Planning board approves 39-unit building at 463–473 Gorham Street; parking requirement to be clarified by city solicitor

The Lowell Planning Board on Feb. 3 approved a site plan for a five-story, 39-unit residential building at 463–473 Gorham Street, voting 4–1 to grant approval subject to conditions including transportation and engineering follow-up and a formal opinion from the city solicitor on whether parking requirements in the multifamily mid-rise overlay (MFOM) apply to this project.

Attorney Catherine Flood, representing the applicant DeSantis Development LLC, described the proposal as “a 5 story building consisting of 39 residential units” on two combined lots totaling about 15,562 square feet. Flood said the building footprint is roughly 5,765 square feet, the project includes 13 on-site parking spaces though the overlay does not require parking, and that the development will include bike storage and in-unit washers and dryers.

The project team included Adam DeSantis, manager of DeSantis Development LLC; Jack Sullivan of Gavin and Sullivan Architects; and Mira Cousins of Civil Design Consultants. Cousins outlined engineering work planned for the site, including a subsurface detention system for rooftop runoff and parking-lot drainage routed through a water-quality structure designed to achieve an 80% TSS removal prior to discharge into the city’s combined sewer. Sullivan described building materials and dimensions and said the building will be “solar ready.”

Opponents at the public hearing said on-street parking is already tight in the neighborhood and worried the proposal’s 13 on-site spaces would not be adequate for future residents. Attorney Michael Zaym, who said he owns an adjacent property, said, “The problem is is that parking is is a huge issue, in the neighborhood already.” John McDonough, a Highland Street resident and business owner, said the neighborhood fills with cars during peak commuter times and argued walking to the nearby Gallagher Terminal would be unrealistic for many residents.

Board discussion focused on how the Lowell zoning ordinance’s MFOM provisions treat parking. Planning staff member Dylan told the board, “That's correct. They do not need parking.” Other board members read and debated Section 9.8.5 of the zoning ordinance, which the board discussed as containing a parking maximum and a provision that any off-site parking provided must be within 1,200 feet of a primary entrance. The applicant’s materials and statements noted the Gallagher Terminal is about 1,500 feet away.

Because board members reached differing readings of the ordinance’s language, the approval was conditioned on three items: (1) incorporation of the city transportation engineer’s recommendations into the project’s Transportation Demand Management plan; (2) continued coordination with the city engineering department on site concerns; and (3) receipt of a formal clarification from the city solicitor about whether a parking requirement applies in the MFOM district and whether Section 9.8.5 governs this project. The board noted that if the law department finds parking is required under the zoning, the project would need further approvals (a variance from the Zoning Board) and would return to the Planning Board for additional hearings.

The approved site plan retains the applicant’s proposed 13 parking spaces on site, includes a fenced dumpster enclosure, streetscape plantings (four Gorham Street tree wells, 16 trees and 22 shrubs on-site), and bike storage accessed from the parking lot side. The presented unit mix was five studios (about 383–468 square feet) and 34 one-bedroom units (about 570–637 square feet); Sullivan said the building’s total height is approximately 53 feet to the top of the parapet.

The board recorded the site-plan vote as 4 in favor, 1 opposed. The applicant will return if the law department determines additional zoning relief is required.