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Downstreet sketch plan: four new small residential units proposed at 9 Heaton Street; board raises screening, parking and stormwater questions
Summary
Downstreet Housing & Community Development presented a sketch subdivision to create three lots at 9 Heaton Street to accommodate four small units. The DRB discussed shared driveway design, on‑site parking, a planned stormwater basin, screening for adjacent neighbors and whether shared‑parking agreements should return with final subdivision.
Downstreet Housing & Community Development presented a sketch plan April 7 to subdivide the property at 9 Heaton Street, creating three lots and locating four small single‑family dwellings on the site. The Development Review Board discussed driveway radii, parking layout, potential shared‑parking agreements, stormwater control and screening between new units and adjacent residential yards.
Project consultants from Greiner Engineering and Downstreet described a plan that retains the existing Washington County Mental Health building and divides the remainder of the parcel into Lot 2 and Lot 3 for future residential development. Each new building footprint was shown with two parking spaces assigned; the overall parking layout totals roughly eight spaces for the four proposed units, with some spaces on Lot 3 benefiting Lot 2 via a shared arrangement. Engineers said the team is pursuing municipal water and sewer service via a short off‑site easement to an existing sewer main and asserted coverage and frontage standards on the plan meet zoning requirements.
Downstreet and consultants told the board they plan a small stormwater collection/attenuation basin in the site’s southern area to manage runoff and avoid increasing downstream flows; engineers said the total new impervious area is small and below the state threshold that would trigger a state stormwater permit, but that they were coordinating further review with DPW. Neighbors requested a hydrology or stormwater impact check before final approval; project representatives said they have discussed stormwater with DPW and will provide the additional correspondence and technical information as part of later submittals.
Several adjacent residents expressed support for affordable housing but asked for screening between the new homes and neighboring yards. An abutter who is purchasing nearby 19 Heaton Street requested either a tall privacy fence or planting buffer along approximately 150 feet of the shared boundary; Downstreet said the tight site limits tree retention but indicated they are willing to discuss screening and fold a landscaping/screening solution into the final subdivision application. Staff advised that because this is a subdivision of two new parcels and two houses per parcel, landscaping controls are typically handled at final subdivision if the board requests them.
Board members also discussed neighborhood character and parking patterns. Some members noted the neighborhood includes a range of house types and densities, and others encouraged minimizing curb cuts on Heaton Street because sight distance on the curve is limited. The DRB gave sketch‑plan feedback and did not vote; applicants were asked to return with a final subdivision application that includes a draft shared‑parking agreement (if proposed), stormwater details and a screening/landscaping plan.
