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After neighborhood pushback, board amends Morgan Street subdivision decision and adopts stricter sidewalk/curb rules
Summary
Following public objections and developer requests, the Planning Board removed a previously included house‑placement condition for the Morgan Street subdivision, upheld concrete sidewalks and accepted Worcester standard (asphalt) berm curbing for that project, and adopted an amendment requiring concrete sidewalks and vertical granite curbing by default in future subdivisions.
The Planning Board on July 15 amended its earlier Morgan Street (Malton/Morgan) subdivision decision and voted to move forward with a broader update to the subdivision rules and regulations governing curbing and sidewalk materials.
At the meeting developer counsel Donald O’Neil asked the board to revert to the plan that showed asphalt sidewalks and the Worcester standard berm (an asphalt curb/berm cross‑section used in the subdivision rules), and to drop a staff condition that would have required moving several houses forward on the lots. Planning staff told the board that staff had intended a different outcome in the earlier vote but that the condition had been left in the written decision; staff recommended striking the house‑placement condition. The board agreed and removed that element from the definitive site plan amendment.
A more contested issue involved materials. Staff and DPW said the city’s streetscape policy and recent DPW memo favor cement concrete sidewalks and vertical granite curbing for new streets and for streets the city will accept; developer representatives countered that the subdivision rules as written include an option for an asphalt berm and that requiring granite curbing without an express rules change exceeded the board’s authority. Multiple residents and District 1 Councilor Tony Economo urged the board to require concrete sidewalks and granite curbs for durability, snow‑plow performance and long‑term maintenance savings. Planning staff provided cost comparisons (roughly a 60% order of magnitude increase for granite+concrete versus asphalt+asphalt in some cross‑sections) but said the city aims to align standards with DPW practice.
After public comment and law‑department input, the board took two actions: it amended the Morgan Street approval to strike the house‑placement condition and to retain concrete sidewalks while approving the Worcester standard berm (asphalt) for this specific subdivision, noting that roadway acceptance and final public‑acceptance questions rest with the City Council. The board then held a separate public hearing and voted to amend the subdivision rules and regulations going forward to require cement concrete sidewalks and vertical granite curbing by default (with a formal waiver process available). Planning staff said the change brings the regulations into alignment with DPW policy and will apply to new subdivisions and other multi‑building projects subject to the board’s review.
Board members emphasized the need to balance construction costs and long‑term public maintenance responsibilities; staff said the amendment process will be followed by technical updates and outreach to applicants and DPW.
