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Board recommends approval for customer deck behind Central Avenue laundromat
Summary
The city planning board recommended approval for a ground-level customer deck and minor mechanical build-out behind a laundromat at 29 Central Avenue, subject to standard conditions including limited access to customers during business hours and lighting that does not shine on abutters.
A Chelsea City planning panel on the evening considered a petition to enclose a rear setback at 29 Central Avenue and to build a ground-level customer deck behind a laundromat, recommending approval with standard conditions.
The petitioner (listed on the agenda as Christopher Friend) told the board he plans to convert an unused rear yard into a fenced deck area accessible through an existing framed door, to give customers — particularly those with children — a safe place to wait. He said the project would add a small build-out on the side of the building to provide additional makeup air for dryers and avoid cutting into a fragile brick/CMU wall. "It would basically double the makeup air that I currently have," the petitioner said, describing louvers on two surfaces to improve ventilation.
Board members asked about access control and safety. The petitioner said the laundromat is transitioning to an attended model (wash, dry, fold and delivery) within months; cameras covering the interior and an additional exterior camera would allow staff to monitor the deck. On concerns about children crawling under the deck, the petitioner said he would enclose the under-deck space with wire and landscape fabric and provide a locked access door for maintenance.
On materials and dimensions, the petitioner said the deck would sit on concrete sonotube footings with pressure-treated 2x10 beams and composite decking (examples cited: Trex or Timberloc). He also said arborists advised against leveling the grade to avoid killing a mature Norwegian maple; he described keeping the existing dirt surface beneath the deck so the tree could be preserved.
The board discussed required notifications to abutters; staff noted abutters are routinely notified in writing when an application is received. The board voted to recommend approval with standard conditions, including design review, lighting not directed at abutting properties and a restriction that the deck be available only to laundromat customers during normal business hours. The motion passed unanimously.
The board said staff would provide the list of standard conditions and referred the petitioner to the upcoming zoning board meeting for final action.
