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Quincy Planning Board hears proposal for six‑story Extra Space storage building; hearing continued
Summary
Applicant for 21 Weston Avenue presented a 76,424‑square‑foot, six‑story self‑storage building and discussed drainage, lighting, transformer licensing and traffic impacts. The board continued the public hearing to June 25 to allow further coordination with MBTA and department reviews.
The Quincy Planning Board on April 16 heard a public presentation for a proposed six‑story, 76,424‑square‑foot self‑storage facility at 21 Weston Avenue and continued the hearing to June 25 for further review and coordination.
Edward Fleming, attorney for the applicant, said the project would add a 76,424‑square‑foot building adjacent to an existing 46,000‑square‑foot Extra Space Storage building on a 1.25‑acre lot. The proposal includes 12 exterior parking spaces, three loading bays, an expanded five‑foot landscaped frontage strip and an underground stormwater infiltration system to replace an older vault system on the site.
Allen Engineering project manager Michael Dryden explained the drainage approach: the existing shallow subsurface infiltration vault will be removed and replaced by a taller precast chamber system sized to allow gravity discharge into the Weston Avenue drainage system, eliminating a pump station currently used on the site. Dryden said the new layout takes advantage of better soils for infiltration and adds landscaped area where none exists today.
Architect Kristen Robbins described the massing and materials plan that sets a brick base at the pedestrian level and uses changes in material and massing to break down the building’s facade. BL Companies said the design keeps self‑storage floor‑to‑floor heights lower than typical commercial floors to fit six stories under local thresholds.
Traffic consultant Kirsten Braun presented trip‑generation analysis. Using both site counts and industry trip rates, the team estimated a minimal increase in peak‑hour traffic — on the order of a few vehicle trips per hour on adjacent streets — and concluded site access sight lines and circulation meet safety expectations.
Several board members and speakers asked about the MBTA’s 30‑foot zone of influence, transformer licensing and the MBTA approval timeline. The applicant said it had already filed for the MBTA license and would work with MBTA and National Grid; the board asked the team to report back with MBTA coordination and final utility siting. Public commenters had no formal objection at the hearing.
After discussion the board continued the matter to June 25 to allow the applicant to return with MBTA coordination, final transformer location, updated drainage and any outstanding peer‑review responses.
