Planning Board

City of Lowell - Planning Board Planning Board Meeting Minutes Monday, February 3, 2025 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 Tenczar Member Walker Member Sar Members Absent Member Cheng Member Cardoso Silva Others Present Dylan Ricker, Associate Planner A quorum of the Board was present. Chairman Linnehan called the meeting to order at 6:32PM. I. Minutes for Approval 1/23/2025 G. Frechette said the minutes should say Thursday instead of Monday, and Member Walker should be marked as present. G. Frechette motioned to approve with the following conditions: (1) The minutes shall be updated to show the date as Thursday; and (2) The minutes shall be updated to reflect Member Walker as present. L. Walker seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously, (5-0).  II. Continued Business 463-473 Gorham Street, 01852 – Site Plan Review Desanctis Development, LLC has applied to the Lowell Planning Board to construct a new residential building with 39-units at 463-473 Gorham Street. The subject property is located in the Urban Mixed- Use (UMU) zoning district, and the Multi-Family Mid-Rise (MFOM) overlay district. The proposal requires Site Plan Review approval from the Lowell Planning Board per Section 11.4.2 of the Lowell Zoning Ordinance. On Behalf: Catherine Flood, Applicant’s Representative C. Flood summarized the project C. Flood said the development will have 5 stories and 39 units. C. Flood said there will be entrances on Gorham St, S Highland St, and facing the parking lot. C. Flood summarized the unit make up of the building. C. Flood said the development will contain bike storage racks. C. Flood said the project meets the dimensional requirements, and no on-site parking is required for the development, but the applicant is proposing 13 off-street spaces. C. Flood said the development is a 10 minute walk from the Gallagher Terminal garage. C. Flood said a TDM plan was submitted, and reviewed by the City. C. Flood said the development is projected to produce a minimal amount of motor vehicle trips per Traffic Study. C. Flood said snow will be removed off-site in the event of excessive snow. C. Flood said there is a dumpster at the rear of the lot which will be adequately screened. C. Flood said the project meets the intent of the MFOM overlay. Adam Desanctis, Applicant Jack Sullivan, Applicant’s Architect J. Sullivan explained the project, and said the building will be solar ready, and fully handicap accessible. J. Sullivan said the height of the building is 53 feet. Myra Cousins, Applicant’s Engineer M. Cousins explained existing conditions of the site. M. Cousins explained the proposal. M. Cousins said the existing curbcut on Gorham St will be modified to provide access to the parking area. M. Cousins said they propose street trees and streetscape improvements. M. Cousins summarized the landscaping plan. M. Cousins said they will use a subsurface detention system for stormwater. M. Cousins said they will work with the City to address any concerns with the stormwater system. Speaking in Favor: None Speaking in Opposition: Michael Zaim, 375-379 Gorham Street M. Zaim said the design looks good, but his concern is parking. M. Zaim said parking is an issue in the neighborhood, and said nearby streets fill up with people parking overnight. M. Zaim said some of the parking spaces in the lot are licensed for Enterprise Bank. M. Zaim said this will make traffic and parking worse in the congested neighborhood. John McDonough, 26 Highland Street J. McDonough said he is opposed in the present form. J. McDonough said the neighborhood is condensed and expressed concern about traffic. J. McDonough said he is concerned about parking, and people won’t walk over to the Gallagher Terminal. J. McDonough said parking is the biggest issue. Discussion: T. Linnehan said since the MFOM overlay district was made no parking is required in this zone, and the Board cannot deny the project for lack of parking. T. Linnehan noted the zoning code does not require parking. D. Tenczar said his biggest concern is parking. D. Tenczar stated he believes zoning allows them to require parking. T. Linnehan asked staff. D. Ricker said there is a parking maximum and no minimum parking requirement. D. Tenczar said he believes DPD is wrong and feels the portion of zoning means they can require parking. G. Frechette said the Gallagher Terminal is over 1200 feet away which is referred to in the ordinance. M. Cousins said it is 1500 ft away. G. Frechette expressed concern this is over the 1200 ft. D. Ricker said the parking is not required, and this is optional. C. Flood said parking is not required and this provision is only if they wish to provide extra parking. T. Linnehan noted the intent from City in all presentations before Board and Council was to not require parking. D. Tenczar said he thinks parking is required. G. Frechette suggested getting clarification from the Law Department. G. Frechette said this was always communicated as not requiring parking and there was a maximum to prevent over developing parking. G. Frechette said he does not believe parking is required and does not believe it is under their discretion, but said the language is a little confusing. D. Tenczar said he believes the Board has the ability to put parameters on the MBTA zones. C. Flood said the project meets all dimensional requirements. C. Flood said they are here for Site Plan approval which the project is compliant for. C. Flood said a traffic study was submitted addressing traffic and parking in this area. C. Flood said they are in compliance with all parts of zoning and site plan should be approved. T. Sar said he’d like a law opinion, and would not be comfortable without that clarification. L. Walker said her read is that parking is not required and the applicant has the option to provide off- street parking, and said they should all be on the same page before they move forward. G. Frechette said the site has a good design and is an improvement over the existing site. G. Frechette said too much parking might be a problem due to the traffic congestion. G. Frechette said it is an underutilized site and this is an improvement. G. Frechette said the project addresses the City departments’ comments. G. Frechette said the street trees and landscaping is an improvement. G. Frechette asked about the engineering comments. M. Cousins said revisions were made to comply with engineering comments. G. Frechette said the TDM plan incorporates the elements they look for. G. Frechette said the project meets the requirements for Site Plan Review. G. Frechette said he just wants to continue to get clarification on the parking. G. Frechette said the context from the Council approval is there was no parking requirement. G. Frechette said the language may be confusing if you do not have the context. G. Frechette said he has no other concerns. C. Flood asked if this could be included as a condition to get a law opinion, G. Frechette said he is ok with that. D. Tenczar said a question to law is if they are allowed to have parking requirements in the MBTA zone. G. Frechette said they need clarification on definitions moving forward. G. Frechette explained the process by which the MBTA zones were approved and said it was clear with the presentations, but said there should be clarification related to the confusion with the language. G. Frechette said he specifically wants clarification on the 1200 feet from site parking rule. T. Sar said the Board wants to know if 9.8.5 applies to this project. C. Flood said the question is whether they need to meet the off-street parking requirement. Motion: G. Frechette motioned to approve the Site Plan Review petition with the following conditions: (1) The applicant shall incorporate the City Transportation Engineer’s recommendations into the TDM Plan; (2) The applicant shall work with the City Engineering Department for approval addressing site concerns; and (3) The applicant is subject to clarification from the City Solicitor’s Office regarding Section 9.8.5 and whether there is a parking requirement pertaining the MFOM overlay district. T. Sar seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-1), with D. Tenczar voting in opposition. III. New Business IV. Other Business Appointment of Planning Board Member to the Historic Board The Planning Board will vote to appoint a representative to serve on the Historic Board. T. Linnehan asked if any members are interested in serving as the Planning Board’s representative to the Historic Board. L. Walker volunteered. G. Frechette motioned to nominate L. Walker to serve on the Historic Board. T. Sar seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously, (5-0). V. Further Comments from Planning Board Members D. Tenczar said he wants to know if they can have a parking requirement in the MBTA zones. T. Linnehan said Law will issue an opinion and may call members for clarification on the question. G. Frechette said the clarification is whether the wording is correct, and he wants clarity so the Board can be certain. The Board discussed the state ADU legislation. VI. Adjournment G. Frechette motioned and T. Sar seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The time was 7:57PM.