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Developers reduce 1 Howard/38 Park proposal to 98 units; Planning Board pauses for more work on design and drainage
Summary
The Planning Board heard revised plans for 1 Howard Street/38 Park Street, including a reduction from 135 to 98 units and redesigned parking and stormwater plans. The board raised site‑specific concerns about drainage, massing and neighborhood fit and continued the public hearing to March 6 for further review.
The Planning Board continued the public hearing for a proposed multifamily development at 1 Howard Street and 38 Park Street to March 6 after hearing a substantial redesign and technical updates from the development team.
Attorney Paul Galvani, representing 1 Howard LLC, said the project had been revised in response to staff and peer‑review comments. The current submission reduces the unit count from an earlier 135 to 98 units and now shows two levels of parking deck with all parking inside the garage, the team said.
Architect Will Schalfont (KDI Architects) and civil engineer James Downey (Weston & Sampson) presented changes that the team said reduced impervious cover and increased on‑site infiltration. Downey said in‑situ soil testing and redesign of driveway rain‑gardens plus a green roof on a third‑floor patio reduced overall runoff; he also said the city peer reviewer had raised two final technical questions that the team addressed and the peer reviewer had no outstanding comments on the stormwater design.
The team described the revised program as follows: 7 studio apartments, 87 one‑bedrooms and 4 two‑bedrooms; building area 95,595 square feet; FAR 2.08; a six‑story building 62 feet, 10 inches tall. Paul Galvani and Will Schalfont said the project meets dimensional zoning standards for open space (proposed 33% vs. required 20%), lot coverage (62% proposed vs. 80% max) and parking and bicycle spaces; the team said parking would meet zoning without needing the previously filed reduction request.
Board members focused questions on stormwater certainty, site circulation and the building’s scale relative to the immediate context. Planning Board member Mr. Bowie pressed the team to point to specific infiltration measures; Downey pointed to two proposed rain gardens beside the driveway, a lined below‑driveway detention system, and the 2,000‑square‑foot green roof area. Bowie said he was satisfied engineers had demonstrated the system would function as designed provided the downstream system performs as assumed.
Other board members raised urban‑design and neighborhood‑fit concerns. Several members said the building massing remains large for the constrained site adjacent to the rail station and a congested intersection; some members suggested further step‑backs, material revisions and additional design work to reduce the perception of a continuous wall.
The development team requested a continuance; the board agreed and continued the public hearing for 1 Howard Street and 38 Park Street to Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 7 p.m.
Why it matters: The project would add significant multifamily housing near Framingham’s rail station and could alter traffic and stormwater patterns; the board signaled it requires more detail on drainage performance and design refinements before a vote.
What’s next: The applicant will refine drainage calculations, massing/architecture details and return to the board on March 6 with updated materials.
