Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Board continues review of 30‑unit mixed‑use proposal at 156–158 Maple St; seeks more design and traffic detail
Summary
PMZ Realty Trust presented plans for a 30‑unit redevelopment (18‑unit mixed‑use building, 12 townhouses) with 20% affordable units; the Board continued the public hearings to May 12 after abutter concerns over narrow Maple Ave, drainage, and massing.
The Planning Board continued public hearings on April 6 for a proposed mixed‑use redevelopment at 156 and 158 Maple Street (Map 43, Lots 543 & 544) submitted by PMZ Realty Trust. The proposal would produce 30 residential units—an 18‑unit mixed‑use building plus 12 townhouses—retain an existing single‑family house, and include 20% affordable units (six units), all within a 40R overlay district.
Applicant presentation and design: Attorney Nancy McCann said the special permits requested are design‑related (transparency, façade build‑out, townhouse frontage) and the applicant sought waivers including of the transportation mitigation fee. Site/civil consultant Bob Griffin said urban fill on site would be capped with clean soil and described proposed major drainage upgrades, including two infiltration beds sized for 100‑year storm events and a proposed sidewalk on private land provided by easement. Architect John Williams described massing strategies—retaining the ground floor of the mixed‑use building, adding two floors of housing and using dormers on townhouses to reduce ridge height.
Board concerns: Members pressed the applicant on pedestrian safety, walkability to downtown, delivery access to Tech Air (to remain on a lower level of the mixed‑use building), phasing, and justification for a waiver of the transportation mitigation fee. Jean Hartnett requested lighter façade colors and a site visit; Mike Decoulos and Dave Rodrigues raised delivery access and walkability concerns; Chair Louis George emphasized pedestrian safety.
Public comment and next steps: Abutters reported that Maple Ave is narrow and that deliveries already block traffic; they asked that townhouses be pushed back, privacy trees be planted, and building footprints and elevation stakes be marked for the site visit. Andrew Haight suggested a right‑turn‑only exit; Tom Cox urged careful attention to grading, drainage and environmental caps. The Board voted to continue the hearings to May 12, 2026 (motion by Mike Decoulos, seconded by Jean Hartnett; 4–0).
What happens next: Applicants will provide additional materials and the Board will conduct a site visit; the Board will revisit special permits, waiver requests, transportation mitigation fee justification, and design details at the continued hearing.
Sources: Planning Board meeting transcript, Town of Danvers (April 6, 2026).
