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Planning board continues 1 Howard/38 Park multifamily review after design and civil revisions requested
Summary
The Planning Board continued the public hearing on a revised, reduced multi‑family project at 1 Howard Street and 38 Park Street, asking the applicant for additional south‑side elevations, reduced upper‑corner massing and updated civil engineering plans for stormwater before a final decision.
The Planning Board continued the public hearing for a major site plan and multiple special permits for a multi‑family development at 1 Howard Street and 38 Park Street on March 20 after the applicant presented a substantially reduced and redesigned proposal.
Applicant Jacob Simmons and architect Will Schalfont (Kolsa Design) described a redesign that shifts most of the building mass toward the rear of the site (closer to the railroad tracks), moves the primary vehicular entrance, increases visitor parking, and adds green roof area to improve stormwater storage. Simmons said the project team removed several prior special permit requests and that traffic review concluded the smaller project would have “minimal impact.” Schalfont walked the board through revised massing, ground‑floor treatments and a stepped façade intended to reduce the building’s street presence along Howard Street and to create a courtyard framed by residential units.
Board members praised the revisions but repeatedly asked for further changes before a decision. Requests included: reduced corner massing on the fourth through sixth floors so the Howard Street frontage reads more like a three‑story base with taller mass set back; additional architectural work and renderings for the south face facing Waverly Street and the west face to avoid long, blank elevations and exposed garage faces; greener, safer pedestrian connections and lighting linking the site to the MBTA commuter rail/transportation center; and an improved, inviting pathway to the MBTA lot rather than the current chain‑link route. Several board members recommended moving or reducing three corner units on upper floors to lessen the appearance of a six‑story tower at street level, or reconfigure those units into larger two‑bedroom units to preserve bedroom count while reducing unit count.
Members of the public raised stormwater and high groundwater concerns. Architect and applicant said they had spent roughly two years on civil engineering and peer review; Simmons said the design proposes a mix of detention and infiltration and noted the civil plans were peer reviewed by Weston & Sampson and Howard/Hudson (peer review) and that the proposed system would reduce runoff volume and rate on completion. Nearby church representatives and residents requested clarification about who would be responsible if post‑construction flooding affected adjacent properties; the applicant said property owner responsibility would apply unless a failure of the municipal system caused the issue.
The board asked the applicant to return with two items on separate timelines: (1) revised architectural elevations and additional renderings, particularly for the south (Waverly Street) and west facades, ready for board review at an earlier meeting; and (2) updated civil engineering plans and department reviews addressing stormwater, grading and utilities before a final decision. The applicant proposed presenting refined architecture at the April 17 meeting and to continue civil engineering work with the goal of returning for final materials in May (applicant and staff discussed May 1 or May 15 as realistic follow‑ups). The board scheduled a continuation of the public hearing to April 17 at 7 p.m. and the applicant agreed to return with the requested materials.
