Report of the meeting of the planning authority on January 22, 2025
This meeting was held via Zoom and was recorded.
Currently
Doug Marshall (chair), Bruce Coldham, Fred Hartwell, Lawrence Kluttz, Jesse Mager and Johanna Neumann. Absent: Karin Winter
Staff: Nate Malloy (Senior Planner) and Pam Field Sadler (Assistant).
High steel costs lead to the size of the mixed-use building at Amity and University Drive
Barry Roberts had planned to build a two-building complex with 85 residential units (259 beds) and 22,000 square feet of commercial space at the intersection of Amity Street and University Drive, the site of the former Rafters restaurant and an adjacent office building. The original design had a steel “podium structure” for the first floor, allowing for indoor parking. However, Roberts learned that the rising cost of steel made this design unworkable. So he developed a new design for a five-story, wood-frame building with 77 units (224 beds), the same amount of commercial space, and 160 outdoor parking spaces.
Attorney Tom Reidy of Bacon Wilson and architect Jonathan Salvon of Kuhn Riddle presented the revised plans. The facade of the building will have two different colors of brick and metal cladding. The utilities are laid and depreciated on the roof, but the building code requires that 40% of the roof be available for solar panels. No solar panels are planned at this time. There will be eight EV charging stations, as required by building code, and the parking lot will be wired for eight additional spaces. There are two rooftop patios at each end of the building.
The planned unit sizes are 5 with one bedroom and one bath; 30 two-bedroom, one-bathroom; 9 three-bedroom, two-bath; and 33 four bedroom, two bath. Twelve percent of the units will be affordable. Reidy said a mix of tenants is expected between students and non-students, as is the case at Roberts Development at 70 University Drive, where 50% of tenants are students.
Much of the discussion revolved around stormwater drainage. Much of the water from downtown and side streets along Amity Street flows onto the site, according to Reidy. There are several detention ponds and a large passageway that runs under the parking lot entrance on Amity Street. Although the parking lot extends into the 50-foot buffer into the wetlands, Reidy said the encroachment is 3,000 feet less than the previous plan. The conservation committee is scheduled to review the new design on February 12.
The previous iteration of the project received a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals to allow increased density of residential units at the site and allow for a height of 57 feet. As plans change, this variance needs to change. This hearing has not yet been scheduled. Roberts hopes to begin construction in the spring, beginning with demolition of the Rafter building with occupancy in the fall of 2026.
Several planning board members objected to the building's metal cladding in front of the intersection, saying it is the focal point of the building and should be treated with brick or other distinctive materials. Jesse Mager suggested that the concrete slab on the corner be replaced with a garden or at least grass if it wasn't used for a patio for one of the stores. Reidy said there are no tenants for the commercial space as of now, but that the limited commercial parking likely wouldn't accommodate a restaurant. Planner Nate Malloy asked for better delineation of outdoor space for residents and possibly added some shade structures. Reidy and Salvon said they would consider the suggestions.
In public comment, Ken Rosenthal said he hoped the building would be attractive and marketed to people other than students, which he said would also be a benefit to Roberts because non-students often stay longer than a year. He also advocated for more parking spaces to be wired for EV charging.
The hearing continued until February 19 after the Conservation Committee weighed in on the revised plans.
University Drive Overlay District Law Judge Recommended to Council
Last year, the Planning Board discussed a zoning change that would create an overlay district between Route 9 and Amity Street on University Drive to encourage mixed-use buildings with denser housing while maintaining a commercial presence on the street. The council's Community Resources Committee also held hearings on the change. Malloy incorporated both bodies' comments into a bill. Further information can be found here and here and here and here.
The planning authority discussed the design and made some minor changes. Much of the discussion centered on areas of University Drive that bordered residential neighborhoods such as Charles Lane. Board members opted for a 30-foot setback instead of the 10-foot setback for the rest of the district and that any structure within 150 feet of a residential property be no more than three stories.
The board voted 5-0 (Kluttz had left the meeting) to recommend the bylaw to the City Council. The CRC will continue its hearing next week.
Logistics plan for the construction of a new elementary school
Jared Smith, project manager at CTA Managers, presented the logistics plan for building the new elementary school on the site of the existing Fort River School. The plan includes a construction office for CTA and one for the owner's project manager, storage containers, parking for 40 vehicles, temporary restrooms, a wash block to protect existing asphalt and several dumpsters. The site approval granted for the project required that the logistics plan be submitted to the planning authority prior to the issuance of a building permit.
Smith emphasized that all construction vehicles will enter and exit the site via South Driveway, which is now closed to other vehicles. The large vehicles would and do go outside of school offerings and dismissal. As much as possible, the work that creates excessive noise will occur on non-school days, although Smith speculated that much of the drilling and laying of concrete would occur in the summer. He assured board members that the company has built many schools and is aware of the unique issues. He said the company would coordinate work with school officials.