Zoning Board Focuses on Parking as Apartment Proposal Hearing Begins

August 30, 2022

Parking was the primary concern among Zoning Board of Appeals members as the hearing began for a comprehensive permit to develop a 20-unit apartment complex at 330 South Road.

Members voted to continue the hearing to Sept. 22. That’s when the public will have the opportunity to comment; only board members had questions and observations at the virtual hearing on Thursday.

The so-called Village at Merriam Farm, owned by Jennifer and Steve Soillis of Concord, is a Local Initiative Project (LIP) under Chapter 40B, the state law that expedites permitting for multi-unit developments that include affordable housing.

The Zoning Board of Appeals is the last stop in the LIP process. The plan, as required, has been endorsed by the Select Board, the Housing Partnership, and the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

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Village at Merriam Farms comprises four buildings on close to a two-acre tract on the southeast corner of South Road and Summer Street. Three of the buildings – two barns and a house – are to be repurposed, according to the proposal. There is also a new two-unit townhouse, each with a garage. Unit size ranges from 460 to 1,960 square feet.

Atty. Pamela Brown, who labeled her clients’ plan “a new historic village at historic Merriam Farm,” told the board that the development was first proposed in April 2018. “The idea was to be creative to save these buildings and to use them for residential,” Brown said.

Her detailed presentation, with input from Taylor Dowdy, the project’s engineer, ranged from density and drainage to traffic patterns and what Brown called “creative and interesting design.”

Board members did not offer concerns that could be described as game-changers. “I really think the plan is a great idea,” said Board member Thomas Flannery. But several challenged the proposed parking arrangement.

The 33 parking spaces are a ratio of 1.65 spaces per unit, which Brown said is consistent with comparable multi-unit developments. But Flannery noted that the parking area is far from most of the units. And member Angelo Colasante pointed out that half of the apartments are three-bedroom units, which could account for 20 of the spaces. “Some efforts should be made to find more parking,” he said.

“There are other expensive communities in our area that have remote parking. It’s not impossible,” Brown replied. She added that parking requirements could be part of the lease agreement. Dowdy suggested a few parallel parking spaces could be added.

Member Jeff Dearing asked about snow storage, and Dowdy acknowledged that “there are limited places to deposit on the pavement. There could be a commitment during larger storms to truck it away.”

It was also pointed out that the community trash containers are not close to the units. “We need to work on the dumpster locations,” Dowdy said. Dearing suggested offloading zones near building entrances; residents will park there anyway, he said. Associate member Kay Hamilton, a former property manager, asked if roadways are wide enough to accommodate parking.

Colasante asked Select Board member Margot Fleischman if the board should be concerned about market disruption that could deter completion of the project. “We don’t want to end up with a half-completed lot.” Fleischman detailed the care used by DHCD to ensure a project’s financial stability before approval.

Dearing also was skeptical of the proposed one-way traffic configuration. “Design it to allow people to do what they naturally are going to do,” he urged.

Alongside the site, the intersection of South and Summer “has been somewhat difficult over the years,” Brown acknowledged. She showed a conceptual plan “prepared by the town showing how we might turn this into a little rotary.” The owner has signed an easement option with the town to achieve this, she said, and there is also secondary access to Summer Street. “I really appreciate the idea of changing the traffic pattern,” said associate member Lucille Wilson.

Brown told the board that the barns were built sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Some of the 14 units planned for the barns will be multi-story. Colasante wondered who evaluated the barns’ “structural capacity.” Brown said the foundations will be reinforced but “the wood framing of the barns is fine.”

Brown explained that the original plan featured 26 apartments. The revised number of 20 includes only 20 percent affordable apartments, in order to allow rent to be charged at 50 percent of median income instead of the usual 80 percent. This arrangement was encouraged by the Housing Partnership, she said, adding that neighbors were pleased with the reduced size.

Zoning Board members also inquired about utilities, sprinklers, stormwater management, and accessibility in design, Asked about electric vehicle charging stations, Brown couldn’t commit, but said the owner favors them, as well as solar energy. She said the goal for the majority of the units is “to make them electric.”

Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763

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