Select Board Hears Proposal for 330 South Road Rental Development

A concept drawing from the LIP presentation to the Select Board on June 7, 2021

 

Accessibility was a major concern as the Select Board on Monday hosted the first presentation on a 24-unit rental development at 330 South Road that is being proposed as a local initiative project (LIP).

“We are good to move forward with continuing this process,” said Chair Margot Fleischman. “I feel what the Select Board is charged to do is determine the value of this development to the community. I know there is a lot of public interest.”

The property owners, Steven and Jennifer Soillis, want to convert a house and two barns into 18 housing units and add a structure with an additional six dwelling units, replacing garages and other outbuildings.

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The LIP is often called a “friendly 40B,” after the state law that allows proposals with 25 percent of the units designated as affordable to waive zoning considerations. If the Select Board cosponsors the plan, it will require only approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals and the state Department of Housing and Community Development. The plan as constituted cannot be approved under current zoning.

The presentation was defined as “preliminary.” Town Manager Sarah Stanton said this will be the first of several meetings, with “many rounds of conversation” and a likely public forum, providing opportunities for residents to ask questions.

Attorney Pamela Brown, representing the owner, said, “I typically try to have neighborhood meetings that might even be on site. We have talked to some abutters already.

“A lot of money has been spent already getting to this point,” Brown said. “Before we start spending additional money on more details, we were looking for at least a little bit of a warm and fuzzy feeling that conceptually this is a project.”

Select Board member Emily Mitchell noted that a development of this type could provide a destination for older residents who wish to downsize. “But very few apartments are on a ground level or even one floor, so for a person with mobility issues there aren’t a lot of opportunities in this development.” She suggested installing an elevator in the repurposed barn.

Fleischman complimented the plan for its diversity and unit size. “But I feel there will be a missed opportunity to provide for folks who are disabled,” at least providing some first-floor master bedrooms, she said. “Greater emphasis and attention to detail just makes the housing have greater longevity and utility to the community.”

Project architect Barry Ganek said there would be two fully accessible units, as required, with others on the first floor that do not meet five-foot turnaround radius standards in the kitchens and bathrooms. In response to Mitchell’s question, he said these units could be fitted with grab bars and other universal design features.

Brown said the project has been in development for close to three years. The area was a farm that preceded existing neighborhoods, she said, and the project is being called The Village at Merriam’s Farm.

For decades the site has been mostly commercial, she said, including plumbers, landscapers, a solar window-tinting company, and even a psychologist’s office.

Brown said this will help diversify housing type and price range for the town and change the existing use to residential, which is consistent with the surroundings.

The development team has met with the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Housing Partnership, and Historic Preservation Commission, Brown reported. The decision was made to preserve the buildings, and “through all of this process we have been hearing comments from the boards and neighbors.”

Brown said the plan is conceiving the complex as “a village so there are green spaces and gathering spaces for people living here.”

Fleischman asked for details on a traffic study, and Brown replied that the development team has been using standard data from the Institute of Traffic Engineers. “We tried to look at actual use with current users as well as anticipated but essentially” relied on the standard formula from the Institute for the existing and proposed buildings.

The current driveway is close to the corner of South Road and Summer Street, and Brown said a secondary access is being considered for an easement between 9 and 11 Summer St., property in the owners’ control. Details are to be determined, Brown said, but the thinking is this would be full two-way access.

Mitchell also expressed concern about adding 24 apartments in a neighborhood that is already densely populated. Brown showed data indicating that, although the development is more dense when figuring hosing units per acre, it actually will have a similar population to the surrounding area by using bedrooms per acre as a measuring stick.

“This is not like building single-family homes,” Brown said, citing the planned diversity of unit type and size. The range is between studio apartments and three-bedroom units, between 400 and 1,400 square feet.

Select Board member Bopha Malone noted that the Housing Partnership is concerned about the size and rent of the affordable units. Six of the 24 units would need to be affordable to households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Board member Edward Pierce asked about setbacks and building height.

Ganek said “it is our intent to make this very sustainable. Just by renovating we are saving a tremendous amount of energy. We would use materials that have full life-cycle benefits,” including roofing, siding, and maximized insulation. Windows and doors also will be maximum energy-efficient standards.

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

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Stacie Woodland
June 8, 2021 9:33 pm

This is a horrible idea. That intersection is already dangerous enough as proven by the multiple accidents just recently. It is a well used cut through and provide many families access to the south road fields. With the new assisted living going in this area will be so congested. Further down South Road the planning board allowed a “developer” to build a cluster subdivision. Not only did the developer not do as promised as far as landscaping but there are far from affordable housing. We need to stop letting these developers destroy our neighborhoods just to make a buck with a hired gun.

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