Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Mixed Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board continues review of 5½‑story Mount Vernon Avenue mixed‑use project; asks for more detail on parking, landscaping, stormwater and safety
Summary
Mount Vernon’s Planning Board continued the public hearing on a proposed 5½‑story mixed‑use project on Mount Vernon Avenue and requested detailed follow‑up on mechanized parking, accessibility, landscaping, stormwater and fire‑safety measures before final action.
The Mount Vernon Planning Board held extended discussion on a proposed five‑and‑a‑half‑story mixed‑use building on Mount Vernon Avenue, continuing the public hearing and asking the applicant to provide additional technical details before final action.
Owner Orkheim Tam and architect Errol Macintosh presented plans for a mixed‑use building with ground‑floor commercial space and residential units above. The project includes a mechanized parking system (stackers) intended to provide 24 parking spaces via four stacked platforms on one development lot, after the applicant secured a height variance from the zoning board of appeals for the 5½‑story proposal.
Board members and city staff pressed the applicant for clarifications on multiple operational and safety items: the location and designation of accessible (handicap) parking within the mechanized system; how the mechanized attendant model will serve tenants with mobility needs; details about loading and move‑in operations; refuse and recycling staging; laundry capacity for 24 residential units; elevator capacity and dedicated move‑in hours; and where deliveries and emergency vehicles will stage without blocking sidewalks or fire access.
City departments provided technical comments. The city engineer requested sewer‑capacity calculations and said drainage and connection calculations must be provided before lateral connections are permitted. The Fire Department recommended the building be fully sprinklered “according to guidelines in NFPA 13 and 13R,” and urged the applicants to meet fire safety requirements in design and specifications. Staff also noted a traffic impact study may be required if the project is expected to substantially increase local traffic.
The board discussed landscaping and streetscape: commissioners asked for additional street trees, a more robust front‑facing landscape plan, and enhanced curb‑level renderings to soften the building façade. The Department of Public Works representatives also advised that the applicant consider EV‑charging readiness for parking spaces given forthcoming local policy, and commissioners recommended secure bicycle parking given planned nearby trail connections.
Action: The board voted to continue the public hearing and asked staff and counsel to prepare a draft resolution for the July 16 meeting after the applicant submits the requested materials, including a clarified landscaping plan, handicap/accessible parking plan within the mechanized system, stormwater/sewer capacity calculations, sprinkler specifications, and construction staging details. The motion carried by voice vote.
