Planning Board

City of Lowell - Planning Board Planning Board Meeting Minutes Thursday January 18 6:30 p.m. City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall City of Lowell, 375 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA Remote Participation Optional via Zoom Note: These minutes are not completed verbatim. For a recording of the meeting, visit www.ltc.org Members Present Chairman Linnehan Vice Chair Frechette Member Lockhart Member Cheng Member Dolan-Wilson Members Absent Member Gallivan Others Present Peter Cutrumbes, Assistant Planner A quorum of the Board was present. Chairman Linnehan called the meeting to order at 6:31 PM. I. Minutes for Approval 1/4/2024 Minutes Discussion: G. Frechette said that DPD did a great job capturing the minutes for a very busy meeting. Motion: G. Frechette motioned to approve the minutes with C. Cheng seconding. The vote was unanimous (3-0). II. New Business Note: T. Linnehan read all three advertisements into the public record, as they are all one project submitted by one applicant. He stated they will discuss the project in full, but will take three separate votes. Discussion for both buildings 1 and 2 happened concurrently, and are included below. Site Plan Review and Special Permit: 15 W Fourth Street 01850 (Building 1) Peter Marlowe has applied to the Planning Board seeking Site Plan Review and Special Permit approval to construct a nine (9) unit residential building at 15 W Fourth Street. The subject property is located in the Neighborhood Business (NB) zoning district. The proposal requires Site Plan Review approval from the Planning Board per Section 11.4 for a development with greater than three (3) residential units, and Special Permit approval from the Planning Board per Article 12.1 and Section 11.3 for a development with greater than ten (10) residential units. On Behalf: Peter Marlowe, the applicant, spoke on behalf. He stated that Buildings 1 and 2 share a lot, and that Building 3 is across the street. He bought the East End Club last year, and has worked with the City to redevelop this project. Building 1 will be the site of the new club and housing. Buildings 2 and 3 will be additional housing, with Building 3 being condos. He described the financial challenges to put this project together in the current economic environment. Building 3 will be condos that people can purchase. P. Marlowe stated that they are building but also owning the buildings afterwards. He said the City of Lowell sold additional land adjacent to the project. He stated he believes that project will benefit the city. In Support: None In Opposition: None Discussion: G. Frechette recused himself from all three applications. P. Marlowe said the submitted plans show 3 stories for Building 1, with the club on the first floor and 8 units on top. However, they have now added an additional ADA unit on the lower level bringing the total number of units to nine (9). He also stated they had to decrease the parking on Building 1 to meet Fire Department dimensional requests. This has not been reflected on the submitted site plan. They received Variances for the parking from the Zoning Board. C. Cheng said he believes the project is very interesting and that they are trying to fit a lot onto tight lots. He inquired about the stormwater permits. P. Marlowe said the stormwater is designed onto the plans. He said that they just got their test results back for the soil boring data and will be working with the City’s Stormwater team. C. Cheng asked about parking for Buildings 1 and 2, as Building 3 has its own parking. P. Marlowe said they have 55 parking spaces at those two buildings. C. Cheng says they have enough parking for the residences but that it may be tight with the East End Club. P. Marlowe said the club no longer has very many large events. C. Cheng asked if the parking will be assigned. P. Marlowe said no. P. Marlowe also noted that they have to provide electric charging stations, but he has not decided where to put them. He also stated the parking outside of the garage will probably be kept for the East End Club. C. Cheng asked where the bicycle racks will be. P. Marlowe said bike racks will be inside Building 2. C. Cheng suggested providing transportation information to prospective tenants. Allison Dolan-Wilson asked for clarification on the bike racks. P. Marlowe said there will be a large rack in Building 2 for residents of both Buildings 1 and 2. T. Linnehan said he is favorable but that LFD has not signed off yet. LFD said they want a sweep path analysis that has not been provided. P. Marlowe said that he hired a fire safety engineer and that they reached an agreement with the Deputy Chief this afternoon for Buildings 1 and 2, but that they weren’t able to finalize it yet. He stated that LFD wants to see an additional sweep analysis at Building 3. T. Linnehan read the staff comments about including landscaping to screen the parking area and adding some shade trees. P. Marlowe said he is amenable to that. R. Lockhart said all his questions have been answered. He commented that he feels the project will be very good for the neighborhood. Motion: C. Cheng motioned to continue to the February 5, 2024 meeting, with Allison Dolan-Wilson seconding. The motion was approved unanimously (4-0). Site Plan Review and Special Permit: 16 W Fifth Street 01850 (Building 2) Peter Marlowe has applied to the Planning Board seeking Site Plan Review and Special Permit approval to construct a fifteen (15) unit residential building at 16 W Fifth Street. The subject property is located in the Neighborhood Business (NB) zoning district. The proposal requires Site Plan Review approval from the Lowell Planning Board for a development with greater than three (3) residential units, and Special Permit approval from the Lowell Planning Board per Article 12.1 and Section 11.3 for a development with seven (7) to ten (10) residential units. On Behalf: P. Marlowe stated that Building 2 was discussed in tandem with Building 1 as the lots are adjacent. In Support: None In Opposition: None Discussion: No discussion from the Board. Motion: C. Cheng motioned to continue to the February 5, 2024 meeting, with Allison Dolan-Wilson seconding. The motion was approved unanimously (4-0). Site Plan Review and Special Permit: 14 W Fourth Street 01850 (Building 3) Peter Marlowe has applied to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals seeking Site Plan Review and Special Permit approval to construct a fifteen (15) unit residential building at 14 W Fourth Street. The subject property is located in the Neighborhood Business (NB) zoning district. The proposal requires Site Plan Review approval from the Planning Board per Section 11.4 for a development with greater than three (3) residential units, and Special Permit approval from the Planning Board per Article 12.1 and Section 11.3 for a development with greater than ten (10) residential units. On Behalf: P. Marlowe spoke on behalf. He noted that Building 3 will be located across the street from Buildings 1 and 2, which are on adjacent lots. The parking will be completely underneath the building with three stories above for deeded condos. There will be an elevator for the building. Every resident gets deeded one parking space. There will be an EV charger outside. They received a Variance from the Zoning Board for the parking. In Support: None In Opposition: None Discussion: Allison Dolan Wilson asked about the parking located to the right of the building. P. Marlowe said this lot has been sold to them by the City. She then asked if there is any plan for outdoor lighting. P. Marlowe said yes, and that they will be attached to the face of the building. C. Cheng asked about snow storage. P. Marlowe said the ZBA conditioned that they truck the snow out instead. C. Cheng asked about trash removal. P. Marlowe said each building has their own dumpster. Motion: C. Cheng motioned to continue to the February 5, 2024 meeting, with Allison Dolan-Wilson seconding. The motion was approved unanimously (4-0). III. Notices IV. Further Comments from Planning Board Members R. Lockhart said the next Historic Board meeting will be on 2/12. V. Adjournment C. Cheng motioned to adjourn with Allison Dolan Wilson seconding. The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 PM.