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Board members warn that C2 PO overlay decision could set local precedent
Summary
During discussion of 116 Oakland Avenue, board members and staff argued about the C2 PO overlayand whether allowing full residential use under that overlay would open the small strip to similar developments; staff said C2 PO permits multifamily but conditional use standards and parking rules still apply.
Board members questioned whether granting the applicants request within the narrow C2 PO overlay would create a precedent for other parcels in the strip and change the transition between Main Street professional offices and adjacent residential neighborhoods. "Granting this use in this C2 PO overlay opens the door to everybody else along that small strip there," said Committee member (Speaker 3), emphasizing the limited extent of the overlay.
Dan Gross, planning staff, explained that the C2 PO overlay was designed as a transition zone and that the code does allow multiple dwellings in certain circumstances but with conditional use standards. He noted that elements not addressed in the PO overlay revert to the underlying C2 regulations, including parking and bulk rules, and that converting ground floor space to offices would impose different parking requirements. Board members asked staff for guidance and suggested drafting a letter to the Planning Board to memorialize ZBA concerns.
