The Marion Zoning Board of Appeals members voted to close the public hearing for the expanded construction of a proposed five-unit 11-bedroom condominium at 324 Front Street, but discussion were stalled and no vote taken.
There was little left for applicant Christian Loranger, his attorney John Mathieu, and architect Anthi Frangiadis to add to their presentation to the ZBA and an audience of abutters and residents opposed to the project’s size. A color rendering of the outside facade of the building was on display – as requested by the ZBA at the last meeting – but no further information was added.
Neighbors still maintain that the size of the proposed upscale condominium complex is just too large for the neighborhood. The current historical home on the site has a footprint of 2,382 square feet, and the proposed building would take up 3,972 square feet.
The board determined that there was enough proof in the form of signed affidavits of former owners of the multi-family house to establish that it was, in fact, a multi-family use prior to the established bylaw restricting multi-families to certain zones. But the question the board could not wrap their heads around before adjourning for the night was whether the proposed structure would be a detriment to the neighborhood or impinge upon “social structure,” as stated in the bylaw.
The board, unable to comprehend the meaning of “social structure,” decided to hold-off until town counsel could research into the legal meaning of the term.
The board had abutter comments from the public hearing before it was closed to consider in its deliberations, including comments from abutter Julia Kalkanis of 17 Maple Avenue.
“This project is hard for us to hold onto because it’s just so large,” Kalkanis said. “Why does there have to be 12,000 square feet (total)?” She continued, “I moved here because I love this small quaint town. I didn’t want a huge apartment building right next door to my house.”
ZBA member Kate Mahoney asked Loranger, “Did you ever consider a smaller project?”
Loranger said he had polled the community on what their needs would be for housing options. The magic number for square-footage of living space, he said, was 1,200 square feet. “This is what the people in town that were interested in downsizing wanted us to build…. You cannot fund this project with [only] four units.”
Abutter at 326 Front Street, Peter Douglas, asked Loranger, “Do you recognize the board has no obligation to make the project economically viable to you?”
The abutters wanted, for the record, to state that none of them supported Loranger’s project as presented.
ZBA member Bob Alves cautioned that another developer who wanted to come in and construct 40B affordable housing would likely get the approval, sparking another debate outside the scope of the matter at hand, including whether or not people speed down that section of the street and whether or not the current house is an eyesore or not.
Town counsel determined that she found sufficient evidence for a finding, and added that the project would still need to undergo site plan review with the Planning Board, to which Loranger’s attorney disagreed without much debate.
“Once you go to expand (the current scope),” said Building Commissioner Scott Shippey, “You do not have the protections of the pre-existing…. You are only protected for what is existing.”
After closing the public hearing, the board members went back to the basics, flipping through bylaws and seeking definitions to words such as “footprint.” Deliberation amongst the board slogged on until the meeting was adjourned, with board members preferring more time to independently review bylaws and “digest” submitted information before voting.
The next meeting of the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for April 27 at 7:30 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Jean Perry