Planning board approves mixed‑use redevelopment at 2952 Basline Road: 427 homes, 58,000 sq ft commercial

Planning board members voted 6‑1 on Sept. 30 to approve site and use review for a mixed‑use redevelopment at 2952 Baseline Road that would replace most of the existing auto‑oriented shopping center with five new buildings containing up to 427 dwelling units (122 designated student units) and about 58,365 square feet of ground‑floor commercial space. The board adopted staff’s findings and added conditions requiring a programmatic ground‑level open space element and enhanced bicycle electrification and cargo‑bike accommodations to be verified at technical‑document review.

The approval comes after a lengthy public hearing and follow‑on discussion in which staff, the applicant and the board hashed through vehicle access, flood and drainage concerns, retail viability and details of building massing and public‑realm design. Chandler, senior planner for the project, told the board that “staff finds the proposed project to be consistent with both the underlying land use designation, as well as the neighborhood center designation,” and that the design met the additional site‑review criteria for requests up to 55 feet in height.

The project site totals about 9.86 acres; the application covers roughly 7.96 acres of that parcel. The developer, led by Morgan Creek Ventures, and architect Coburn (Coburn Architecture) presented a plan with five new buildings placed to create a central pedestrian plaza and a Woonerf‑style internal drive. The proposal retains the nearby Broker Inn and an adjacent parking area while removing most surface parking and providing structured parking: the applicant’s plan shows 637 vehicle parking spaces (521 new garage spaces, 13 short‑term on‑street spaces and 103 existing Broker Inn spaces to remain)…