Danvers board approves wastewater treatment building and waives parking requirement at 18 Electronics Ave.
October 29, 2025 | Town of Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts
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The Danvers Planning Board on Oct. 28 approved a site plan and granted a parking-wavier request for 18 Electronics Avenue, allowing a proposed 1,800-square-foot on-site wastewater treatment building and reducing the site’s parking requirement.
The approval applies to an application filed by Damarcus Propco LLC and presented by Connor Nagel, a civil engineer with VHB, and Nick Katzos, facility manager for Old Neighborhood Foods. The applicant sought intermediate site-plan approval for a treatment building to control pH and reduce fats, oils and grease, total suspended solids and biochemical oxygen demand before discharging to the municipal sewer system.
Board members said the facility already operates with fewer spaces than prior approvals and that employee parking patterns supported a reduced parking count.
“The parking waiver is really trying to correct essentially paperwork. We’re not making any site changes,” Connor Nagel said during the hearing, explaining that the company currently uses roughly 60 employee parking spaces on-site and buses additional workers from its Lynn facility. Katzos said the plant typically uses two morning buses carrying roughly 50 employees combined and that employees also carpool and are dropped off by family members.
Nut graf: The board found the plan “in substantial compliance” with Danvers site-plan criteria and waived the zoning requirement in Section 10.1.D to reduce the required 497 parking spaces (based on gross floor area) to 110 spaces, citing no substantial detriment, lack of traffic hazard and no material harm to the neighborhood. The decision includes standard conditions and several waivers from the site-plan submission checklist.
Board action and conditions
After closing the public hearing, the board voted to approve the site plan and parking waiver. The written decision lists the approved plan set (VHB, revised Oct. 13, 2025), supporting materials (BW Design Group and VHB parking waiver, revised Oct. 13, 2025) and waivers from several site-plan submission requirements (title sheet, site analysis, dimensional plan, utilities plan, landscape plan, lighting plan and some parking plan details). The decision requires recording at the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds and compliance with the town engineering memorandum dated Oct. 10, 2025. The approval also notes that site-plan approvals lapse if construction has not begun within three years of the grant date.
Board members attached the following conditions: record the decision at the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds; satisfy Danvers engineering comments dated Oct. 10, 2025; and require applicants to return to staff or the board if the approved use, plans or conditions change.
Project details and background
- Applicant: Damarcus Propco LLC; operator: Old Neighborhood Foods.
- Proposal: Approximately 1,800-square-foot wastewater treatment building for on-site pH control and treatment prior to discharge to municipal sewer; small portion of work lies within the 100-foot wetland buffer.
- Parking: Existing site has about 110 spaces; zoning-calculation methods referenced in filings would require as many as 497 spaces based on gross floor area or 216 spaces based on employees in the largest shift. The applicant reports roughly 60 employees parking on-site daily; many employees are bused from Lynn and some carpool.
- Wetlands and permitting: The applicant reported recent Conservation Commission approval for work in the 100-foot buffer.
Quotes
“We’re seeking that waiver really just to bring the plan, the reality in compliance with the permit,” Connor Nagel said. Facility manager Nick Katzos described daily operations and employee transportation patterns, including two morning buses from the Lynn facility and additional shuttle service for some shifts.
Ending
The board’s written decision was dated Oct. 28, 2025, and finalizes the intermediate site-plan approval and parking waiver with the conditions noted above. The decision requires recording at the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds and compliance with the town engineering memorandum; the approval lapses if construction has not begun within three years.
Votes at a glance
- Motion to approve site plan and grant parking waiver for 18 Electronics Avenue (Damarcus Propco LLC): approved, 4–0.
The approval applies to an application filed by Damarcus Propco LLC and presented by Connor Nagel, a civil engineer with VHB, and Nick Katzos, facility manager for Old Neighborhood Foods. The applicant sought intermediate site-plan approval for a treatment building to control pH and reduce fats, oils and grease, total suspended solids and biochemical oxygen demand before discharging to the municipal sewer system.
Board members said the facility already operates with fewer spaces than prior approvals and that employee parking patterns supported a reduced parking count.
“The parking waiver is really trying to correct essentially paperwork. We’re not making any site changes,” Connor Nagel said during the hearing, explaining that the company currently uses roughly 60 employee parking spaces on-site and buses additional workers from its Lynn facility. Katzos said the plant typically uses two morning buses carrying roughly 50 employees combined and that employees also carpool and are dropped off by family members.
Nut graf: The board found the plan “in substantial compliance” with Danvers site-plan criteria and waived the zoning requirement in Section 10.1.D to reduce the required 497 parking spaces (based on gross floor area) to 110 spaces, citing no substantial detriment, lack of traffic hazard and no material harm to the neighborhood. The decision includes standard conditions and several waivers from the site-plan submission checklist.
Board action and conditions
After closing the public hearing, the board voted to approve the site plan and parking waiver. The written decision lists the approved plan set (VHB, revised Oct. 13, 2025), supporting materials (BW Design Group and VHB parking waiver, revised Oct. 13, 2025) and waivers from several site-plan submission requirements (title sheet, site analysis, dimensional plan, utilities plan, landscape plan, lighting plan and some parking plan details). The decision requires recording at the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds and compliance with the town engineering memorandum dated Oct. 10, 2025. The approval also notes that site-plan approvals lapse if construction has not begun within three years of the grant date.
Board members attached the following conditions: record the decision at the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds; satisfy Danvers engineering comments dated Oct. 10, 2025; and require applicants to return to staff or the board if the approved use, plans or conditions change.
Project details and background
- Applicant: Damarcus Propco LLC; operator: Old Neighborhood Foods.
- Proposal: Approximately 1,800-square-foot wastewater treatment building for on-site pH control and treatment prior to discharge to municipal sewer; small portion of work lies within the 100-foot wetland buffer.
- Parking: Existing site has about 110 spaces; zoning-calculation methods referenced in filings would require as many as 497 spaces based on gross floor area or 216 spaces based on employees in the largest shift. The applicant reports roughly 60 employees parking on-site daily; many employees are bused from Lynn and some carpool.
- Wetlands and permitting: The applicant reported recent Conservation Commission approval for work in the 100-foot buffer.
Quotes
“We’re seeking that waiver really just to bring the plan, the reality in compliance with the permit,” Connor Nagel said. Facility manager Nick Katzos described daily operations and employee transportation patterns, including two morning buses from the Lynn facility and additional shuttle service for some shifts.
Ending
The board’s written decision was dated Oct. 28, 2025, and finalizes the intermediate site-plan approval and parking waiver with the conditions noted above. The decision requires recording at the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds and compliance with the town engineering memorandum; the approval lapses if construction has not begun within three years.
Votes at a glance
- Motion to approve site plan and grant parking waiver for 18 Electronics Avenue (Damarcus Propco LLC): approved, 4–0.
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