Woburn council grants special permit for childcare center at 335 Washington Street with safety conditions

The Woburn City Council voted to grant a special permit on Sept. 17 for a childcare center at 335 Washington Street, approving a set of 11 conditions designed to address traffic, safety and neighborhood concerns.

Attorneys for the applicant presented revised special‑permit conditions at the public hearing, including dark‑sky‑compliant lighting, solid‑panel fencing, and a mitigation package that would provide eight signal‑push buttons for nearby intersections to improve pedestrian crossings. Attorney Glenwood said four buttons would be installed at the Salem/Washington intersection before occupancy and four would be supplied to the city for later installation at Cedar/Washington.

Councilors pressed the petitioner on drop‑off and pick‑up operations. The permit requires parents or guardians to park in marked spaces, escort children into and out of the center, and prohibits dropping off children in front of the building. During the hearing, the council added a motion requiring hash‑marked no‑parking wording on the ground at the front entrance to reinforce the rule.

Councilor Bowen successfully proposed an amendment establishing a six‑month follow‑up from the date of occupancy: the special permits committee will convene with the petitioner for an update on general operations. The petitioner asked for clear language about the check‑in procedure and whether a “review” would imply punitive action; the council clarified the meeting is for an operational update and not an immediate trigger for enforcement, though existing procedures for enforcement remain available.

Attorney Glenwood and applicant John Paul Martinetti confirmed drainage and fire‑department concerns had been addressed to the satisfaction of city staff and the fire department during committee review. Councilors retained the authority to reopen the permit if future complaints or violations require formal action.

The council first made the required finding that use of the nonconforming structure as a childcare center would be “less detrimental” than many prior uses, then voted to grant the special permit with the agreed conditions. Councilors congratulated the applicants and wished them luck as they move toward occupancy.

The special permit includes (among other conditions) dark‑sky lighting, specified fencing materials, a prohibition on front‑door drop‑offs, required hashed‑no‑parking pavement markings at the entrance, delivery or installation of eight traffic‑control buttons (four installed before occupancy, four provided to the city), and a six‑month operational update to the Special Permits Committee from the date of occupancy.

Next steps: the petitioner will proceed toward obtaining the occupancy permit; the council’s special permits committee will meet as required at the six‑month mark to evaluate operations and compliance with the permit conditions.