[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6168275,"mediaKeyId","5408297-c9aae715b166875c3a35ca2bbd8ccc96","parentId",5408297,"title","ZBA approves conversion of former Prospect Street school at 75 East Broadway into 23 apartments with conditions","audioSeconds",3335,"startMs",4506000,"endMs",7841000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5408297-c9aae715b166875c3a35ca2bbd8ccc96&start=4506&end=7841","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5408297-c9aae715b166875c3a35ca2bbd8ccc96/thumbnail_4506000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6168275/Gardner-City/Worcester-County/Massachusetts/ZBA-approves-conversion-of-former-Prospect-Street-school-at-75-East-Broadway-into-23-apartments-with-conditions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6168275-68a0da80dd8e463617313a923532861a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770903163&Signature=Nk3xmCuHiazZ812GLNjdR5ZdkS6gafq2I4mbHNbjql699LynnI6nOrOQ9RJHwOrwbfJ29Sf9fkQTTzqr9nazSxraLD3uBdTPL8kqbsO2ELPbD5PX9bX906EYDsH4mufKliJHozbnHbQusV91JN9NGOX1uxDcnMXT0QMIeha49ldwZR5YWEoejoFkPrbZXGti8jDYcCtFEYG9qYpVCE-70HXD5-53gsImXXf7U4Ns5qt~GWB-0XONCpxJUAxVQW6-cfPdT3rLnQ8v-QB4RPjaeFVayN3nD6isQbTEH-9K1fiOskLLOb9VhxBjpkaqC-m~C20Hz2EwU0ZOt7-BBjKj8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Gardner City, MA","date","2025-07-17T00:00:52Z","article","The Gardner City Zoning Board of Appeals voted July 15 to approve a special permit allowing Molina Landmark LLC to convert the vacant Prospect Street school at 75 East Broadway into a 23‑unit rental apartment building, subject to several conditions the board said are intended to protect neighbors and public safety.

Applicant representatives described a reuse plan that preserves the building’s exterior, provides a mix of unit sizes and reuses existing paved areas for resident parking. The proposal calls for 23 units (including two basement efficiencies the applicant will show on an updated drawing), a sprinkling system, replacement of windows to meet current energy code, accessibility improvements to the main floor and resurfacing and restriping of the existing parking area.

Board members and the applicant discussed utilities, exterior lighting, refuse and mail/package handling, emergency egress lighting, snow removal and the required new water main work to serve a building‑wide sprinkler system. The applicant said existing paved area covers roughly 15,000 square feet of the 75,460‑square‑foot lot and that drainage is already connected to city systems; the design team said they will provide an MEP and lighting package with dark‑sky full‑cutoff fixtures aimed to avoid spillage to abutting properties.

The board adopted several conditions before approving the permit. As read into the record in the motion and reflected in the approved decision, the conditions require the applicant to: replace or repair the existing perimeter fence; submit a code‑compliant parking‑lot lighting plan and MEP details to the building commissioner for review and approval; provide a total of 10 on‑site visitor parking spaces above the minimum required by code, two of which must be EV charging stations; add emergency lighting over exit doors and in egress paths as required by code; and file a revised site plan showing the two proposed basement efficiency apartments and a package/mail delivery plan (to be located in the back vestibule) for review as part of the updated submission.

At the meeting the applicant also agreed to add a modest resident amenity area on the grass portion of the lot and to consider visitor parking and signage to reduce curbside congestion on Prospect and East Broadway. Multiple neighbors spoke in favor of reusing the long‑vacant building; one longtime resident said he attended school there and welcomed the reuse. Several neighbors raised concerns about visitor parking, pedestrian crossings and speed on Prospect Street; board members encouraged the neighborhood to raise those traffic concerns with the Department of Public Works as well as with the applicant during the design refinement.

The motion to approve the special permit passed unanimously. The board will expect the applicant to submit the revised drawings, the lighting plan and the mail/package handling plan to the building commissioner and to the ZBA as specified in the decision; the building permit and final inspections remain conditions precedent to occupancy.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Gardner Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting Jul 15 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Gardner Zoning Board of Appeals on July 15 approved a special permit allowing Molina Landmark LLC to convert the former Prospect Street school at 75 East Broadway into 23 rental apartments, subject to conditions on fencing, lighting, visitor parking and emergency egress lighting.","taxTitle","Gardner City, Worcester County, Massachusetts","taxId",60679,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6168280,"Applicant seeks to modify special permit at 163–165 Pine Street, asks board to accept as‑built parking and drop one unit",4068,407000,4475000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5408297-c9aae715b166875c3a35ca2bbd8ccc96&start=407&end=4475","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5408297-c9aae715b166875c3a35ca2bbd8ccc96/thumbnail_407000.jpg","/articles/6168280/Gardner-City/Worcester-County/Massachusetts/Applicant-seeks-to-modify-special-permit-at-163165-Pine-Street-asks-board-to-accept-asbuilt-parking-and-drop-one-unit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6168280-5ba9a95248450265dc29a021d4573b98/orig.mp4?Expires=1770903163&Signature=EFwLBBWbUUvl3wGZtX7RBOknCCbD6U9wdRh77js2h~AjBVo968ALUDfr1cfiWLuUeSeTgSMXamdemGOyNLZKhKUeHPHdzsJVx~ZRnJbFTB4zTnhY3sZLCJH~XiLI~B5Y0qkTB7y0mooseiFDsw01C7xBQVZXp4pKNHRgfheEwhMDYuLh9irx6J8vbuXAiEIE-uWyZZwukCW7wyhQ5F8n3VeZb6F~5uvCRMX8Jr7VOCGmbItr62t2orU2zGkk9oHO7X3OdAnw6xEKVO274TP6TjJGOo2fyuC-oqVOWmKFuw9TZgXkIPPxHj97jkkoaX5QuIfDpzBCYtPnYwo668ypFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Attorney Christine Tree, representing MHG 3 Fund LLC and applicant Jonathan Bombacci, asked the Gardner City Zoning Board of Appeals on July 15 to accept a modified site plan for 163–165 Pine Street that would recognize an as‑built parking layout, reduce the building’s permitted apartments by one and allow construction work to proceed with a revised plan.

Tree told the board the property was reconstructed after a fire and granted an eight‑unit special permit in February, but the contractor did not build the parking lot exactly to the plan that was incorporated in the special permit. “We presented this in the difficulties of the pandemic. It was approved,” Tree said, summarizing the project’s history and the change now before the board.

The applicant’s current submission shows 10 total parking spaces rather than the 11 shown on the original approved plan: nine at the rear plus two “buddy” tandem spaces counted as two in the overall total. Tree said the revision would reduce the number of dwelling units to seven and asked the board for relief from three items she identified on the McKenzie plan submitted July 10: a reduction in the required sideline setback, relief from the required 24‑foot maneuvering aisle where the plan shows roughly 18½ feet, and acceptance of the net loss of one parking space.

Board members examined plan details in the meeting: the location and dimensions of the new angular Space 8 at the rear, the position of a protected tree and a proposed bump‑out in the north retaining wall, bollard positions that affect maneuvering space, and a proposal to pave an area between Space 8 and the front “buddy” spaces to give more turning room. Tree said the applicant stands ready to apply for the necessary building permit for retaining‑wall work if property ownership and survey stakes confirm the line where the buddy spaces are located.

Several board members pressed the applicant for more precise information before a decision: a stamped survey or stake‑out of the siding line that will determine whether the buddy spaces lie on the applicant’s land; a contour or regrading plan showing how much fill will be placed behind a jersey barrier at the toe of the hill; and a lighting plan showing how the rear parking area will be illuminated without spilling onto neighboring properties. The board also required clearer written confirmation of how the developer will take a unit out of service to meet the proposed seven‑unit count; Tree said the applicant would “decommission the kitchen,” remove appliances and pull wiring back to the panel as needed and that the building department would inspect to confirm compliance.

Tree said a site surveyor had been contracted and would stake the line before construction begins; she and the applicant agreed the building department’s review and the requirement for a building permit would act as a stopgap to prevent construction on another party’s land if the stake‑out showed the buddy spaces off the applicant’s parcel.

Because multiple technical clarifications remained, the board voted to continue the public hearing. The board and applicant agreed the updated plan should be filed and posted promptly; the hearing was continued to a date to be determined no later than July 28, 2025.","Attorney Christine Tree, representing MHG 3 Fund LLC and applicant Jonathan Bombacci, asked the Gardner City Zoning Board of Appeals on July 15 to accept a modified site plan for 163–165 Pine Street that would recognize as‑built parking, reduce the building’s permitted apartments by one and allow construction work to proceed with a revised plan.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6168270,"ZBA continues two cases and accepts a written request to move a third to August",1082,7952000,9034000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5408297-c9aae715b166875c3a35ca2bbd8ccc96&start=7952&end=9034","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5408297-c9aae715b166875c3a35ca2bbd8ccc96/thumbnail_7952000.jpg","/articles/6168270/Gardner-City/Worcester-County/Massachusetts/ZBA-continues-two-cases-and-accepts-a-written-request-to-move-a-third-to-August","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6168270-fb3af05266cf1bbd32a17ae25a1d9abc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770903163&Signature=Wgt-XsKFNjLLuviWqpJAZPn1p3fWqtyyKpKo-g4wQf1tYQl5p3UNxiGL-KKlBlv3v1kHVoTcrzrf4qLA-MPbgRxysGRAQTyZ3keZcDZVWbifVLU9LvOalkz0K9iczmKagG9qZrvV4evH0dYWIkciz1OXS18NZPd59JCk16Rkuq~aiPKX~9ZhlL5b2HUoaO76uV2TlFqCzZXHKwI5tYrPjyAu0HVnUV2aUvfy6VUxrjP5rMLkOeYp~OHJ-HN24co8Y~1abY7TggQCMDWSVdEeOOeK4F6ene7N-b2osBPLqNlzsGGMuRJ4-dPpG7ugPFUnwnowixNV9WWuHNAqk~6yxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the July 15 meeting the Gardner Zoning Board of Appeals handled several procedural items.

The board continued the public hearing on the Bombacci modification at 163–165 Pine Street to a date to be determined but no later than July 28, 2025, after the applicant agreed to file a clarified plan, a survey stake‑out and lighting/grading details. The continuance was unanimous.

The board also continued a variance application for Sean King at 14 Temple Street, who sought relief to allow a driveway wider than the 24‑foot limit to accommodate two three‑bedroom units and a 40‑foot motor home. The applicant asked for time to obtain a survey and to consult the city engineer about the public‑right‑of‑way line; the board continued the matter to the next monthly meeting without prejudice so the applicant could pursue those steps.

Finally, the board recorded a written request from attorney Trevor Brown to move a special‑permit application for 63 Walnut Street to the August session while the buyer and seller complete a purchase and financing; the board moved that case to the August calendar by unanimous vote.

The board also approved the June meeting minutes and adjourned after completing the evening’s business.","The board continued the Bombacci Pine Street hearing to a short date in late July, continued a variance application for 14 Temple Street and agreed to continue a special‑permit filing for 63 Walnut Street to August at the applicant’s request.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

ZBA approves conversion of former Prospect Street school at 75 East Broadway into 23 apartments with conditions

Applicant seeks to modify special permit at 163–165 Pine Street, asks board to accept as‑built parking and drop one unit

ZBA continues two cases and accepts a written request to move a third to August