Council grants special permit for elevator addition at Library Place senior housing; requires construction safety plan

WOBURN, Mass. — The City Council on June 3 granted a special permit under Woburn Zoning Ordinance section 7.3 for the Woburn Housing Authority to add a vertical addition and elevator at 1 Library Place, a six‑story senior housing building, and required the filing of a construction safety plan with the building commissioner and fire department.

Attorney James Giuliano, representing the Woburn Housing Authority, told the council the authority manages more than 400 units across the city and that 1 Library Place contains about 45 of those units. Giuliano said the project is an addition that will create a new lobby and a new elevator shaft above the existing entry plaza; he cited Chapter 121B of the Massachusetts General Laws as the statutory authority under which the Housing Authority holds the property.

Justin Humphreys, principal at TBA Architects, described the project’s phasing and access plan. He said construction is expected to take about 14 months and that a temporary accessible entrance will be established by taking one existing unit out of service briefly so that residents will have a relocation path while the entry plaza is demolished and foundations are installed. Humphreys said the new entry will create fully accessible ramps and a larger entry lobby where existing slopes exceed accessibility limits.

Councilors expressed concerns about site staging and safety near Library Field. Attorney Giuliano and Mr. Humphreys said the contractor intends to use a fenced laydown area at the front of the building, place the construction trailer at the rear, and maintain an emergency‑vehicle turnaround. Councilors asked for a construction safety plan and coordination with public safety; Councilor Tow asked that a simple construction safety plan be filed with Commissioner Quinn and the fire chief and that it include material staging, fencing and signage.

The council first voted to find that the proposed extension “is not substantially more detrimental than the existing nonconforming use to the neighborhood.” The council then voted to require that the “site plan of record is 04/25/2025” and that a construction safety plan be submitted to the building commissioner and fire department. A final motion to grant the special permit subject to those conditions carried on a voice vote: “All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? That passes.”

The project will proceed to building‑department permitting; councilors and the housing authority said the aim is improved accessibility and operational redundancy by adding a second elevator so that residents will not be left without elevator service during future maintenance or modernization.