Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Performance Bond Release topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ZBA authorizes release of performance bond and recommends final CO for 2004 Parkway, flags landscaping follow-up
Summary
After a site visit the ZBA authorized releasing the performance bond and asked the chair to write to the building inspector recommending issuance of a final certificate of occupancy for 2004 Parkway. Board members requested a follow-up site walk with the conservation agent and DPW director and noted concerns about hydroseeding and shoreline native-plant protection.
The Wakefield Zoning Board of Appeals on June 24 authorized the chair to sign a notice of release for the performance bond for the 2004 Parkway project and to send a letter to the building inspector indicating the board is satisfied the special-permit conditions have been met, allowing the inspector to issue a final certificate of occupancy at his discretion.
Attorney Brian McGraill, who represented the applicant during a site presentation, told the board that the project team attended a site visit the night prior and that recorded restrictions and easements had been executed and filed. McGraill said the developer has made required financial contributions, including "a payment of 1.3 million to the lake" and "a $600,000 payment for traffic mitigation," and described the ownership team as responsive and timely in meeting conditions.
Board members expressed continuing concerns about early-season hydroseeding, weed growth on lake-facing embankments and the inability of the conservation commission to allow removal of native plants. The board agreed to set up a site visit with the conservation agent and DPW Director Joe Conway to define what maintenance is permitted and when, and to reserve the right to require additional irrigation or landscaping work in the future should plantings fail to establish.
Dan Aboud of Equity (identified in the meeting as a general partner and manager for the ownership group) said the firm invested capital at closing and plans to operate and maintain the property long-term. "We're invested in that," Aboud said, describing hydroseeding and the typical multi-month timeline for lawns to establish.
The board moved and voted unanimously to release the performance bond and to authorize the chair to draft a letter to the building inspector noting the board's satisfaction with the applicant's completion of conditions while documenting items the board wishes the inspector to monitor. The board also asked staff to note landscaping concerns in the project file and to consider revisiting the site in the fall if plantings have not established.
No formal enforcement action was taken; the board's action effects an administrative release of the bond and a recommendation to the building inspector, who retains final administrative authority to issue the certificate of occupancy.
