Board continues 80 Independence Ave hearing after presentation and public comments

The Quincy Planning Board on Sept. 17 heard a presentation and public comment on a proposal to convert a vacant warehouse at 80 Independence Avenue into four townhome-style condominium units with 12 parking spaces and then continued the matter to Oct. 15 for further review.

Attorney Patrick Foley presented the application on behalf of the owners and introduced the project team: architect Brian Saluti, engineer Jed Hannon of Atlantic Coast Engineering, and owners Mike Ahern and Joe McGeachren. The proposal would demolish the existing 8,238-square-foot warehouse and build a three-story, four-unit townhouse building with two-car garages in each unit, plus four additional guest parking spaces at the rear. The team said the proposed footprint is smaller than the existing building and would create green space and new street trees.

Architect Brian Saluti described unit layouts, elevations and materials; the design calls for hardy-plank siding, PVC trim, dormers and a combined hip-and-gable roof. Engineer Jed Hannon described civil work and stormwater measures, citing a reduction in lot coverage from approximately 92% to 74.3% and submission of a HydroCAD report and stormwater permit application to the city. He also noted utilities would be overhead from Independence Avenue and that no ground transformers are planned on site.

Several neighbors spoke at the public hearing. Comments and concerns included the narrow right-of-way and existing angled parking on Parson Street that some residents currently use, sight-line and emergency-access limits where garage doors open onto Parsons, stormwater and sewer capacity questions, rodent control and trash accumulation on the existing site, frequency of landscaping maintenance under future condo governance, potential noise and staging impacts during construction and the visual treatment of utility/sprinkler room doors on the Independence Avenue façade. The project team responded that the proposed condos will have homeowner association responsibilities for landscaping, that the applicant will comply with city rodent-control and demolition requirements, and that the applicant and staff will address parking-striping and right-of-way questions.

After public comment the applicant requested a continuance to Oct. 15 to resolve remaining questions about right-of-way/easements, parking stripe relocations and other details. The board voted to continue the hearing to Oct. 15. No roll-call vote tally was recorded in the transcript.