HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-01-11-40B-min.pdf Ad Hoc 40B Review Committee
Meeting Minutes
January 11,2002
Selectmen's Meeting Room
Members Present: Stan Abkowitz, Harriet Cohen, John Frey, Tom Harden, Jeanne Krieger,
Sheila Marian, Bill Passman, Bill Taylor
Staff Present: Glenn Garber, Maryann McCall-Taylor, Rachael Herrup-Morse, Ed Marchant
Presentation by Rising Tide Development
The committee heard a presentation by architects Lee Cott and Lawrence Cheng. Mr. Cott and
Mr. Cheng represent the firm hired by Rising Tide Development to design the proposed Lowell
Street development. Mr. Tanner indicated that the plans currently being discussed by the
committee were preliminary and that Rising Tide Development was interested in an open
dialogue with the committee throughout the process of finalizing these plans.
Mr. Cott and Mr. Cheng presented the physical model their firm had developed and stated that,
due to the short notice given, the model was not an exact representation of the size or scale of
either the proposed development or the surrounding community. Mr. Cott and Mr. Cheng
indicated that they would be happy to make changes to the model in order for it to better
represent the actual proposal. The committee requested that these changes be made.
Currently, the plans include a 3.2 acre site with 48 dwelling units in both 4-plex and 2-plex
groupings. In an effort to keep the development compatible with the existing neighborhood, an
early plan with fewer 2- and 4-plex buildings and a mid-rise building in the center was discarded.
The architects informed the committee that an effort was made to build with greater density but
to simultaneously retain a neighborhood character that would be familiar in both scale and form
to that already present. Mr. Cott stressed Rising Tide Development's goal of creating housing
that would be comfortable for both the new residents and the surrounding community.
Committee Feedback and Questions
In response to the presentation, the committee discussed the following items:
• Density (in regards to total number of units);
• Density (in regards to number of units per building);
• Height of proposed low-rise' buildings as well as the height of a `mid-rise' building;
• Various designs for the access road into the development.
The issue of set-backs prompted a more extended discussion. The committee members agreed
that the residents of East Street seemed to be the abutters most impacted. After some discussion,
it was preliminarily decided that the committee would be willing to look at a plan in which
increased set-backs were combined with greater building height.
Other Items
Other items discussed were:
• The possibility of forming a sub-committee to establish the neighbors' negotiation
starting-points. It was recognized that such a sub-committee would be beyond the current
scope of the committee;
• The formula that links the price of the land in question to the unit density. Mr. Posner
shared following information: The base price of the land was $2.7 million dollars,
increasing $150,000 for each market rate unit approved over 20 units;
• Russell Tanner informed the committee that, due to legislation before the state legislature
that may change 40B regulations, Rising Tide Development might be filing its petition
with the Zoning Board in order to fix their current development rights. Mr. Tanner urged
the committee not to view the plan filed with the Zoning Board as the final proposal.
Rising Tide Development is still committed to working with the community to reach a
consensus proposal. Mr. Tanner indicated that Rising Tide Development would be
willing to waive its legal right to a hearing within 30 days of filing in favor of a mutually
agreed upon date.
Next Meeting
On Thursday, January 17th from 7:00—9:00 p.m. Ed Marchant will run an educational session on
the 40B process. This session will be held in the Guard Room of the Police Station.
The next regular committee meeting will be on Friday, January 18th from 7:30—9:00 a.m. at a
location to be announced.
Adjourn
Respectfully submitted,
Rachael Herrup-Morse