Norwood residents and Planning Board spar over parking waiver for proposed 55 Lennox apartments

Debbie Homewood, chair of the Norwood Planning Board, opened public comment during the board's continued hearing on a proposed 96-unit apartment building at 55 Lennox and acknowledged extensive public concern about parking, traffic and neighborhood impacts.

The applicant, identified in the hearing as John (applicant/developer), told the board his revised plan will reserve parking for tenants and include some visitor parking. "The tenants now will have reserved parking," John said, adding that parking stickers and a towing policy would enforce assigned spots. He also told the board he could not commit to adding more deeply affordable units, saying, "the margin on these projects are razor thin" and that higher construction costs and interest rates limit flexibility.

Neighbors and board members repeatedly challenged the applicant on the size of the requested parking waiver and the likely real-world effects. Several residents and Planning Board members noted the applicant is asking to reduce parking from 96 required spaces to 67 — a waiver of 29 spaces — and asked how the…