Greystar previews 390-unit Whittenton Street development; council asks for traffic, school and parking analyses

Greystar Development East employees and consultants on Monday gave Taunton councilors a pre-review of a proposed 390-unit, 10-building residential development at 437 Whittenton Street and requested a parking waiver as part of an upcoming special-permit application.

The session was procedural: the council voted to invite interested parties into the room and scheduled a formal public hearing for Feb. 18. Attorney Gregory Sampson introduced the project team, saying, “I’m Gregory Sampson with Sullivan and Worcester. I’m counsel to Greystar Development East.” Aaron Corkorn, described in Greystar’s presentation as the project manager, said the developer is seeking a “special permit for multifamily use and for a request to, a parking waiver.”

The council pressed the applicant on traffic, school impacts, parking and neighborhood engagement. Councilor Borges summarized a long list of items he wanted Greystar to provide at the formal hearing: the share of units that will be set at the developer’s stated attainable rents; any veteran or senior preference; traffic-study results and mitigation plans; whether Taunton Police and Fire had been consulted; on-site amenities and public-open-space details; contamination remediation and schedule; hiring and local-hire commitments; union/PLA intentions for construction; management and maintenance plans; and how overflow parking would be handled.

Greystar said the project still calls for 390 residential units and about 10,000 square feet of future retail along the frontage, with roughly 60% of units as one-bedroom. Aaron Corkorn said the firm proposes to supply parking in phases: “we are coming in at a request to build a 1.6 to 1 space, per unit on day 1. Understanding that the kind of 0.4 spaces will be reserved in the future.” The team said the site will be designed to accommodate the future build-out to the full parking program and that the developer is working with city staff to draft trigger language that would require construction of additional spaces if demand materializes.

On affordability, Greystar told councilors the units would be priced at roughly 90% of area median income under MassHousing workforce guidelines at opening, but the company confirmed those units are not being offered as deed-restricted affordable housing. As the firm put it during the presentation, “we do not units going to be deed restricted. So call it capital A affordable at this time.”

Greystar representatives said they are aiming to close on the land and begin construction around June 1 if approvals proceed on schedule.

The council used the pre-review to set information expectations for the formal hearing. Councilors voted to request written opinions from the police chief and city engineer about the project’s likely effects on the Bay/Whittenton intersections, and they separately voted to request a statement from Superintendent Cabral about anticipated school impacts. Councilors also asked the applicant to provide a fuller traffic mitigation plan, copies of the developer’s community meeting notes (including attendance and comments), unit schematics and a transparent breakdown of resident costs and fees. Several councilors urged Greystar to produce a clear local-hire and construction labor plan and to specify any proposed triggers and timing for the reserved parking build-out.

The pre-review concluded with the council’s vote to invite the interested parties and to reconvene for the Feb. 18 hearing. No permit was granted during the pre-review: the session was purely informational and procedural, and councilors directed staff and the developer to provide additional materials at the formal hearing.