Planning board approves conditions for 390‑unit Whittington Mills project; council parking waiver remains in place

The Taunton Planning Board voted on May 1 to approve site‑plan conditions for Greystar Development LLC's proposed 390‑unit Whittington Mills project at 437 Winton Street. The board's action adds conditions addressing on‑site amenities, traffic mitigation and neighborhood impacts; a separately granted City Council parking waiver remains in effect after the planning board discussed but did not overturn the council's decision.

Greystar representatives, including Ryan Soles (Senior Director of Development) and attorney Greg Sampson, said the project team had worked through a detailed peer review that led to site adjustments. Phil Cordero, the lead peer reviewer from Allen & Major Associates, said many technical clarifications had been provided and that the project metrics (units, parking counts) had not changed. The team relocated subsurface drainage elements, moved the playground closer to the amenity building and added a dog park and community garden in response to city and community comments.

Residents raised multiple concerns during public comment. Richard Peterson, a neighbor, questioned groundwater depth, the safety of open drainage basins and snow‑removal logistics for the large site. Tom Pemberton urged the board to reject the project, arguing it would strain local services and alter the neighborhood. Planning board members discussed bus access, school bus stops, winter maintenance, lifeguard/staffing rules for the pool, and whether infrastructure improvements beyond the developer's obligations should be required.

Action: The board passed a motion containing a package of conditions that the developer agreed to accept before site plan approval and occupancy. Conditions include: a staff person certified for pool oversight during operating hours; that all on‑site traffic, water and sewer infrastructure required to serve the project be completed or secured (subject to DPW requirements) prior to occupancy; a requirement to designate parking for each building (resident permit/sticker program); installation of fencing where the project interfaces with the adjacent Peterson property to limit cross‑use of railroad bed trails; and flashing stop beacons at the Winton/Whittington intersection and related traffic treatments.

The board also debated (and voted on) whether it could overturn a City Council action that had granted a parking waiver. The city solicitor advised the planning board it did not have authority to overturn the council's waiver; the board's separate motion to block the council's waiver did not carry, and the council's previously granted parking waiver remains in place. The planning board and applicant additionally discussed a funding contribution for neighborhood infrastructure; the board recorded a direction that the developer commit to a $1,000,000 contingency/escrow for infrastructure improvements beyond the developer's minimum connections if City grants are not secured.

What this means: The project can advance through final site plan steps and permitting subject to the board's conditions, DPW and conservation approvals, and the conditions negotiated in the hearing. The planning board retained several conditions and will require documentation and securities as appropriate prior to occupancy.