A Lexington developer is proposing a three-story mixed-use building at 310 The Great Road, currently the site of the closed Papa Gino’s restaurant.
Atty. Pamela Brown introduced the details to the Planning Board at its meeting Tuesday, on behalf of the owner, Lexington Realty Holdings, LLC. On the whole, members of the Planning Board were enthusiastic about the idea, with the developers returning in early 2021, for a formal site plan review.
The building would feature retail space on the first floor and 16 residential condominiums on the second and third floors.
The lot size is 36,500 square feet—more than seven-eighths of an acre—adjacent to Dunkin’ and the Department of Public Works building. The rear is bound by Elm Brook.
The 16 residences were proposed to be approximately 1,100 square feet each. Units include one- and two-bedroom plans.
The retail space proposed in the plan would be 1,716 square feet. Jeff Cohen of the Planning Board said it could be beneficial to have community-focused retail.
Brown noted that residents of the new complex would benefit by its proximity to services, including restaurants and the Great Road Shopping Center, as well as the MBTA bus stop nearby. Cohen agreed, adding that more residential space would help to “liven up” The Great Road.
Brown also said the planned development would provide for significant green space in the rear of the building. Possible uses suggested for the space included amenities like a dog park.
Cindy Barbehenn of the Planning Board pointed out that the inclusion of public access to the Shawsheen River would be a welcome addition for the town, an idea to which the developer was amenable. Elm Brook’s confluence with the Shawsheen River is close to the property.
Lloyd said that the inclusion of smaller, more affordable housing options would be good for the town, bringing singles and couples to Bedford. Barbehenn pointed out that small families could also make use of the residences. Both agreed that diversified housing would be good for the Town.
Hammer said pricing for the units would be comparable to that of a single-family home, or less.
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I think this is a great idea; my daughter and her fiancé would probably be very interested in such a residence and indeed, have no plans for children (sad me) although they do have small dogs.
i would love to have a place that overlooks the dpw. (joking) I am not a fan of this proposal. It’s a very busy intersection, regardless of Covid, and really not a residential area. Making left turn out of the parking to head to I95 would be difficult. The traffic light is not in the best spot to help here.
I see a lot of negatives to this plan. It will add congestion to Great road, has limited parking, & will burden our schools. Not a lot of retail & I think that was added just to sell it as mixed use. I would be more in favor of it if it was a 55+ community because of the “walk to” access. I agree it would be a better spot for the Bedford Fire Department & close to DPW. Perfect spot for BFD & rather see that as the use, not residential.
Thanks for the comments. The Town’s recently adopted Great Road zoning encourages mixed uses in this area, including introduction of residential. Municipal impact studies suggest that 2-bedroom condominiums do not generate a lot of school children. As for traffic, the previous Papa Gino’s use generated a significantly higher volume of traffic than this proposal. The plan also calls for closing one curb cut making the traffic movements less confusing than the existing condition. I will provide provide plans and ask the planning staff to post them on their website for all to see.
Seems to me it would be the best place for the new fire station.
This site is probably not large enough for the fire station. It was also on the market and the Town had an opportunity to consider it if they were interested.
16 Residential Condominiums – where would they park??? I can’t quite picture anyone buying a condo without at least 1 parking space per unit.
The plan includes 2 parking spaces per unit on site, and more green space than with the Papa Gino’s plan.