Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Redevelopment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Redevelopment plan for 10 West Main Street draws historic-district concerns; hearing continued
Summary
Developers proposed a three-story mixed-use building at 10 West Main Street with about 2,430 ft² of first-floor retail and 18 residential units above. Neighbors and historic-preservation advocates objected to scale and potential visibility impacts; the planning board continued the hearing to coordinate with the Historic District Commission.
Developers presented plans for a three-story redevelopment at 10 West Main Street that would include about 2,430 square feet of ground-floor retail and 18 residential units on the upper floors. The project—intended to fit the Village Center Core design goals—proposes 44 parking spaces (29 under the building plus 15 along the westerly property line), stormwater treatment under the parking area, landscaping and screening, and bike parking and benches along the frontage.
Rich, the applicant’s field engineer, described the building program and said the design is intended to be compatible with downtown character and to place service and more intensive uses toward the rear of the site. He said the project met peer-review standards for stormwater and that the Historic District Commission will need to issue a certificate of appropriateness; that commission was scheduled to meet to review the project on March 25.
Board members focused on regulatory triggers (site plan review, special permit for affordable housing because the project exceeds six units, and review under the Water Resource Protection District zone 3), fire-department access and turning-radius details, parking assignment between residents and retail, snow storage, and trash/delivery logistics. Several board members asked for further documentation from departments whose review status remained “in-process.”
During public comment, Christine Carmichel, a volunteer at a one-room schoolhouse near the site, said the proposed building’s scale would block views of the adjacent 1834 church and the town common and would be “too large for where it’s going.” Other commenters, including a trustee from the Unitarian Church and a resident representing Redmill Village, raised concerns about neighborhood impacts, guest parking, and how inclusion of certain parcels in a separate MBTA-overlay map could affect nearby properties.
After discussion, the board voted to continue the application to their next meeting so members could review Historic District Commission feedback and finalize questions for staff and other departments. The hearing will resume after March 25 so the boards can coordinate on the certificate of appropriateness and any design changes.
