Washville returns, Fratalia signals change of heart on MBTA zoning article
The Planning Board met last night without member Jim Duffy. There were no committee reports.
Applicants for the Tewksbury Dental Associates overflow parking at 1438 Main St. requested another continuance, this time to the March 25 meeting.
In her Town Planner’s report, Community/Economic Development Planner Alexandra Lowder advised the board of several new public hearings scheduled for March 25. Besides family suite special permits at 215 Marshall St. and 24 Wayside Rd., the Library will request a sign special permit for an electronic message board.
March 25 will also bring a sign special permit review for 1921 Main St., a discussion of the Zoning Bylaw Amendment for the MBTA Communities warrant article and a first look at a proposal for 910 Andover St. Melmark is looking to construct an educational housing development on the 4.83 acre parcel, as seen below.
Lowder also reminded residents of her Town Planner Office Hours at the Senior Center on Tuesday, March 26 and at the Library on Thursday, March 28.
This afternoon NMCOG will kick off the “At Home in Greater Lowell” project with a summit at Mill Number 5, 250 Jackson St., Lowell. Interested residents can learn more here. At Home in Greater Lowell is supported by grants from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.
Finally, Lowder suggested changing the April 15 meeting to April 8 due to school vacation and Patriots Day. That was approved unanimously.
20 Glenwood Road, 2551 Main Street
Dick Cuoco of Woodland Design and Tom Schomburg of Civil Design Consultants presented more details on the proposed multifamily development at 20 Glenwood Rd. and 2551 Main St. The proposal is for a single two-story, four-unit building, with two units per floor. The plan now is rental units, though one unit might be sold as a condo to recoup construction costs.
Cuoco asked for waivers for providing sidewalks and enclosed parking. There will be one external EV charging station.
The project site totals .62 acre with a combined frontage of 551 feet and no wetlands. There will be a sidewalk on Main St.; member Jonathan Ciampa asked for cement concrete versus the bituminous concrete shown on the plan. Cuoco said that would be up to MassDoT. Chair Stephen Johnson said he wants to see what all sides of the building look like, given that it will face multiple streets and abutters. Cuoco said renderings would be provided.
“Please don’t forget the Postal regulations,” said Vice-Chair Vinny Fratalia, asking for a plan for boxes for mail and packages. The hearing was continued.
Washville at 402 Main Street
In November, the board got a look at the “Washville” car wash proposed for 402 Main St., currently the site of Tewksbury Florist & Greenery. The two-acre parcel with 160 feet of frontage on Rt. 38 was put on the market for $2.5 million in October 2022.
Garrett Piccirillo, a civil engineer with GPI, and attorney John Nicosio came back with a significantly updated plan, as seen on the right.
The new design addresses board concerns including the lack of a bypass. Several EV stations have been added, and there is now a much greater setback to bring the building inline with the town’s bylaws.
Overall, with some signage and directional line tweaks, the board was pleased with the redesign. The major issue is drainage. Currently, most stormwater flows go through a concrete inlet to the Wamesit Lanes property and are handled by that drainage system before discharging to the rear of the Wamesit site. Piccirillo said that setup would remain, as is allowed by an easement.
“We’re proposing to continue to use this drainage structure as our ultimate discharge point for our site because, frankly, we have to, and we have rights to do so,” he said.
The retaining wall constructed by Wamesit Lanes, along with raised elevation, constricted drainage from the Tewksbury Florist site, which resulted in an easement that Piccirillo says conveys with the property.
“We have a right to continue to use this as long as we don’t increase impervious areas,” he said, adding that there is an overall decrease in impervious area of about 55,000 square feet. There will also be less overall stormwater discharge, he said, and the water will be clean. Water from the car wash itself will be recycled via underground tanks.
On a question from Fratalia, he said that MassDEP would not allow stormwater to go through the wetlands at the rear of the 402 Main St. property to avoid using the Wamesit outlet.
Johnson said the board is not going to litigate the easement, which is a private land rights issue. That follows precedent set on the Holt & Bugbee project.
“We have the express right to use that area of the property for drainage,” said Nicosio. “It was a negotiated resolution that allowed Wamesit to develop their site because they were creating stormwater problems for our site.”
Attorney Don Borenstein spoke on behalf of Wamesit Lanes owner Donald MacLaren Jr. and said they have concerns about a sound study as well as the drainage easement; Ciampa reminded Borenstein that the Planning Board is not the venue to decide the latter.
“We’ve set that precedent,” said Johnson. “We’re not going to get into the ‘can we, can’t we.’”
About 750 customers are expected on a typical day. Piccirillo said that, based on the other Washville sites, he is confident there won’t be cars backing out onto Main St. Washville currently has about two dozen locations, including three in Massachusetts and six in New Hampshire, that operate from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The hearing was continued to April 8, at which time Washville will come back with a more detailed traffic study. The plan will also still require Conservation Commission approval.
MBTA Communities
Johnson said he found it a positive that Attorney General Andrea Campbell followed through with suing and pulling funding from Milton in response to its defiance of the MBTA Communities zoning law.
Milton, after discussions with counsel and the state, has backpedaled and will submit two zoning plans to come into compliance.
“They made the threat and they followed through on it,” said Johnson. “So at least you know that they’re serious.”
At a previous Planning Board meeting, Fratalia was the lone no vote on a motion to recommend Main A, which incorporates the plaza at 1777 Main St. owned by Marc Ginsburg, as the Planning Board’s top choice to the Select Board. Last night Fratalia said he has discussed what development in the area might look like and, based on conversations, he would be willing to reverse his no vote to recommend approval of the article in May.
Johnson also previously reminded residents that if the Main A article is defeated, all zones are “back on the table” for October Town Meeting.
Residents with concerns over the MBTA Communities zoning are encouraged to attend the March 25 meeting to ask questions.
Lorna Garey
Lorna is a past and current Malden resident, U.S. Army veteran, and longtime tech and community journalist who has written for organizations ranging from the DIA to InformationWeek. In her previous hometown she founded a hyperlocal news site, the Tewksbury Carnation.
There is nothing positive from
Attorney General Andrea Campbell following through with suing and pulling funding from Milton in response to its defiance of the MBTA Communities zoning law. Why? Because in the long term 1) to be world class funding for the MBTA has to be 23 Billion and political will for that in the next 10 years is doubtful 2) in 10 years the added refurbished and new units WILL NOT be lower per month except in depressed areas of the major cities the increase monthly % will be lower. Who will be the winners? The builders, investors and politicians that they support.
[…] demolish the existing greenhouses and other buildings and construct a single-tunnel car wash. It’s facing opposition from neighboring business Wamesit Lanes over […]