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Depot Plaza owner outlines four‑story downtown project that would add housing and some affordable units
Summary
Emil Muhanna, owner of the Depot Plaza property, presented a plan that would raise the site's by‑right height from three to four stories, deliver roughly 57 residential units with a 10% affordability commitment, and rely on recent MBTA Communities rule changes to reduce parking requirements.
Emil Muhanna, who identified himself as the owner of the Depot Plaza property, addressed the committee about a proposed downtown redevelopment that he said could add housing and activate commercial space.
"When I saw the MBTA Communities Act... I said, okay. That it looks like there's enough here that says to us we could develop a property there, and I think the economics work out to 4 stories," Muhanna told the meeting. He said the design would aim to meet a 10% affordability threshold and that, by taking advantage of recent parking-ratio changes, the project could provide around 57 residential units while preserving ground-floor commercial space.
Muhanna said the proposal would be sensitive to downtown character and suggested the development could spur nearby investment and fill vacant commercial storefronts. He invited public comment on facade design and said the team is exploring podium and below-grade parking options but found those solutions economically challenging.
Committee members thanked Muhanna for the presentation and indicated the project would be subject to the usual permitting, planning-board review and potential zoning discussions; assessors and staff reminded the committee that, if built, such a project would create phased new growth as units and taxable components come online.
