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ZBA grants variances for 80‑unit Chelmsford Street development; neighbors raise access, traffic and soil‑contamination concerns
Summary
The Lowell Zoning Board of Appeals voted May 29 to grant multiple variances enabling an 80‑unit residential development at 534–556 Chelmsford Street, subject to DPD approval of a final landscape and amenity plan; neighbors raised concerns about access, traffic and historic soil contamination.
The Lowell Zoning Board of Appeals on May 29 granted variances to allow an 80‑unit residential development at 534–556 Chelmsford Street proposed by Lowell Central Electric Company, Inc., but the hearing included sustained public concern about access, traffic, and soil contamination.
Attorney John Cox, representing the owner, told the board the proposal follows a rezoning approved earlier by the City Council and the Planning Board. He said Lowell Central Electric acquired the central parcel in 2024 and proposed three buildings totaling 80 units on roughly 80,000 square feet of vacant land. He summarized the variances sought: relief from minimum lot area per dwelling unit, minimum usable open space per dwelling unit, maximum floor‑area ratio, maximum building…
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