Committee seeks lot-width check as Madison Holdings seeks zoning tweak for hotel lot

WOBURN ' The ordinance committee took up a proposed zoning amendment from Madison Holdings LLC that would amend the city's mixed-use hotel/restaurant definition and add a site-specific exemption affecting a parcel at 369 Washington Street.

Attorney for Madison Holdings described the proposal as a refinement to allow the hotel component to be separated into its own lot for refinancing while maintaining its existing "hotel mixed-use" status. The petitioner said the project's history includes larger office-park approvals (Inwood Office Park, Unicorn Office Park) where lot sales altered compliance with floor-area ratio (FAR) and open-space rules; the draft amendment therefore includes a narrowly tailored list of development sites that would remain eligible for the exemption.

Councilors pressed for technical confirmations before moving the measure forward. Councilor Marissa Bruin moved that the committee send a communication to Building Commissioner Tom Quinn asking him to confirm the draft plan meets the minimum 40-foot lot-width requirement and to highlight any other concerns he sees. The committee approved the request by roll call (ayes by Councilor Toro, Councilor Marissa Bruin, Councilor Ferullo, Councilor D'Amambro, and the chair) and later voted to send the petition back for action pending those technical reviews and comments from the city solicitor.

Attorney for Madison Holdings said the hotel is being refinanced and currently occupies a single lot that includes other uses (restaurant, press building, Chick-fil-A). The company wants the hotel to be its own lot so it can be refinanced while preserving the restriction that the parcel remain for hotel-mixed-use only. The petitioner noted a hotel driveway alignment and cross-easement arrangements are proposed so legal access would be from Washington Street and cross-easements would permit circulation across adjacent parcels.

The petitioner provided FAR and open-space figures in committee discussion: the restaurant lot (Lot 11C) had open space noted at 23.44% and FAR at about 9.7%; the hotel lot was described with FAR of about 71% and open space of about 36% (figures provided by petitioner during the hearing). Committee members asked whether those ratios allow any future expansion beyond the uses permitted by the 2002 special permits; the petitioner replied that the mixed-use special-permit regime still limits uses and a six-story office building would not be permitted under the existing dimensional and special-permit conditions.

The committee made two requests it said were needed before final action: (1) a written confirmation from Commissioner Quinn that the plan meets the 40-foot minimum lot width and identification of any plan comments; and (2) comments from the city solicitor (Attorney Salvati/Sobotty) about potential unintended consequences. The petitioner's representatives said a hotel executive could not attend the hearing because of a conference but that they had discussed the plan with the city previously.

The committee voted to collect the petition documents for the record, to send the communications to Commissioner Quinn and to Attorney Silvati (city solicitor), and to return the item for further committee action when the requested materials are received. All motions recorded in the committee passed by roll call with committee members voting aye.

Votes at a glance - Motion to send communications to Building Commissioner Tom Quinn to confirm 40-foot minimum lot width and identify comments: passed (roll-call ayes). - Motion to request legal comments from city solicitor and to return the petition for action pending receipt: passed (roll-call ayes).

What happens next The petitioner's submission will return to committee for further action after the building commissioner's technical review and the city solicitor's comments are received and placed in the record.