2008-06-24-PB-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 2 Minutes for the Meeting of June 24, 2008 Mr. Cantalupa observed that if the objective is to increase tax revenue, lot assemblage might be needed. He wondered what time horizon was the town looking at. Mr. Canale said they realized that returns may not be immediate, but they were looking at the longer plan. They need to decide what they want to see in ten years, and then make a plan to get there. Mr. Zurlo said that the zoning he was thinking about would not require assemblage. Mr. Coppola urged an increase in the FAR sooner rather than later. They have a building for which they can’t wait until May to know if there will be a higher FAR. If they get a tenant prior to then, they will simply put on a new coat of paint and re-lease at a lower rate. The opportunity for expansion and increased tax revenues will be lost. He noted that they are green developers. Ms. Manz said it would be helpful to hear what they might envision along Hartwell. Mr. O’Gorman asked if there were anywhere the Board wouldn’t go, and Mr. Canale said not a retail mall but other uses would be considered. He said he was looking at the impact of a .35 FAR or a .9 FAR. Mr. Hornig said that as a board they had no opinion as to where they were going except for having green development and aggressive traffic management. He also didn’t see residential use in the area. Mr. O’Gorman asked if they were considering a hard cap or two-tier system with by-right and then by special permit. He noted Waltham uses a two-tier system. Mr. Hornig said it is likely to be a two-tier system. Mr. O’Gorman then asked what aggressive traffic management meant. Mr. Hornig said when they met with the neighbors they were told that traffic was the top issue, and it was also number two and number three. Mr. Canale said more traffic demand management would allow more FAR and he wanted a transparent and predictable process. Mr. Smith asked about past talk of having a direct entrance onto Hartwell from Route 128 and was told that it had never gotten past the sketch level. Mr. Canale noted that the redevelopment of the Polaroid site in Waltham included a $40 million redesign of the intersection that was being funded by the developer. The federal and state governments would not pay for it and he doubted they would pay for any similar improvements here either. However, if any of the landowners were willing to pay for such improvements, he urged them to let him know. Mr. Hornig said they had been discussing infrastructure improvements costing from $1 million to $10 million, and ranging from sidewalks to road widening, but nothing like a new intersection or a widening of Route 128. Mr. Cantalupa said the primary incentive is density. Waltham zoning allows three times the density.