In true community fashion, the Marion Planning Board and the local Buzzard’s Bay Area Habitat for Humanity (BBAHH) worked together to try to make a project happen at the meeting on Monday at the Town House.
At a prior November meeting, which addressed the original proposal, several board members, including a vocal Steve Gonsalves, said that the lot lacked room for children to play or a family to have a garden. “The lot is too small for a family,” said Mr. Gonsalves.
Several board members agreed to work with the Habitat (BBAHH) representatives to try to negotiate new larger lot lines for the project. The property is located at 185 Wareham Street in Marion. Abutters on all sides are the Town of Marion, Open Space Acquisition Committee (OSAC) and Marion Housing Authority Trust (MHAT).
Board member Sherman Briggs stepped up to the plate and negotiated with the various interests abutting the proposed house lot, proposing a new lot consisting of 15,000 square feet. The original house plans remain the same, with the surrounding area being in question.
“We want this to happen,” said Mr. Briggs, who worked on the effort to increase the lot size and make it appropriate for family living. The changes proposed by the Marion Planning Board have to go through the comprehensive permitting process, as required by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
“This has to be passed on to Paul Dawson (Town Administrator), and the Open Space Acquisition Committee and the Marion Affordable Housing Trust, and we’ll see what happens,” said board member Sherman Briggs.
The land, with an existing building to be demolished, was purchased with Community Preservation Committee funds at Town Meeting in May, 2009. A portion of the four-acre parcel was transferred to the OSAC and the remainder to the MAHT. Much of the parcel is wetlands, with the proposed home in an upland area on the parcel.
The building of the home would take place in spring of 2012. The board requested the revised design plans, showing the new setbacks, house plans, shed proposal and other details.
Next up was a discussion of a possible purchase of the land and building formerly known as The Frigate, 806 Mill Street, care of Arne Johnson.
Mr. Johnson spoke to the board and said that he was interested in purchasing the property, but wanted to learn more about the process involved in using the property as a Retail Use/Market Locally Grown Foods.
“I plan, if I go forward, to use the property as a produce market featuring New England food products such as honey, fresh fruit, vegetables, salad dressings, croutons, cheeses, maple syrup and milk and cream sold in glass bottles,” said Mr. Johnson.
“I grew up on a farm… growing and selling produce,” said Mr. Johnson, who arrived late to the meeting because he had just returned from playing Santa at the Rochester Tree Lighting ceremony.
“Our plan is to tear down the existing building and build new… we’d only have a crawlspace… as opposed to the foundation there now,” said Mr. Johnson.
“I won’t go forward unless I can determine the various aspects of purchasing the parcel, including the zoning requirements and associated details (setbacks, parking, storage and septic),” said Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson said that he was born and raised growing and selling farm products and wants to open a retail store, to be built on the Frigate property, if approved and financially viable after determining local codes and requirements.
The board discussed the situation and board member Tom Magauran summarized the applicant’s proposal, which boiled down to a Zoning Board of Appeals decision as to whether the property could move from one non-conforming use (a restaurant), to another non-conforming use (retail store), in an area zoned residential.
The existing non-conforming use, being the Frigate Restaurant, had been “in use” for over 29 years, which the board acknowledged would make the applicant’s proposal more appealing to the ZBA. “The big issue is storm-water,” said Mr. Magauran. “We welcome your proposal, and want to encourage new business… let’s see the proposed site plan and go from there,” said Mr. Magauran.
By Joan Hartnett-Barry