Planning board flags design and unit-mix concerns in Governor Prince 40B comments to ZBA

The Orleans Planning Board reviewed and revised a draft comment letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals on the Governor Prince comprehensive-permit application, focusing on the project's affordable/attainable unit mix and the design of a large rear building.

George Meservey, director of planning and community development, told the board the application is being processed under Mass. General Laws Chapter 40B and that the developer presented to the ZBA on May 20; the ZBA continued that hearing to June 24. "We filed with the Cape Cod Commission for certification," Meservey said while outlining the board's role as an advisory commenter to the ZBA.

Elizabeth Jenkins, assistant director of planning and community development, summarized the unit mix for the board: "So there's 78 units in total. 62 of those units are in the two buildings that will be rentals. Those are all affordable at 80 or below. The seven Habitat homes [are] affordable at 80% AMI, and then it's the 10 townhome units which are attainable." Jenkins added that some of the town's existing subsidized inventory is restricted to elderly or disabled residents, and that meeting the statutory 10% threshold under 40B does not necessarily match community needs.

Several board members said the public hearing showed broad concern about the scale and appearance of the largest building on the site. Lynn Eikolt recounted public comments she had watched and said the controversy focused less on whether the project should include affordable units than on "a large building in the back of the property facing the bike way that is a large number of units of affordable rental housing." One commenter at the ZBA hearing described the design as "as ugly as it could possibly be," a characterization other board members echoed when describing a "big white generic building."

Board members discussed the limits of their role and where aesthetic review should sit. Several planning board members urged deferring detailed stylistic critique to the Architectural Review Committee, which had reviewed the project on May 14 and was scheduled to meet again May 28 to consider comments. "We encourage you to address specific architectural details in consultation with the architectural review committee, which is the board designated to address architecture in the town," George said as he proposed wording for the comment letter.

Members also probed why the project contains a high share of deed-restricted rental units. Meservey and Jenkins explained that the economics of a project this size typically rely on tax credits and equity to be viable: "If you try to do them as all attainable ... there is no way the project ... balances out on a pro forma," Meservey said, citing the tax-credit model that makes the financing work.

The planning board asked staff to revise the draft letter to note that building placement, parking ratios and general massing are "generally consistent with the downtown housing overlay district," to encourage ZBA and the applicant to consult with the Architectural Review Committee on specific architectural details, and to request that design review be administered consistent with the planning board's adopted guidelines. George Meservey said he would re-draft the letter with those changes; the chair agreed to sign and forward it to the ZBA.

Next steps: the Zoning Board of Appeals will continue the Governor Prince hearing on June 24; the Planning Department will transmit the revised comment letter, and the Architectural Review Committee is expected to submit its own comments to the ZBA.