we'd um request that that
29:09provision not be um included. And then
29:12finally, this is something that I
29:14overlooked um and didn't discuss with
29:16staff, but um the item two in the
29:20recommendations is to provide test pit
29:22data um for at least two locations
29:25within the proposed in infiltration
29:28area. We've done one to date um and that
29:32was the deep pet test pit that I've
29:34witnessed as a professional engineer.
29:35Subsequent to that, we've had
29:37geotechnical analysis of the building
29:40corners um which is very close to it. So
29:42we we feel that that an additional test
29:45bed you know should not be required. Um
29:49you know maybe this could be changed um
29:51for the condition that evidence of test
29:53pit data you know um that is um
29:58acceptable to the planning and
29:59regulatory service.
30:01>> Okay.
30:03>> Um anything else? No, that that's off.
30:07>> Additional comments on this from city
30:08staff
30:10>> uh through you, Mr. Chair. This is uh
30:12Michelle Smith in the planning division
30:13and I apologize I missed part of the
30:16presentation. Um so in front of you this
30:19evening, you have an application which
30:21is very similar to one that you saw a
30:23couple years back uh which was
30:24previously for Chipotle which was a
30:26basically a drive-thru that wasn't a
30:28drive-thru was basically a pickup
30:29window. So now the applicant is
30:30proposing a full drive-thru standard
30:33type drive-thru service that you would
30:34be familiar with. So they've come back
30:36with a revised design, although it's
30:37substantially similar to what you had
30:38seen previously. So you'll you'll note
30:41the prior approvals and the fact that
30:42they have recently obtained zoning board
30:44of appeals approval for the same
30:45configuration.
30:47Um we had some comments. It sounds like
30:50there were a couple adjustments the
30:51applicant was looking for. I think I
30:53caught them. I'm not sure I totally
30:55caught the the rationale, so I apologize
30:57on that. Um in terms of uh kind of the
31:00outstanding items, I would say, you
31:02know, really it was about um landscaping
31:04for the most part. Um and then uh to the
31:06point that I did catch on, um storm
31:09water management. Um typically the for
31:12infiltration systems, we're we are
31:14typically looking for two test pit
31:16locations in an infiltration area.
31:18Ultimately, it's up to the board. Um if
31:20you want to not require that, um there I
31:24I would need to look back at the test
31:26pit data. Apologies, too many test pit
31:29looking at for this meeting. Um can't
31:32remember. I assume that they were
31:33consistent with the NRCS data, but I
31:36don't recall. So maybe the applicants uh
31:38engineer could care could summarize that
31:40and we could adjust the language. Um
31:42otherwise, we were just looking for that
31:43in compliance with the mass stormwater
31:44handbook requirements. Um and looking
31:47for the um typical forms we see. I
31:50believe the test bed data is provided as
31:52like an annotation on the plan. So we
31:54could certainly we don't necessarily
31:55need to get it on those forms. Um it's
31:57just kind of the typical format. So that
32:00could be removed. The test pit locations
32:02I would defer to the board. I don't
32:03think we had any comments from DPW
32:06with that regard on this one. Just
32:08looking and not seeing anything. Have my
32:10colleagues correct me if I've got that
32:12wrong. And I think if I heard the two
32:14other comments in terms of the staff
32:16recommendations
32:17um where there was a concern was around
32:19B and C if I if I heard that correctly.
32:22So B, which is a requirement to comply
32:24with the interior um landscape
32:26requirements, which based on the
32:28calculations, we believe there's one
32:30additional interior tree required. The
32:32planning board has the authority to wave
32:33that. So you could wave that to if you
32:35so choose. Um and then the other comment
32:38that we' had was about the small strip
32:40that's between the um if we go maybe to
32:43the landscape plan or this is the
32:45landscape plan. Thank you. uh the area
32:47that the cursor is hovering around right
32:49now, this kind of strip between a
32:51parking area and then the drive-thru and
32:52escape lanes. Um there's a small area, I
32:55think it's like a foot and a half wide,
32:56so it's not super wide in terms of being
32:59able to support a ton of plantings. U
33:01but the comment was about providing some
33:02sort of like ornamental grasses in this
33:04location to help physically kind of
33:06divide the two spaces and prevent
33:07anybody from thinking they can somehow
33:09drive over that, although I imagine um
33:11it'll be curbed and it would be
33:12unlikely. Um, so they are proposing, I
33:14believe, River Rock in this location if
33:16the board feels that's appropriate. You
33:18can certainly strike the condition. Um,
33:20not something that we feel super
33:22strongly about. It was just from a a
33:23design perspective in terms of trying to
33:25separate the two spaces. Um, the comment
33:27was thinking that the the ornamental
33:28grasses might help differentiate that a
33:30bit better than just kind of stone where
33:31it looks like you can kind of drive
33:33through and in the winter, you know, and
33:35there's snow on the ground maybe don't
33:36realize. Um, anyhow, um, I think those
33:39are the three. I I could talk further
33:41about the project, but I think for sake
33:43of brevity, I'll I'll leave it there,
33:44especially considering I didn't hear uh
33:46part of the proposal. So, thanks.
33:48>> Sure thing. Uh, additional comments from
33:50DV DPW on this item.
33:53>> This is Leslie Rodriguez for DPW. We
33:55don't have any comment. Thank you.
33:57>> Thank you, Miss Rodriguez.
33:59Um, anyone from the public wishing to
34:02speak.
34:05>> This is Steve Kerry in the planning
34:06division. I'm not seeing anyone with
34:07their hand raised.
34:09>> Okay. So I believe the issues that we're
34:12looking for comment from the board then
34:14are uh whether or not there is space for
34:18an additional tree or if we want to wave
34:20that requirement on the interior of the
34:22parking um the kind of area between the
34:25drive-thru the strip between the
34:27drive-thru and the parking next to the
34:28building. uh what that treatment should
34:30be and
34:32I'm sorry what's the third
34:34>> um whether we we had conducted one test
34:37>> oh test pits
34:38>> but we do have we have extra
34:40geotechnical investigation data whether
34:43the condition could be you know
34:46presented acceptable to the pling and
34:48zoning rather than specified two test
34:49pits
34:50>> understood um it seems like ju just for
34:53that one uh it it seems like for Miss
34:56Smith if we wrote the condition as the
34:58applicant suggest suggesting uh and you
35:00found it unacceptable, you could still
35:01require the second test pit, but it
35:03would give an opportunity to review.
35:05They're basically saying, "Hey, we did a
35:07bunch of geotechnical for the corners of
35:09the building that are pretty close and
35:10give us a bunch of information."
35:13I'm not
35:14>> sure through the chair. If the
35:15conditions are similar to the other
35:16location, that would be fine. If they're
35:18different, then we'd probably want the
35:19the locations for the infiltration.
35:22>> Okay. Sure.
35:22>> Yeah.
35:24>> Uh okay. Bo board member comments on the
35:26the tree and the landscape. um or the I
35:29don't know whatever we're calling it,
35:30the buffer between the drive-thru.
35:38>> Don't all speak at once. Mr. King, do
35:40you mind going first?
35:42>> No problem. I'm going back and forth on
35:44the buffer. Um I do think in the winter
35:47people may end up accidentally trying to
35:50drive through it, but from an
35:51operational standpoint, they can put a
35:53sign or something to stop that. But I'm
35:57also not opposed to ornamental grasses
35:59in that location. So I guess I'd be
36:02interested to hear what the rest of the
36:03board says. Um in terms of the
36:05additional tree,
36:08did we have a location for that one? I
36:10guess through the chair to staff
36:15uh through the chair. I don't believe we
36:16have described in the narrative a
36:19requirement for it to go in a specific
36:21location. We were giving the applicant
36:22the flexibility to choose uh where that
36:25might be. Um, so either in that kind of
36:27like triangular triangular landscaped
36:29area where the cursor is um in that kind
36:32of southern island adjacent to the
36:34crosswalk next to the parking space. Um,
36:36I'm not sure if the island on the other
36:38side and pardon my eyes might not be
36:41perfect here. Um, and then there's
36:43another island I see over on the left
36:45hand side at the egress of the
36:46drive-thru that could potentially
36:48accommodate a tree. I'm just eyeballing
36:50locations here. Um, unless those are not
36:53suitable for some reason, the applicant
36:54could certainly comment on that.
36:57>> Yeah, I guess I'd be curious about the
36:58suitability, but I am okay without uh it
37:02there. But yeah, I guess we can hear
37:05from the other board members to see
37:06where they stand on this one. Thank you.
37:08>> Thank you, Mr. King. Uh, Mr. Tumi.
37:11>> Yeah, I would be okay waving the the
37:13extra tree for that where just the way
37:15that the driveway is laid out. My
37:18concern if you put it on that corner
37:19space, you end up with a visual trying
37:21to pull out into traffic that you might
37:23have an issue relative to that. Again, I
37:25agree the ornamental grasses may be
37:27nice, but if you're just that narrow a
37:29strip, being able to keep something
37:31alive and that may be a bigger issue
37:33than anything else, having something
37:35that's more visible uh the fencing uh
37:38would be a good solution.
37:43>> Thank you, Mr. Tumi. Mr. Rosende,
37:46I second Mr. Mr. Tumi's comments, I
37:48think fencing in that strip would um be
37:50a better solution.
37:54>> Uh for myself, I agree with the fencing.
37:56I think that there are a lot of trees on
37:58this site.
38:00And the only place I could foresee
38:03putting another one I I'm pretty sure is
38:06not really suitable for it. So I I would
38:08be okay. Uh normally I'm all for, you
38:10know, more trees are better, but uh I I
38:14don't think we need to shoehorn in an
38:15additional tree here. I think we've got
38:17quite a bit of coverage of green
38:22>> through the chair. I'm hearing um strike
38:24B and instead grant a waiver from u one
38:27tree and then reflect fencing under C in
38:31the island between the drive-thru and
38:33the parking area.
38:34>> Yeah. And maybe we could just specify
38:36like some sort of low um black vinyl
38:40chain link or more decorative should
38:43they wish.
38:48Okay. So, a low ornamental open style
38:51fence.
38:52>> Yeah. Yeah. Just something that people
38:54won't try to drive over.
38:56>> Mhm. Okay. And then two is being
38:59adjusted to essentially say what it
39:01says, but unless supplemental
39:03geotechnical data is submitted
39:06demonstrating soils are consistent
39:07across the site. Does that work?
39:10>> Yeah.
39:13>> Okay. I think we're ready for a motion.
39:17>> All right. I would make the motion to
39:19favorably
39:21approve the parking plan for 79 Pullman
39:24Street with the conditions subject to
39:28our discussion.
39:31>> Second
39:31>> on the motion. Mr. King,
39:33>> yes.
39:33>> Mr. Tumi,
39:34>> yes.
39:34>> I vote yes as well. That motion passes
39:36three to zero. Good luck.
39:39>> Uh, next up, item number five, 104
39:42Eastern Avenue. This will be a public
39:43meeting for a definitive site plan.
39:49>> Uh, I don't see anybody for the
39:50applicant in the room. Is there somebody
39:51online?
39:52>> We do have Mark Borenstein, attorney
39:53Mark Bournestein online. Let me uh just
39:55make him a
39:58See, one second. Apologies. Give me one
40:00second, Mark.
40:04All right, Mark, you should be able to
40:06unmute. There we go.
40:07>> All right. Can Can folks hear me? All
40:09right,
40:09>> we can hear you. All right. Uh, sorry
40:12for not being there in person. I'm with
40:13my little ones this evening, so forgive
40:15the Miss Rachel blaring in the
40:16background. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair.
40:18Uh, for the record, Mark Forenstein,
40:20attorney Law, Principal Bell, based in
40:22Worcester, representing the applicant
40:23Excellent Investments Corp., uh, we're
40:25before you this evening seeking
40:26definitive site plan approval for a
40:28proposed three family building at 104
40:31Eastern A. Uh, we've appeared before the
40:34zoning board of appeals. We've received
40:36some relief associated with the off-
40:37streetet parking. uh were before you due
40:40to the 15% slopes at the property. Uh we
40:43reviewed uh I I don't know if we want to
40:46go through the there's the the street
40:48view, there's the existing conditions
40:49plan. We can show some renderings of the
40:51the the building itself. Um
40:55can we keep going, Steve, please?
40:59So, um so this is the site layout.
41:01You'll see that we have six parking
41:03spaces in front of the building. Um, as
41:06I said before, three three family
41:07building. Uh, we've got some additional
41:10landscaping throughout the site. Uh, and
41:12uh, so that that's the extent of the
41:14project itself. Uh, we've reviewed
41:17staff's conditions of approval. We do
41:18not have any requested changes and we
41:20would respectfully request uh, the
41:22waiverss recommended by staff. And with
41:24that, I'm happy to answer any questions
41:25that the board may have. Thank you.
41:27>> Thank you, Attorney Borenstein.
41:29Additional comments from members of the
41:30city staff.
41:31>> Sure. Uh, this is Steve Kerry in the
41:33planning division. I can also be fairly
41:35brief. Um, this is a three family
41:38dwelling. It's before you because of uh
41:40disturbance of 15% slopes on the
41:43property. Um, the building is fairly far
41:46set back from the street um with the
41:48parking area, the six required spaces in
41:50front. Um, it did receive relief from
41:53the zoning board for um to exceed the
41:56amount of front yard impervious. Um,
41:58there are retaining walls on either side
42:00of the parking lot to keep that level.
42:02And then the um building as proposed is
42:05sort of built um into the slope. Um
42:09yeah, our conditions of approval are I
42:11would say largely annotational um about
42:14uh labeling a surface treatment in a
42:16couple places. Um labeling species of
42:18shrubs and trees to be used um at the
42:21rear of the lot. Um we just wanted to
42:24ensure there are some mature vegetation
42:25down at the rear of the lot. Um we just
42:27want to make sure that those are going
42:29to be uh retained. So we have a um a
42:31condition of approval around a a tree
42:33protection detail which the applicant
42:34has actually already provided. Um and
42:36then we had just a couple of conditions
42:38of approval relative to the um
42:39architectural plans. Um we're just
42:41asking for um basically one one window
42:43of additional fedestration on one of the
42:45sides. Um and then just reflecting that
42:49the decks on the back will have a um
42:52stairwell down to the ground to provide
42:54a a rear egress. Um otherwise uh we do
42:58also have a condition around a
42:59construction management plan. um which
43:03is not always uh it's not always a
43:05condition of approval we have for
43:06smaller projects like this, but just
43:07given that uh Eastern A is fairly um
43:10heavily street parked um and you know
43:13people I think do have some difficulty
43:15just navigating it and when there are
43:18you know a lot of people parked and uh
43:20we just want to make sure that the
43:21construction of this building is as um
43:24uh least least impactful as possible. Um
43:27there's that. And then uh with regards
43:29to um the infiltration unit uh that's
43:32proposed underneath the um
43:35underneath the parking area. We don't
43:37have testment data at this point. So
43:38we've just requested that um that be
43:41provided at the point of uh before
43:43issuance of a building permit. And then
43:44if it's less than 4 ft of separation
43:46between the estimated seasonal high
43:48ground water and the bottom of the
43:49infiltration unit that the applicant
43:50provide a mounding analysis. So um
43:52fairly standard uh condition of
43:54approval. Um, I think that's all I've
43:56got. I'm happy to answer any questions
43:57that the board might have.
44:00>> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Kerry. Any comments
44:01from DBW on this?
44:05>> This is Leslie Rodriguez for DPW. We
44:07don't have any comment. Thank you.
44:09>> Thank you. Uh, anyone from the public on
44:11this item?
44:15>> Nobody with their hand raised online.
44:17>> Board members, uh, Mr. King, do you mind
44:20going first?
44:21>> Well, no comments on this one. Thank
44:23you.
44:24>> Okay. Uh, Mr. Tumi,
44:25>> no comments. Thank you.
44:27>> Thank you, Mr. Rosende.
44:29>> No comments. Thank you.
44:30>> Uh, I note that staff's review has been
44:33very thorough and I agree with all its
44:34recommendations, but otherwise have no
44:36comments. I think we're ready for a
44:37motion.
44:38>> All right. I make a motion to favorably
44:40approve subject to staff conditions item
44:42number five, 104 Eastern Avenue.
44:46>> Second.
44:46>> On the motion, Mr. King?
44:48>> Yes.
44:48>> Mr. Tumi?
44:50>> Yes.
44:50>> I vote yes as well. Motion passes 3 to
44:53zero.
44:58Uh, next item on our agenda, item number
45:00six. This will be a public hearing for a
45:03definitive frontage subdivision plan
45:05related to 69 Orient Street.
45:17Good evening, Mr. Chairman, members of
45:18the board. My name is Michael Serta. I'm
45:21an attorney and uh my office is at one
45:23merkantile street in Worcester. I have
45:25with me the uh applicants um the
45:28principles of ML realy group LLC um Andy
45:32Loi and Helos Marco. Um we were before
45:37the uh zoning board of appeals um in mid
45:40August to obtain a variance for a
45:43th00and uh square ft of area and a 5-ft
45:47frontage variance in order to allow um
45:50this lot to be divided to allow a the
45:54existing two family house at 69 um
45:57Orient Street um to be broken off and to
46:01allow the other lot which would have a
46:04duplex
46:04semi- detached duplex um housing uh so
46:09that to create four units. Um the four
46:11units if the lot were vacant today they
46:14would be allowed under um the statute
46:17but because the house was already there
46:18we needed to get a variance. Um the ZBA
46:21granted it unanimously. Um we have filed
46:25the with the clerk's office um the
46:27decision and that will ripen on uh next
46:31Monday.
46:32We are here to get the uh the second
46:34portion of it. Since we got the uh
46:37limited um we got the limited variance
46:39on frontage, we needed to come to the
46:41board for um instead of an ANR in order
46:43to uh obtain a frontage uh definitive
46:47subdivision plan. Um right now we would
46:50also seek to be three waivers. One that
46:53we wave um all subdivision regulations
46:56other than the ANR um regulations. Um
46:59that there is no new road. So sections
47:01uh 7 9 and 10 be waved and also the
47:05waiver for the 5 foot of frontage
47:08and any questions and comments uh
47:11certainly to myself or the principles.
47:13>> Okay, thank you. Uh additional comments
47:15from city staff on this
47:18>> through the chair. This is Olivia Hull
47:20in the planning division. So, as uh the
47:22applicant attorney stated, the um
47:26project or the the site previously
47:29received ZBA relief for frontage
47:31requirements as well as some other um
47:34site related requirements, but the
47:36application before you today is to
47:38formally divide the lots and create the
47:39two new lots where um ultimately a
47:42duplex is proposed to be constructed. I
47:45wouldn't add much else to uh the
47:49proposal. I just want to note um this
47:52um project will [clears throat]
47:53eventually have to come back before the
47:55board for the construction of the duplex
47:57just due to the slopes on site. The
47:59applicant opted to file for the frontage
48:01subdivision separately um just for um
48:04able to be able to proceed with sale of
48:07the lot where the existing two family
48:09sits. So um you will eventually see this
48:11come back before the board to review the
48:13duplex that's proposed on the new lots.
48:15No further comment. Happy to answer any
48:17questions.
48:18>> Okay. Thank you, Miss. Uh, additional
48:20comments from DPW on this.
48:25>> Leslie Rodriguez for DPW. We don't have
48:27any comments. Thank you.
48:28>> Thank you, Mr. Rodriguez. Anyone from
48:30the public on this item?
48:34>> Steve Caring, the planning division.
48:35Nobody with their hand raised.
48:38>> Board members, Mr. King.
48:40>> This one's relatively straightforward.
48:42Uh, tabist board, no comments. Thank
48:44you.
48:45>> Thank you, Mr. Tumi.
48:47>> Uh, no comments. Thank you.
48:48>> Thank you, Mr. Rosende.
48:50>> No comments. Thank you.
48:52>> Uh I also have no comments. I think
48:53we're ready for a motion.
48:55>> All right. I make a motion to approve
48:57item number 669 orientry subject to
49:00staff conditions as written.
49:02>> Second.
49:03>> On the motion, Mr. King?
49:04>> Yes.
49:05>> Mr. Tumi?
49:06>> Yes.
49:06>> I vote yes. Three to zero. Motion
49:08passes. Good luck.
49:09>> Thank you very much.
49:11>> Uh next up, item number eight, 114
49:14Austin Street. This will be a public
49:15meeting for a definitive site plan.
49:25>> Is this you or
49:28>> Okay.
49:30Evening, Mr. Chair, members of the
49:32board.
49:33I'm back. Um, just for the record,
49:36Joshua Lee Smith. I'm a attorney with
49:37law firm about Bowage and Dwey. uh here
49:40this evening representing 114 Austin
49:43Street LLC in connection with this
49:44project. Uh this project uh will I think
49:48be pretty familiar to most of the board
49:51here. I believe you were all most of you
49:53were members uh at the time when this
49:55was approved uh back in 2024.
49:59Um I'm going to give you a really brief
50:01history of of what happened then. Uh and
50:05then fast forwarding to the conclusion,
50:07it's the exact same project. Um and by
50:10the way, Jesse Hilenberg here, he's the
50:12architect of record uh as well with
50:14respect to this project. So what is uh
50:18being proposed and what was approved
50:20again back in 2024 is a five five unit
50:24uh townhouse style development. Um the
50:27lot itself is about 9200 ft in size and
50:30the project is within the RG5 zoning
50:33district. It is also part of the Crown
50:35Hill local historic district. Uh
50:37tomorrow night we have meeting with the
50:39historical commission um in connection
50:41with a certificate of appropriateness
50:43for the project. So again back in 2024
50:46we came before the board with respect to
50:49uh seeking a approval of a site plan in
50:52connection with this project. Uh project
50:54was approved. Uh there was a number of
50:57design related changes um that were uh
51:00proposed mostly coming from the
51:02historical commission at the time. Um
51:04but ultimately the planning board
51:05approved it. Uh once it was approved the
51:09um there was actually a fire that
51:10happened uh with respect to the carriage
51:13house, the historic carriage house. Uh
51:15and I'm sorry whoever is controlling if
51:17you maybe you could advance. So on the
51:19far right there is a replica of uh the
51:22the carriage house that once stood there
51:25and it was the agreement of the
51:27applicant at that time who was a
51:29predecessor owner of this property uh to
51:32rebuild uh a a replica of of the
51:35carriage house. So that ultimately is
51:37what was uh approved. But I'll say once
51:40on once that carriage house uh was
51:42burned down, we came back uh with some
51:45slight revisions with respect to the
51:47layout um which ultimately were all
51:49approved. So now fast forward um the as
51:52I'd mentioned this was a predecessor
51:54owner. Um Polar Views was the previous
51:56owner. Um the current owner now is is my
52:00client 114 Austin Street LLC and they
52:03are seeking to uh essentially have these
52:07permits reissued. Um technically this is
52:09a new filing. Um but uh otherwise um
52:13this is the same this is the same
52:15project five unit uh townhouse style uh
52:19dwelling including one of those units
52:20being um being with respect to that
52:23carriage house. Um I don't want to dwell
52:27on this any further. It's a pretty
52:28straightforward project. Um so I'll
52:31leave it at that. Happy to answer any
52:33questions.
52:34>> Thank you. Uh, additional comments on
52:36this from city staff
52:39>> through the chair, Michelle Smith again
52:41in the city's planning division. Um, so
52:43as you heard, you've approved this, then
52:45you've modified this uh, and now you are
52:47reapproving uh, hopefully for the
52:49applicant um, the same proposal. Really,
52:51not much has changed since the last
52:52iteration, some minor uh, changes to
52:55essentially HVAC that are coming out of
52:56the final design. And really the changes
52:58that you're seeing here, most of the
53:00conditions that we'd previously imposed
53:02were addressed. We have one item that
53:04we're carrying forward that's listed on
53:06page 20 of six in the staff memo in
53:08terms of planning conditions for plan
53:10revisions. There's a few comments from
53:11DPW as well as DTM. And then the
53:13majority of these other comments are um
53:16continuous comments uh or conditions
53:18rather from the prior approvals. Um the
53:20one that I would say that we should
53:21adjust in the prior owner the prior
53:24owners uh proposal they anticipated
53:26these being ownership units with an HOA
53:28condo association. um the owner, this
53:31owner, new owner has not made a
53:33determination about whether they will be
53:34for sale or for rent. And um so we would
53:37recommend that you adjust under
53:38perpetual condition number nine, which
53:40is on page three, would you adjust the
53:42language? So it says um appropriate
53:45basically we're saying you can't park in
53:46the driveway because there's not enough
53:47room for a car to stick out and someone
53:49to get through. So it says no vehicles
53:50shall park in the driveway. appropriate
53:52signage on site and limitations within
53:54the HOA or lease agreements um as
53:57applicable shall be provided to deter
53:59such activity. So we want that to be in
54:02folks lease so that they know that they
54:03can't park there. Um so that is is
54:06something that we would recommend you
54:07modify just given that change. So um I
54:12don't necessarily need to give you
54:13comments on anything else but I'm happy
54:14to comment if there's a question that
54:16you have. Thanks.
54:17>> Okay. Thank you Miss Smith. Uh, Miss
54:19Rodriguez, anything from DBW?
54:24>> We don't have any comment at this time.
54:26Thank you.
54:27>> Thank you. Uh, anyone from the public on
54:29this item?
54:32>> This is Steve Kerry in the planning
54:34division. I'm just navigating to the um,
54:39participants. One second. [snorts]
54:44Nobody online with their hand raised.
54:46>> Okay. Board members, Mr. King,
54:48>> I remember this project well. Uh, happy
54:50to support it still. Thank you.
54:52>> Thank you, Mr. Tumi.
54:53>> Yeah, this was before my time, but also
54:55happy to support it. Thank you.
54:58[snorts]
54:58>> Uh, thank you, Mr. Rosende.
55:00>> No comment. Thank you.
55:02>> Um,
55:04well, for myself, I I'm guessing you
55:06guys don't mind the addition of the the
55:09minor language change Miss Smith
55:10mentioned to be HOA or lease as
55:13applicable.
55:14>> Correct, Mr. Chair. We're amendable to
55:16that. Thank you. Okay.
55:17Uh, I do remember this project. I like
55:20the change. Uh, happy to support it. Mr.
55:23King, I think we're ready for a motion.
55:25>> All right. I make a motion to approve
55:27item number 8, 114 Austin Street,
55:30subject to staff conditions as written.
55:32>> I second.
55:33>> On the motion, Mr. King.
55:35>> Yes.
55:36>> Mr. Tumi.
55:37>> Yes.
55:38>> I vote yes. 3 to zero. Motion passes.
55:40Good luck. Thank you.
55:43I believe, Mr. Chair, um, you're next.
55:46It's 216 221 up next.
55:49>> Yes.
55:49>> Uh could could I could the board
55:51entertain a a fivem minute recess?
55:53>> Um I tell you what, how about we take
55:55ANRS and then we'll come back. Is that
55:56okay?
55:57>> That's great for you to do what you need
55:59to do.
56:01>> Uh let's take ANRS.
56:07>> This is Steve Carry in the planning
56:08division. Just give me one second to
56:10navigate to these. So I believe there
56:12are I want to say three up for your
56:15endorsement. Apologies that I was not
56:18ready. Um one, two, yes, there are three
56:21up for your endorsement. Um the first
56:23one is 240 Morland Street. Um this is in
56:27the RS10 zone. Um the minimum frontage
56:30for each lot in the RS10. Um is 80 ft of
56:34frontage for a single family detached,
56:36which is the only type of housing that
56:37can be built in uh RS10. Uh each
56:40proposed lot here um with the lot line
56:42being added would have the requisite 80
56:44feet. Um 10B is not properly before the
56:49board nor is 10 C. Uh 10D is 26 and 28
56:54Milton Street. This is adding zero lot
56:56lines um to a uh seed set of two town
57:00houses. So, um, each townhouse, uh,
57:03needs to have 20 ft of frontage for
57:06single family attached or townhouse
57:08style dwellings in the RG5 zoning
57:10district, which each of these would have
57:12with these zero lot lines. And then 10E
57:15is 28 Chicasset uh, road. Um, this is to
57:20add this lot line you're seeing
57:21highlighted in red. uh parcel A would
57:24become part of lot one here and then the
57:28remainder of this uh zero Dominion Road
57:30would become all part of one large lot
57:33called lot 2 combined with 24 26 and uh
57:3728 Chassesset Road. So it's essentially
57:40creating two lots um which I'm
57:42indicating with my cursor one here and
57:44then the second one being all of these
57:47um and both lots have um well the lot
57:50sorry I should say the combination lot
57:52one and parcel a has adequate has
57:54frontage on insonia lot two will be
57:57unbuildable and is labeled as such on
57:59the plan um off the plan where you can't
58:02see it but on the myar does say it will
58:03be unbuildable
58:05and that's it for plans for endorsement
58:07so that's 10 A, uh, 10 D, and 10E.
58:13>> Is there a motion to endorse?
58:15>> Motion to endorse ANRS A, D, and E.
58:20>> Second.
58:22>> On the motion, Mr. King?
58:23>> Yes.
58:24>> Mr. Tumi?
58:25>> Yes.
58:25>> I vote yes as well. That motion passes
58:27three to zero. Uh, Miss W, I believe
58:30there are no minutes. Is that correct?
58:33>> That is correct. But I am hoping to have
58:35some for you guys next time. I'm sure
58:37you're eager eagerly awaiting to approve
58:39them.
58:39>> We are. We're so excited to approve
58:41them.
58:44>> Right.
58:46hours.
58:59>> For any for anybody that's listening
59:01online and wondering what we're doing,
59:02we're just uh we have one more item to
59:05take, but we're going to wait another
59:06couple minutes before we take it. So,
59:07doing some paperwork.
59:22Oh, right.
59:39>> The first time I do it.
59:42It's all setides
59:47when I try
59:51to do
59:53scanning through all the slides
59:56like share thing and then but like it
1:00:01just messes up the
1:00:04computer that's so small for it or
1:00:25has power on here. So, you have to go
1:00:28get it.
1:00:32>> I mean, I don't know. I just I just want
1:00:34to try because like this keeps happening
1:00:35where it's like I try to do something
1:00:37simple like just stop share like move to
1:00:40the right slide reshare and then it's
1:00:43but it it goes to where I was before or
1:00:45it's just like all of a sudden I then it
1:00:48doesn't fit the screen anymore and I
1:00:50can't hit the button because the
1:00:51button's off screen like
1:00:53>> just frustrating
1:00:59>> I know right because I didn't want those
1:01:01like displayed whatever
1:01:05What else?
1:01:07I just want to go smoothly.
1:01:29>> Especially like
1:01:36I think just because she's I'm sure
1:01:37she's hearing it from her. She wants
1:01:39like the separation.
1:01:43>> Yeah.
1:01:45She's been very careful not to she ask
1:01:47she picks my brain
1:01:49>> anything she's like a degree of
1:01:51separation.
1:01:54>> Yeah.
1:01:58>> Right. Right. Exactly. Exactly.
1:02:01When I first interview, I had to sign
1:02:08my mom for mass
1:02:12over
1:02:30That is still
1:02:38>> Josh. How's it going back there?
1:02:40>> You're ready? Great. Let's go. Uh, so
1:02:44next item we're going to hear is item
1:02:46number 9, 216 and 221 Chandler Street.
1:02:48This will be a public meeting for a
1:02:50definitive site plan and a public
1:02:52hearing for a special permit uh related
1:02:55to inclusionary zoning and uh commercial
1:02:57corridor overlay district. two different
1:02:59special permits.
1:03:02>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, again, just
1:03:04for the record, Joshua Lee Smith,
1:03:06attorney with Bowish and Dwey. Um, here
1:03:09representing different client, but an
1:03:11affiliate of uh of Beyond Construction.
1:03:15Um, so the applicant here is 216
1:03:17Chandler Street, LLC. Uh, this has some
1:03:21similarities with respect
1:03:23to the extent that again this was a
1:03:25former Polar Views project. Um, again,
1:03:29it was approved previously by this
1:03:31board, uh, as well as it went through
1:03:33the ZBA. Um, and I don't believe, did it
1:03:36go through historical commission? I
1:03:38don't believe so.
1:03:39>> Um, but you're you're seeing this
1:03:41project again. Um, unlike 114 Austin
1:03:44Street, this there are some changes with
1:03:46respect to this project. Uh, however, on
1:03:49balance, it's uh very very similar to
1:03:51the to what was previously approved. Um,
1:03:55so just a little bit of background as
1:03:56you can see here, this is an outline of
1:03:58216
1:04:00uh Chandler Street. Uh, down the street
1:04:03is 221 uh Chandler Street. Actually,
1:04:06both are depicted here. So, the smaller
1:04:08um yellow outline there on the bottom of
1:04:11the screen there is 216 Chandler Street.
1:04:13That's the the development lot. Uh
1:04:15that's where the new building um the
1:04:17proposed new building will be uh cited.
1:04:20across the street down the street um is
1:04:22the remote parking. And again, this is
1:04:25the same configuration that was approved
1:04:27previously. Um all of the parking, all
1:04:30of the parking for the residents for
1:04:32this project are are to be remote at 221
1:04:35Chandler Street. And 221 Chandler
1:04:37Street, as a reminder, uh is an existing
1:04:40parking lot. It it does serve an
1:04:43existing mixed commercial building. that
1:04:46commercial building will continue to
1:04:47remain those the uses all again remain
1:04:51exactly the same. So things like the
1:04:53calculation of the minimum parking all
1:04:55of that still remains the same. Um at a
1:04:58really really high level uh yes there
1:05:00are some changes with respect to the 216
1:05:03the building lot portion of the project
1:05:05the 221 the parking lot portion of the
1:05:08remote parking project uh is virtually
1:05:11unchanged. We're going to get into some
1:05:12comments that Michelle and her staff had
1:05:14that will be some tweaks to that remote
1:05:17parking layout. Um, but all in all, the
1:05:20221 parking layout that was approved uh
1:05:23previously will is basically the same.
1:05:26The whole project itself is it's within
1:05:28the uh BG3 zone. So, it's within the
1:05:31business zone. Uh it's also uh within
1:05:33the CCODE. So, it is also has the spirit
1:05:38of the CCOD and some of those design
1:05:40elements that Jesse and his team have
1:05:42incorporated into this new building. Um,
1:05:44thank you. Who's who's doing Olivia?
1:05:47Steve.
1:05:47>> Steve. Okay. Thank you, Steve. So, as
1:05:49Steve just showed, there are some
1:05:50existing conditions. The the building at
1:05:52this site has already been raised and
1:05:54removed. Um, it was a former I think a
1:05:57restaurant of some kind, pretty
1:05:59well-known one, but in any event, that
1:06:01was raised and removed. As you can see
1:06:03here, this is the latest rendering um at
1:06:06the corner of Chandler Street in Mason.
1:06:08Um as you can see the the articulation
1:06:11of the of the facade um being a corner
1:06:14lot really speaks to both sides of of
1:06:16that street. Um uh let me give a a few
1:06:21data points with respect to the before
1:06:22and after in terms of the residential um
1:06:26programming and the parking. So the what
1:06:28was previously proposed or what was pre
1:06:31previously approved uh were 21 units in
1:06:34a mixeduse building. Um what we are
1:06:37proposing now are 28 units. So more
1:06:41housing, more residential units um being
1:06:43proposed and again this is a sixstory
1:06:46building
1:06:47as was um the case previously. Uh one
1:06:50big difference with respect to those
1:06:52housing units is that with the previous
1:06:53approval all the housing units were in
1:06:56in levels 2 through six. So in the new
1:07:00proposed project there will be some
1:07:02ground level units uh and that helps um
1:07:06allow for the additional residential
1:07:08units. So there will be some ground
1:07:09level units as part of the new proposed
1:07:11project. Um there is a retail component
1:07:14that was approved previously about 2900
1:07:18square feet of retail space that was
1:07:20previously approved. And so what we're
1:07:22we're proposing now is a more contracted
1:07:25reduced size for that commercial space
1:07:28from 2900 to about 1,000 square ft in
1:07:31terms of retail. But it still will be a
1:07:34mixeduse project. And a thousand square
1:07:36feet you can get a a decentsized retail
1:07:39space operator in there. So those are
1:07:42the sort of highlevel differences with
1:07:44respect to the before what was
1:07:46unanimously approved by this board and
1:07:48what we're proposing now. I'm going to
1:07:51pass it over to Jesse to speak a little
1:07:53bit more with respect to the
1:07:54architectural details.
1:07:56>> Um Jesse Hildenberg with Dixon Sal
1:07:58architects in Worcester. I live in
1:08:00Oxbridge.
1:08:01So the the building before I don't know
1:08:04if you remember it was a little bigger,
1:08:05a little filled the lot a little more.
1:08:07We actually pinched it in a little bit
1:08:08so we have 5T around the whole building.
1:08:10Um, it allows us to put a little bit
1:08:12more glazing in the outside. Uh, we're
1:08:14still limited to 15% of unprotected
1:08:16glazing from the code, but we still can
1:08:17get a little bit more than before. And,
1:08:19and the premise on the front is we're
1:08:21trying to do three buildings on the same
1:08:22lot. So, we're trying to make the front
1:08:25look like there's a little brick
1:08:26building, a little three-story brick
1:08:28building, similar to what was there
1:08:29initially. It is smaller. It's not the
1:08:30same, obviously. And then a taller white
1:08:33building and an even taller gray blue
1:08:35residential block. That's how we're
1:08:36trying to structure the the the Chandler
1:08:38Street side. As we go around the corner,
1:08:40we carry that same thing on the uh Mason
1:08:43Street side. So, we still have the the
1:08:44blue block, the white building, and the
1:08:46brick block on the front. So, we're
1:08:47trying to give a little bit of variety
1:08:48to to both sides of the elevation. Um
1:08:51what you see on the the image on the
1:08:53left is the back stair tower. Uh
1:08:55currently, we are calling for a loading
1:08:58space, but I think staff comments were
1:09:00asking if we could take it out. Um and
1:09:04I'm trying to think if there's anything
1:09:06else. Um, it's all fiber cement, so for
1:09:09for fire ratings.
1:09:11Um, not sure if there's any other
1:09:13questions. It's a pretty similar design
1:09:15as before.
1:09:18>> Thank you, Mr. Chair.
1:09:19>> Yeah, let's find out. So, uh, staff
1:09:21comments on this item
1:09:25>> through the chair. This is Olivia Hull
1:09:27in the planning division. Um, so as
1:09:31attorney Lee Smith stated, um, this is a
1:09:34similar project that you had, um,
1:09:36previously looked at in 2024, uh, where
1:09:39at 216 Chandler Street, the applicant
1:09:41seeks to construct a six-story high-rise
1:09:43with, um, 1,020
1:09:46square ft of commercial space and 28
1:09:50residential units. Um the units do
1:09:54include ground flooror units which does
1:09:55require the building to be set back um 5
1:09:58feet from the property line as this is
1:10:00in the CCOD. So the building footprint
1:10:03has been slightly adjusted and is a bit
1:10:05smaller as a result of that. Uh they
1:10:08intend to apply provide the parking for
1:10:11this use at 221 Chandler Street um which
1:10:15is an existing parking lot where 20
1:10:17spaces will be designated for this use.
1:10:20Um so first I'll just start with the
1:10:22relief they're seeking through the
1:10:24special permits for the inclusionary
1:10:26zoning special permit. They were seeking
1:10:27relief from minimum parking requirements
1:10:30um seeking the maximum amount that the
1:10:32board is able to grant through the
1:10:34inclusionary zoning special permit which
1:10:36is up to 50%. In this case the use
1:10:39requires 20 spaces. Um since it's in the
1:10:42CCOD it does have a slightly reduced
1:10:44parking requirement. Um there are also
1:10:45some guest spaces that are required. So
1:10:48um the requirement here with the IZ
1:10:51bonuses and reductions is 20 spaces
1:10:53which as I stated is being provided at
1:10:56221. They are also seeking relief from
1:10:59loading space requirements. Um so the
1:11:02plans here do show um a non-compliant
1:11:06loading space on site at 216 Chandler
1:11:09Street. It's shown as a 8 by I'm sorry
1:11:129x8
1:11:13um space right now. Um, we have
1:11:16recommended that the applicant
1:11:18eliminates this space entirely and
1:11:21instead petitions to the city council to
1:11:23provide an on street loading space. Um,
1:11:26we've written a condition so that if for
1:11:29any reason the council will not grant an
1:11:32on street loading space that they could
1:11:35ultimately use the configuration that we
1:11:37see here today. We did talk with uh the
1:11:40Department of Transportation and
1:11:41Mobility about um the feasibility of
1:11:44them supporting an on- street loading
1:11:46space here, especially given the
1:11:47Chandler Street redesign, which is still
1:11:49in progress. They did mention that um
1:11:53the redesign includes some parking
1:11:55spaces in front of the structure along
1:11:58Chandler Street um where they would be
1:12:00amendable to potentially designating
1:12:03some of those spaces for loading. Um,
1:12:05however, the design is still in
1:12:07progress. Things may change. Um, but
1:12:09they generally voiced some support for
1:12:12uh, loading on the street ultimately up
1:12:14to city council. So, if they don't um,
1:12:17agree with that, they could keep the 9
1:12:19by18 that we see on the plans here. Um,
1:12:23so that covers the inclusionary zoning
1:12:25special permit. As for the CCOD special
1:12:28permit, um, this is, um, ultimately
1:12:32pretty similar to what you had granted
1:12:33previously. As um Attorney Smith stated,
1:12:35there's no changes proposed to this lot.
1:12:38So, they were seeking relief from
1:12:40landscape buffer requirements um
1:12:43specifically along Chandler Street in
1:12:45the front of the lot. It's currently
1:12:46paved and they have some EV charging
1:12:49pads going there. So, they're not able
1:12:50to provide the required landscape
1:12:52screening that would otherwise be
1:12:54required for um screening parking from
1:12:57the street. They're also seeking relief
1:13:00from drive by requirements. Um the
1:13:02ordinance requires 24 ft for drive alles
1:13:04um serving two-way traffic. They
1:13:07currently show 22 feet for the drive
1:13:10vial. Um both of the driveles rather.
1:13:13Staff did uh with this round of review
1:13:16note some concerns with a new 3Foot uh
1:13:21AD or just a ramp um provided along the
1:13:24existing building at 221. So, we just
1:13:27have some concerns that this isn't ADA
1:13:28compliant and they'll essentially have
1:13:30to widen it um which would result in a
1:13:34further decrease of their um drive vial
1:13:37width. So, um, we've written it so that,
1:13:40um, they're seeking relief to allow a 20
1:13:42to 22 foot, um, buffer, I'm sorry, drive
1:13:47aisle, and, um, essentially show us on
1:13:50the final plans if, you know, [snorts]
1:13:52the building code says that, uh, walkway
1:13:55needs to be wider, that they show the
1:13:58widened walkway and the decreased drive
1:14:00bile. Um, but the relief they'd be
1:14:01getting would be to allow it to be
1:14:03anywhere between 20 ft and 22 feet. Um
1:14:07so then for the site plan, we did issue
1:14:11some slightly modified conditions. We
1:14:14did show them um for ease of everybody's
1:14:17review in blue on the staff memo where
1:14:20they changed from what was previously
1:14:22approved. Um most um notably I'd say was
1:14:27just regarding what I already discussed
1:14:29with the petitioning for the loading
1:14:31space to be on the street. Um, we're
1:14:33also looking for some enhancements of
1:14:35the ground floor along Chandler Street
1:14:38to help establish a more prominent entry
1:14:40to both the commercial unit as well as
1:14:42the residential units. Even that's just
1:14:44if that's with just some signage,
1:14:46something to make the those entry points
1:14:48a bit more clear and prominent from the
1:14:49street as required by the CCOD. Um, we
1:14:53also had noted that uh we didn't we
1:14:57didn't get a landscape plan for the
1:14:59parking lot with this uh submission. Um,
1:15:02but we did get it from the last one. So,
1:15:04we just we're looking at that
1:15:06landscaping plan knowing that they
1:15:08weren't proposing any changes, but did
1:15:09notice they were missing some trees that
1:15:11should be provided along um Austin
1:15:13Street, which is north of Chandler
1:15:15Street. So, we asked for some more trees
1:15:17in the parking lot. Um, which results in
1:15:19five trees to be compliant with zoning.
1:15:23Um, and I think everything else here is
1:15:26pretty straightforward. I'm happy to
1:15:28answer any questions.
1:15:32>> Okay. Uh, additional comments from Miss
1:15:34Rodriguez.
1:15:37>> No comment for this project. Thank you.
1:15:40>> Thank you. Uh, is there anyone from the
1:15:42public wishing to speak on this item?
1:15:44Come on up, sir. There's a couple folks.
1:15:47You go first in the front and then the
1:15:49gentleman behind you can go next.
1:15:53>> Yeah, I'll take sure I'll take the
1:15:54standing.
1:15:57>> Franchesco Bavona, District 5. Uh, I'll
1:16:01keep it brief. I just want to state my
1:16:02support as a resident for um projects
1:16:06that uh that preserve ground level uh
1:16:09commercial spaces in neighborhoods that
1:16:12stand to be in the future some of our
1:16:14most walkable, especially with the
1:16:16upcoming Chandler redesign. Um and also
1:16:20for projects that uh that cut back on
1:16:22the uh on the standard parking minimums.
1:16:25It's also great to see. Um just wanted
1:16:28to get those two points out there.
1:16:30>> Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh the
1:16:33other gentlemen, come on up.
1:16:43>> Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee. Just
1:16:45a few concerns concerning this project.
1:16:47Very nicely aesthetically.
1:16:49>> Sorry to interrupt you. Uh could you
1:16:50just tell us your name?
1:16:51>> Jeff Madison, Worcester resident.
1:16:53>> Thank you.
1:16:53>> Just a few concerns, sir, that I
1:16:55speaking with the neighbors in this
1:16:57area. [clears throat] Again, the
1:16:59building is very aesthetically pleasing,
1:17:01which we do like, but there's just a big
1:17:03concern with some of the parking here.
1:17:05He's stating that there's going to be 28
1:17:07units. And basically with a lot of these
1:17:10units, sometimes there's usually two or
1:17:12more cars per unit depending on the
1:17:14working family. Sometimes there's none
1:17:17and sometimes there's two at least two
1:17:19sometimes. Uh across the street there
1:17:21where they're having the parking that
1:17:24would be in that lot there, there's
1:17:26again, he says it's a mixeduse and it is
1:17:27mixed use. is uh the uh I guess it's a a
1:17:33uh how we could call the um mixed use as
1:17:38many of the businesses that that are
1:17:40there that use that parking lot. The
1:17:42dental office uses that parking lot uh
1:17:44the shipping and storage company that
1:17:46uses that parking area and many more. So
1:17:50that's a concern with the number of cars
1:17:52and then there's the footwalking traffic
1:17:54that has to cross from one side to the
1:17:56other. There's a concern there of uh
1:17:58pedestrians being out in the middle of
1:18:00the street with no uh traffic control
1:18:03signs there or electronic uh stopwalk
1:18:07signs there. So, there's a big concern
1:18:08there for the the neighbors in the in
1:18:11the residents. Uh with that project
1:18:13going on, again, I guess loading would
1:18:15have to be on Chandler Street because
1:18:17he's going six stories. I don't know if
1:18:19they're going to carry timber or lumber
1:18:22up or they're going to have to have it
1:18:23lifted up with a crane. So there's the
1:18:26concern of there's going to have to be
1:18:27some type of apparatus or machinery or
1:18:30crane that that is going to have to take
1:18:32up space on Chandler Street that would
1:18:35send traffic throughout the
1:18:36neighborhood. Again, if you look at the
1:18:39the street viewer there, it would have
1:18:42to be somewhere on the corners there.
1:18:45There'd have to be some type of crossing
1:18:47signs or crossing uh electronic signs
1:18:51there to guide traffic and pedestrians
1:18:54back and forth across the street.
1:18:56Uh that would also send again as I was
1:18:59mentioning the traffic down Austin
1:19:01Street. You can see Austin Street there.
1:19:03That would have to see there's going to
1:19:05be a loading in the channel on Chandler
1:19:08Street. So traffic would be diverted
1:19:10down Austin and the next block up would
1:19:13be uh Dwey. So traffic would be going
1:19:15down Dewey there too. So that would add
1:19:18more congestion down those streets
1:19:20there. That would also lead traffic down
1:19:23to Mason Street. That would put more
1:19:25traffic onto Mason Street. Mason Street
1:19:27has a business and it's uh residential
1:19:29and business zoned. There is uh Astro
1:19:32Electric. They have their trucks going
1:19:34in and out throughout the day too. So
1:19:37it's a big concern with traffic in that
1:19:39area. But other than that, it's these
1:19:42are some of the concerns that the
1:19:43residents have and speaking with the
1:19:45residents. These are some of the things
1:19:47that we see and just have questions
1:19:49about and how this is going to work with
1:19:51that building. Uh I thank you for
1:19:53hearing some of the concerns of the
1:19:56residents and again I'll keep it brief
1:19:57too because I have another appointment
1:19:59coming up at 7 o'clock.
1:20:01>> All right. Thank you very much.
1:20:01>> Thank you very much. Thank you.
1:20:05Uh other members of the public, perhaps
1:20:07some that aren't in the room wishing to
1:20:09speak on this item.
1:20:11>> This is Steve Kerry in the planning
1:20:12division. Not seeing anyone with their
1:20:14hand raised.
1:20:16>> Okay. Board members, uh Mr. King, you
1:20:18want to go first?
1:20:22>> Yep. Sorry about that. Was double muted.
1:20:25Um habit support the project in general.
1:20:27Glad to see this one's coming back. I
1:20:30in the back of my head I remember we did
1:20:32have like a pedestrian beacon at the
1:20:34crosswalk here. I guess maybe we didn't.
1:20:37Um
1:20:39I guess through the chair to the Afghan
1:20:41did we have a pedestrian beacon at the
1:20:43corners here previously or am I mistaken
1:20:45there?
1:21:02Uh I don't Mr. King, I don't see
1:21:06anything in our previous conditions.
1:21:09Um it's possible I'm missing them though
1:21:11if
1:21:13uh Olivia, do you are you aware of that
1:21:15>> through the chair? I don't think that
1:21:17was previously conditioned. Um a lot of
1:21:18the conditions were carried over. Um
1:21:20anything that was struck, it was just
1:21:22because it had been addressed. Um, I'm
1:21:26not sure if Attorney Smith or through
1:21:28the chair, Attorney Smith, could you
1:21:30speak to any proposed pedestrian beacons
1:21:32at the crosswalk for um from the
1:21:35structure to the other side of Chandler
1:21:37Street or vice versa?
1:21:39>> Uh, the the short answer is none are
1:21:41proposed.
1:21:42>> Okay. There are two two crosswalks,
1:21:44however, that I'll
1:21:45>> that are pretty clearly shown um that
1:21:50are sur that that connect both sides of
1:21:53>> both sides of Chandler Street. Um
1:21:55[clears throat]
1:21:56one is pretty much directly across where
1:21:59both buildings reside. Uh then you move
1:22:02further west, there's another crosswalk.
1:22:05>> Great. No concerns. Thank you.
1:22:08>> Thank you, Mr. King. Mr. to me.
1:22:10>> Again, the the the one thing I looked at
1:22:12was the crosswalk, but there's one right
1:22:14in front of 216 crossing over to the
1:22:16other side. Hopefully, people will be
1:22:18willing to walk down to the corner to do
1:22:21that. It's not like there's a great
1:22:23savings of time to cross in the middle
1:22:25of Chandler and hopefully people are
1:22:27smart enough to look at the safety and
1:22:28say, "Let's use the crosswalk." But
1:22:30other than that, I'm happy to support
1:22:32this.
1:22:33>> I I will say, Mr. Chair, there there's
1:22:35also a traffic signal right there as
1:22:37well.
1:22:38So there's certainly traffic traffic
1:22:40coming inherent in that intersection
1:22:43already.
1:22:44>> Understood. Uh thank you Mr. Tumi, Mr.
1:22:47Rosende.
1:22:49>> Uh perhaps I'm reading this wrong, but
1:22:51it looks like on page three. Um
1:22:56item 1B addresses pedestrian crossing
1:23:00warning signs.
1:23:02Would that
1:23:04would that satisfy the concerns here?
1:23:09Oh, I think you're right. So, uh, Mr.
1:23:12King, in the memo,
1:23:15uh, as our colleague said, page three,
1:23:17item 1B, uh, is install pedestrian
1:23:21crossing warning signs at and in advance
1:23:22of the Chandler Street crosswalk with
1:23:24advanced warning signs to include solar
1:23:26powered flashing LED border.
1:23:30Okay, that is what I remembered, I
1:23:32think. Okay.
1:23:34uh is I guess through the chair. Is
1:23:35there any concern to the applicant with
1:23:37that condition? Then
1:23:41>> I I didn't hear the question.
1:23:43>> Uh I think Mr. King is asking if you
1:23:46were aware of that condition and if um
1:23:48you object to it.
1:23:51>> Uh so really simply um the way that
1:23:55Michelle Olivia and her team um prepared
1:23:58this DPRS memo, everything in blue is
1:24:01new. Everything that's not in blue was
1:24:03previous. So, uh, tax my memory a little
1:24:06bit, but if if it's it appears to me
1:24:08that this was previously accepted and it
1:24:11was part of the approval, so we accept
1:24:12it today.
1:24:13>> Understood.
1:24:16Good catch. Uh, any other comments, Mr.
1:24:18Rosende?
1:24:19>> No other comments. Thanks.
1:24:22>> Okay. For myself, I appreciate the um p
1:24:25members of the public coming out. Uh as
1:24:27the gentleman noted, uh I think this
1:24:29board is generally in support of reduced
1:24:31parking minimums and absolutely here. Uh
1:24:35I did um I note for the other who's
1:24:39since left, but uh that the one
1:24:43requirement of the plan or of the
1:24:44conditions of approval is that they have
1:24:46a construction management plan
1:24:48addressing how they're going to load and
1:24:49unload materials and hopefully minimize
1:24:50disruption to the neighborhood while
1:24:52they're doing it. All construction is a
1:24:54little disruptive. Uh but
1:24:57thinking about it ahead of time, they
1:24:58can they can minimize that impact. Uh as
1:25:00far as you know, everybody having
1:25:02multiple cars and where are they going
1:25:03to park? These are relatively small
1:25:04units. The range from like 480 ft to I
1:25:07think 580 ft. These are um
1:25:12efficient uh layouts. They're they're
1:25:14not going to be families with multiple
1:25:15kids. There's other housing stock for
1:25:17those folks in the city uh hopefully. So
1:25:20um I'm happy to support this
1:25:22And I think we would be ready for a
1:25:24motion. And this is a uh there's a
1:25:27public hearing we need to close. Uh Mr.
1:25:29King first.
1:25:30>> Make a motion to close the public
1:25:31hearings or both public hearings.
1:25:33>> Second motion. Mr. King.
1:25:35>> Yes.
1:25:36>> Mr. Tumi?
1:25:37>> Yes.
1:25:37>> Mr. Rosende?
1:25:39>> Yes. I vote yes as well. That passes 4
1:25:41to zero. And now a motion on the
1:25:43application.
1:25:44>> Make a motion to approve item number 916
1:25:46and 221 Chandler Street subject to staff
1:25:49conditions as written.
1:25:52Second
1:25:53>> on the motion. Mr. King,
1:25:54>> yes.
1:25:55>> Mr. Tumi,
1:25:56>> yes.
1:25:56>> Mr. Rosende,
1:25:57>> yes.
1:25:58>> I vote yes as well. Motion passes. Good
1:26:00luck.
1:26:02>> Thank you.
1:26:04>> Uh, okay. That's all the items on our
1:26:06agenda. Any other discussion before we
1:26:08adjourn?
1:26:11Hearing none. Is there a motion to
1:26:12adjurnn?
1:26:13>> Motion to adjurnn.
1:26:14>> Second.
1:26:15>> All in favor say I. I.
1:26:17>> I. We'rejourned.
1:26:19Ready?
