Plans for a multi-family housing development off Spring Street in Marion hit a speed bump at the Marion Planning Board’s initial public forum on November 18.
Faced with a possible objection to the submitted plan, site owner Sherman Briggs dug in his heels and threatened to pull the entire development plan.
Briggs and Bill Curley have been attempting to develop a multi-family condominium community off Spring Street for several years now. The plan submitted includes 27 market-rate units (townhouse-style structures with three apartments per building) as well as three affordable housing units situated on an adjoining lot.
The location of the three affordable units caused concern for some Planning Board members.
Planning Board member Eileen Marum pointed out that town bylaws require all affordable housing units to be integrated with the regular market-rate units.
“I’m concerned that they are off by themselves on this adjoining lot,” she said as she pored over the plans. “They aren’t integrated into the other housing.” She noted that she thought the rest of the plan was well thought-out, and said, “I know that there are a lot of older people in Marion looking to downsize. I just want this project to be the best that it can be, for them.”
“There’s no sense in continuing this if the plan isn’t acceptable,” Briggs told the Planning Board members flatly. “I came here under the impression that this plan was acceptable to everyone. We’ve spent three and a half years coming to an agreement on the housing and now I’m hearing there might be an issue.
“You were all here at the meetings we’ve had regarding this previously, and we were all in agreement,” continued Briggs. “Now suddenly we’re not on the same page. I’m not spending any more money on this and I’m not putting those three units in the middle of the 27 other units.”
The integration of the affordable housing was interpreted differently by board members. Planning Board member Andrew Daniel stated that he did not personally feel that the affordable housing lots were segregated.
“They have access to the same sidewalks, the same roads, the same amenities,” he pointed out. “It’s not as if there’s a wall around those units.”
Fellow board members Kristen Saint Don-Campbell and Chris Collings agreed with Daniel, but Briggs was not satisfied.
“I want a vote stating that board members are okay with the affordable units staying where they are,” he insisted.
Planning Board Chairman Will Saltonstall told Briggs that the board members couldn’t hold a vote at this point in the hearing process, as there was just not enough information on the development in the plans.
“We’re just spinning our wheels until we have the landscape plans, details on what the townhouses will look like, and… we know for sure that everything that is planned can fit on this lot,” he told Briggs, Curley, and Lakeview Engineering representative Steve Poole. “We can’t vote until we have that information.”
“I’m very confident we can fit everything, and we’ll get you all the plans in the world,” Briggs told Saltonstall. “But I need to know that the consensus of the board is that the affordable units are integrated as we’d agreed previously.”
Saltonstall agreed that in the past the consensus of the Planning Board had been that the affordable units were properly integrated into the rest of the market-rate housing. He indicated that, in the future, board members would continue to lean in that direction.
It was ultimately decided to continue the public hearing at the December 16 Planning Board meeting.
Also during the meeting, the board unanimously approved a proposed subdivision at 213 Converse Road. Engineer David Davignon returned to the Planning Board with two minor updates to the submitted site plan after previously facing some scrutiny. A new earth berm and grass swale had been added to one lot, and a roof runoff recharge system was added to the garages of the proposed buildings. The approved plans for the subdivision include eight dwellings stretching from Converse Road to Shellheap Drive. Residents would access the subdivision via a new roadway, Shelley Drive, off Beach Street.
“I like this plan much better,” said Daniel, shortly before the board approved the plan. “This is much more favorable for everyone.”
The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board will be on December 2 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
Marion Planning Board
By Andrea Ray