Report on the meeting of the planning committee of January 22, 2025
This meeting was held and recorded via zoom.
Currently
Doug Marshall (Chairman), Bruce Coldham, Fred Hartwell, Lawrence Kluttz, Jesse Mager and Johanna Neumann. Absent: Karin Winter
Employees: Nate Malloy (senior planner) and Pam Field Sadler (assistant).
High steel costs lead to a reduction in size of buildings with mixed use at the Amity and University Drive
Barry Roberts had planned to build a complex of 85 residential units (259 beds) and 22,000 square meters of commercial space at the intersection of Amity Street and University Drive, on which the former Rafters restaurant and an adjacent office building were located. The original design provided for a “panel structure” made of steel for the first floor, which made it possible to park in the underground car park. However, Roberts learned that the rising steel costs made this draft unenforceable. That is why he developed a new design for a five -story wooden building with 77 residential units (224 beds), as much commercial space and 160 outer parking spaces.
Attorney Tom Reidy from Bacon Wilson and architect Jonathan Salvon von Kuhn Riddle presented the revised plans. The facade of the building will have two different brick colors and metal cladding. Supply lines are placed and shielded on the roof, but the building regulations stipulate that 40 % of the roof must be available for solar collectors. No solar systems are currently planned. According to the building regulations, there will be eight charging stations for electric vehicles, and the parking lot will be wired for eight additional parking spaces. There are two roof terraces, one at each end of the building.
The planned units are 5 with a bedroom and a bathroom; 30 with two bedrooms and a bathroom; 9 three bedrooms, two bathrooms; and 33 with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Twelve percent of the units will be affordable. Reidy said that a mixture of tenants from students and non-students is expected, as is the case in the Roberts project at the 70 University Drive, where 50 % of tenants are students.
Much of the discussion was about rainwater drainage. According to Reidy, a large part of the water from the city center and the side streets along the Amity Street flows to the location. Therefore, strict measures were planned to handle the water and derive towards the wetlands on the border with Hadley. There are several catch basins and a large passage that runs under the entrance to the parking lot in the Amity Street. Although the parking lot extends to the wetlands to the 50-foot buffer, Reidy said that the intervention was 3,000 feet less than in the previous plan. The nature conservation committee is to examine the new draft on February 12th.
The previous version of the project received a deviation from the Zoning Board of Appeals to enable a higher density of residential units on the site and a height of 57 feet. This deviation must be adjusted by changing the plans. This hearing has not yet been set. Roberts hopes to start building in spring, starting with the demolition of the Rafter building and the connection in autumn 2026.
Several members of the planning committee had objections to the metal cladding of the part of the building facing the intersection and explained that this was the center of the building and should be treated with bricks or other special materials. Jesse Mager proposed to replace the concrete slab on the corner with a garden or at least a lawn if it were not used as a terrace for one of the companies. Reidy said that there are currently no tenants for the commercial space, but the limited commercial parking spaces would probably not make a restaurant. The planner Nate Malloy called for a better delimitation of the outdoor area for the residents and possibly adding some shadow structures. Reidy and Salvon said they would take the suggestions into account.
In a public statement, Ken Rosenthal said that he hoped that the building would be attractive and also markets to other people than students, which, as he said, would also be an advantage for Roberts, since non -students often stay for more than a year. He also advocated wiring more parking spaces for charging electric vehicles.
The hearing continued until February 19 after the nature conservation committee had commented on the revised plans.
Design of a statute for the University Drive Overlay District recommended to the Council
Last year, the planning authority discussed a change of development that is supposed to create an overlay between Route 9 and Amity Street at University Drive in order to promote mixed buildings with denser living space and at the same time maintain a commercial presence on the street. The Council's Community Resources Committee has also held hearings on the change. Malloy has integrated the comments of both bodies into a draft statutes. You can find more information here and here and here and here.
The planning committee discussed the draft and made some minor changes. Much of the discussion was about areas of the University Drive, which borders on residential areas like Charles Lane. The board members opted for a gap of 30 feet instead of the deficit of 10 feet for the rest of the district and for the fact that each building should not have more than three floors within a radius of 150 feet from a residential property.
The board voted 5-0 (Kluttz had left the session) to recommend the statutes to the city council. The CRC will continue its hearing next week.
Logistics plan for the construction of a new primary school
Jared Smith, project manager at CTA Managers, presented the logistics plan for the construction of the new primary school at the location of the existing Fort River School. The plan includes a building office for CTA and one for the project manager of the owner, storage container, parking spaces for 40 vehicles, temporary toilets, a washing pad to protect the existing asphalt and several garbage containers. The site permit granted for the project provided for the logistics plan to be submitted before the planning authority has been granted.
Smith emphasized that all construction vehicles will be entered and abandoned the terrain via the southern driveway, which is now closed to other vehicles. The large vehicles came and drove outside of the school's arrival and discharge times. As far as possible, works that cause excessive noise are carried out on school -free days, although Smith speculates that a large part of the holes and concrete laying would take place in summer. He assured the board members that the company had built many schools and that the associated peculiarities were aware of it. He explained that the company would coordinate the work with the school management.