Applicants seek special permit to add Riverside Pediatrics, Integrative Health at 22 Henry Graph Jr. Road

An applicant representative told the Newburyport City Planning Board on June 6 that a proposal for 22 Henry Graph Jr. Road would add two medical-office tenants — Riverside Pediatrics and Integrative Health — triggering a special permit for change of use and a minor site plan review because interior renovations total less than 5,000 square feet.

The presenter said Jay Caswell was present with him and described the project as a re‑use of an existing multi-tenant building that currently houses three indoor health and recreation facilities. "We're proposing to add medical office uses to separate tenants," the applicant representative said, noting the ordinance classifies the clinics as a 215 use and the existing clubs as 406 uses.

Project details presented to the board show Riverside Pediatrics would occupy about 3,312 square feet, for which the applicant calculated a need for 19 parking spaces. Integrative Health would occupy about 1,655 square feet, for which the applicant estimated 10 spaces (including employee parking). The presenter said the site currently contains 102 parking spaces, and that combining existing demand with the proposed tenants produces an estimated demand of about 80 spaces — “so we have approximately upwards of 25% excess spaces available,” he said.

The applicant emphasized there are no proposed exterior changes: no alterations to the building envelope, lighting, landscaping, topography or stormwater systems. The team proposed a new freestanding tenant sign rotated to face the roadway and said no site circulation changes are planned. The presenter asked the board for standard waivers from narrative submittals commonly required for new construction, arguing the interior-only work makes many of those materials unnecessary.

During board questions, an on-site owner who spoke at the hearing said a temporary greenhouse currently obstructs some stalls and that the owner expected to re‑stripe or otherwise clarify the parking once tenants are committed. The owner said there are "20–22 excess spaces" overall but urged that any spaces blocked by the temporary structure not be counted until the structure is removed.

Board members probed use patterns and timing, noting gyms on the property tend to have evening and weekend peaks while medical offices will operate during daytime business hours. The applicant said the difference in peak hours reduces the potential for conflict and that the current striping and circulation are adequate for expected use.

A motion to grant the minor site plan review application and the draft special conditions discussed at the meeting was made and seconded; the transcript excerpt does not include a roll-call tally in the record provided. Staff and the applicant will finalize written conditions and any required waiver language before the matter returns for formal sign-off, if needed.

The Planning Board took the application under consideration and addressed standard conditions and clarifications; the board also requested confirmation of finalized tenant leases and that any temporary obstructions to parking be addressed in the final site plan documentation.