Woburn planning board sends conditional favorable recommendation for Central Square overlay, flags parking, height and setback concerns

The Woburn City Planning Board on March 11 voted 6-0 to forward a conditional favorable recommendation to the City Council on a proposed Central Square Overlay District that would enable a large mixed‑use redevelopment including property at 660 Main Street. The board’s recommendation asks the council and the applicant to address parking, building height and Main Street setback language before the council acts.

The overlay petition, presented for the record by attorney Joseph Taube for the applicant, would amend the city’s 1985 zoning ordinance by adding a Central Square Overlay District to permit a redevelopment plan A team described during the hearing a project with roughly 185–195 residential units, about 24–32 townhouses framing the Main Street frontage, and multi‑story apartment buildings on interior parcels. The developer team included John Tachi of Tachi Building Corporation, Peter Carboni and engineer Nick Delacava of Allen & Major Associates.

The board’s recommendation follows extended discussion of three central issues: parking, building height and Main Street setbacks. The applicant told the board the current design would provide about 282–285 new parking spaces on the site and could add roughly 30–45 additional spaces off‑site if a lease or easement is struck with the Boys and Girls Club; those off‑site spaces are not finalized. The applicant said townhouses would include individual garages and that on‑site garage parking could be increased during the special permit process. The board flagged the 500‑foot radius for permitted off‑site parking in the draft overlay and asked the applicant to reduce it; the developer agreed to consider a shorter distance and to work with the council on a specific number.

Board members repeatedly raised concerns about height and neighborhood fit. The applicant proposed townhouses along Main Street that could be three stories and interior buildings up to five stories (about 65 feet) in places. Board member Jim Callahan proposed preserving a 20‑foot Main Street setback where existing houses remain rather than allowing a 10‑foot setback now in the draft overlay; the planning board asked that the 10‑foot relief be allowed only through a later special permit or if the proposed green were formally approved. The board also asked the council to consider a lower maximum for the freestanding interior buildings; the board instructed staff to flag a 4‑story limit for council consideration.

Public comment was extensive and focused on parking spillover, traffic, stormwater and neighborhood scale. Suellen Holland, a member of the Boys and Girls Club board, told the board that “the Boys and Girls Club has not made any arrangements with Tachi” and that the club had not decided whether it could provide parking. Neighbors described heavy existing traffic near Clinton, Wyman and Hart streets and raised concerns about stormwater: Pam Boris asked what construction would do to the Middlesex Canal and to local drainage that already requires annual cleanup. Several residents argued the proposed unit count was too large for the area and warned of spillover parking in nearby residential streets.

The applicant said it has acquired most parcels in the overlay but still had not closed on two Main Street houses. John Toccia of the development team said the project team would prefer to place parking under the buildings and that they did not require the Boys and Girls Club lot; he added the team had prepared an engineering study of the Cummings Brook/Hart Street drainage basin and offered to work with the city on mitigation. Toccia said, “We don't need that. We really don't need it. We'll put it underneath the building,” when asked about off‑site parking at the club.

Formal board actions recorded in the hearing record include: adding an emailed comment from Bob Callahan to the public hearing record (motion approved 6‑0), closing the public hearing (motion approved 6‑0) and the March 11 motion to forward a conditional favorable recommendation to the City Council (motion approved 6‑0). The recommendation documents the staff report and adds the board’s requested clarifications—most notably revising the overlay to limit Main Street setbacks where existing houses remain, tightening the allowable distance for off‑site parking, and asking the council to consider a lower maximum for freestanding building stories.

The planning board made clear the recommendation is advisory; the City Council has final authority to adopt the overlay ordinance. If the council approves an overlay, the applicant will still need project‑specific review (special permits and site plan review) before construction. The board also noted that site‑specific stormwater management plans and conservation reviews will be required as part of later permitting.

The City Council will consider the overlay and the board’s conditional recommendations at a later date; the planning board recorded that it will monitor related special‑permit filings and expects the applicant to return with detailed site plans.