Casey Ferreira of Howard and Hudson told the Lowell Planning Board that NLK Homes, LLC seeks site-plan approval to build one triplex and one duplex (five units) at 558 Gorm Street, increasing the site's bedroom total to 13. Ferreira said the plan provides 11 parking spaces, while the parking requirement for 13 bedrooms is 10 spaces (the applicant rounds up), and that drainage would use a subsurface infiltration system sized to detain and infiltrate more than 1 inch of stormwater per square foot of impervious surface as required by the regional wastewater and stormwater authority.

Board members praised the proposed facade improvements but raised several technical concerns. A member noted loft spaces often become bedrooms and asked the board to condition approval to prevent conversion; Ferreira agreed the board could add such a condition. Another member questioned the 14-foot garage-door widths and whether two cars (particularly SUVs) could maneuver into the garages without blocking drive aisles, requesting a swept-path or turning-radius illustration to show real-world vehicle circulation.

Speaker 6 flagged a labeling discrepancy on the plans: several unit areas were shown as 'square footage' rather than explicitly labeled as gross square footage. Ferreira said the numeric areas were correct and offered to relabel the drawings; board members agreed the label should be corrected or conditioned as a requirement for final approval. Members also requested that the applicant show marked parking stalls, indicate where trash bins will be staged or stored (the applicant confirmed trash pickup is intended to be private and handled by an HOA rather than a fenced shared receptacle), and clarify architectural elevation labeling such as shutters and side doors.

Ferreira said existing plan elements from the prior approval were largely retained, including three trees required along the frontage; he confirmed the duplex would include a second garage and one additional exterior light. Several members said they had visited the site and observed foundations for three units already in place; members asked the applicant to avoid new construction that deviates from previously approved work prior to formal amendment or approval.

After asking the applicant to return with corrected square-footage labels, marked parking stalls, a garage-floorplan showing trash/bike storage and a swept-path analysis, the board voted to continue the 558 Gorm Street review to Feb. 2, 2026 to allow the team to submit the requested revisions.