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THIS EVENING.[NOTE]
TO JUST THE, UH, PREVIEW OF UPCOMING ATTRACTIONS.UM, IT'S OCTOBER, WELCOME TO SPOOKY SEASON.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, TWO ITEMS TONIGHT.
THERE'S A PUBLIC HEARING, UM, WHICH WE'LL GET TO RIGHT AWAY.
AND THEN AN ITEM OF GENERAL BUSINESS RELATED TO THE CAMBRIDGE SIDE, UM, COMPLEX, UH, AND THE PUD SPECIAL PERMIT FOR THAT.
SO IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE TUNED IN FOR THAT, UM, ITEM OF BUSINESS THAT'LL COME AFTER THIS NEXT HEARING.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UM, UH, ADDITIONAL ITEMS SCHEDULED IN OCTOBER AT THIS TIME.
SO A HAPPY HALLOWEEN EARLY, I GUESS.
AND WE DON'T HAVE A MEETING ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 'CAUSE THAT IS ELECTION DAY, SO PLEASE GO OUT AND VOTE.
THAT MEANS THE NEXT MEETING THAT WE HAVE ON OUR CALENDAR IS NOVEMBER 10TH, AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF ITEMS SCHEDULED.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'VE QUITE HIT, UH, THE PRESSES YET, BUT WE WILL, UM, HAVE A, A CASE WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT UNUSUAL TO, IT'S A, AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERLAY, UH, ADVISORY REVIEW FOR A PROPOSAL AT THREE 50 RIDGE AVENUE, UM, WHICH WILL ALSO HAVE A SPECIAL PERMIT ASSOCIATED WITH IT, UM, FOR A CONDITIONAL USE IN THE ZONING DISTRICT.
AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE PARTICULAR, UH, MIX OF USES THAT ARE PROPOSED IN THAT PROJECT.
SO IT'LL BE AN INTERESTING CASE.
UM, YOU'LL BE SEEING MORE ABOUT IT AS WE GO CLOSER TO THAT DATE.
UM, OVER ON THE CITY COUNCIL, THERE IS, UM, NOTHING ON THE SCHEDULE COMING UP.
I THINK THE MAIN ITEM THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST FROM, FROM A ZONING STANDPOINT, UM, AND PLANNING, IS THAT THE COUNCIL LAST NIGHT'S MEETING RECEIVED THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING STUDY, UH, CONDUCTED BY THE, THE CITY'S CONSULTANT.
UM, AND THAT HAS BEEN REFERRED TO ORDINANCE COMMITTEE FOR, UH, DISCUSSION.
AND, UH, THAT IS THE SCHEDULE IS TBD, BUT, UM, KEEP AN EYE OUT ON THE PUBLIC MEETING CALENDAR IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TUNING INTO THAT.
THE LAST UPDATE IS THE, UM, JUST A REMINDER, THE DEADLINE FOR, UM, LETTERS OF INTEREST FOR, UH, ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THE PLANNING BOARD HAS WAS EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 12TH.
SO THERE'S, UM, THERE'S STILL TIME, UH, TO GET YOUR LETTER OF INTEREST IN IF, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, UH, DOING THAT.
SO, UM, BUT THAT WINDOW WILL CLOSE ON ON OCTOBER 12TH.
I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE CHAIR.
UM, AT THIS POINT, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? UH, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME.
I DON'T SEE ANYBODY INDICATING SUCH.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE.
THE NEXT ITEM IS THE CONTINUED HEARING ON CASE PLANNING BOARD 4 1 2, A SPECIAL PERMITTED APPLICATION BY BSR BIRCH LLC TO CONSTRUCT A SIX STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING WITH 85 RESIDENTIAL UNITS.
WE'LL BEGIN WITH AN UPDATE FROM CDD STAFF, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE DEVELOPER FOLLOWED BY PUBLIC COMMENT.
THEN THE BOARD WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS.
AND FINALLY, WE WILL DELIBERATE AND DECIDE HOW WE WANT TO PROCEED IN THIS CASE.
MASON, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE GOING TO, UH, SUMMARIZE THIS FOR US.
UM, SO THIS IS THE SECOND PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS APPLICATION.
UM, THE PROJECT INVOLVES CONSTRUCTION, AS TOM SAID, OF A SIX STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING, UH, WITH A NOW PROPOSED 84 RESIDENTIAL UNITS.
THE CDD MEMO SUMMARIZES THE HEAT PLANNING AND DESIGN REVISIONS MADE BY THE APPLICANT IN RESPONSE TO THE JULY 21ST PUBLIC HEARING.
UH, STAFF ARE PRESENT IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, AND THE BOARD'S ACTION IS TO GRANT OR DENY THE REQUESTED SPECIAL PERMITS.
UM, THE PRESENTER IS JOANNA SCHNEIDER.
UH, YOU'LL HAVE UP TO 30 MINUTES, UH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, THOUGH.
WE HOPE YOU CAN BE AS CONCISE AS POSSIBLE.
GIVEN THIS IS THE SECOND HEARING, AND PLEASE INTRODUCE YOUR PROJECT TEAM AND BEGIN.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AGAIN, MY NAME IS JOHANNA SCHNEIDER.
WITH ME THIS EVENING ARE SETH GRADY, THE DEVELOPER'S REPRESENTATIVE, HENCE HAN STR, AND MICHAEL DENNIS, OUR PROJECT ARCHITECTS, MIKE DEANGELO, OUR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, AND SCOTT THORNTON, OUR TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANT.
WE WERE LAST BEFORE YOU IN LATE JULY, WHERE WE SHARED PLANS FOR A NEW MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT BUILDING LOCATED ON A THROUGH PARCEL FRONTING ON EACH OF BIRCH STREET AND BAYSTATE ROAD.
I KNOW WE HAVE A PRESENTATION.
I'M NOT SURE WHO'S DRIVING THAT.
HANS, IS THAT YOUR OFFICE DOING THAT? YES, WE CAN.
CAN YOU PUT THAT UP, PLEASE? SHARE.
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IF YOU CAN FLIP TO THE NEXT PAGE JUST TO REMIND THE BOARD OF THE LOCATION THAT THE PROJECT IS PROPOSED TO BE IN.AND THE NEXT SLIDE TWO, PLEASE.
UM, AGAIN, AS I WAS SAYING, THIS IS A THROUGH PARCEL THAT FRONTS ON EACH OF BAYSTATE ROAD AND BIR STREET.
UM, WE GREATLY APPRECIATED ALL OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE BOARD AT OUR FIRST MEETING.
AND WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO SHARE HOW WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO RESPOND TO YOUR COMMENTS.
UM, BEFORE WE DIVE IN, JUST A REMINDER OF THE BASIC PARAMETERS OF THE PROJECT.
WE ARE PROPOSING APPROXIMATELY 84 UNITS OF HOUSING IN A MIX OF STUDIOS, ONE BEDROOM, TWO BEDROOM, AND THREE BEDROOM UNITS.
WE ARE PROVIDING 15 ONSITE VEHICLE PARKING SPACES AND APPROXIMATELY 88 TO 89, UH, BICYCLE PARKING SPACES.
THE BUILDING, AS MASON NOTED, IS SIX STORIES TALL WITH A HEIGHT JUST SHY OF 70 FEET.
THE BUILDING IS FULLY COMPLIANT WITH ALL USE AND DIMENSIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE, BUT BECAUSE OF ITS SQUARE FOOTAGE, WE ARE SEEKING A PROJECT REVIEW SPECIAL PERMIT.
AND WE ARE ALSO JUST TO REFRESH THE BOARD'S RECOLLECTION, PREEMPTIVELY SEEKING PERMISSION TO MAKE A PAYMENT TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST IN THE EVENT THAT THE FINAL DESIGN OF OUR GREEN ROOF IS DETERMINED NOT TO MEET THE FULL GREEN ROOF REQUIREMENT.
I JUST NOTE THAT WE DO CURRENTLY COMPLY WITH 2235 OF THE ORDINANCE, BUT IT HAS BEEN THE HISTORICAL PRACTICE OF THIS BOARD TO PROSPECTIVELY GRANT PROJECTS, THE ABILITY TO MAKE A PAYMENT IN LIEU OF FULL COMPLIANCE PREMISED ON THE IDEA AND THE UNDERSTANDING THAT AS PLANS FOR ROOFTOP EQUIPMENT EVOLVE, THERE MAY BE SOME SLIPPAGE, THEN WE WOULD BE DROPPING BELOW THAT REQUIRED 80%.
UM, MOVING ON FROM BACKGROUND, UM, ONTO HOW WE HAVE, UH, WORKED TO ADJUST YOUR FEEDBACK.
HANS, COULD YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? UM, THIS IS SORT OF A LAUNDRY LIST WITH SOME EXPLANATION, AND THEN I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO HANS TO DO A DEEPER DIVE INTO, UM, THE MORE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES.
SO JUST SORT OF GOING DOWN THE LIST, UM, WE HAVE ADDED TO OUR PLANS THE FLOODPLAIN ELEVATION IN RELATION TO BUILDING ELEMENTS.
THE MINIMUM REQUIRED ELEVATION IS 23.3.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE PLANS THAT WE SUBMITTED, THE CRITICAL BUILDING SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT ARE ALL LOCATED AT 23.5.
IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS ABOUT FIRE ACCESS THROUGH THE SITE, WE HAVE PROVIDED A MEMO FROM CENT'S CODE AND FIRE ENGINEERING GROUP CONCLUDING THAT WE ARE INDEED COMPLIANT WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS FIRE CODE.
AT THE LAST MEETING, WE WERE ASKED TO CONSIDER SEEKING A SPECIAL PERMIT TO UTILIZE STACKERS IN THE BIKE ROOM.
WE DID DISCUSS THIS SUGGESTION WITH STAFF WHO WERE NOT SUPPORTIVE OF THIS CHANGE, IN PART BECAUSE IT WOULD REQUIRE ZONING RELIEF AND WHAT IS OTHERWISE A COMPLIANT PROJECT, AND ALSO BECAUSE OF CONCERNS THAT IT WOULD CREATE ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES.
SO WE HAVE NOT MADE THAT CHANGE AND WE ARE NOT REQUESTING THAT SPECIAL PERMIT.
WE WERE ALSO ASKED BY A MEMBER OF THE BOARD TO CONFIRM THAT OUR CALCULATIONS AS TO THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF FAMILY SIZE IZ UNITS WERE CORRECT.
WE HAD A MEETING WITH ALEX, BOB, THE SENIOR HOUSING PLANNER AT CDD TO REVIEW OUR CALCULATIONS, WALK THROUGH THEM WITH HIM, AND HE CONFIRMED THAT THEY ARE IN FACT CORRECT, UH, SOME BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, SOME BOARD MEMBERS ALSO ASKED US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE PROGRAM TO SEE IF WE COULD PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL THREE BEDROOM UNITS WITHIN THE PROJECT.
WE DID SPEND QUITE A BIT OF TIME EVALUATING THIS AND ULTIMATELY DETERMINED THAT WITH RESPECT TO THE MARKET RATE UNITS, IT WOULD NOT BE EITHER FINANCIALLY OR PRACTICALLY FEASIBLE FOR US TO DO THIS.
THIS PROJECT AND ITS ECONOMICS ARE PREMISED ON FILLING A MARKET GAP FOR SMALLER UNITS IN THIS AREA.
UM, AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT WHAT MARKET RATE THREE BEDROOM UNITS WOULD RENT FOR, IT SEEMS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THESE WOULD ACTUALLY BE RENTED BY FAMILIES.
IN ADDITION, SHIFTING FROM SMALLER UNITS TO THREE BEDROOM UNITS WOULD REALLY CHANGE OUR FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT PARKING DEMAND, WHICH WE ANTICIPATE WOULD BE PROBLEMATIC AS WELL.
BUT MINDFUL OF THE BOARD'S REQUEST, WE DID FIND A WAY TO CREATE AN ADDITIONAL THREE BEDROOM IZ UNIT.
WE DID THIS BY COMBINING TWO SMALLER IZ UNITS INTO ONE LARGER UNIT.
WITH THIS CONSOLIDATION, WE ARE NOW AT 84 TOTAL UNITS RATHER THAN 85 AS PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED.
UM, ALSO AT THE JULY MEETING, WE LEARNED THAT THE ABUTTERS LIST THAT WE GENERATED FROM THE CITY'S ACCESS GIS SYSTEM TO MAIL FLYERS FOR OUR EARLY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS LAST JANUARY, DID NOT INCLUDE UPDATED CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SIX HOUSEHOLDS ON BAYSTATE ROAD.
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO EACH OF THOSE HOUSEHOLDS TO OPEN A LINE OF COMMUNICATION WITH THEM GOING FORWARD.
UM, ALSO AS REQUESTED BY SOME BOARD MEMBERS, WE HAVE SUBMITTED UPDATED FLOOR PLANS THAT SHOW THE PROPOSED LOCATION OF ALL WINDOWS AND DOORS WITHIN THE PROJECT.
AND WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS TO HOW WE CALCULATED THE GREEN ROOF AREA.
AND IF THERE ARE STILL QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE GOT TO THOSE NUMBERS, OUR LANDSCAPE
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ARCHITECT IS HERE AND HE CAN ANSWER ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS.I'M NOW GONNA TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER TO HANS, OUR ARCHITECT TO WALK THROUGH THE REST OF THE CHANGES.
BUT BY WAY OF PREVIEW, WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SEE NOW IS A REFINED ROOF DESIGN, A STUDY OF ADDING A DOOR TO THE GARAGE ON THE BAYSTATE ROAD ENTRANCE REVISIONS TO THE FACADE, AND A REFINED TRANSFORMER DOOR ENCLOSURE.
UM, WITH THAT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
HOPEFULLY THAT WAS PRETTY QUICK, AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS EITHER NOW OR AFTER OUR PRESENTATION CONCLUDES.
ANY QUESTIONS OR SHOULD I JUST MOVE FORWARD? I SEE NO ONE INDICATING ANY, UH, RAISED HANDS HERE, SO PLEASE, UH, PROCEED, HANS.
I'M HAN STR, UH, HDS ARCHITECTURE IN CAMBRIDGE.
UM, AND WE'LL SHOW YOU THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE AS A RESULT OF OUR LAST MEETING WITH YOU, WHICH, UH, WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED YOUR INPUT.
UM, THIS SHOWS OUR PRIOR ROOF PLAN.
WE THOUGHT WE'D START AT THE TOP.
AND, UH, THERE, THERE WERE SEVERAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE ROOF DECK, HOW IT FUNCTIONED.
ALSO, THERE WERE QUESTIONS AS, UH, JOANNA MENTIONED REGARDING HOW WE CAME TO THE CALCULATION OF THE GREEN ROOF.
SO WE HAVE MADE, UH, SEVERAL MODIFICATIONS TO THIS.
WE WORKED WITH, UH, MICHAEL DEANGELO.
I LET MICHAEL, UH, YOU TELL ME WHEN TO MOVE THE SLIDE.
MICHAEL, PLEASE MO COME FORWARD AND, UH, INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND TALK A LITTLE, A LOT, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO DO IT, ABOUT YOUR, UH, ROOF PLAN HERE.
MIKE DEANGELO, UH, MDLA, WERE THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS.
SO, AS HANS MENTIONED, THIS IS THE, THE NEW PLAN.
UM, YOU COULD SEE THIS IS A, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE ENTIRE ROOF.
SO YOU COULD, YOU COULD SEE AROUND THE PERIMETER WE HAVE THE, UH, NON-INTENSIVE GREEN ROOF, AND THE NUMBER FOUR, THE MECHANICAL AREA.
AND I WILL MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE JUST TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE AREA IN THE RED, AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE CALCULATION.
SO THE, THE OCCUPIABLE SPACE, YOU CAN SEE, YOU WALK UP THE STAIRWELL OR GET OUTTA THE ELEVATOR, AND YOU EN ENTER A SPACE THAT HAS VARIOUS PROGRAMMING.
SO WE'VE, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, CREATED AN AREA FOR CHA LOUNGE SEATING AREAS FOR DIFFERENT GROUPS TO GATHER SOME PASSIVE RECREATION AREA SHOWN WITH THE CORNHOLE BOARDS, AND THEN AN AREA WITH A PERGOLA AND A GRILL COUNTER.
AND THE GRILL WOULD BE ELECTRIC.
UM, THERE'S A PATHWAY THAT LEADS TO THE EAST TO ANOTHER STAIRWELL THAT HAS RAILINGS AROUND IT FOR EGRESS.
AND THEN GETTING TO THE POINT OF, UH, THE GREEN ROOF CALCULATION, UH, THAT JOHANNA WAS MENTIONING.
WE HAVE, UH, LOOKED AT ALL OF THE EXEMPT AREAS.
THERE'S 15,660 SQUARE FEET OF TOTAL ROOF.
WE'VE LOOKED AT ALL THOSE EXEMPT AREAS.
SO THE PATHWAYS, THE OCCUPIED TERRACES, THE MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT, AND THE, UH, CLEARANCES.
AND WE ARE, WE HAVE ABOUT 81.9%, UH, PROPOSED, UH, NON-INTENSIVE GREEN ROOF CALCULATED.
SO WE EXCEED THE, UM, THE REQUIREMENT OF 80% NON-EXEMPT ROOF AREA.
AND THAT HERE ARE A FEW IMAGES JUST TO KIND OF ILLUSTRATE SOME OF THAT NON-INTENSIVE GREEN ROOF ON THE TOP LEFT.
UM, YOU KNOW, GRILL COUNTER AREAS, PERLE AREAS, DIFFERENT AREAS FOR GATHERING, CREATING A SPACE THAT MULTIPLE PEOPLE COULD USE AT, AT ONE TIME.
SO, UH, THERE WAS, UH, A LOT OF DISCUSSION.
WE'LL START WITH, UH, BAYSTATE ROAD REGARDING A POTENTIAL, UH, GARAGE DOOR, UH, AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE PARKING AREA OFF OF BAYSTATE ROAD.
AND WE WANTED TO POINT OUT TO YOU HERE IN THIS PLAN, THE ONLY REVISION THAT WOULD BE HAPPENING TO THE WHOLE SITE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT WOULD BE TO REMOVE SOME OF THE, UH, UH, LANDSCAPE BUSHES AND PLANT CERTAIN PLANTINGS ALONG THIS EDGE TO BECOME MORE GROUND COVER, IF THAT, UM, IF THAT, UH, GARAGE DOOR WERE TO BE INTRODUCED HERE.
AND THEN THIS WOULD JUST BE THE ACCESS FOR FIRE, UH, FIRE, UM, ACCESS, FIREMEN ACCESS INTO, FOR PEOPLE ACCESS INTO THE PROPERTY.
UH, SO MOVING RIGHT ALONG, THIS IS A IMAGE THAT YOU SAW BEFORE OF THE, UH, OF THE BUILDING.
UM, AND AS WE MOVE INTO THESE, UH, IMAGES I'M ABOUT TO SHOW YOU,
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NOT ONLY DISCUSS, UM, THE GARAGE DOOR, UH, ITEM, BUT ALSO COMMENTS REGARDING, UH, HOW THE, UH, THE SIDING OF THE BUILDING COMES DOWN TO THE GROUND.WE'VE ADDED, UH, GRANITE BASE, AND WE ALSO, UH, HAVE, UH, MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO THE TOP FLOOR.
THERE WERE COMMENTS ABOUT HOW THIS BUILDING COULD RELATE, UH, IN MORE SCALED FASHION TO THE EXISTING, UH, BUILDINGS ON THE PROPERTY, OR I'M SURE, I'M SORRY, ON THE STREET.
UH, ONE THING I'D LIKE TO NOTE, NOTE THAT THE, THIS BUILDING, WHICH IS 20 TO 24 BAY STATE ROAD, IS A METAL CLAD BUILDING.
IT'S CLADDED IN, UM, VERTICAL CORRUGATED METAL, UH, NATURAL COLOR THAT ACTUALLY DOES COME DOWN TO THE GROUND, UH, AND PUNCTUATED WITH WINDOWS AND, UM, VARIOUS OTHER COLORED PANELS.
THE, UH, THE BUILDINGS TO THE LEFT ARE, UH, 42 AND 54 BAYSTATE ROAD ARE, UM, FIBER CEMENT SIDING OF VARIED COLORS, UH, VERY NICE, UH, BUILDINGS, UH, WITH BAY WINDOWS, WITH WINDOWS ON THE SIDES HERE AND HERE.
OUR BAY WINDOWS ALSO HAVE WINDOWS ON THE SIDES.
SO, IN ANY CASE, UM, THE NEXT SLIDE HERE SHOWS SOME OF THE MODIFICATIONS WE HAVE INTRODUCED, INCLUSIVE OF THE, UH, GARAGE DOOR.
UM, IN THIS CASE, YOU CAN SEE HOW THE, UH, THE SIDING HAS BEEN DROPPED DOWN, THE HORIZONTAL CLADDED SIDING, UM, DROP DOWN IN SCALE WITH THE, UH, THESE PANELS MOVING ABOVE IT.
UH, ESSENTIALLY RECOGNIZING A POTENTIAL, A TRANSITION BETWEEN THESE SCALES ON THE STREET.
UH, WE HAVE ALSO LIGHTENED THE COLOR OF THIS, UH, WHICH WAS SORT BRONZY COLOR BEFORE INTO MORE OF A TERRACOTTA COLOR.
AND WE HAVE ADDED, UM, A, UH, GRANITE INTO THE PROJECT AT THE BASE RISING UP, UH, APPROXIMATELY TWO AND A HALF FEET OR SO, AND THEN ALSO AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE.
SO HAPPENS ALL THE WAY AROUND THE BUILDING.
UM, NOW JUST TO SHOW OTHER VIEWS, THIS WOULD BE THE SAME FACADE, BUT WITHOUT, UH, A GARAGE DOOR.
AND WE, WE ARE OPEN TO ALL YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND THOUGHTS ON THIS, BUT WE STILL THINK IT FUNCTIONS FINE WITHOUT A GARAGE DOOR AND IS A LITTLE BIT MORE AIRY, UM, SCALE WISE ON THE STREET AND MORE WELCOMING, UM, AND HELPS ARCHITECTURALLY COMPLETE THE, UH, THE MASSING TO THE GROUND.
AND THIS IS THE OTHER VIEW OF THE PRIOR SCHEME, UH, THAT YOU SAW LAST TIME.
AND HERE ARE THE, HERE IT IS REVISED, UH, AND A LITTLE BETTER VIEW OF THE ENTRY WITH ITS, UH, GRANITE, UH, BASE AND ACCENT HERE AROUND THE MAIN ENTRANCE IN CANOPY.
UH, ALSO THE DROP IN SCALE HERE, AND, UH, THE SAME WITHOUT THE GARAGE DOOR.
THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME DRIVEWAY THAT EXISTS PRESENTLY INTO THE PROPERTY.
ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE OTHER ANGLE ON DAY STATE ROAD, AND THEN WITH THE LIGHTER COLOR AND GARAGE DOOR, AND WITHOUT THE GARAGE DOOR.
SO, UH, THAT THOSE ARE BASICALLY COMPLETES A FAIR AMOUNT OF WHAT WE, UH, LOOKED TO DO ON THIS SIDE OF THE BUILDING AS A RESULT OF OUR LAST MEETING.
AND MOVING ALONG TO THIS SIDE, BIRCH STREET, UH, THIS WAS THE FACADE YOU WERE PRESENTED WITH THE LAST TIME WE HEARD YOUR COMMENTS REGARDING THE, THIS, UH, UH, INTERNALIZED, UH, TRANSFORMER, AND THAT THE SCALE OF THESE DOORS THAT ARE ACTUALLY A REQUIREMENT, UH, WE'VE WORKED ON THAT.
THE COLOR YOU'LL SEE, AS WELL AS THE, UM, INTRODUC INTRODUCTION OF, UM, A GRANITE BASE AS A TRANSITION FROM THE MATERIAL ABOVE IT.
THIS IS THE, OBVIOUSLY THE, UH, TRANSFORMATION OF THE, OF WHAT WE BELIEVE IS A BETTER SCHEME, UM, AND A BARELY BETTER SCALED, UH, SITUATION HERE.
UH, WITH THESE TRANSFORMER DOORS, WHICH ARE REQ VENTILATION IS REQUIRED IF YOU'RE GONNA INTERNALIZE A, UH, TRANSFORMER, THE SAME VIEW THAT YOU SAW THE LAST TIME.
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UH, MODIFIED VIEW.UH, ALL OF THIS IS NOW GRANITE HERE, GRANITE BASE ACROSS, AND, UH, THE COLORING OF THE, UH, FACADE, MUCH LIGHTER.
FINALLY, THE VIEW FROM CONCORD AVE, UH, THAT IS THAT PARTICULAR ANGLE.
AND THEN, UH, UH, THE UPDATE OF THE MATERIAL SELECTION, UH, THE VARIOUS, UH, MATERIALS LEADING INTO THE, A MAIN ENTRANCE TO THE BUILDING.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S, UH, THE, THAT ENDS OUR PRESENTATION.
I BROUGHT, UH, ALONG THE, UM, THE ACTUAL EXHIBITS THAT WE SENT, UH, ALONG WITH OUR, UM, VER UH, WRITTEN RESPONSE, UH, IF, IF YOU NEED TO HAVE ANY REFERENCE TO THOSE AND OTHER MATERIALS, IF THOSE ARE NECESSARY IN YOUR DISCUSSIONS.
UM, JOANNA, IS THERE ANY, ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO STATE AT THIS POINT? WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO ADD.
UM, SO, UH, NEXT, UH, THIS IS OF COURSE A PUBLIC HEARING.
UM, WE'LL TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, SO ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK SHOULD NOW CLICK THE BUTTON THAT SAYS, RAISE HAND.
IF YOU'RE CALLING IN BY PHONE, YOU CAN RAISE YOUR HAND BY PRESSING STAR NINE.
SO AS OF 5:00 PM YESTERDAY, THE BOARD HAS ALSO RECEIVED WRITTEN COMMENTS ON THIS CASE FROM APRIL BOSS, SUZANNE HOPKINS, LIZ BYRON, THERESA WITKOWSKA, AND ROBERT COMANCHO, AND ALSO MAURA LEVINE.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER 5:00 PM YESTERDAY WILL BE ENTERED INTO THE RECORD.
I'LL NOW ASK STAFF TO UNMUTE SPEAKERS ONE AT A TIME, AND YOU SHOULD BEGIN BY SAYING YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, AND STAFF CAN CONFIRM THAT WE CAN HEAR YOU.
AFTER THAT, YOU'LL HAVE UP TO THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK BEFORE WE ASK YOU TO WRAP UP.
WE, WE HAVE A, A QUEUE OF, UM, OF, UH, HANDS LINING UP.
SO JUST BE SURE TO RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK.
SO WE, WE HAVE A SENSE OF, OF HOW MANY, UH, SPEAKERS ARE COMING UP.
I'LL GIVE THE THE NEXT SPEAKER'S NAME, THEN THE FOLLOWING SPEAKER, SO YOU CAN BE READY.
THE FIRST SPEAKER IS KELLY BOSS, WHO WILL BE FOLLOWED BY BRANDON.
BARBARA, AND YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF AND BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK, UM, FOR BEING ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE WERE NOT, UM, UH, AFFORDED THE, UM, ABUTTERS NOTIFICATION, UH, LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE, WHICH IS AGAINST MASSACHUSETTS LAW.
UM, I HAD MENTIONED THIS IN OUR JULY MEETING, AND THE REASON WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS DIDN'T HAPPEN IS BECAUSE THE CITY DID NOT NOTIFY PROPERLY, UM, THE DEVELOPER.
I ASKED THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE WHEN OUR, UM, ADDRESSES WERE ADDED TO THE PUBLIC REGISTRY, AND THAT WAS IN OCTOBER OF 2025.
SO BEING THE LETTERS WERE SENT OUT IN DECEMBER, I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WERE EXCLUDED.
SO I WOULD LIKE SOMEBODY ON THE BOARD OR ON THIS MEETING TO EX ACKNOWLEDGE OR EXPLAIN WHY WE WERE LEFT OFF.
UM, THIS GIVES THE PERCEPTION THAT THE COMMUNITY'S COMMENTS AND VIEWS ARE NOT IMPORTANT OR AT ALL.
UM, TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, THIS BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE DEVELOPING RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET ON BIRD STREET AT A KNOWN CHEMICALLY CONTAMINATED SITE.
THERE ARE KNOWN AMOUNTS OF CHROMIUM, LEAD AND TRICHLOROETHYLENE IN THAT SOIL.
IT IS REGISTERED, IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE 1987.
WE HAVE THE DATA, THE NUMBERS EXIST.
I THINK THAT IT IS EASILY WITH, SHOULD BE REQUIRED THAT SOME TESTING BE DONE BEFORE ANY DIRT IS DUG UP.
SO WE KNOW IF THERE IS ANY TRICHLOROETHYLENE CONTAMINATION.
I HAVE SUBMITTED A SCIENTIFIC PAPER TO THIS BOARD SHOWING WHAT HAPPENS WITH TRICHLOROETHYLENE, NOT WHEN YOU BUILD ON TOP OF IT FROM A CONTAMINATION SITE, BUT ADJACENT TO IT.
IT RAISED THE PARKINSON RATE 500%.
I THINK IF YOU CARE ABOUT THE RESIDENTS OF THIS BUILDING, YOU WOULD WANT TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE TRICHLOROETHYLENE CONTAMINATION IN YOUR SOIL AND DIRT.
MOREOVER, WHEN YOU START DIGGING, YOU'LL BE EXPOSING THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND TOBIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEXT DOOR.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY, YOU WILL TEST FOR THESE CHEMICALS.
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DIG, BEFORE YOU DO ANY DEVELOPMENT, ANYTHING ELSE IS IRRESPONSIBLE.I GIVE BACK THE REST OF MY TIME.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS BRANDON BARBA, FOLLOWED BY APRIL BOSS.
BARBARA, 4 6 3, UH, CONCORD AVE.
UM, BASICALLY THE SOUTHWEST, UH, PROPERTY LINE.
UH, FIRST I WILL SAY I DO AGREE, UM, WITH THE CONTAMINATION POINTS.
I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN IN ALL OF THIS.
AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S A HUGE ISSUE THAT AS SOON AS WE START DIGGING INTO THAT AREA, I THINK IT'LL MAKE MATTERS WORSE.
UM, SO WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY IS THAT I'M NOT ASKING THE BOARD TO DENY THIS PROJECT OR TO DELAY ITS DECISION.
I'M SURE THAT'S ALREADY BEEN PREDETERMINED, BUT I AM ASKING THAT THE DECISION CARRY CONDITIONS, UH, AND NONE OF THIS WILL BE CONTROVERSIAL.
A LOT OF IT COMES FROM THE CITY'S OWN REVIEW DOCUMENTS OR FROM THE APPLICANT'S OWN STUDIES.
UH, SOME POINTS BEFORE MY PROPOSED CONDITIONS VERSUS THE NOISE, THERE'S BEEN NO RESPONSE ON THIS SUBJECT SINCE JULY.
THE ONLY ACOUSTIC STUDY IS PRELIMINARY AND MODELS RECEPTOR FIVE FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, SIX FEET FROM THE PROPERTY LINE AT 69 DECIBELS AGAINST EIGHT 50 DECIBEL NIGHTTIME LIMITS.
AND THE PROPOSED FENCE IS, IS JUST SIX FEET.
MEANWHILE, THE ROOF DECK ABOVE THE ABUTTING HOMES HAS JUST BEEN ENLARGED AND PROGRAMMED WITH AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN.
SECOND, UH, THERE'S NO LOADING DOCK.
TRASH COLLECTION WILL STAND, UH, IN BIRCH STREET'S, SINGLE TRAVEL LANE.
AND THIRD, THE TRANSPORTATION.
THE TRAFFIC STUDY IN APRIL ONLY PENDING THE CORRECTIONS, UH, AND THE FAILING MEASUREMENTS FROM THE STUDY SUCH AS THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AT BAY STATE OF NEW STREETS, AND THE MISSING BICYCLE ACCOMMODATION ON BIRCH STREETS, UH, RECEIVED NOTHING IN THE MITIGATION PACKAGE, WHICH IS UNCHANGED SINCE JULY.
SO OVERALL, I ASK THAT THE DECISION INCLUDES THESE CONDITIONS.
A FINAL ACOUSTIC STUDY WITH SECOND AND THIRD FLOOR RECEPTORS, AN ENGINEERED BARRIER OR RELOCATION FOR THE GROUND LEVEL HEAT PUMP AND POST OCCUPANCY COMPLIANCE TESTING UNDER CHAPTER EIGHT 16.
UH, SECOND, THE ROOF DECK HOURS ENDING AT 10:00 PM NO AMPLIFIED SOUND.
THIRD, TP AND T CERTIFICATION BEFORE BUILDING PERMIT THAT THE DOT REQUIRED CORRECTIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED, INCLUDING 36 INCH BICYCLE RACK CLEARANCES FOR THE CROSSING IMPROVEMENTS AT BAYSTATE AND NEW STREET AND THE RAISED CROSSWALKS.
THE STUDY RECOMMENDS THE SPEED HUMP CONTRIBUTION, UM, AS WELL TIED TO AN INSTALL LOCATION AND, UH, MANDATORY ANNUAL MODE SPLIT AND PARKING UTILIZATION MONITORING REPORTED TO TP AND T AS THIS BOARD HAS REQUIRED IN PB 4 0 7.
UM, FIFTH, UH, A LOADING AND MOVE-IN MANAGEMENT PLAN APPROVED BY TP AND T BEFORE OCCUPANCY SEVEN INSTALLED GREEN ROOF OF NO LESS THAN 5,301 SQUARE FEET.
EIGHT, UH, THE ROOT ZONE PROTECTION FOR THE ABUTTING PRO PROPERTIES, UH, TREES UNDER THE C ABES PER D-P-D-T-D, PWS DP W'S, UH, MEMO.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS APRIL BOSS, FOLLOWED BY MARA LEVINE OR LEVINE.
I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY MISPRONUNCIATION.
SO, UM, I KNOW I'VE SENT EMAILS TO MOST OF THE FOLKS ON THIS PLANNING BOARD.
I AM A RESIDENT AT 47 BAYSTATE ROAD AND I AND ABUTTER TO THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT.
AND I JUST WANNA START BY SAYING I DO SUPPORT HOUSING IN CAMBRIDGE.
I'VE RENTED HERE FOR OVER 13 YEARS BEFORE MY FAMILY WAS FINALLY ABLE TO PURCHASE A HOME IN 2025.
BUT SUPPORTING HOUSING SHOULD NOT REQUIRE RESIDENTS TO GIVE UP TRANSPARENCY, SAFETY, OR ACCOUNTABILITY.
WITH PB FOUR 12, WE HAVE SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN UNANSWERED FROM BOTH THE CITY AND THE DEVELOPER.
FIRST, RESIDENTS WERE NOT PROPERLY INCLUDED IN THE JANUARY COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
AS MY HUSBAND KELLY MENTIONED EARLIER, THE DEVELOPER TOLD US THAT THE NOTICES WENT TO OUR BUILDING'S FORMER DEVELOPER, WHICH WE'VE CONFIRMED WITH THEM THEY DID NOT RECEIVE, AND THAT WE THEN FOUND OUT THAT OWNERSHIP RECORDS WERE UPDATED BY THE CITY IN OCTOBER OF 2025, WHICH IS MONTHS BEFORE THE MEETINGS OCCURRED.
WE ASKED FOR EXPLANATION AND MAILING LIST THAT WAS USED.
WE STILL DON'T HAVE ONE AS OF TONIGHT.
FURTHER, WE RECEIVED YET ANOTHER DELINQUENT NOTICE FROM THE DEVELOPER FOR THIS VERY MEETING TONIGHT.
AND AN EQUALLY DISMISSIVE EMAIL FROM ITS REPRESENTATIVE SETH GRADY, PRESENT
[00:30:01]
ON TONIGHT'S CALL THIS AFTERNOON ABOUT ALL OF OUR CONCERNS, WHO THEN SUBSEQUENTLY DID NOT ACTUALLY OFFER A MEETING OR ANY ANSWERS TO OUR CONCERNS.SECOND, THIS PROJECT SITS AGAIN NEXT TO 4 45 CONCORD AVE, A DOCUMENTED ENVIRONMENTAL DISPOSAL SITE WITH A HUGE HISTORY OF TCE AND OTHER CONTAMINATION.
MANY FOLKS ON THIS CALL IN THE JULY MEETING DID NOT EVEN UNDERSTAND THAT THIS EXISTED.
SO WE STILL DO NOT ACTUALLY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THIS IS GOING TO BE BOTH TESTED AND REMEDIATED BEFORE ANYTHING ACTUALLY OCCURS.
THIRD, THE PARKING STUDY RELIED ON O OBSERVATIONS FROM OCTOBER, 2025, WHICH WAS WELL BEFORE THE FULL IMPACT OF THE 106 UNIT DEVELOPMENT ON 52 NEW STREET.
HOW CAN WE KNOW THAT THOSE OBSERVATIONS REPRESENT TODAY'S PARKING CONDITIONS? IT IS THE CASE TODAY, AFTER MOST RESIDENTS HAVE MOVED INTO THIS DEVELOPMENT, THAT THERE ARE PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES RELATED TO THE EXCESS PARKING THAT HAS NOW HAPPENED.
FINALLY, I HOPE THE BOARD CONSIDERS WHO THIS HOUSING IS ACTUALLY SERVING AFTER 13 YEARS AS A CAMBRIDGE RENTER, I UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR HOUSING, BUT A PROJECT DOMINATED BY STUDIOS AND ONE BEDROOM MARKET RATE UNITS RAISES A LEGITIMATE QUESTION ABOUT HOW THIS FITS WITHIN CAMBRIDGE'S HOUSING STRATEGY.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE AS RESIDENTS STILL HAVE NO ANSWERS TO OUR CONCERNS.
THERE IS A CERTAIN LUXURY IN BEING ABLE TO DISMISS THESE CONCERNS WHEN YOU WON'T BE THE ONE LIVING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES.
THESE ARE OUR HOMES, OUR STREETS, AND THE SCHOOLS THAT OUR CHILDREN ATTEND.
THAT IS WHY I AM ASKING THE BOARD TO REQUIRE ANSWERS BEFORE EVEN ALLOWING THIS PROPOSED PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD.
MONEY AND SOPHISTICATED REPRESENTATION, AND EVEN PREPAYMENT FOR NOT FOLLOWING ORDINANCES SHOULD NOT PURCHASE FLEXIBILITY WITH A PUBLIC PROCESS THAT ORDINARY RESIDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS, UH, MERRILL LEVINE, FOLLOWED BY ETHAN SOBO.
YOU CAN BE, WE, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU SPEAKING IF YOU'RE SPEAKING RIGHT NOW.
UM, YOU MAY NEED TO CHECK YOUR MICROPHONE SETTINGS.
I LIVE AT ONE BIRD STREET, AND I WANNA, UM, THE, THE, SO I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT EVERYTHING, I WANNA SECOND EVERYTHING THAT THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER JUST SAID, AND THAT BRANDON, BARBARA SAID TOO.
UM, I ALSO, UH, I'M VERY, I'M VERY, VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROJECT.
IT'S, AND I GUESS, WELL, TWO THINGS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP TODAY WHEN, UM, I THINK IT WAS WHEN THE LAWYER MENTIONED THAT THE THREE BEDROOMS, THEY WEREN'T ACTUALLY THINKING THAT THEY WOULD BE USED FOR FAMILIES BECAUSE OF THE RENT.
UM, IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT, BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE WHOLE POINT OF THAT WAS TO HAVE MORE FAMILIES.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, THE NEW DOOR THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT HAVING ON BAYSTATE ROAD, IF PEOPLE HAVE TO, WHEN THEY'RE DRIVING IN, WILL THEY BE WAITING FOR THE DOOR TO OPEN ON BLOCKING THE SIDEWALK? 'CAUSE I NOTICED THERE'S NO DRIVEWAY THERE.
UM, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, UH, I GUESS BY BESIDE THE NOISE AND WHY THERE ISN'T A LOADING DOCK SO THAT TRUCKS CAN GO IN THERE WHERE THE GARBAGE IS GOING TO BE.
I MEAN, THAT'S 85 UNITS OR 84 UNITS WORTH OF GARBAGE COMPOST AND RECYCLING.
SO WERE THOSE ALL JUST GONNA BE SITTING ON THE SIDEWALK SO THAT THE SIDEWALK BECOMES INACCESSIBLE? I JUST HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND I'M ACTUALLY FINDING THIS WHOLE THING VERY UPSETTING.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY SPIEL.
UH, AND THE NEXT SPEAKER IS ETHAN SOBEL.
WHO IS, UH, THE, UM, ACTUALLY, THERE'S, THERE'S ANOTHER HAND THAT JUST WENT UP.
HI, ETHAN SOBEL, 24 BAYSTATE ROAD.
UM, I WANNA ECHO THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE SO FAR.
I'M AN OPPONENT OF THIS PROJECT.
I AM NOT AN OPPONENT OF AFFORDABLE OR EVEN HOUSING AS AN AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNER IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE.
IN ADDITION, I WOULD ADD THAT THERE IS A BRAND NEW, OF COURSE, MONTESSORI SCHOOL THAT WAS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WERE SPENT ON, FOR KIDS TO HAVE CLEAN, ACCESSIBLE AND SAFE SCHOOLING RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET.
AND THIS, I THINK, DIRECTLY INHIBITS THAT ABILITY FROM PREVIOUS COMMENTS.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE'S BEEN VERY LITTLE TO NO EXPLANATION OF HOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LIVE AND SURVIVE THROUGH THE NOISE OF THE CONSTRUCTION, THE DUST, THE POLLUTANTS, ET CETERA.
I ACTUALLY LIVE RIGHT ADJACENT TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT.
AND, UM, IT'S A SERIOUS CONCERN BECAUSE THERE'S ALREADY SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT NOISE AS IT, AS, UH, AS THE HOUSING ALREADY EXISTS IN THIS AREA.
[00:35:01]
I CAN TELL YOU THAT MULTIPLE HOMEOWNERS AT 24 BAY STATE ROAD HAVE ALREADY AND ARE SELLING THEIR UNITS TO GET OUT BEFORE THIS PROJECT HAPPENS AND ARE MOVING TO OTHER CITIES, INCLUDING WATERTOWN AND ARLINGTON AND LEXINGTON.SO IF THE CITY IS NOT CONSIDERING THAT, I THINK THAT IT SHOULD, YOU ARE LOSING RESIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THIS PROJECT, WHICH I THINK HAS A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT IT.
I'M NOT AGAINST PER PROMOTING, YOU KNOW, AND DEVELOPING HOUSING, BUT THIS SEEMS HAPHAZARD, AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS WE NEED TO EVALUATE ABOUT WHO CURRENTLY LIVES IN THE CAMBRIDGE TO VALUE THOSE HOMEOWNERS, RATHER THAN SIMPLY LOOKING TO SEEK NEW HOMEOWNERS.
SO I WOULD HOPE THAT THE BOARD CONSIDERS THE, AND DENIES THE ABILITY FOR THIS PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CITING MANY, MANY CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP HERE, INCLUDING HEALTH, SAFETY, CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, NOISE, POLLUTANTS, UM, AND, AND, AND MAINTAINING CURRENT RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE.
SO WE HAVE A FEW MORE SPEAKERS, UM, THERESA WISKA, FOLLOWED BY LEO LEE, AND YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF, UH, THERESA WISKA.
YOU CAN, UM, UNMUTE YOURSELF AND BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
IF YOU'RE TALKING, YOU MAY NEED TO, UH, PUSH THE MUTE BUTTON AGAIN.
I AM AT THREE BIRCH STREET, CAMBRIDGE.
SO NEXT TO THE DEVELOPERS, UM, QUITE FEW QUESTION OR MY, UM, CONCERN WERE RAISED BY OTHERS SO FAR, BUT, UM, FOR ME, BECAUSE ACROSS OF OUR, UM, STREET IS CAMBRIDGE CELL STORAGE PLACE, AND RIGHT NOW AND FEW MONTHS AGO, THE START PROJECT TESTING THE GROUND.
SO THERE WERE LIKE 37 PAGES WITH THE NOTES.
WHAT IS, UH, WHAT IS WRONG? WHERE IS MORE COM CONTAMINATION? WHERE IS LESS AND STRANGE THING? IT IS THAT EVERYTHING GOES FROM CAMBRIDGE SELF STORAGE TOWARDS FERN STREET, AND THERE ARE TESTS GOING THERE, AND THERE ARE SOME RESTRICTIONS.
SOME PEOPLE CAN LIVE THERE, BUT NOTHING HAPPENING ON THE SIDE OF BIR STREET WHERE THIS, UH, BIG PARKING IS.
AND THERE ARE LIKE ONLY BUSINESSES.
OUR CORNER HOUSE, THIS IS THE FIRST PROBABLY, UH, PLACE.
BUT THE STRANGE THING IS THAT NOBODY DOES THE TESTING ON THAT SIDE, ON WHERE THE NEW CONSTRUCTION WILL BE.
MY OTHER CONCERN IS THAT BECAUSE IT'S THE OTHER SIDE OF FIRST STREET IS SHOWING A LOT OF CONTAMINATION, AND THERE IS THINGS LIKE UNDER OR GROUND WATER AND WATER TRAVELED.
SO QUESTION IS WHEN AS THEY START DIGGING HERE, WATER, THE GROUND WATER MAY MOVE TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NEW CONSTRUCTION AND THE CONTAMINATION GO IN CLOSER TO THE HOUSES.
THE SECOND THING IS, WHEN THEY WERE DIGGING, THE LOT OF DIRT WILL BE EXPOSED AND WE WILL BE FREEZING WITH THIS.
NOW, OTHER THING IS THE GARBAGE CANS, LIKE, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND IF THIS IS BIG BUILDINGS, THEY SHOULD HAVE CONTAINER INSIDE THE PROPERTY WHERE YOU COLLECT THE GARBAGE AND GARBAGE TRUCK, GO PICK UP THE TRASH AND MOVE ON.
BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE 85 BARRELS WITH TRASH AND RECYCLING, STANDING THERE WAITING FOR A PICKUP, AND THEN PEOPLE ARE AT WORK AND THE TRASH ARE ALL OVER FOR ALL DAY LONG BECAUSE PEOPLE PICK UP THEM AFTER WORK.
WE WILL HAVE A MESS DOWNSTAIRS ON THE STREET, AND THERE WE HAVE THE GREENERY, WHICH IS ON THE TOP OF THE BUILDING.
WHO WILL ENJOY THAT? THIS IS FOR SOME PEOPLE WILL GO THERE.
THIS IS JUST TO FULFILL REQUIREMENT.
WE SHOULD HAVE IT SOMETHING DOWNSTAIRS, DOWN ON THE GROUND, LIKE THIS IS GREEN AREA.
WE HAVE A PARK ON THE LEFT SIDE, RIGHT SIDE, AND HERE WE JUST BUILDING, WHICH IS QUITE NICE.
IT'S IMPROVED THE, THE, THE LOOK FROM THE PAST.
[00:40:01]
THERE IS NOT ENOUGH GREEN.AND WE LIKE, UM, WE, WE DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE, BUT IT'S OKAY TO BUILD, BUT HAS TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE REASONABLE.
AND, UH, IT, IT, IT'S SOMEBODY SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF IT THAT I'M MOST WORRIED ABOUT THE CRASH AND THE SMELL IN THE SUMMER.
AND WINTER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PERSPECTIVE, YOUR TIME'S UP.
UM, WE'LL ADD AND THE NEXT WE'LL GET, GO AHEAD, JEFF.
UM, CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YES, YES, YES.
HI, THIS IS LEO AND LIVE AT 4 7 7 CONCORD AVENUE.
AND I HAVE A SERIOUS CONCERN ABOUT THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS PROJECT THAT HAS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD HERE.
AND I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT LIKELY THAT ORDER SIZE IS MET WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ZONING.
BUT HOWEVER, WHEN YOU PUT ALL THOSE TOGETHER, AND WE ALL KNOW ONE SIZE DOESN'T FIT ALL, THINKING ABOUT THE SUCH A PROJECT CREATES SUCH A DISPROPORTIONATE TO ALL THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS YOU HAVE IN THE SQUARE FOOTAGE, IN THE NUMBER OF UNITS, IN THE HEIGHT YOU HAVE TWICE AS HIGH AS ANY OF THE BUILDINGS SURROUNDED, YOU PROBABLY HAVE EIGHT OR 10 TIMES MORE UNITS THAN THE BUILDING NEXT TO IT.
AND I CAN SEE THAT IN ONE OF THE PRESENTERS THAT PRESENT ARTISTIC RENDERING THAT SHOW A NICE BUILDING THAT IS BEING PROPOSED.
BUT SURPRISINGLY OR INTERESTINGLY, ALL THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS THERE ARE, THE ABUTTERS SEEMS HAVE NO WINDOWS.
AND LOOK AT HOW CLOSE THE SIDES OF THOSE ABUTTERS TO THE PRE PROPOSED PROJECT.
AND THOSE WINDOWS WILL FOREVER SEE NO SUNLIGHT WITH SUCH A SHORT SETBACK AND SUCH HIGHER, UM, PROJECT OUT THERE.
SO I WANNA CALL YOUR ATTENTION, AND IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT MY CONCERN WITH REGARD TO CONTAMINATION THAT IS PRESENT OVER THERE, BUT A SCALE OF IT, IF THAT IS PROCEED, THAT SHOULD SERIOUSLY BE SCALED BACK, SHOULD NOT CREATE SUCH KIND OF A MAGNITUDE OF THE BUILDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE ESTABLISHED PROPERTIES THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR MANY YEARS.
SO THAT CREATE IRREVERSIBLE IMPACT TO THOSE PROPERTIES.
ANOTHER ONE IS THAT IT'S NICE TO SEE THAT THERE IS A PROPOSED ROOF DECK WITH GREEN SPACE, BUT THINKING ABOUT IT, IT'S A, IT'S ON THE SIX, IT'S ON THE ROOF OF SIX STORIES BUILDING.
YOU ESSENTIALLY CREATE A SEVENTH FLOOR ENTERTAINMENT SPACE WHERE ALL THOSE BUILDINGS NEXT TO YOU HAVE OF YOUR SIZE.
AND IT'S ENCOURAGING TO HAVE THE PARTIES ENTERTAINMENT, WHICH IS GOOD FOR THE, FOR PEOPLE WHO USE IT, BUT CREATE IT, CREATE A VERY INTRUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR THOSE BUILDINGS NEXT TO IT.
AND THAT'S MY COMMENTS TO THE, TO THE, TO THE BOARD.
AND I WANT YOU TO HAVE SERIOUSLY LOOKING INTO THIS.
UH, SO I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE LAST HAND RAISED, SO I WILL TURN IT BACK TO THE CHAIR AT THIS TIME.
AND THANK YOU TO THE PUBLIC FOR, UH, BRINGING YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
UM, WE'LL NOW MOVE FROM PUBLIC COMMENT TO, UH, BOARD DISCUSSION.
UH, ADDITIONAL WRITTEN COMMENTS MAY SUBMIT, BE SUBMITTED TO THE RECORD AS WELL.
UM, WE HAVE ALSO RECEIVED WRITTEN MATERIALS FROM THE STAFF AT CDD AND STAFF IS AVAILABLE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IF THE BOARD ASK QUESTIONS TO DIRECTED FOR THEM.
UM, SO, UH, QUESTIONS FOR STAFF OR THE APPLICANT, UH, AT THIS TIME.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT.
UM, IF THERE IS AN UPDATE ON THE TRANSPORTATION MITIGATION, LIKE THE, UH, SPEED HUMP, THAT'S I THINK DOWN THE ROAD.
SCOTT THORNTON, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? UNABLE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION? UH, I AM ONLINE, UH, SCOTT THORNTON WITH VANESSA AND ASSOCIATES, UM, TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANTS FOR THE PROJECT.
UM, SO THE APPLICANT HAD AGREED TO THE PROPOSED MITIGATION OR REQUESTED MITIGATION FROM THE CAMBRIDGE DOT, WHICH INCLUDED A BUMP OUT ON, UH, BAYSTATE ROAD IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE A BLUE BIKE STATION, AND ALSO A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS A SPEED HUMP ON BAYSTATE ROAD, UH, TO
[00:45:01]
LOWER THE SPEED, CALM THE TRAFFIC FLOW ON BAYSTATE AND GET IT, GET THAT ROADWAY CLOSER TO THE DESIRED, UH, NATURE OF A BICYCLE PRIORITY STREET.SO THAT'S BASICALLY LIKE A, UM, COMMITMENT ON YOUR END.
I I GUESS THIS QUESTION IS FOR STAFF.
UH, DOES THIS BOARD AT THIS TIME HAVE ANY PURVIEW OR ANY SAY WITH REGARD TO THE CONTAMINATION ISSUE THAT'S BEEN RAISED? AND IF NOT, IS THERE SOME OTHER CITY OR STATE BOARD OR ENTITY THAT DOES HAVE JURISDICTION OVER IT AND WHO WILL BE LOOKING INTO THE MATTER? HI, TED.
THIS IS MASON WELLS WITH STAFF.
UM, I'LL JUST SAY THAT, UH, THIS FALLS OUTSIDE OF THE LAND USE PURVIEW OF THE PLANNING BOARD, UM, AND ALSO OUTSIDE THE EXPERTISE OF THE BOARD, UM, AS WELL.
UM, THERE ARE OTHER AND FUTURE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS THAT THE APPLICANT WILL BE SUBJECT TO.
UM, PART OF OUR STANDARD CONDITIONS DO REQUIRE THAT APPLICANTS CONTINUE TO COMPLY WITH APPLICABLE STATE LAW AND REGULATIONS.
AND SO WE THINK IT'S BEST THAT THIS BE, UH, ADDRESSED OUTSIDE OF THIS FORUM.
I WAS, UM, UH, GOING TO GIVE THE PROPONENT A CHANCE TO KIND OF TALK THROUGH WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IN TERMS OF TESTING AND OR KIND OF THE REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE HELD TO IF THEY ARE SO INTERESTED IN ADDRESSING THAT, UM, THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS.
BUT I WILL, UM, I GUESS IT SOUNDS LIKE STAFF WOULD PREFER THAT I NOT OPEN THAT UP.
UM, SO, UM, IN THAT CASE, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR STAFF ON THE BICYCLE STACKERS.
WHY WOULD THAT MAKE IT THE PROJECT NON-COMPLIANT OUT OF CURIOSITY? UM, AND THEN I, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION AFTER THAT.
UH, THERE ARE ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS AND ACCESS STANDARDS FOR HOW YOU REACH BIKE PARKING.
AND SO, UM, THERE'S STANDARDS ABOUT THE EXACT NATURE OF THE BIKE PARKING RACKS, UH, THEIR SPACING FROM EACH OTHER, THE ACCESS AISLE WIDTH IN ORDER TO GET TO THOSE SPACES.
AND ALL OF THOSE, UM, ARE SOMEWHAT UNDERMINED BY, UH, THE STACKER CONCEPT AND JUST AREN'T COMPLIANT WITH, UM, THE ZONING AS WRITTEN.
UM, AND THEN, UM, ONE CONFIRMATION, I ASSUME THAT THE MURAL THAT WAS DEPICTED THE UPDATE, THERE'S KIND OF AN UPDATED MURAL THAT WAS DEPICTED ON THE REVISED PLANS THAT WERE SUBMITTED.
I ASSUME THAT IS A PLACEHOLDER AND THAT YOU'RE GONNA GO BEFORE THE CAMBRIDGE ARTS AND DESIGNS.
I'M SEEING JOHANNA NOD HER HEAD.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, UM, SHOOT, BEAR WITH ME FOR ONE SECOND HERE.
UM, YOU KNOW WHAT, I THINK, I THINK THE OTHER, UM, QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS ANSWERED DURING THE COURSE OF THE PRESENTATION, SO I WILL SIGN OFF.
THANK YOU CAROLYN AND ASHLEY, UH, THANK YOU.
I I ASSUME THIS, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD NOT BE HEARING THIS IF, UM, UNLESS ALL THE NOTICES TO BUTTERS WERE SET, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT WAS LIKE 14 DAYS BEFORE, UH, HEARINGS AND WHATNOT, THAT CAN EITHER THE APPLICANT OR STAFF JUST CONFIRM THAT FOR THE RECORD.
YEAH, THIS IS, THIS IS JEFF ROBERTS.
I CAN SPEAK TO THAT, THAT WE DID REVIEW.
SO I BELIEVE WHAT THE COMMENTS WERE REFERRING TO WAS THE EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, THE PLANNING BOARD ASKED TO DO, YOU KNOW, SOME AMOUNT OF TIME BEFORE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE PUBLIC HEARING ITSELF, WE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, BASED ON THOSE COMMENTS, WE CONFIRM THAT THE, UM, THAT THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE, THE STANDARD PRACTICES FOR NOTICING OF THE PUBLIC HEARING HAD BEEN, UH, FOLLOWED.
UH, DAN, LET ME GET MYSELF UNMUTED.
UH, YEAH, SO JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
UH, SO, UM, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE, UM, THE RUN THROUGH VERY, UH, SPECIFICALLY OF QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS THAT WE'D HAD AT THE, AT THE, UH, PREVIOUS HEARING.
UM, I DID WANT TO ASK A COUPLE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.
UM, SOME HAD TO DO, I THINK WITH, WITH SOME CONCERNS THAT THAT NEIGHBORS, UH, DID RAISE, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, TRASH PICKUP.
UM, UM, MAYBE THE APPLICANTS COULD SPEAK TO THEIR, UM, DECISION ABOUT HOW TRASH MANAGEMENT WOULD HAPPEN, UM, I ASSUME, UM, AS A STRAIGHT, UH, MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL PROJECT.
UM, LAST I CHECKED, UM, A LOADING DOCK IS NOT A CODE REQUIREMENT,
[00:50:01]
UM, BUT JUST WANTED YOU TO, TO CONFIRM THAT.UM, AND I THINK THE OTHER IS REALLY KIND OF GENERAL COMMENT THAT IT'S, IS, UM, UH, I THINK APPRECIATED THAT, UM, THERE'S A DRIVE-THROUGH AND, AND SOME PARKING.
I KNOW IT DOESN'T GO A LONG WAY TO ADDRESS NEIGHBOR CONCERNS.
UM, BUT I DID ONLY I NOTICED THE ONLY ONE HANDICAP SPOT.
AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THERE'S ANY REQUIREMENTS AND MAYBE THE APPLICANT CAN SPEAK TO IT, UM, ABOUT, UH, IF THERE IS A VARIANCE REQUIREMENT OR WHETHER THERE'S, UM, NOT A ONE-TO-ONE REQUIREMENT OF HANDICAPPED PARKING SPACES TO, UM, GROUP TWO UNITS.
UM, OTHERWISE I THINK I HAVE SOME COMMENTS ON DESIGN, BUT THEY'RE VERY MINOR, SO MAYBE, UH, I'LL LEAVE IT TO GETTING A COUPLE OF OF ANSWERS.
UM, HANS, WOULD YOU MIND PULLING UP THE SITE PLAN AND WALKING THROUGH WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY CONTEMPLATING FOR, UM, TRASH MANAGEMENT AND LOADING? YES.
AND DAN, IT IS CORRECT THAT WE DO NOT HAVE AN OP, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOTHING IN THE CODE THAT REQUIRES US TO PROVIDE A LOADING SPACE HERE.
UM, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, FUNCTIONALITY IN HERE THAT WE'LL SERVE FOR SOME LOADING FOR MOVE-INS AND MOVES OUT, MOVE OUTS THAT HANS CAN TALK ABOUT.
UM, SO I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION ABOUT TRASH, UH, MANAGEMENT.
WE HAVE INSIDE THE BUILDING, IF YOU CAN SEE MY CURSOR, UM, A TRASH ROOM, A VERY SIZABLE ONE INSIDE THE BUILDING.
AND, UH, WE WILL HAVE BINS INSIDE THIS SPACE FOR ALL THE REQUIRED TRASH REMOVAL FROM THE SITE.
THERE WILL BE A PRIVATE CONTRACTOR HIRED.
IT WILL NOT BE DONE BY THE PUBLIC, UH, PICK UP THAT WILL, UH, PICK UP THE TRASH WILL COME TO PICK UP THE TRASH.
IT WILL BASICALLY, THEY WILL BRING UP THEIR, THEIR TRUCK HERE IN FRONT OF THE CURB CUT THAT WE HAVE FOR THE, UH, PARKING, COME INTO THE BUILDING, GET ALL THESE GUYS, BRING THEM OUT, PUT IT IN THE TRUCK, WHETHER IT WILL BE ONE SERVICE DOING BOTH AT THE SAME TIME DOING, UM, SOILED UH, TRASH AND, UH, RECYCLABLES.
THESE TYPES OF, OF, UH, APPROACHES ARE COMMON IN, UH, URBAN PROJECTS OF THIS SCALE AND, UH, EXIST IN OTHER LOCATIONS IN CAMBRIDGE, I ASSUME.
UH, SO THE DETAILS OF IT, TIMING WISE, UH, WE WOULD OBVIOUSLY, UH, TIME, UH, NEGOTIATE WITH THE, OR HAVE WITH THE COMP, NOT NEGOTIATE, BUT REQUIRE PICKUP AT TIMES THAT DON'T INTERFERE, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH OTHER TRASH PICKUPS, WHICH WOULD BE HAPPENING ON, PARTICULARLY ON THIS STREET.
THE, UH, TOWN HOMES THAT ARE OVER HERE ARE THE ONLY RESIDENCES ON THE STREET THAT PRESENTLY HAVE, UM, THE TRASH ON THEIR CURBS.
OURS WILL, AGAIN, NOT BE ON THE CURB, IT WILL BE INSIDE THE BUILDING, AND THERE WILL BE NO, NO TRASH ISSUE NOR TRASH MANAGEMENT TO DEAL WITH ON BAYSTATE ROAD.
IT'LL ALL BE HAPPENING RIGHT HERE.
AS FAR AS, UM, THE QUESTION REGARDING HANDICAPPED SPACE, UH, SETH, COULD YOU, COULD YOU COMMENT ON THAT ONE? YOU MEAN SCOTT? I'M SORRY, SCOTT
UM, YEAH, UH, ACTUALLY, HANS, THE, UM, UH, THE HANDICAPPED SPACE REQUIREMENT, I, I BELIEVE, IS THAT A, IS THAT A FUNCTION OF THE NUMBER OF SPACES THAT ARE REQUIRED, UM, OR THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED? I, UH, THAT'S, UM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE, WHAT THE EXACT CRITERIA IS FOR THE HANDICAP.
SO I PUT YOU ON THE SPOT ON AN ITEM.
WHATEVER IS REQUIRED BY, UM, MAAB, MASSACHUSETTS ARCHITECTURAL ACCESS BOARD IS WHAT WE WILL IMPLEMENT HERE.
I BELIEVE BASED ON 15, ONLY ONE SPACE WAS REQUIRED.
IF IN FACT, WE ARE REQUIRED TOO, WE WILL CERTAINLY ADD A SECOND ONE AND IT WOULD BE RIGHT HERE.
BUT THERE'S PERCENTAGES OF PARKING SPACES.
I DON'T HAVE THE HANDBOOK RIGHT NEXT TO ME.
[00:55:01]
WE HAD PLANNED IT ACCORDINGLY.SO IF THERE'S AN ISSUE, WE WILL CERTAINLY, UM, WE'LL CERTAINLY COMPLY.
UM, JUST ONE QUICK FOLLOW ON QUESTION.
UM, UM, IS THE, UM, FLOOR TO CEILING HEIGHT SUCH THAT A TRA A TRASH REMOVAL TRUCK COULD COME THROUGH AND PICK UP, UH, WITHIN THE PARKING STRUCTURE? OR IS IT YOUR SENSE THAT, UH, IT COULD ONLY BE HANDLED FROM THE STREET? SO THE WAY THAT WOULD WORK IS THEY WOULD BE COMING THROUGH THIS WAY AND IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE SPECIFIC, UM, TRUCK THAT, UH, WOULD BE BROUGHT IN BY THE PRIVATE COMPANY, AND THAT WOULD BE PART OF OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM.
OBVIOUSLY, UH, WE DO HAVE A VERY HIGH FIRST FLOOR TO SECOND FLOOR HERE.
UM, I'D NEED, UH, MIKE TO PIPE IN AND TELL ME WHAT THAT IS.
UH, BUT IT'S, UH, IT'S NOT HUGELY HIGH, BUT IT'S DIRT DEFINITELY HIGHER THAN, UM, 11 FEET OR SO.
FLOOR TO FLOOR, IT'S HIGHER THAN THAT.
SO WE WOULD, IF WE COULD DO THAT, WE WOULD.
UH, BUT BY THE WAY, UM, I'VE OBSERVED, UH, ACTUALLY, I'LL JUST SHOW YOU SOMETHING HERE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THIS CLOSELY, THIS PHOTOGRAPH, YOU CAN SEE TRASH BINS HERE AND TRASH BINS HERE.
THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN THE DAY OF, AND THEN I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS ALL THE WAY AROUND OF TRASH DAY.
AND THEN I OBSERVED HOW THE TRUCK COMES THROUGH HERE, AND IT TAKES A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME.
IT DOES BECAUSE OF, IN THIS CASE, UH, IT'S A, IT IS A WELL USED STREET THAT DOES, AS WE KNOW, I GET, I GET BLOCKED BY THE TRASH PICKUP TRUCK, COMING TO WORK IT ON TRASH DAY, COMING TO MY OFFICE.
SO I'M KEENLY AWARE OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO ONE AT A TIME, TAKE THESE AND, UM, AND EMPTY, EMPTY, UH, EMPTY THEM, PUT 'EM BACK INTO PLACE.
SO, UM, DEFINITELY IF WE CAN OFF THE ROAD HERE, COME INTO THE PROPERTY, I'M SORRY, WRONG WAY.
UH, WE WOULD DEFINITELY, UH, CONSIDER THAT AS A WIN.
UH, BUT WE ALSO HAVE ACCOMMODATED IT, UH, BY CREATING, THEY, WE HAVE THIS CURB CUT HERE.
IT'S NOT LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF TRAFFIC COMING THROUGH HERE.
WE'LL COME UP WITH DATES, UH, OFF, OFF TIME.
AND, UH, I'VE, IT SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY.
UM, I SAW IT HAPPEN IN MY DAUGHTER'S APARTMENT JUST THE OTHER DAY.
UM, I GUESS THIS IS FOR STAFF.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF POINTS RAISED ABOUT, UH, AND CONCERNS ABOUT NOISE AND ACOUSTICS.
UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE, UH, ORDINANCE IN THE CITY ASKED FOR 50 DB AT THE PROPERTY LINE.
UM, I GUESS THIS QUESTION FOR STAFF DOES, IS THE PLANNING BOARD WHERE THAT GETS ENFORCED, WHERE, WHERE MIGHT, UH, CITIZENS MAKE SURE THAT THAT, UM, GETS ENFORCED? I, I CAN JUMP IN ON THAT.
UNLESS, AND MAYBE MASON AND I WERE JUMPING AT THE SAME TIME, UM, SIMILAR TO MASON'S, UH, POINT ABOUT STATE, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, THE NOISE ORDINANCE, THI THIS IS ACTUALLY A CITY ORDINANCE.
UM, IT'S SEPARATE FROM THE ZONING ORDINANCE, BUT AS WITH ALL, UM, DEVELOPMENT SUBJECT TO A SPECIAL PERMIT, IT'S ROUTINE TO MAKE IT CONDITIONED ON COMPLIANCE WITH ALL OTHER, OTHER LOCAL ORDINANCES.
AND THE, THERE WERE THE LAWYERS ORDINANCES ENFORCED, UH, THROUGH THE LICENSE COMMISSION.
THEY'RE PRETTY, UM, DILIGENT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, RESPONDING IF THERE'S, IF THERE'S COMPLAINTS AND, YOU KNOW, TAKING, TAKING MEASUREMENTS AS NECESSARY.
I ALSO KNOW THE INSPECTION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THE NOISE WAS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT SORT OF CONVERSATION OR, UM, EQUIPMENT, BUT THE, UM, INSPECTION SERVICES DEPARTMENT WILL SPEC EQUIPMENT TO MAKE SURE IT'S IN CONFORMANCE WITH THE NOISE ORDINANCE.
I'LL MAKE SURE, I'LL MAKE SURE THE BOARD CONSIDERS IT AS A CONDITION, AS YOU'RE SUGGESTING, JEFF.
I, I, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ROUTINELY DO, BUT JUST TO BE CLEAR, UM, THERE IS A WHOLE NOTHER, I I DON'T MEAN TO GIVE A BUREAU BUREAUCRATIC ANSWER HERE, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S ANOTHER, UH, UH, A BOARD THAT, UH, STEWARDS THAT.
THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, UH, THE ROOF TECH NOISE AND WHETHER IT'S POSSIBLE TO MAYBE CONSIDER A CONDITION TO LIMIT THE HOURS AT WHICH THERE WOULD BE OCCUPANCY ON THAT ROOF.
[01:00:01]
THAT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A RELATIVELY EASY THING TO, TO, IN, IN, UH, INSTITUTE.SOMEBODY FROM THAT PETITIONER ANSWER THAT.
SO DO YOU WANNA RESPOND TO THAT? SURE.
UH, YES, OF COURSE WE'D BE WILLING TO CONSIDER PLACING REASONABLE LIMITS THAT WOULD, UH, LIMIT NOISE.
UM, THERE WAS A OBSERVATION THAT THE GARAGE DOOR, UH, WOULD POTENTIALLY CREATE A CONDITION WHERE THERE MIGHT BE CARS WAITING FOR THAT DOOR TO OPEN.
UM, I KNOW YOU PRESENTED TWO OPTIONS, UH, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT AMBIGUOUS AS TO WHICH ONE YOU PREFERRED, AND MY UNDERSTANDING FROM CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE APPLICANT WAS THAT YOU SHARED THIS CONCERN OF WAITING AT THAT DOOR.
CAN YOU JUST CLARIFY THAT FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE? HANS, DO YOU WANNA ADDRESS THAT, PLEASE? SURE.
YEAH, I MEAN, IT, IT WOULD BE PLACED HERE.
OUR PREFERENCE IS NOT TO HAVE IT BECAUSE WE HAD SHARED THE SAME CONCERN THAT WAS BROUGHT UP BY THE, UM, UH, ONE OF THE RESIDENTS IN THE AREA THAT, UH, BECAUSE OF WHERE THE, THE CONTROL POINT WOULD BE FOR THIS, WHICH WAS REALLY, I THINK, PUT INTO PLACE PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF, I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA SAY IT INCORRECTLY.
I THINK THAT THERE WERE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHO WERE CONCERNED ABOUT VISUAL, UM, INTO THE PARKING.
UH, AND PRIMARILY, UH, THE SAFETY ISSUE OF, YOU KNOW, IF A CAR HAS TO PULL UP AND WAIT FOR THE DOOR TO GO UP.
SO I'M HAPPY TO SHOW OTHER IMAGES OF IT, BUT WE'RE, UH, AS THE PETITIONER, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT IN FAVOR OF THE, THE GARAGE DOOR.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
UH, LA UH, NOT LASTLY, BUT AT LEAST LASTLY FROM THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING, THERE WAS, UH, A QUESTION RAISED, WHICH WAS ALSO, I BELIEVE ANSWERED IN YOUR CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE THREE FAMILY UNIT THAT YOU ADDED, UH, SOME CLARIFICATION ON THAT, UH, CONCERN THAT THREE FAMILIES, UM, YOU'RE DESIGNATING THE ADDITIONAL THREE FAMILY UNIT AS AN AFFORDABLE UNIT, AS I UNDERSTAND.
UM, UH, CAN YOU JUST GO THROUGH YOUR THINKING ON, ON THAT WHY, UH, UH, THREE FAMILIES MIGHT NOT BE USED FOR FAMILIES? SETH, DO YOU WANNA ADDRESS SOME OF THE ANALYSIS THAT WE DID WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK WITH MARKET RATE UNITS HERE? Y YES.
AND, UM, SO WHEN WE APPROACHED THIS PROJECT, WE WERE LOOKING AT, UM, FILLING NEEDS THAT EXIST IN CAMBRIDGE FOR MORE HOUSING SUPPLY.
AND THERE'S A GREAT NEED THAT COVERS THE FULL SPECTRUM, YOU KNOW, FROM SMALL UNITS TO LARGER UNITS.
AND WE FELT, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS PROJECT THAT, UH, A FO WE, WE, WE WEREN'T GONNA SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM FOR EVERY PLACE ON THAT SPECTRUM WITH ONE SINGLE PROJECT, BUT WE FELT THAT OUR LOCATION GAVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE, UH, A LOT OF SUPPLY OF UNITS, UM, AT, FOR, FOR MAINLY STUDIO AND, AND ONE BEDROOM FOR RENTERS WHO WOULD HAVE PRICE POINTS THAT THE MARKET RATE WOULD BE AFFORDABLE, WOULD BE, WOULDN'T BE REGULATED AS AFFORDABLE, BUT WOULD BE AFFORDABLE.
AND AS WE STARTED LOOKING AT OPTIONS FOR SKEWING TOWARDS LARGER UNITS, IT INCREASED THE PRICE POINT, CHANGE THE DYNAMICS OF TRAFFIC AND THE NEED FOR, FOR, FOR CARS.
AND WE FELT THAT GIVEN OUR LOCATION AND THE, THE FACT THAT IT'S A BIG CITY AND THERE ARE OTHER PLACES WHERE OTHER PROJECTS WITH THE DIFFERENT ORIENTATION MIGHT BE DEVELOPED, THAT IT, THE FOCUS THAT WE CHOSE WOULD BE ONE THAT WOULD BE, WOULD FIT BETTER IN THE LOCATION THAT WE WERE IN.
UM, NOW THERE'S, WITHIN THE REQUIREMENT FOR INCLUSIONARY ZONING, OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR FAMILY UNITS.
AND WHEN WE RECEIVED THE COMMENT, WE WERE ABLE TO GO BACK AND FIND A WAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL UNIT AND STILL FULFILL THE INCLUSIONARY ZONING REQUIREMENTS.
BUT IF WE BEGIN TO START CHANGING THE NATURE OF THE PROJECT, IT JUST CHANGES A LOT AND IT, AND IT BECOMES A, A VERY DIFFERENT PROJECT FROM THE ONE THAT WE HAD CONCEIVED.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT THE COMMENT ABOUT IT MIGHT NOT BE FAMILIES LIVING THERE IS BASED ON THE FACT THAT IF YOU START PRICING A PROJECT THAT MARKET RATES WITH THREE BEDROOMS, UM, THE PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT INCREASES AND IT OFTENTIMES ENDS UP BEING SITUATIONS WHICH ROOMMATES HAVE TO GET TOGETHER TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD A LARGE RENT AND A, A HIGH RENT.
AND SO WE WANTED TO AVOID THAT AND SORT OF BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT OUR FOCUS WAS.
IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE AGAINST HOUSING FOR FAMILIES, IT'S JUST WE'VE CHOSEN A PROJECT IN THIS PLACE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, CHOOSES TO FEE TO, TO, UH, SERVE A DIFFERENT PART OF THE MARKET.
[01:05:04]
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.I HAVE A COUPLE OF FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS AND, UH, FOR THE CHAIR, I ALSO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, DESIGN QUESTIONS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK STAFF ABOUT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE NOW OR WHEN WE MOVE ON TO DISCUSSION.
I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE NOW, TED, WE'RE IN THE QUESTION.
WELL, L LET ME FIRST START WITH THE THREE BEDROOM ISSUE.
UH, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE JUST SAID, BUT I WANNA REMIND THE PROPONENT AND ANYONE WHO'S LISTENING THAT THREE ROOMMATES ARE ALSO THREE RESIDENTS OF CAMBRIDGE, AND THEY HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS THAT FAMILIES THAT NEED THREE BEDROOMS UNITS ALSO HAVE.
SO, UM, THE, THE IDEA THAT THEY ARE NOT ENTITLED TO THAT FORM OF HOUSING IS NOT ONE THAT I COULD ACCEPT.
I MEAN, I, I HEAR YOUR RATIONALE AND WHAT IT DOES TO THE PRICING AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE IS SOME VALIDITY OF THAT.
UH, I APPRECIATE THAT IT'S AN INCLUSIONARY UNIT.
UH, I WOULD'VE LIKED MORE THAN ONE ADDITIONAL THREE BEDROOM UNIT.
UM, BUT FOR YOU AND FOR FURTHER THE DEVELOPERS IN THE CITY, UH, THREE BEDROOM DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY EXCLUDE THE FACT THAT THERE MIGHT BE THREE ROOMMATES LIVING THERE.
UM, GOING BACK TO THE GARAGE ISSUE, UM, PERSONALLY I STILL PREFER THAT THERE BE A GARAGE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
MAYBE THAT'S LOWER ON THE LIST, BUT I THINK THAT FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE ACROSS FROM THIS ON BAY STATE ROAD AND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING BY SEEING A VOID IN THE BUILDING, UH, IS LESS DESIRABLE THAN SEEING A CLOSED DOOR.
UH, THERE'S ALSO A DOOR, A CLOSED DOOR ON THE OTHER SIDE, ON BURKE STREET.
AND I THINK THE IDEA OF CARS PULLING UP AND BLOCKING THE DOOR ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, OR CARS HAVING TO LINE UP, WAITING TO BE ABLE TO GET INTO ONLY 15 SPOTS, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, UH, REALLY PRETTY, I WON'T SAY FALLACIOUS, BUT I THINK IS, IS IS NOT A DECISIVE ARGUMENT FROM MY POINT OF VIEW.
I ALSO THINK THAT HAVING THE OPENING THERE, THE RESIDENTS IN THE BUILDING SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, UH, IT, IT IS AN OPENING FOR, UH, PEOPLE WHO DON'T BELONG TO GET INTO THE BUILDING.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, ASSUMING THERE ARE LOCKED DOORS INSIDE, IT'S STILL TAKING THEM AWAY FROM BEING VISIBLE ON THE STREET AND FOR ANYBODY TRYING TO ENFORCE THEIR EXCLUSION FROM THE BUILDING.
SO I WOULD STILL LIKE IT IF YOU WOULD THINK AGAIN ABOUT THE GARAGE DOOR THERE.
UM, MY QUESTION ABOUT DESIGN, AND I THINK THIS IS, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS ERIC WHO'S BEEN REVIEWING THIS PROJECT.
UM, I WAS, YOU KNOW, ALL IN FAVOR OF THE LOWERING OF THE, UH, SIDING, UH, TO THREE STORIES.
UM, I, I THINK IT WAS PRIMARILY ON BAYSTATE ROAD.
UM, UH, IT SEEMED TO MAKE SENSE TO ME.
UM, AND, UH, AS AN ASIDE, I DO APPRECIATE THE CHANGE IN THE COLOR TO THE TERRACOTTA.
I THINK THAT'S A VAST IMPROVEMENT OVER THE BROWN.
AS I SAY, I WAS ALL IN FAVOR, UH, OF WHAT YOU HAD DONE IN LOWERING THE SIDING, UH, UNTIL I READ THE URBAN DESIGN MEMO, WHICH, UH, WAS NOT SO MUCH IN FAVOR OF IT BECAUSE THEY FELT IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN TACKED ONTO THE BUILDING RATHER THAN BEING AN IN INTEGRAL PART OF THE BUILDING WHEN IT WAS AT THE FOUR STORY LEVEL.
SO I'M CURIOUS REALLY WHAT, UH, URBAN DESIGNS THINKING ABOUT THIS WAS, AND ALSO WHAT MY COLLEAGUES WHO ARE ARCHITECTS THINK ABOUT IT TOO.
AND THEN, UH, FINALLY A LAST COMMENT, UM, WITH REGARD TO CAROLYN'S QUESTION ABOUT THE, UH, SPIKE STACKERS.
I, TOO WAS VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
AND ASSUMING, UH, THE RESEARCH I DID ON THE WEB IS VALID, UH, THERE ARE REALLY QUITE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES ABOUT WHETHER THEY ARE APPROPRIATE FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE AND DISABLED PEOPLE, AND THAT, THAT THEY DON'T WORK WITH, UH, LARGER BICYCLES OR, UH, DIFFERENT TYPES OF BICYCLES.
AND, UH, THAT CONVINCED ME THAT THE STACKERS WERE, WERE NOT INAPPROPRIATE FOR A LARGE MULTIFAMILY, UH, PROPO PROJECT LIKE THIS.
[01:10:01]
UH, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT STACKERS MANY YEARS AGO, UH, ON ANOTHER PROJECT AND, UH, GOT REJECTED AT THAT TIME.AND I THOUGHT MAYBE THIS WAS, UH, UH, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW IT AND TO THINK ABOUT IT.
BUT THE, THE INFORMATION THAT I, I DISCOVERED WAS, UH, VERY NEGATIVE ABOUT THEM.
UH, BUT I I, I MOSTLY CURIOUS ABOUT, UH, THE URBAN DESIGN ISSUE AT THIS POINT.
I THINK IT WAS BRIAN GREGORY THAT, UH, WORKED ON THIS PROJECT.
TED, BY THE WAY, YOUR CAMERA'S OFF, MAYBE YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW PEOPLE REALLY CARE, BUT OH, WE, I CARE.
UM, HAPPY TO ADDRESS THAT, AND I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR THE ARCHITECT, BUT JUST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE.
UM, SO THE, THE UNITS, UH, THE, THE HOUSING TO THE LEFT, THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING CERTAINLY IS THREE STORIES, BUT ACTUALLY THE, THE HOUSING TO THE, UH, THE RIGHT JUST TO THE SOUTH IS, IS FOUR STORIES.
AND SO I THINK THERE IS SOME VARIETY IN THE CONTEXT THERE.
THE FOUR STORIES, I WILL ADMIT IS A LITTLE SHORTER THAN THE, UM, THAN THE PROPOSED SORT OF FOUR STORIES THERE.
AND I THINK THAT HAS TO DO A LITTLE BIT WITH, AS THE APPLICANT MENTIONED, THE SLIGHTLY TALLER, UM, FIRST FLOOR, UH, FLOOR TO FLOOR THERE FOR ME, UM, THE WAY THIS IS SORT OF RESOLVING IS THAT THE, THE SORT OF FOUR STORIES THAT FACES THE STREET IS THE STREET, THE STREET WALL FACADE, AND THEN THERE'S A, A RELATIVELY SUBSTANTIVE STEP BACK, UH, AT THE UPPER FLOORS TO WHAT THEN READS AS SORT OF A PENTHOUSE LEVEL AT THE FIFTH AND SIXTH FLOORS.
I FELT THAT THERE WAS SORT OF TWO REASONS BEHIND MY RATIONALE, WHICH AGAIN, IS SORT OF BASED IN DESIGN, WHICH IS, IS SOMETHING THAT'S, UH, TO SOME DEGREE SUBJECTIVE.
UM, IS THAT THE, UM, THIS HAD A SORT OF A CLEARER READING OF A, OF A COHESIVE STREET WALL WITH SORT OF A CORNICE LEVEL, WHICH IS THAT SORT OF LOWER, UM, THAT A LIGHTER COLORED RATHER GRAY THAT, THAT UNIFIES IT.
UM, IT'S SORT OF A MORE TYPICAL READING FOR A FOUR STORY BUILDING TO NOT HAVE MAYBE A TOTALLY DISTINCT UPPER FLOOR LIKE A PENTHOUSE JUST BECAUSE OF ITS SORT OF SHORTER SIZE.
UM, THE OTHER THING WAS THAT THIS CREATED A LITTLE BIT MORE DISTINCTION TO THE BAY, AND THERE'S SORT OF, FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, ALMOST TWO BAYS, THE ONE THAT SITS ABOVE THE, UM, THE GARAGE ACCESS AND THE OTHER, THAT'S SORT OF THE TRUE PROJECTING BAY THERE.
AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS A CLARITY, UH, THEY START TO READ AS SORT OF A UNIFIED ELEMENT WHEN YOU SORT OF HAVE THAT COLORING ACROSS THE TOP.
NOT THAT THAT THAT MATERIAL COLOR COULDN'T BE CHANGED, BUT I THINK IT ADDS A LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY TO KEEP ADDING MATERIALS INTO A BUILDING.
SO I THINK, UH, LONG AND SHORT FOR ME, THERE WAS JUST SORT OF A GREATER CLARITY TO THIS.
THERE WAS SOME CONTEXTUAL, UM, ASSOCIATION WITH THE FORESTRY BUILDING TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS IMAGE TO THE SOUTH THERE.
SO I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS AN INAPPROPRIATE ONE, AND I THINK IT, IT DID A BETTER JOB IN SOME SENSES OF MAKING A CLEAR FRONT BUILDING THAT HELPED, UM, VISUALLY RECEDE THE UPPER STORIES.
SO, HO HOPEFULLY THAT HELPS PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT.
OF COURSE, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A THING WE SHOULD MAYBE TALK THROUGH, BUT THAT'S JUST MY PERSPECTIVE.
IF I MAY, I JUST WANTED TO ADDRESS THE COMMENT ABOUT THE GARAGE DOOR PLEASE.
UM, WHICH IS THAT WE ARE NEUTRAL AS TO WHETHER WE INCLUDE IT OR NOT, AND WE ARE HAPPY TO DO WHATEVER THE BOARD DECIDES.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS EXPRESSED, WE HAD SOME DESIGN REASONS AND SOME SITE FUNCTIONALITY REASONS FOR PREFERRING THE OPTION WHERE THAT DOOR WAS NOT ADDED.
BUT IF THE BOARD FEELS THAT THE PROJECT IS BETTER FOR A HOST OF REASONS, WITH THAT GARAGE DOOR, WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO OBJECTION TO INCLUDING IT.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARITY.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE OF MORE QUESTIONS.
ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS AT THIS POINT HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT OR FOR STAFF? UH, THERE WERE CONCERNS ABOUT CONSTRUCTION MITIGATION AND ACTUALLY WANT TO GET SOMETHING ON THE RECORD AROUND THAT.
UH, IN LIGHT OF, I I, I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO IT AT THIS HEARING, SOME HICCUPS AND NOTIFICATION.
I UNDERSTAND THE, THE FRUSTRATION THERE.
UM, AND MAYBE IT'S MORE SERIOUS THAN THREAT FRUSTRATION, BUT THIS ISN'T THE FORM TO DIG THAT THROUGH WITH ALL THE EVIDENCE.
SO, UM, I WANNA BE VERY CLEAR ON HOW YOU'RE GONNA COMMUNICATE WITH NEIGHBORS AND WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR CONSTRUCTION MITIGATION.
WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THAT? UM, AND, UH, WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE TO, UH, KEEP OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR GOOD NEIGHBORS? SO OBVIOUSLY, AS PART OF ANY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE CITY, WE WILL NEED TO HAVE A, YOU KNOW, APPROVED CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT WILL GO THROUGH REVIEW WITH ISD AND I THINK DOT AS WELL.
AND WE WILL ADHERE TO ALL OF THE CITY'S REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO MITIGATION OF CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, NOISE, VIBRATION, DUST, ET CETERA.
UM, AS I MENTIONED AT THE OUTSET, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HAD INDIVIDUAL
[01:15:01]
OUTREACH TO NEIGHBORS WHO WERE REGRETTABLY, OMITTED FROM THE ABUT LISTS THAT WE WERE, THAT WE GENERATED USING THE GIS SYSTEM.WE WILL CONTINUE OUTREACH, AND WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE A POINT OF CONTACT SHOULD THEY ENCOUNTER ANY ISSUES DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PERIOD.
WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOME WORK TO BE DONE, UH, WITH COMMUNITY RELATIONS AROUND HERE, SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IF NOT, WE'LL MOVE, UH, AT THIS POINT TO DISCUSSION FROM BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, AND, UH, WHO WANTS TO OPEN IT UP? I THINK DAN HIT HIS BUTTON FIRST.
I, I'M HAPPY TO LET DIEGO GO FIRST, BUT, UM, UH, NO, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
UH, YEAH, NO, SO, SO THANK YOU.
I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, ON, ON, YOU KNOW, DESIGN ISSUES, IT'S VERY SUBJECTIVE.
I'M, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ARCHITECT OF THE PROJECT MAKE THE DECISIONS AESTHETICALLY.
UM, I THINK THAT, UM, I'M FAIRLY AGNOSTIC ABOUT THE GARAGE DOOR.
I UNDERSTAND, UH, TED'S CONCERNS AND SECURITY ISSUES.
UM, BUT I, I THINK THAT ENDS UP BEING KIND OF A, A MORE OF A BUILDING MANAGEMENT ISSUE.
UM, I, UM, ALSO APPRECIATE BRIAN'S, UH, VERY, UH, THOUGHTFUL CRITIQUE OF, OF MATERIALS.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT I'M, UM, HAVE A MINOR PREFERENCE FOR DROPPING THAT MATERIAL.
UM, WHILE THINGS EQUAL A STEP BACK IS ALWAYS GONNA BE PREFERRED, BUT I THINK THERE IS A VISUAL KIND OF BREAKING DOWN OF THE SCALE THAT I, I KNOW WAS, UM, HADN'T BEEN MY COMMENT PREVIOUSLY.
UH, I DON'T THINK, BUT I WAS, IT WASN'T, I I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH IT.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I THINK THE ARTICULATION COULD PROBABLY BE CLEAR ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I, I, UH, I THINK SOMETIMES TOO MANY COOKS.
UM, BUT SUBJECTIVELY I DO LIKE THE WARMER TERRACOTTA.
I THINK THAT THE, UH, THROUGH THE APPLICANT HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE HERE.
UM, MORE MAYBE TO, UM, OUR CHAIR'S POINT.
UM, I THINK CONTINUED OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE NEIGHBORS, UM, PARTICULAR ABOUT THINGS AROUND BUILDING MANAGEMENT, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PLAN.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, I HAVE TO ASSUME, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT OUR PURVIEW TO TALK ABOUT, UH, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, I, I HAVE TO ASSUME THAT IN PURCHASING THIS, THERE WAS A PHASE ONE ASSESSMENT IN 21 E AND IF THERE'S CLEANUP, UH, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO BE NOTIFYING ABUTTERS ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF, YOU KNOW, WHO, WHO'S THE LICENSED SITE PROFESSIONAL WHO'S ENGAGED.
IT'S A WHOLE, UM, RANGE OF THINGS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT BASING OUR, OUR, UM, APPROVAL OR, OR OUR COMMENTS ON HERE, BUT THAT I WOULD STRONGLY JUST ENCOURAGE THE APPLICANT TO, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, ENGAGE WITH THE, THE ABUTTERS AND RESIDENTS, UH, DIRECTLY AND CANDIDLY ABOUT, UM, ABOUT THIS.
SO, UM, I THINK CLEANUP OF THE SITE IS, UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I THINK, ON A LOT OF PEOPLE'S MINDS.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE AN ASSUMED OUTCOME THAT THERE WOULD BE THE APPROPRIATE REMEDIATION AND CLEANUP ALL DONE PROFESSIONALLY AND, UH, IN LINE WITH ALL THE REGULATIONS.
UM, SO, UH, I THINK, UH, HAVING THIS AS A, UH, REMEDIATED SITE WITH, UH, NEW HOUSING IS I THINK AN OBJECTIVE THAT WE'RE ALL SUPPORTING OF.
UM, SO, UM, WITH, WITH THAT SAID, UM, I THINK I COMMENTED PREVIOUSLY THAT I, THE COMMENTS THAT I, AND QUESTIONS I HAD PREVIOUSLY HAVE ALL BEEN, BEEN ANSWERED.
UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I CAN WEIGH IN MORE ON AESTHETIC POINTS, BUT I, I, UH, I THINK I'M GONNA MAYBE NOT DO THAT.
UH, DIEGO? UM, YEAH, THANKS FOR COMING BACK WITH THIS PROJECT.
I MEAN, THE COLOR PREFERENCE FOR ME, I PREFER THE PREVIOUS COLOR PALETTE AND THE FOUR STORY OF THE, UM, LITTLE SCREEN.
I'M, THAT'S JUST, MAYBE IT'S A SCREEN ISSUE TOO.
'CAUSE MY, MY TERRACOTTA COLLAR IS REALLY POPPING OUT ON MY MONITOR.
THE GARAGE DOOR, I WAS KIND OF ON THE FENCE, BUT TED REALLY, UM, HAS A GREAT WAY OF SPEAKING ABOUT GARAGE DOORS.
AND HE CONVINCED ME ABOUT, IT'S JUST, I THINK, I THINK HE'S ONTO SOMETHING.
UM, AND REALLY IT'S ONLY 15 CARS UNDER THERE, SO I, AND ALSO IT'S LIKE THE MULTIFAMILY, YOU KNOW, DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE, FOR THE CITY.
SO IT'S, IF, IF YOU'RE ON THE FENCE, I WOULD LEAN TOWARDS PUTTING IT ON.
[01:20:01]
UM, AND MY BIGGEST ASK WOULD BE THE TRANSPORTATION ME, UH, MITIGATION.I KNOW IT'S A COMMITMENT THAT YOU HAVE, BUT ANY, ANY OTHER, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THIS HUGE PROJECT COMING UP.
ANY LIKE LEEWAY YOU HAVE WITH THE CITY OR WHOEVER'S IN CHARGE OF THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
'CAUSE THAT'S REALLY A, A TROUBLESOME SPOT TO, TO WALK BY.
AND I THINK THE NEIGHBORS WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, AND SORRY, ONE LAST THING.
THE, UH, I DIDN'T REALIZE THERE WAS ONLY LIKE THREE, THREE UNIT IN THE, UH, IN THE WHOLE BUILDING.
THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF A BUMMER.
BUT, UM, YEAH, HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET MORE IN THE FUTURE.
NOT TOO MANY MORE, OBVIOUSLY, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO DO.
UM, SO WHILE WE'RE ON THIS SLIDE, I'LL WEIGH IN.
I ACTUALLY AM GLAD, DIEGO, YOU WENT FIRST.
I PREFER THIS COLOR, THE BRONZE MYSELF, PARTLY BECAUSE THE BUILDING'S ADJACENT ARE PRETTY POPPY IN COLOR AS WELL.
AND SINCE IT IS METAL, I, I JUST LIKE THE BRONZE QUALITY.
THE TERRACOTTA FEELS LIKE IT'S TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ELSE.
AND, UM, I ALSO PREFER THE FOUR WITH THE WAY IT IS BASICALLY NOW IT FEELS A LITTLE BIT LESS BUSY, UM, AND FEELS LIKE IT SITS BETTER TO MY EYE, REALIZE THAT'S ALL AESTHETIC.
UM, I ALSO WAS SWAYED BY, BY TED, UM, 15 SPOTS.
I THINK THAT THE GARAGE DOOR WOULD MAKE A FEW A BIG DIFFERENCE, UM, IN PART BECAUSE OF WHAT IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO.
IF THERE WASN'T THAT SECONDARY DRIVEWAY, MAYBE THIS WOULD FEEL MORE, UM, REASONABLE.
BUT, UM, I THINK THAT IT WILL IMPROVE THE STREET SCAPE.
AND I THINK ECHOING WHAT DIEGO SAID, I I THINK THAT THE TRAFFIC MITIGATION AND ANYTHING YOU CAN DO FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, BOTH CARS AND BIKES AND HEADSS ON THIS STREET, UM, WOULD BE REALLY APPRECIATED, UM, BY THE NEIGHBORS.
I THINK AS EVERYONE ELSE, I THINK IT'S, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WAS MISCOMMUNICATED THROUGH THE PROCESS, SO I THINK LIKE TOM WANTING TO WATCH THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS, THAT THERE IS A SOLID, UM, COMMUNICATION PROCESS GOING FORWARD.
UM, ESPECIALLY IF THERE'S ANYTHING RELATED.
AND I'M SURE THE CITY WILL BE TRACKING THIS RELATIVE TO CONTAMINATION CONCERNS, UM, THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT, UM, UM, IT WILL BE A CONSTRUCTION PROCESS THAT CONTINUES TO IMPACT THIS COMMUNITY.
SO ALWAYS HARD ON PLANNING BOARD, JUST ECHOING THAT WHEN WE HEAR A LOT OF FOLKS SHOWING UP TO SHARE THESE KIND OF COMMENTS, IT REALLY DOES HAVE AN IMPACT ON, YOU KNOW, HOW I UNDERSTAND THEM INTERPRETING, UM, THIS PROCESS.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY THE ROOF TERRACE, I THINK HAS GOTTEN A LOT BETTER.
WE REALLY DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THAT LAST TIME.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE AMENITIES STARTING TO SHOW UP UP THERE.
I THINK THAT THE, HAVING THE SHADE CANOPY, UM, IS, IS A BIG IMPROVEMENT.
UM, I WORRY ABOUT THE CORN HOLE SACKS GOING OFF ONTO THE EXTENSIVE ROOF AND THE LITTLE KID CLIMBING OVER THE GUARDRAIL, BUT THEY'LL FIGURE OUT SOMETHING, SOMETHING ELSE TO DO NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT IS AN IMPROVEMENT SINCE THE LAST TIME WE SAW IT.
SO I WANT TO, TO RECOGNIZE THAT.
UM, AND THAT IS ALL I HAVE FOR NOW.
SO MY NOTES ARE A LITTLE SCATTERED, SO I APOLOGIZE, BUT, UM, I GUESS FIRST OFF, YEAH, I AGREE WITH MARY.
I'M GLAD THE ROOF TEAR SEEMS MORE, A LOT MORE USABLE NOW, JUST, UM, WITH THE LAYOUT, UM, BECAUSE WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, DON'T WANT A SPACE THAT IS NOT USABLE, KIND OF DEFEATS THE PURPOSE.
UM, I, I DO THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN, I THINK TOM MENTIONED THIS, BUT IF WE CAN ADD A CONDITION TO, UM, RESTRICT HOURS OF USE OF USE OF THE TERRORIST TO, YOU KNOW, DAUNTED DUSK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, AND THEN I APPRECIATE, I KNOW THIS DIDN'T COME UP IN OUR DISCUSSION TODAY BY KNOW LAST TIME, UH, SCOTT CLARIFIED THAT THE TRAFFIC STUDY DID INDEED INCLUDE, UH, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC COUNTS OR AT LEAST EXPECTED TRAFFIC COUNTS FOR THE NEW BUILDINGS IN THE AREA.
SO THAT MADE ME A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE.
UM, AND AT LEAST IN THE POINT OF TRAFFIC, I THINK I AM, YEAH, I THINK SATISFIED WITH, UM, WHAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED.
UM, I'M GLAD THE TRASH ROOM AND PICKUP IS INSIDE THE BUILDING.
I DON'T HAVE STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT, UM, GARAGE DOOR.
I DO THINK IT LOOKS VISUALLY NICER.
[01:25:01]
IF, UM, IF NOT HAVING A DOOR WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR, YOU KNOW, OCCASIONAL DROP OFFS, OR IF SOMEONE DOES RENT A, UM, RENT A CAR OR OCCASIONALLY LIKE A ZIPCAR AND WANTS TO PARK THERE, UM, WITH A DOOR, YOU KNOW, JUST MAKE THINGS MORE COMPLICATED.BUT NO STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT THAT.
UM, A FEW THINGS I DO WISH TO SEE MORE OF.
I KNOW THE, MY OTHER FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS THAT MENTIONED THIS, BUT IF THERE IS ANY WAY TO ADD MORE TWO, TWO BEDROOM OR THREE BEDROOM APARTMENTS, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING IN OUR, UM, CITYWIDE, UM, GUIDE, NOT GUIDELINES, BUT, YOU KNOW, ENVISION CAMBRIDGE WITH WHAT WE WANNA SEE MORE OF.
UM, BUT OTHERWISE, ALSO JUST HOPING TO SEE A LITTLE MORE NATURAL MATERIALS.
I'M GLAD THERE IS MORE GRANITE ON THE LOWER FLOORS NOW, BUT IF THERE IS ANY WAY TO ADD SOME MORE NATURAL MATERIAL MATERIALS ON THE LOWER LEVEL, UM, LIKE ON THE GROUND STORY, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BAY WINDOWS OR UNDERSIDE OF THE GARAGE DRIVEWAY, STUFF LIKE THAT TO MAKE A LITTLE MORE, UM, WELCOMING.
UH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
UM, SO, UH, I HAD THE SAME COMMENT THAT DAN DID ACTUALLY ABOUT, UM, KIND OF IN LIGHT OF NOT TALKING THROUGH IT IN THIS SETTING.
UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE, I, I THINK IT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION TO HAVE THE PROPONENT, UM, COMMUNICATE, UH, ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, TESTING AND REQUIREMENTS AND PLAN FOR AN LSP AND KIND OF ALL, ALL OF ALL OF WHAT THE KIND OF STATE WILL DO AND ALL OF, OR THE STATE WILL REQUIRE, AND ALL OF WHAT YOU WILL DO, UM, AS, AS A KIND OF GESTURE OF OPEN COMMUNICATION AND TO KIND OF QUELL SOME OF THE CONCERNS ABOUT THAT.
UM, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE THIRD BEDROOM, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.
UM, BUT I, BUT I THINK I DO APPRECIATE THAT AD I APPRECIATE THE, UM, THE WORK ON THE TRANSFORMER DOOR, UM, THAT, THAT KIND OF BRUSHED OVER.
UM, BUT, BUT I DO THINK THAT HELPS WHAT YOU'VE DONE THERE.
UM, AND I, I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING A MURAL, UM, ON THAT SITE.
UM, I WORRY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THAT ON THE BAYSTATE ROAD FACADE, UM, THE, THE CANTILEVER OVER THE ENTRANCE AND MAYBE FINDING SOME WAY TO WARM UP THAT ENTRANCE.
BUT I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A, UM, UH, SORRY, NOT NOT BAYSTATE ROAD, MAYBE IT'S BIRCH.
UM, BUT DOORS AND SHADOWS MAKE ME NERVOUS.
SO, UM, TAKE THAT WITH, WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.
UM, AS FOR THE TERRACOTTA VERSUS THE BRONZE, I DON'T HAVE A STRONG OPINION BETWEEN THE TWO.
I THINK I MIGHT SLIGHTLY PREFER THE BRONZE, BUT I DO ACTUALLY LIKE THE THREE STORY.
SO I'M SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS ON THAT ONE.
UM, AND FOR THE GARAGE DOOR, MY ONLY CONCERN IS THAT THE SAFETY ISSUE, UM, WELL, NOT MY ONLY CONCERN, BUT, UM, BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S A OWNERSHIP ISSUE, UM, AND THAT YOU GUYS WILL DO WHAT'S, WHAT'S BEST FOR YOUR RESIDENTS.
UM, UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL THAT I HAVE AT THIS POINT.
OKAY, CAROLYN? UH, TED? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
UM, WELL, I LIKED THE BUILDING LAST TIME WE HAD THE HEARING.
I THINK IT'S BEEN IMPROVED, UH, ESPECIALLY LIKE THE, UM, THE GRANITE BASE AND THE, UH, DEALING WITH THE TRANSFORMER DOORS.
UH, I SAID MY PIECE ABOUT THE, THE GARAGE DOOR.
UM, I, I, DID SOMEONE INDICATE IN YOUR PRESENTATION THAT YOU ACTUALLY HAD SOME MATERIALS THERE THAT WE COULD SEE? UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF THE INITIAL COLOR AS BROWN.
IT'S BEEN REFERRED TO REPEATEDLY TODAY AS BRONZE.
UM, AND, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE DETRIMENTS OF NOT BEING LIVE WHERE THE MATERIALS COULD BE BROUGHT INTO US, AND WE COULD ACTUALLY LOOK AT THEM RATHER THAN SEEING THEM ON, UH, A COMPUTER WITH, UH, DIFFERENT SCREENS SHOWING DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, DO THEY EXIST THAT CAN BE SHOWN TO US TODAY? UH,
[01:30:01]
UH, THIS IS HOT STROKE.UM, WE DON'T HAVE ORIGINAL, I MEAN, ACTUAL, AND LET ME JUST TELL YOU, WE'VE DONE THIS ON SO MANY PROJECTS.
IF I WERE TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING FROM WHERE I'M SITTING, IT WOULDN'T LOOK EXACTLY LIKE WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE OUTDOORS IN NATURAL LIGHT.
AND SO I THINK WE ARE, WE ARE INTERESTED IN JUST AS MUCH AS YOU ARE, UH, ALL IN COMING UP WITH A PALETTE OF COLORS THAT, UM, REALLY EMBRACED THE LOCATION.
AND WE WERE CONCERNED TOO, THAT WHEN WE PRESENTED THIS, THAT IT MAY, BECAUSE IT MAY ACTUALLY REPLICATE THE COLOR IF I WERE TO PUT IT ON MY DESK, BUT IN REAL LIGHT, IT GETS A LOT LIGHTER.
SO WE ARE BASING THIS ON TRUE MATERIAL, UH, THAT EXISTS IN A PARTICULAR MANUFACTURER.
WE LIKE TO ALWAYS DO THAT SO THAT WE'RE NOT, UM, COMING UP WITH SOMETHING OUT OF THE BLUE.
SO WE ARE HAPPY TO REVIEW OUR, AND I THINK IT'S A REQUIREMENT AS WELL, THAT WE REVIEW OUR MATERIAL COLORS YEAH.
PALETTE, UH, THE REAL STUFF, UH, WITH THE STAFF OF, UH, WHEN THE TIME COMES, UH, FOR DESIGNATION.
SO WHAT, WE'RE HAPPY TO CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THIS AND SHOW YOU WHAT WE'RE UP TO, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S PART OF THE PROCESS IN ANY CASE.
PRIOR TO COVID, UM, WE, WE KNOW ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF BEING A PLANNING BOARD MEMBER WAS GOING OUT TO THE SITE TO LOOK AT THE MOCKUPS, RIGHT? TO SEE THE PROPOSED, UM, MATERIALS.
AND, AND FREQUENTLY, YOU KNOW, GOING WITH STAFF AND FREQUENTLY COMMENTS WOULD LEAD TO MODIFICATIONS.
UH, I'M, I'M, YOU KNOW, SORT OF ON DAN'S, UH, WAVELENGTH, THAT THAT'S AN ARCHITECTURAL, ARCHITECTURAL ARCHITECTS AND OWNERS PREROGATIVE, UH, YOU KNOW, WITHIN REASON TO DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT TO PUT UP THERE AND HOW THEY WANT IT TO LOOK.
AND SO, UM, WELL, FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN ON MY SCREEN, I PREFER THE TERRACOTTA.
UH, SIMILARLY, UH, I'M PRETTY AGNOSTIC AT THIS POINT AFTER READING THE URBAN DESIGN AND HEARING FROM BRIAN, WHETHER IT'S THE THREE STORY OR THE FOUR STORY FOR THE, THE, THE, THE SIDING.
UM, I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE CHANGES YOU'VE MADE AND, UH, WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
AND, UH, I, I THINK IT'S A VERY GOOD PROJECT.
UM, SO THANK YOU TO ASHLEY FOR MENTIONING THE TWO BEDROOM.
THE MEMO FROM THE APPLICANT TALKED A LOT ABOUT, AND, AND THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE WAY WE SPOKE ABOUT IT IN THE LAST PLANNING BOARD REVIEW, A REQUEST FOR THREE BEDROOM REFERRING TO THAT AS FAMILY S SIZE UNIT.
AND THIS MIGHT BE A QUESTION, IS I REALLY THINK 2, 2 2 BEDROOMS IS ALSO FAMILY SIZED.
UM, AND SO WAS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE APPLICANT ALSO CONSIDERED? UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE YOU DIDN'T INTERPRET PERHAPS US ASKING FOR ONLY THREE BEDROOM.
I THINK TWO MORE, TWO BEDROOM WOULD ALSO BE, UM, A POSITIVE, IF I MAY RESPOND.
UM, OUR RECOLLECTION AND OUR NOTES FROM THE LAST PLANNING BOARD MEETING WAS A HEAVY EMPHASIS ON THREE BEDROOM UNITS FOR FAMILIES.
AND WE HEARD BOARD MEMBERS SAYING THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SO THAT'S WHAT OUR FOCUS WAS ON.
WELL, I WILL SAY AS A PERSON WHO'S RAISED TWO CHILDREN IN A TWO BEDROOM, TWO BEDROOMS ARE ALSO FAMILY SIZED.
SO, I, I, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO LOOK AT THAT IN BETWEEN.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK FOR, UM, FAMILIES IN CAMBRIDGE, THAT'S A VERY, YOU KNOW, FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE, SAY TWO KIDS, AND, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY EVEN MORE, IT'S A VERY PALATABLE FAMILY SIZE.
SO I, IF MY, YOU KNOW, OTHER FOLKS HERE FEEL SIMILARLY, UM, SOME OF THE ONE BEDROOMS CONSIDERED BECOMING TWO BEDROOM MIGHT BE A, AN IMPROVEMENT.
I HAVE A, A FEW COMMENTS MYSELF.
I ALSO, UH, APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE BY STAFF WITH A, A NUMBER OF CONDITIONS THAT THEY'RE RECOMMENDING IN THEIR MEMO.
AND I ALSO WANT TRANSPARENCY AROUND THAT.
SO I'M GOING TO BEAR WITH ME BOARD AND, UH, DETAIL SOME OF THOSE CONDITIONS IN PART TO REASSURE ABUTTERS THAT, UM, UH, THE APPLICANT WOULD BE, UH, HELD TO STANDARDS THAT, UH, THE BOARD WILL, WILL, UH, WE'LL FIND AND ATTACH TO ANY DECISION WE MAY MAKE TONIGHT.
UM, SO I, I WANTED TO ADDRESS A COUPLE OF THINGS.
UH, UH, UH, ONE, I GUESS THE ISSUE OF PARKING,
[01:35:01]
WHICH HAS COME UP IN A NUMBER OF BOTH IN CORRESPONDENCE AND IN PUBLIC COMMENT TONIGHT.UM, UH, THE BOARD, UH, FULLY UNDERSTANDS THAT THE CITY DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY PARKING, UH, FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
THIS, THIS DEVELOPER HAS CHOSEN TO PROVIDE 15 SPACES, UM, UH, SO BEYOND WHAT IS REQUIRED MINIMALLY, UH, FOR A BUILDING OF THIS SITE.
FURTHER, WE'VE BEEN REASSURED THAT, UH, OR WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE CHECKED AND ASKED AND BEEN REASSURED THAT THE, UH, 106 UNIT, UH, BUILDING AT 52 NEW STREET, UM, WAS TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION IN THE CALCULATIONS, UH, IN THE PARKING STUDY.
UM, AND THE FEELING IS THAT THERE IS, UH, SUFFICIENT CAPACITY IN THE STREETS, DESPITE WHAT WE'RE HEARING ANECDOTALLY FROM ABUTTERS WHO LIVE THERE.
UM, SO THAT'S THE SCIENCE, THE ENGINEERING BEHIND THAT, AND THE CITY ORDINANCE, THE CITY REGULATIONS THAT, UH, CONSTRAIN, UH, OUR FEELINGS ABOUT WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE MORE OR LESS PARKING HERE.
BUT FURTHER, THE PARKING, THE DE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MEMO, UM, UH, RAISES ISSUES ABOUT, UH, IMPROVEMENTS TO THE STREETS TO, UH, ADDRESS CONGESTION AND SAFETY AT INTERSECTIONS.
UH, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE, UH, PETITIONER WE WILL MAKE A CONDITION THE PETITIONERS AGREED TO IMPLEMENT.
UM, I'LL, I'LL NOW TURN MY ATTENTION TO, MAYBE TO MY OPINIONS ON THE ARCHITECTURE.
THANK YOU, UH, ONE FOR LISTENING CAREFULLY AT THE LAST HEARING AND ADJUSTING WHERE YOU FELT YOU COULD, UM, THE DESIGN AND ARGUING THE REASONS WHY YOU COULDN'T TAKE THE SUGGESTIONS OF THE BOARD INTO CONSIDERATION.
UM, I WAS COMING INTO THIS LOOKING AT THE RENDERINGS AND THE RENDERINGS.
OF COURSE, THE ARCHITECT HAS DONE ITS VERY BEST TO MAKE THE GARAGE LOOK DOOR LOOK, UH, AWKWARD AS NOT COLORED, THE SAME AS THE BUILDING, FOR INSTANCE.
UM, SO, UH, THAT NOTWITHSTANDING, UH, TED'S CONCERNS AND OTHERS, UH, RAISED ABOUT, UH, ISSUES OF SAFETY AND OPERATION, UM, HAVE ME FEELING THAT PERHAPS THE GARAGE DOOR, IT'S IN FACT, UH, SOMETHING THAT, UH, SHOULD BE STRONGLY CONSIDERED, IF NOT, UM, ROLLED IN.
AND GIVEN WHAT YOU DID WITH THE TRANSFORMER DOOR, I'M SURE THERE'S A WAY THAT ARCHITECTURALLY YOU CAN MAKE IT FIT, UM, MORE DIRECTLY.
UM, I WOULD LEAVE IT UP TO THE ARCHITECT, UH, ON BOTH THE COLOR.
UM, UH, I DON'T DIEGO'S POINT ABOUT THE MONITOR, ANOTHER REASON WHY IN A, HIS COLOR ON HIS MONITOR, WE'RE PROBABLY ALL LOOKING AT ALL DIFFERENT COLOR BUILDINGS, ALL OF US, DEPENDING ON THE QUALITY OF OUR TECHNOLOGY HERE.
ANOTHER REASON WHY I AM ANXIOUS TO GET BACK TO IN-PERSON HEARING, SO THAT WE'RE ALL LOOKING AT THE SAME THING, THAT, THAT NOTWITHSTANDING THE COLOR SELECTIONS, I THINK ULTIMATELY WILL BE APPROVED BY BOARD MEMBERS, UH, AND STAFF IN, IN THE FIELD, AT THE SITE, I HOPE, UNDER REAL LIGHTING CONDITIONS, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE A PROPER EVALUATION OF WHAT THE COLOR PALETTE ULTIMATELY WILL BE.
UM, SO, UH, THAT'S WHERE, UH, THAT IS RELATIVE TO THREE OR FOUR STORIES, UH, ON NEW STREET.
I, UM, APPRECIATE THE IDEA OF TRYING TO DROP THE BUILDING DOWN AT LEAST GRAPHICALLY.
'CAUSE THAT'S REALLY A TWO DIMENSIONAL MOVE, UH, TO MAKE IT APPEAR LOWER.
AND I THOUGHT THAT THAT IN FACT, UH, TO MY EYE, DID, DID IN FACT ACHIEVE THAT.
UM, BUT MARY'S POINT, UH, AND MR. GREGORY'S POINT ABOUT IT BEING CALMER THIS WAY, UH, I, I ALSO TAKE THAT POINT.
I ALSO THINK THAT'S A BETTER PROPORTION ON THAT PANEL WITH THE, UH, WITH THE FOUR STORIES, UM, PARKING CONTEXT.
UH, SO LET ME JUST QUICKLY RUN THROUGH THE POTENTIAL, UH, THE RECOMMENDED CONDITIONS FROM THE, UH, STAFF.
JUST SO FOR TRANSPARENCY, FOR THOSE WHO ARE DIALED IN, UH, WE WILL ABSOLUTELY MAKE THE, UH, IF WE GRANT THIS SPECIAL PERMIT, UH, MAKE IT CONDITION ON IT BEING IN CONFORMANCE WITH THE DRAWINGS AND RENDERINGS AND REPRESENTATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN THESE PUBLIC HEARINGS.
UH, THEY HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT.
THE FINAL PERMIT DRAWINGS WITH THAT, UM, THERE WILL BE CONTINUED DESIGN REVIEW BY CDD, UM, UH, AND THERE WERE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS TONIGHT, WHICH WILL BE ADDED INTO, UH, THAT REVIEW, UH, AND TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BY THE, BOTH THE, UH, STAFF AND THE OWN IT.
UM, THERE WILL BE A PALLET REVIEW, AS I CITED, UH, AT THE SITE.
UM, WE'LL LOOK AT THE ACTUAL MATERIALS.
UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THE INFRASTRUCTURE WORK WILL BE MONITORED AND APPROVED BY DDPW AND DOT THROUGH CDD, UM, BEFORE A PERMIT IS, UH, GRANTED, UH, RELATIVE TO SUSTAINABILITY, THE BUILDING WILL BE IN CONFORMANCE WITH SECTION 22 OF THE, UH, OF THE ORDINANCE.
[01:40:01]
AND, AND ALSO THE FLOOD RESILIENCE STANDARDS.UM, IT IS THE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS BOARD THAT THERE'S SOME MODEST, MODEST EMPHASIZED UNDERLINED REFLEXIBILITY, UH, BEING CONSIDERED HERE BEFORE US TONIGHT, UH, ON THE GREEN ROOF, THE EXTENT OF THE GREEN ROOF, YOU'RE SLIGHTLY OVER NOW, UH, AND AS YOU DETAIL, IT'S THE, THE HOPE THAT YOU'LL, UM, ADHERE AS CLOSE AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN TO THE 80%.
OTHERWISE, UH, YOU'LL MAKE PAYMENTS TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST.
LASTLY, IT'LL BE A CONDITION OF THIS, UH, UH, HEARING.
SHOULD WE GRANT THE SPECIAL PERMIT THAT THERE'LL BE A CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PLAN, AND STAFF, UM, WILL REVIEW THAT.
UH, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, DPW AND ISD WILL ALSO REVIEW AND APPROVE THAT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PLAN BEFORE A BUILDING PERMIT IS ISSUED.
UH, JUST A NOTE ON THE SITE REMEDIATION, AS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED TONIGHT, THAT IS NOT PROPERLY BEFORE US.
WE DO NOT HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO MAKE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS THERE.
BUT, UH, THERE ARE, UH, VERY STRINGENT STATE AND LOCAL REGULATIONS, UH, AND THE SITE REMEDIATION IS REGULATED THROUGH THOSE REGULATIONS.
AND, UM, WE WANNA MAKE IT A GEN A CONDITION OF SHOULD WE GRANT THE SPECIAL PERMIT, A GENERAL CONDITION THAT, UH, THERE'LL BE COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATION.
AND FURTHER, THERE WILL BE, UH, EFFORTS BY, UH, THE PROPONENT TO COMMUNICATE, UH, FREELY ABOUT, UH, HAPPENINGS AROUND THOSE PARTICULAR ISSUES, WHICH OBVIOUSLY HAVE A, A LOT OF SPECIAL CONCERN FROM, UH, THE BUTS.
SO THOSE WERE THE, UH, CONDITIONS THAT, UH, THAT, UH, THE PLANNING, THE, UH, STAFF PROPOSED DAN, YES, EARLIER CONDITIONS.
THANK YOU, MR. SO, UH, ONE OF THE, UM, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS HAD A VERY ARTICULATE LIST OF REQUESTS FOR CONDITIONS MM-HMM
OF WHICH HAD TO DO PARTLY WITH ACOUSTICS, WHICH YOU DIDN'T MENTION SPECIFICALLY, BUT WOULD BE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS IN THE PURVIEW ALONG WITH, YOU KNOW, HOURS OF OPERATION OF, OF A ROOF DECK.
UH, UH, WE DON'T, TII DIDN'T TAKE SPECIFIC NOTES OF THEIRS.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THERE WAS ANYTHING, UM, THERE, UM, APART FROM, THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR TAKING, UM, DECIBEL READINGS AT DIFFERENT ELEVATIONS.
NOW, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT OUR CITY'S STANDARD.
UM, BUT, UM, UH, I DID WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WERE SOME VERY ARTICULATE REQUESTS.
BUT THE, UH, THE, THE NEIGHBORS, UM, AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M FULLY IN A POSITION TO SUGGEST THAT THEY SHOULD BE ADOPTED AS THEY WERE, UM, PUT FORWARD.
BUT THEY SHOULD AT LEAST BE ACKNOWLEDGED.
I THINK, UM, YOUR SUGGESTIONS, TOUCH ON MOST ALL OF THEM.
UM, BUT, UH, YEAH, I, I, I, MR. BARBARA, BECAUSE OF OUR THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT, SPOKE VERY QUICKLY WITH HIS EIGHT OR 10, UH, PROPOSED CONDITIONS.
HIS ACOUSTIC STUDY, POST OCCUPANCY ACTUALLY, UH, MAKES SENSE TO ME.
AND SINCE THE ISD ACT HAS THE EQUIPMENT TO, UH, TO DO THAT, UH, AND I'M SURE THE, UM, UH, LICENSE COMMISSION ALSO DOES, I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE.
UH, HE PROPOSED A 10:00 PM ROOF DECK, UM, LIGHTS OUT, AND I THINK THAT SEEMS REASONABLE TO ME.
AND THAT, UM, UH, PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS, THAT'S THE DOT, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THOSE ARE NOW GONNA BE, UH, I'M PROPOSING AS CONDITIONS OF THE SPECIAL PERMIT.
UM, AND THE CROSSINGS BE APPROVED, BICYCLING AND CROSSINGS BE APPROVED, IMPROVED.
UM, HE HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE LOADING DOCK, WHICH I BELIEVE HAS BEEN ADDRESSED AND CONCERNS ABOUT THE, UH, STUDY, THE ENLARGEMENT OF THE ROOF DECK.
BUT, UM, THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED AS WELL.
I'M SORRY IF I MISSED, UH, UH, IN HIS PAST, UH, TRANSCRIPTION OF ALL HIS CONDITIONS, BUT THERE'S A FEW THERE THAT I THINK WE SHOULD ADD.
UM, ANY OTHER, UH, POTENTIAL CONDITIONS, UH, SHOULD REGRET SPECIAL PERMIT.
I THINK YOU, I THINK YOU DID REFERENCE THIS, BUT JUST TO ENSURE THE CONTINUING REVIEW IN THE URBAN DESIGN SECTION OF THE MEMO, UM, AS PART OF THE CONTINUING DESIGN REVIEW FOR THE PROJECT AND THE CONDITIONS.
UM, DEFINITELY CONTINUED DESIGN REVIEW, UM, BY STAFF.
UM, AND CDD WILL, UH, ALSO, UH, COORDINATE WITH, UH, DPW AND DOT.
YEAH, JEFF, CAN YOU HEAR ME? SORRY.
HOPEFULLY I'M COMING THROUGH FROM SPACE.
UM, THE ONE ITEM THAT YOU HAD JUST LISTED THAT I WANTED TO, TO THINK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MORE, SO, OKAY.
[01:45:01]
POST OCCUPANCY ACOUSTIC TESTS, UM, IT MAKING THAT AS A CONDITION FOR A DEPARTMENT TO GO AND DO THAT, I THINK MIGHT BE SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT.WE WOULDN'T TYPICALLY PUT IN A CONDITION THAT A CITY DEPARTMENT IS OBLIGATED TO GO AND DO SOMETHING.
I, I KNOW, JUST FROM MY FAMILIARITY, THAT THE NOISE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WILL RESPOND TO COMPLAINTS.
IF, IF THERE ARE COMPLAINTS, I THINK THE, THE ONLY THING THAT WE COULD SUGGEST, BUT WOULD PROBABLY WANT TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE APPLICANT IS WHETHER THE APPLICANT WOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR, FOR DOING THAT SORT OF TESTING WITH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, FINDING A, UM, YEAH.
YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WHO, WHO COULD DO THAT WORK, UM, AND PROVIDE A REPORT THAT WOULD THEN, YOU KNOW, BE, BE SUBMITTED.
SO THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY THING.
I DON'T THINK WE'VE DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT QUITE, QUITE LIKE THAT BEFORE.
UM, USUALLY WE RELY ON THE ENFORCEMENT OF, YOU KNOW, THE COMPLAINT BASED ENFORCEMENT TO, TO DEAL WITH IT, IF THAT'S RELEVANT THROUGH, THROUGH THE LICENSE COMMISSION.
ONCE MORE, I'M PROBABLY OVERREACHING, UH, TAKING THE WORK OF OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
UH, BUT MAYBE, UH, BEFORE I CALL ON YOU, DANIEL, MAYBE JOANNA COULD, UH, TALK ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL, UH, CHECKING AT THE END HERE.
I GUESS I WOULD RESPECTFULLY SUGGEST THAT THERE IS NO PRECEDENT IN THE CITY, UM, THAT I'M AWARE OF WHERE THIS BOARD HAS REQUIRED THAT DEGREE OF POST-CONSTRUCTION MONITORING.
AND I WOULD HATE FOR US TO BE THE TEST CASE FOR THAT.
AND DO YOU KNOW, A BREAK WITH PRECEDENT? NO, I, I, I'M, I'M SATISFIED THAT THERE COULD BE A CALL FOR ENFORCEMENT BUYING ABUT IF THEY FEEL THAT THE, THE PROJECT IS EXCEEDING THE, THIS NOISE ORDINANCE AND THERE'S A MECHANISM THROUGH THE CITY FOR SOMEONE TO GO AND, AND CHECK IT.
SO YOU WOULDN'T, THAT WOULDN'T BE INCUMBENT ON YOU, UH, UNLESS THERE WAS AN ISSUE.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S THE WAY THAT GETS HANDLED.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE THE, UH, UH, NOT WANTING TO BE A GUINEA PIG ON THERE, BUT IT IS WORTH NOTING THOUGH, THAT THE, UM, ARTICLE 22 REQUIRES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF COMMISSIONING, UM, MM-HMM
WHICH WOULD ALSO INVOLVE RUNNING THOSE ROOFTOP UNITS AT SOME POINT.
UM, UH, I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER IT AS A VOLUNTEER EFFORT, I WOULDN'T SUGGEST MAKING IT A, A, A MANDATE FOR YOU.
BUT, UM, YOU, YOU MAY FIND THAT, UM, IT'S AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO DO THAT DURING COMMISSIONING AND, UM, UM, MIGHT GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS, UH, UH, NEIGHBOR RELATIONS AS WELL.
I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT, UM, AS ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS, UH, INDICATED, UH, DURING, UH, SOME OF THE COMMENTS, UM, ISD DOES LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT THE MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WILL BE SPECKING FOR INCLUSION IN THIS BUILDING.
AND I ASSUME THAT AS PART OF THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WILL ENSURE THAT THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE ARE PROPOSING TO INSTALL WITHIN THIS BUILDING IS COMPLIANT WITH CITY STANDARDS.
AT THIS POINT, UM, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS OR DISCUSSION? MY SENSE IS, UH, THERE IS SUPPORT FOR THE, FOR THE PROJECT, UH, WITH THE CONDITIONS THAT WE HAVE NOW DISCUSSED AND PROPOSED, UM, GOING FORWARD.
AND SO, UH, WITH THAT, UH, IS THERE A MOTION TO GRANT, UH, AND, AND JEFF, BEFORE I DO THIS, GO AHEAD.
I THINK IT, IT, IT MAY BE WORTH, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I HAD A, A LAPSE HERE FOR A SECOND, BUT THE BE WORTH AT LEAST SUMMARIZING THE FINDINGS, UM, TO, UH, IN ORDER TO MAKE THE MOTION, OR BEFORE MAKING THE MOTION, I THINK YOU SUMMARIZED THE CONDITIONS, BUT I, I, UH, DON'T HAVE, UH, THE FINDINGS BEING AFFIRMED.
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE VOTE ON SOME FINDINGS HERE.
UM, UH, SO THIS IS A PROJECT REVIEW, SPECIAL PERMIT.
IT'S, UH, ARTICLE 19.2, UM, UH, THAT, UH, SPECIAL PERMITS WILL BE GRANTED IF THE PROJECT HAS NO SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON THE CITY TRAFFIC AS ANALYZED BY THE TRAFFIC STUDY THAT
[01:50:01]
HAS BEEN DISCUSSED HERE.AND THAT THE OTHER FINDING UNDER ARTICLE, UH, 19 IS THAT THE URBAN DESIGN, UM, FINDINGS, THE PLANNING BOARD WILL GRANT THE SPECIAL PERMIT IF IT FINDS THE PROJECT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE URBAN DESIGN OBJECTIVES THAT THE CITY HAS SET FORTH IN ARTICLE 19.3, UH, WHICH WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH, UM, AS A BOARD.
UH, SO IS THE BOARD ABLE TO MAKE THOSE FINDINGS SOME NODS.
I'M GONNA TAKE A VOTE ON THE FINDINGS AS A WHOLE.
NODDING HEADS FROM BOARD MEMBERS.
WE'LL TAKE A VOTE ON THAT IN A MINUTE.
REDUCTION OF REQUIRED GREEN ROOF AREA.
UM, YOU KNOW WHAT, I, I WANT TO TAKE THAT AS A SEPARATE, UH, UH, VOTE JEFF TONIGHT.
SO WE'LL GO TO THE GENERAL SPECIAL PERMIT CRITERIA UNDER 10.43, UH, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE THE FINDINGS UNDER 10.43.
THAT'S, AGAIN, A, A, A LIST THAT WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH AS THE BOARD, BECAUSE WE LOOK AT IT VIRTUALLY EVERY NIGHT.
SPECIAL PERMITS WILL NORMALLY BE GRANTED IF THE ZONING REQUIREMENTS ARE MET, UNLESS IT'S FOUND NOT TO BE THE, THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO DO SO.
UH, AND THE, UH, CRITERIA ARE ENUMERATED 10.43.
IS THERE A SENSE THAT, UH, WE ARE THERE RELATIVE TO THAT FINDING? YES.
SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS VOTE THAT, UH, WE'RE MAKING FINDINGS THAT THE PROJECT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE SPECIAL, UH, THE PROJECT REVIEW, SPECIAL PERMIT ARTICLE 19.2, AND THAT THE PROJECT IS ALSO, UH, CONSISTENT WITH ITS GENERAL SPECIAL PERMIT CRITERIA UNDER 10.43.
WE'LL TAKE A ROLL CALL, VOTE ON THAT.
THAT'S A PROPOSED MOTION LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO MAKE THAT MOTION.
JUST, UM, SORRY, THIS IS JEFF AGAIN.
I'M, I'M SORT OF PLAYING PARLIAMENTARIAN FOR A SECOND.
IS, IS THE INTENT OF THIS TO, JUST TO TAKE A VOTE ON THE FINDINGS TYPICALLY? WE'LL, YES.
ON THE FINDINGS, TAKE A VOTE ON THE FULL.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE A VOTE ON THE, THIS IS GRANTING THE SPECIAL PERMIT CORRECT.
SO TO AFFIRM THAT THE FINDINGS ARE MET.
THE SPECIAL PERMIT CAN'T BE GRANTED AND ARE AFFIRMED.
DANIEL, UH, AS A, UH, UM, VOTING MEMBER TONIGHT, I'M MAKING A MOTION TO, TO APPROVE THE FINDINGS.
WE'LL HAVE A VOTE ON THE FINDINGS.
THAT'S ALL MEMBERS VOTING IN FAVOR.
SO THOSE FINDINGS ARE AFFIRMED.
UH, NOW RELATIVE TO THE SECOND REQUEST HERE, WHICH IS A REDUCTION IN THE REQUIRED GROUP GROUP, GREEN ROOF AREA UNDER SECTION 22.353, PLANNING BOARD MAY GRANT A SPECIAL PERMIT TO REDUCE THE REQUIRED GREEN ROOF AREA, PROVIDED THAT EACH SQUARE FOOT SO REDUCED BE COMPENSATED BY A UNIT PRICE CON, UH, CONTRIBUTION TO THE CAMBRIDGE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST.
UH, THE BOARD'S MADE ITSELF CLEAR THAT, UH, EVERY ATTEMPT WILL BE MADE TO HIT THE 80%, AND THIS IS TO OFFER MODEST FLEXIBILITY, UH, AS THE BUILDING CONTINUES TO BE DETAILED IN ITS ROOF.
UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE, UH, WELL THAT'S, THAT'S ACTUALLY A MOTION ON THAT SPECIAL PERMIT.
SO WHY DON'T WE START WITH THAT? BUT THAT'S BACKWARDS.
WE'LL START WITH THE OVERALL SPECIAL PERMIT FINDING, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE GREEN ROOF.
SO, UM, IS THERE A MOTION, UH, TO GRANT THE SPECIAL OTHER, THE REQUESTED SPECIAL PERMIT WITH THE CONDITIONS, UH, THAT WE, WE ENUMERATED, UH, BASED ON THE BOARD'S FINDINGS THAT THE APPLICABLE SPECIAL PERMIT PERMIT CRITERIA HAVE BEEN MET.
UH, IS THERE A, UM, MOTION, UH, SOMEBODY TO MAKE THAT MOTION? ASHLEY? SO MOVED.
VOTE ON THE MOTION TO GRANT THE SPECIAL PERMIT.
JEFF, THANK YOU ON, ON THAT MOTION.
THAT'S ALL MEMBERS VOTING IN FAVOR.
SECONDLY, WHERE THERE'S, UH, I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO, UM, UH, ALLOW THE REDUCTION OF THE REQUIRED GREEN ROOF AREA.
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UH, IS THERE SOMEBODY WILLING TO MAKE THAT MOTION BASED ON THE CONDITION THAT IT BE A MODEST ADJUSTMENT IF NEEDED? THIS IS DIEGO.VOTE ON THE GREEN ROOF REDUCTION ON THAT MOTION.
I'M ACTUALLY GONNA SAY NO, UM, I, ALTHOUGH IT'S A MODEST PIECE, UM, I DON'T THINK IT INFLUENCES THE PASSING OF IT, BUT, UH, UH, IT SEEMS, SEEMS A LITTLE BIT, UM, UH, I'M JUST JUST GONNA SAY NO, THAT'S NO.
SO THAT IS SIX MEMBERS VOTING IN FAVOR AND ONE AGAINST.
AND THAT IS, THAT MEETS, THAT DOES MEET THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS THAT GRANT THE SPECIAL PERMIT.
UM, THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR YOUR PATIENCE WITH THAT ONE.
UM, WHAT I PROPOSE NOW, WE'VE BEEN GOING FOR TWO HOURS, IS THAT WE, UH, YES, JEFF, I'M SORRY, TOM, THERE MAY, THERE MAY BE ONE OTHER ITEM OF BUSINESS THAT WE, WE NEED TO ATTEND TO.
SO THIS IS A CASE THAT, UH, WHERE THE, THE 90 DAYS EXPIRES, I BELIEVE, ON OCTOBER 19TH.
AND SO WE WOULD MAKE A REQUEST THAT, UM, UH, IF THE, UH, PERMITEE IS AMENABLE TO EXTENSION TO EXTEND THE REQUEST AND EXTENSION OF THE TIME FOR FILING TO, TO, UM, SWATHI WILL TELL ME THE DATE TO NOVEMBER 13TH.
AND WE'RE HAPPY TO GRANT THAT EXTENSION.
DO WE NEED A VOTE ON THAT EXTENSION, UH, PROCEDURALLY, JEFF? YES, WE DO.
I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO GRANT THE EXTENSION FOR FILING THE DECISION TO NOVEMBER 13TH, TED.
AND ON THAT MOTION, TED COHEN? YES.
THAT'S ALL MEMBERS VOTING IN FAVOR.
WE'VE BEEN GOING FOR NOW A LITTLE OVER TWO HOURS.
UM, AT THIS POINT I PROPOSE THAT WE TAKE, UM, LET'S SEE, EIGHT 30.
LET'S TAKE A, UH, FIVE MINUTE RECESS.
IT SEEMS AS IF EVERYBODY'S PROMPT.
UM, SO THE NEXT ITEM TONIGHT, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A DESIGN UPDATE ON CASE PB 360 4.
PREVIOUSLY GRANTED SPECIAL PERMIT FOR APPROVED LAND UNIT DEVELOPMENT BY NEW ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT ON THE SITE OF THE CAMBRIDGE SIDE SHOPPING CENTER.
CDD STAFF WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE, UH, AND JEFF WILL SUMMARIZE.
UM, SO THIS IS A, UH, A-A-P-U-D SPECIAL PERMIT THAT WAS GRANTED IN 2021.
UM, THERE'S FOUR BUILDING SITES AS PART OF THIS, ALL KIND OF SURROUNDING THE, UM, ORIGINAL, UH, MALL ATRIUM BUILDING.
AND AT THIS POINT, ALL FOUR BUILDING SITES HAVE GONE THROUGH THE DESIGN REVIEW AND APPROVAL STAGE TWO SITES OF COMPLETED CONSTRUCTION.
UM, THERE WAS A CONDITION IN THE SPECIAL PERMIT AS PART OF THE DESIGN REVIEW PROCESS.
THE LOCATION OF SIGNAGE, UM, WAS, UH, INCLUDED AS A PART OF THE, UM, DESIGN REVIEW AND AS PART AS THROUGHOUT THE DESIGN REVIEW PROCESS.
UM, BECAUSE THIS IS A COMPLEX OF BUILDINGS, UM, THE PLANNING BOARD EXPRESSED INTEREST IN SEEING A MORE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF SIGNAGE.
SO AT THIS POINT, THE, UM, UH, THE PERMITEE WHO'S BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, URBAN DESIGN STAFF AND, AND ERIC CAN SPEAK TO THIS A LITTLE BIT, UM, HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, WORKING ON DEVELOPING THAT SORT OF COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE, UH, PACKAGE IN ORDER TO, UM, GIVE THE PLANNING BOARD
[02:00:01]
SORT OF A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF, OF SIGNAGE AROUND THE SITE.UM, SO THIS HAS BEEN, UM, SUBMITTED FOR, UM, FOR THE BOARD'S REVIEW.
UM, AND, UH, URBAN DESIGN STAFF HAS, HAS PROVIDED COMMENTS TO THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM.
AND ERIC IS PRESENT AGAIN TO, UM, SPEAK TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
UM, THIS, UH, THE FEEDBACK THAT THE BOARD HAS WILL GUIDE, UH, STAFF'S ONGOING REVIEW OF, UM, OF THE DESIGN AS IT MOVES FORWARD.
SO WE'LL HAVE A, A PRESENTATION FROM THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM AND, AND AGAIN, URBAN DESIGN STAFF ARE AVAILABLE TO DISCUSS.
SO TONIGHT IS, UH, JUST TO BE CLEAR, IS ADVISORY RIGHT.
UM, SO THERE WON'T BE A, A PERMIT GRANTED TONIGHT.
THIS IS A, JEFF, THIS IS A SPECIAL PERMIT.
SORRY, GO TO, I SKIMMED OVER THIS, BUT THIS IS A SPECIAL PERMIT THAT'S ALREADY GRANTED AND THE DESIGN REVIEW HAS BEEN COMPLETED FOR SEVERAL SITES.
AND THIS WAS A, AN ELEMENT THAT WAS ASKED FOR AS PART OF THE KIND OF CONTINUING DESIGN UPDATES ON THE, THE PROJECT.
THE PRESENTER IS JESS, UH, KAO.
AND YOU'LL HAVE UP TO 30 MINUTES, UH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION THEN.
WE HOPE YOU CAN BE AS CONCISE AS POSSIBLE.
ALSO, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOUR PROJECT TEAM AND, UH, PROCEED.
CHAIR VE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UH, MY NAME IS JESSICA ANO AND I'M HERE TONIGHT FROM OLSON IN STORES AS ATTORNEY ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT.
I'M JOINED THIS EVENING BY SARAH LEMKE FROM NEW ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT AND OWNER AND BETH STEVENS FROM ELSMAN FREDDIE AS PROJECT ARCHITECT AND SIGN PLAN DESIGNER.
AS, UH, MR. ROBERTS MENTIONED, WE ARE HERE THIS EVENING, UM, TO ADDRESS THE PROPOSED COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN FOR CAMBRIDGESIDE.
AS MENTIONED, UM, THERE WAS A CONDITION IN ZONING IDENTIFYING THAT WE WOULD SUBMIT FOR A COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN.
SO WE ARE HERE THIS EVENING SEEKING THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF THAT COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN.
UM, IT WILL BE USED AS AN ADVISORY DOCUMENT GOING FORWARD, AS MR. ROBERTS MENTIONED.
HOWEVER, UH, WE ARE SEEKING THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF THAT COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ZONING REQUIREMENT.
SO WE WANTED TO START OFF THE EVENING BY JUST REMINDING THE BOARD OF WHY WE ARE HERE.
SO REALLY WHAT IS REQUIRED IN THE PUD EIGHT ZONING AND THE GOVERNING SPECIAL PERMIT FOR THE PROJECT PV NUMBER 3 6 4.
UM, AND THEN TO GO THROUGH BASICALLY AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN ITSELF.
UM, AS YOU MAY HAVE SEEN FROM THE FILING MATERIALS, IT IS A VERY ROBUST PACKAGE.
SO WE DIDN'T THINK THAT A PAGE TURN WAS REALLY THE BEST USE OF THE BOARD'S TIME.
UM, AND WE HAVE SPENT EXTENSIVE TIME WITH ERIC AND THE URBAN DESIGN TEAM GOING THROUGH MORE OF A PAGE FLIP EFFORT.
SO WE WANTED TO SPEND OUR TIME THIS EVENING TO GIVE MORE OF AN OVERVIEW OF HOW WE'VE ORGANIZED THE PLAN AND TO DISCUSS THE OBJECTIVES THAT WE AIM TO ACHIEVE WITH ITS DESIGN.
AND THEN OF COURSE, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, UM, OR TO HEAR ANY COMMENTS THAT THIS BOARD MIGHT HAVE.
SO AS MENTIONED, UM, CAMBRIDGESIDE IS THE SUBJECT OF AN EXISTING PLANNING BOARD SPECIAL PERMIT PB NUMBER 360 4, WHICH WAS ISSUED PURSUANT TO THE PUD EIGHT ZONING.
SO SPECIFICALLY SECTION 13 1 0 2 3 N, WHICH IS SHOWN ON THE SCREEN, UM, REQUIRES THAT THIS BOARD APPROVE A COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN FOR CAMBRIDGE SIDE THAT PROVIDES THE APPROXIMATE NUMBER TYPE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SIGNAGE TO BE INSTALLED ACROSS THE SITE.
AS SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL, UM, THE APPROVED FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR PV NUMBER 3 360 4 DID INCLUDE AN OVERALL DESCRIPTION OF STRATEGY FOR COORDINATION OF SIGNAGE ACROSS THE SITE.
BUT THERE WAS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WOULD BE RETURNING TO THIS BOARD AT A LATER DATE WITH THIS MORE ROBUST COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN ONCE DESIGN HAD PROGRESSED TO ENSURE THAT THE PLAN ITSELF WOULD BE INFORMED BY MARKET CONDITIONS.
UM, AS SUCH, WE HAVE SPENT THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS MEETING WITH CITY STAFF AND COORDINATING WITH THE PROJECT TEAM TO PUT TOGETHER THE ROBUST PACKAGE, UM, THAT'S BEFORE THE BOARD THIS EVENING.
SO WE HAVE ORGANIZED THE PLAN TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THOSE PUD EIGHT ZONING REQUIREMENTS SUCH THAT IT IS, YOU KNOW, IN FACT COMPREHENSIVE IN THAT IT ADDRESSES NOT ONLY SIGNAGE TO BE PROPOSED IN THE FUTURE, BUT ALSO EXISTING SIGNAGE AT THE SITE THAT IS INTENDED TO REMAIN ON THE BUILDINGS.
UM, IT IDENTIFIES THE APPROXIMATE NUMBER AND LOCATION OF SIGNS AND GIVES EXAMPLES OF SOME DESIGN AND DIMENSIONAL PARAMETERS THAT WE THINK ARE APPROPRIATE DEPENDING ON THE SIGNS LOCATION.
AND FINALLY, FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, TO THE EXTENT IN THE FUTURE THAT ANY PROPOSED SIGN AT THE SITE DOES NOT COMPLY WITH ARTICLE SEVEN, THE CAMBRIDGE SIGN ORDINANCE, WE WOULD BE SEEKING A VARIANCE FROM THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS.
[02:05:01]
SO TO PUT THIS ANOTHER WAY, THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN DOES NOT RESULT IN THE ACTUAL APPROVAL OF ANY SPECIFIC SIGN.RATHER, IT ENSURES THAT ON A GO FORWARD BASIS, FUTURE SIGNAGE WAS THOUGHT OF IN A COMPREHENSIVE RATHER THAN A PIECEMEAL MANNER.
AND IT SETS WHAT I THINK OF AS SORT OF THE RULES OF THE ROAD FOR WHEN WE CONSIDER NEW SIGNAGE IN THE FUTURE.
UM, TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE IS A NEW SIGN PROPOSED AT CAMBRIDGE SIDE, WE WOULD GO THROUGH THIS STANDARD SIGNAGE PROTOCOL BEING THAT WE WOULD SUBMIT A SIGNED CERTIFICATION FORM TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
THEY WOULD DO THEIR REVIEW AND DETERMINE WHETHER IT COMPLIES WITH ARTICLE SEVEN.
TO THE EXTENT THEY DETERMINE THAT IT DOES NOT COMPLY WITH ARTICLE SEVEN, THEN WE WOULD BE GOING THROUGH THE STANDARD VARIANCE PROCESS WITH THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEAL, AT WHICH TIME, OF COURSE, THIS BOARD WOULD HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON ANY SPECIFIC SIGN THAT DOES IN FACT REQUIRE A VARIANCE.
SO WE ORGANIZED THE COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN ITSELF IN TWO PARTS, LARGELY JUST TO MAKE IT A BIT EASIER TO FOLLOW.
UM, SO PART ONE INCLUDES BUILDING ADDRESS, NAME AND NAME, SIGNAGE, PARKING AND LOADING SIGNAGE AND SITE WAY FINDING SIGNAGE.
AND THEN PART TWO IS FOCUSED EXCLUSIVELY ON TENANT SIGNAGE.
UM, IN EACH PART OF THE PLAN, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED COLOR CODED SIGN AREAS FOR EACH TYPE OF SIGN WITHIN WHICH SIGNS MAY GENERALLY BE LOCATED.
AND FOR EACH OF THOSE SIGN AREAS, WE IDENTIFY DIMENSIONAL AND DESIGN PARAMETERS THAT COULD APPLY.
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASIEST JUST TO PUT UP AN EXAMPLE FROM WITHIN THE PACKAGE OF HOW WE'VE ORGANIZED EACH OF THE FACADES.
SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE FROM PART ONE, WHICH IS THE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION, PARKING AND WAY FINDING PACKAGE.
UM, HERE WE'RE SHOWING THE CAMBRIDGE SIDE PLACE FACADE, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE EXAMPLE SIGN AREAS BOTH FOR PARKING AND LOADING, WHICH IS SHOWN IN A DARK BLUE.
AND THE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION OR BUILDING ENTRY SIGNAGE, WHICH IS SHOWN IN A LIGHT BLUE.
SO IN BOTH PLANS, THIS IS THE WAY THAT IT HAS BEEN ORGANIZED, SUCH THAT IT GOES FACADE BY FACADE.
IT SHOWS COLOR CODED SIGN AREAS TO SHOW WHERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SIGNS MAY BE LOCATED.
AND THEN FOLLOWING THOSE OVERALL FACADE IMAGES, THERE ARE THESE DETAILED SIGN SHEETS THAT GIVE WHAT WE THINK WOULD BE APPROPRIATE OR COULD BE APPROPRIATE DESIGN AND DIMENSIONAL PARAMETERS IN EACH INDIVIDUAL SIGN AREA.
SO OF COURSE, THESE DESIGN AND DIMENSIONAL PARAMETERS CHANGE BASED ON THE SIGN AREA.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE THINK WOULD BE MORE OR LESS APPROPRIATE, BUT IN EACH INSTANCE THEY ADDRESS MATERIALS, LIGHTING, MOUNTING TYPE, AS WELL AS MAXIMUM HEIGHT, QUANTITY BEING THE NUMBER OF SIGNS THAT COULD BE LOCATED WITHIN THIS SIGN AREA.
AND THEN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF SIGN SQUARE FOOTAGE THAT COULD BE LOCATED WITHIN ANY INDIVIDUAL SIGN AREA.
I DID WANNA TAKE A MOMENT JUST TO TOUCH ON THE VARIOUS OBJECTIVES THAT WE WERE TRYING TO BALANCE, UM, IN PUTTING TOGETHER THIS COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN, UNDERSTANDING THAT CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE BOARD HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED WITH CAMBRIDGE SCHE FOR AS LONG AS OTHERS.
UM, HERE WE ARE WORKING WITH A SITE THAT IS A COMBINATION OF EXISTING BUILDINGS AND BUILDINGS THAT ARE BEING, UM, EITHER RECONFIGURED OR ENTIRELY REDEVELOPED.
SO WE ARE WORKING WITHIN, UM, SORT OF UNIQUE PARAMETERS THAT WE ARE, WE ARE DEALING WITH EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS AND ALSO TRYING TO LOOK TOWARDS CREATING A COORDINATED SITE.
SO WE TRIED TO BALANCE THE OBJECTIVES NOT ONLY OF THE APPLICANT, OF COURSE, IN FUTURE TENANTS AND THE VIABILITY OF THE SITE, BUT ALSO CITY AND STAFF MEMBERS, RESIDENTS IN THE EAST CAMBRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD AND VISITORS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH CAMBRIDGE.
UM, WE FOCUSED A GOOD BIT ON ENRICHING THE PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE IN PARTICULAR AND THE PUBLIC REALM IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO CAMBRIDGE SIDE.
UM, AS I THINK MANY KNOW, WE ARE VERY FOCUSED ON THE EXPERIENCE IN CANAL PARK AND ENSURING THAT VISITORS CONTINUE TO BE DRAWN THROUGH THE SITE TO THE PARK.
UM, AND SO HAVE PROPOSED SOME ADDITIONAL WAY FINDING SIGNAGE AND THE LIKE TO BRING VISITORS NOT ONLY TO CAMBRIDGE SIDE, BUT ALSO TO THE VARIOUS DESTINATIONS THAT ARE RIGHT AT OUR DOORSTEP.
UM, WE'RE ALSO FOCUSED ON INCREASING PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, THROUGH SUPPLEMENTING EXISTING PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICULAR WAY FINDING TO IMPROVE THAT NAVIGATION AGAIN, BOTH TO AND THROUGH THE SITE.
UM, AND OF COURSE AS DEVELOPERS AT THE SITE, WE ARE VERY FOCUSED ON THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY OF CAMBRIDGE SIDE.
UM, THE ASSET HAS CERTAINLY SEEN TURNS IN THE MARKET.
UM, AND WE ARE AS ALWAYS FOCUSED ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTRACTING AND ALSO MAINTAINING A DYNAMIC TENANT BASE, WHICH REALLY DOES REQUIRE INCREASED VISIBILITY GIVEN THE PRIMARILY INWARD FACING NATURE OF THE MALL, WHICH PRESENTS PARTICULAR CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF INCREASED EXTERNAL PRESENCE.
AND FINALLY, GIVEN THAT THIS IS A PUD PROJECT AND IT IS A COHESIVE DEVELOPMENT, WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THERE WILL BE NOT ONLY EFFECTIVE
[02:10:01]
SIGNAGE, BUT THAT IT IS COORDINATED AND AESTHETICALLY PLEASING, SUCH THAT IT COMPLIMENTS NOT ONLY EXISTING SIGNAGE AT CAMBRIDGE SIDE, BUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AROUND.SO, AS SHOWN IN THE MATERIALS THEMSELVES AND SUMMARIZED HERE THIS EVENING, THE COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN AS DESIGNED SATISFIES THE REQUIREMENTS IN ZONING TO IDENTIFY THE APPROXIMATE NUMBER TYPE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SIGNAGE AT THE SITE.
AND AS SUCH, WE DO REQUEST THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 13 102 3 N OF THE ZONING.
AND WITH THAT, WE WANTED TO KEEP IT HIGH LEVEL BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANNA, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA LEAVE IT FOR THE BOARD HERE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS, UM, OR DISCUSS AS YOU MAY LIKE.
SO WITH THAT, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
AND, UM, APPRECIATE THAT, THAT YOU'VE AVOIDED A PAGE FLIP
THE, THE MATERIALS WERE EXTRAORDINARILY CLEAR IN MY OPINION.
BUT ANYWAY, AT THIS POINT, ARE THERE QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS ABOUT WHAT, UH, THEY HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW? YES, DIEGO? UH, SURE.
THE, I AGREE THAT THE DOCUMENT WAS VERY CLEAR.
UM, MY QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS EVER, UH, AN INTENT OR, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION ABOUT PUTTING PART ONE AND TWO ON THE SAME SHEET.
'CAUSE SOMETIMES I HAVE TO LIKE GO BACK AND REVIEW THE ELEVATION FOR LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE CANAL, CANAL PART FACADE FOR PART ONE AND PART TWO.
IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE THEM AT THE SAME.
YEAH, I COULD, UH, ADDRESS THAT QUICKLY IF YOU'D LIKE.
WE DID SPEND A LOT OF TIME GOING EACH WAY.
UH, SARAH LEMKE FOR NEW ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT, UM, SORRY FOR THE RECORD.
UM, AND JUST FOUND IT WAS A LITTLE CONFUSING 'CAUSE THERE ARE CASES WHERE THE SIGNS ARE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.
IF THERE'S A PARKING GARAGE ENTRANCE RIGHT NEXT TO A DOOR ENTRY NEXT TO, UH, A RETAIL FACADE AND JUST FOUND IT WAS HARD TO READ THEM ALL TOGETHER.
UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE IDEA IS TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CONSISTENT ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO WE DID MAKE SURE WE WERE CONSTANTLY GOING BACK AND FORTH AND THAT WE WERE BEING CONSISTENT WITH LIGHTING TYPES, SIZES, FONTS, WHERE WE COULD BE.
UM, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A CONSISTENCY ACROSS EACH PACKAGE TYPE.
UH, WELL, FIRST QUESTION I THINK FOR STAFF, UM, MY RECOLLECTION IS, IS THE CAMBRIDGE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY HAS SOME DIFFERENT STANDARDS FOR SIGNAGE.
DO ANY OF THOSE APPLY TO CAMBRIDGE SIDE? NO.
SO WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE, THE ZONING SIGN BYLAW.
SO THE, UM, THE, THERE'S ONE DISTRICT IN THE CITY, THE MXD DISTRICT, WHICH IS, IT KIND OF COINCIDES WITH THE, UM, URBAN REDEVELOPMENT, UH, PLAN.
THE KENDALL SQUARE URBAN REDEVELOPMENT PLAN, WHICH IS OVERSEEN BY THE CRA, THAT'S THE ONE DISTRICT WHERE THE SIGNED ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS DON'T APPLY.
INSTEAD IT'S, IT'S THE CRA THAT HAS JURISDICTION.
BUT THIS IS OUTSIDE OF THAT DISTRICT.
SO IT'S JUST SUBJECT TO ARTICLE SEVEN OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE.
AND IN RELATION TO THAT, AM I CORRECT THAT HOTELS HAVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT STANDARDS? UM, QUESTION WAS BECAUSE THE CAMBRIDGE SIDE OF BUTTS, THE HOTEL MARLOW, AND, UH, THEY HAVE A, A, A SIGN WAY UP AT THE TOP.
AND I, I GUESS ALSO THE, UM, THE, THE HOTEL ACROSS, UH, LAND BOULEVARD, UH, ALSO DOES, AM I CORRECT THAT THE HOTELS HAVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, UH, REGULATIONS? UM, YEAH, THROUGH THE CHAIR.
THAT, THAT, IS THIS JEFF AGAIN? THAT IS CORRECT.
UM, HOTELS HAVE SOMEWHAT UNIQUE, UM, STANDARDS.
UH, THERE ARE A COUPLE USES LIKE HOTELS AND, UH, THEATER MARQUEES THAT HAVE DIFFERENT, UH, REGULATIONS UNDER ARTICLE SEVEN.
UM, BUT YEAH, THAT JUST APPLIES TO THAT, THAT PARTICULAR USE.
I KIND OF WISH MASON HASN'T LEFT 'CAUSE HE KNOWS A LOT MORE ABOUT THE SIGN ORDINANCE THAN I DO.
UM, WITH REGARD TO THE, THE, THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF AREAS WHERE IT INDICATED, UH, THAT YOU PROBABLY WOULD BE SEEKING A VARIANCE.
AND I WAS WONDERING WHAT WAS THE RATIONALE OR WHAT, WHAT WAS THE NEED FOR THE VARIANCE IN THOSE INSTANCES? SURE.
[02:15:01]
FEEL FREE TO STEP IN IF I GO ASTRAY HERE.UM, GIVEN THAT THIS IS LARGELY AN ADVISORY DOCUMENT AS JEFF SET IT UP, IT, IT'S MORE SO TO IDENTIFY IN CERTAIN AREAS, A SIGN MAY REQUIRE A VARIANCE.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE IS A SIGN IN A CERTAIN SIGN AREA THAT'S LOCATED ABOVE 20 FEET OFF THE GROUND MM-HMM
THAT WOULD REQUIRE A VARIANCE UNDER THE CURRENT STANDARDS IN ARTICLE SEVEN, UM, THERE ARE CERTAIN INSTANCES WHERE WE HAVE IDENTIFIED DIFFERENT TYPES OF ILLUMINATION THAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED, AND TO THE EXTENSION THAT IT IS, I'M REALLY GETTING OVER MY SKIS HERE.
HALO LIT PERHAPS, UM, MAY REQUIRE A VARIANCE TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ACTUALLY SOUGHT THAT TYPE OF ILLUMINATION.
SO IT, IT WASN'T THE CASE THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE 13 SIGNS OR TWO SIGNS THAT DEFINITELY REQUIRE A VARIANCE.
IT'S MORE TO IDENTIFY SHOULD CERTAIN HEIGHTS BE EXCEEDED, SHOULD CERTAIN ILLUMINATION STYLES BE PROPOSED.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A VARIANCE WOULD BE REQUIRED.
I'M GONNA MAKE A SMALL CORRECTION, JESSICA.
IT'S THE DIRECT VERSUS INDIRECT LIGHTING IS WHERE WE WOULD HAVE VARIANCE ISSUES.
BUT YOU'RE CORRECT,
BUT THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
NO, I APPRECIATE THE, THE, UH, UM, UM, THE PLAN, UH, AND UH, AND DETAILS.
I THINK, UM, CLEAR SIGNAGE AND FINDING IS, IS PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING WITH, WITH THE, UM, THE MULTITUDE OF, OF, UM, AUDIENCES YOU'RE DEALING WITH.
AND I GUESS MY QUESTION WAS MAYBE, UM, UM, I DIDN'T INTENTIONALLY PICK IT UP, BUT, UM, ARE THE, UM, SIGNAGE TYPES FOR THE DIFFERENT TENANT TYPES AND THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WAYFINDING, UM, DO THEY HAVE A A, A GRAPHIC CONSISTENCY, UH, TO EACH OF THEM FOLLOWING THE, UM, THE OVERALL KEY PLAN, IN OTHER WORDS, IS OUR, UM, UM, THE, ARE THEY ALL COLOR CODED, UH, SEPARATELY FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, BUILDING ENTRY AS OPPOSED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, UTILITY, UM, LOCATIONS OR, AND ASSUMING, UM, UM, RETAIL TENANT SIGNAGE OBVIOUSLY HAS THEIR OWN, UM, BRAND IDENTITY.
BUT I'M JUST LOOKING FOR A KIND OF SENSE ABOUT WHETHER THE, THE OVERALL, UM, UM, GRAPHIC PLAN WHICH, YOU KNOW, DEPICTS THINGS IN ORANGE AND UH, AND RED, ET CETERA.
UM, DOES IT REFLECT AS WELL THE KIND OF GRAPHIC CLARITY OF AND CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SIGNAGE, IF I ARTICULATED THAT CORRECTLY? BUT, UM, DO YOU FOLLOW MY QUESTION? UH, I'LL SPEAK TO THAT.
SO YOU'RE ASKING IF, UM, THE GRAPHIC, UM, SORT OF AESTHETIC OF THE SIGN IS, UM, CAPTURED WITH THE DIFFERENT COLOR CODING THAT'S IN THE BOOKS OR, YEAH, I THINK SO.
SO IS OUR, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, RETAIL VERSUS OFFICE SIGNAGE CLEARLY SEPARATE ENOUGH SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY, OH, THAT'S AN OFFICE ENTRY AS OPPOSED TO A RETAIL ENTRY OR THIS IS RIGHT.
THAT, THAT THEY, THOSE EACH DISTINCTIVE WAYFINDING SIGN TYPE HAS A GRAPHIC CHARACTERISTIC AND CONSISTENCY AND I GUESS THAT FOLLOWS THAT THEY MATCH UP WITH YOUR, YOUR SITE PLAN.
SO IT, WITHIN THE, UM, THE TENANT SIGNAGE PACKAGE, WE DO HAVE A COLOR CODING THAT RELATES TO OFFICE TENANT VERSUS A COMMERCIAL RETAIL TENANT.
UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT, UH, THAT THE, THERE'S AN ORANGE COLOR THAT RELATES TO THE RETAIL AND A DEEPER SORT OF REDDISH ORANGE THAT RELATES TO THE OFFICE TENANT.
AND ON THE FLIP SIDE, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE IDENTIFICATION FOR, AND I THINK JESS EXPLAINED THIS EARLIER, IS WE'VE GOT A LIGHTER BLUE FOR THE OVERALL, UM, IDENTIFICATION OF EACH OF THE BUILDINGS.
UM, AND THEN A DARK BLUE FOR THE LOADING AND, UH, PARKING.
'CAUSE YEAH, SOMETIMES THE, THE MIX AND NATURAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF SIGNAGE CAN BE QUITE CONFUSING AND
I SORT, I APPRECIATE YOU BEING ABLE TO KEEP THOSE CLEAR AND GRAPHICALLY, UM, SEPARATE SO THAT, ARE THERE FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? GREAT.
WELL, I, WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION NOW.
UM, I, I APPRECIATED THE CLARITY OF THE PACKAGE.
I ALSO APPRECIATED, UM, THE EMPHASIS ON PEDESTRIAN LEVEL, UH, SIGNAGE BLADE SIGNS ON
[02:20:01]
FIRST STREET.UM, AND THAT THE RETAIL SIGNAGE LARGELY WAS BELOW 20 FEET.
UH, SO, UM, WHERE THERE ARE VARIANCES REQUIRED, UH, IT'S GONNA BE FOR THE HIGHER LEVEL SIGNS.
AND BY THE WAY, TO DIEGO'S POINT, I HAD EXACTLY THE SAME IDEA.
SO I SIMPLY JUST SKETCHED IN THE LARGER SIGNS, WHICH WERE IN ONE PACKAGE AND OVERLAID THEM ON ANOTHER PACKAGE TO SEE THAT, UM, ACTUALLY THAT BOTH ENDS OF THE HISTORIC MALL DO GET PRETTY PEPPERED WITH, WITH SIGNS WHEN YOU PUT ALL OF THE SIGNS TOGETHER.
UM, AND, UH, THE LARGER SIGNS ARE HIGHER.
AND, UM, I'M SURE THE PETITIONER IS WELL AWARE THAT, UH, WHEN THEY GO FOR A ZONING VARIANCE, THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE PLANNING BOARD GETS TO, UH, GIVE AN OPINION ON WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT THE PARTICULAR SIGN PRIOR TO THAT HEARING.
WE'LL GET A, ESSENTIALLY A SECOND, SECOND TURN AT THIS.
AND I THINK THAT'S NOT AN IRRATIONAL WAY TO GO.
UM, THOSE LARGER SIGNS ARE TENANT ORIENTED.
WE NEED TENANTS AND I THINK, UM, DEPENDING ON WHAT, WHO ULTIMATELY LEASES THE BUILDINGS AND HAS A RIGHT TO THAT SIGNAGE AREA, WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE THE CASE WHY IT MAKES SENSE FOR HAVING, UH, SIGNS AT THAT HEIGHT, UH, TO ORIENT PEOPLE.
SO I KNOW GENERALLY THE HISTORY OF THE CITY'S NOT IN FAVOR OF, UH, BUILDING SIGNS HIGH UP.
UM, BUT THE TWO EXAMPLES OF THE MARLOW HOTEL AND THE HOTEL ACROSS THE STREET, UH, BEING EXCEPTIONS FOR GOOD REASON FOR WAYFINDING, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE VISITING OUR CITY WOULDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE, UH, IS A, A GOOD REASON WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER A SIGN HIGH UP.
SO THERE MAY BE SOME OTHER USE.
SO I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CLARITY OF THE, THE PACKAGE.
I WOULD SAY, UH, THAT YOU'LL NEED TO EXERCISE SOME CAUTION ON THE HEIGHT VARIANCES BECAUSE THERE'LL BE SOME SCRUTINY BOTH FROM THIS BOARD AND THE PCA AROUND THOSE AND YOU'RE WELL AWARE OF THAT.
SO THAT'S, I'M APPRECIATE THE, UH, PACKAGE.
I THINK IT DOES ILLUMINATE THE NUMBER TYPE AND THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SIGNS IN A VERY CLEAR WAY.
UH, FOR THE RETAIL SIGNS, AND I DON'T RECALL, IS THERE AN INTENT THAT THERE WOULD BE A UNIFORM OR CONSISTENT, UH, STYLE OR FONT THROUGHOUT? AND IF THAT IS OR ISN'T THE CASE, HOW WILL YOU DEAL WITH, SAY, RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS THAT HAVE A, UH, UH, A DISTINCTIVE, UH, UH, UH, SIGNATURE SIGN? UM, WITH RESPECT TO RETAIL SIGNAGE, WE ANTICIPATE THE RETAILER'S FONT AND COLORS WOULD BE INCLUDED WITHIN THEIR SIGN.
UM, AND UNLESS IT'S INCLUDED SOME SORT OF DIRECTORY SIGN, UH, IF IT'S THEIR FACADE SIGN, THEN IT WOULD BE BASED ON THEIR BRAND LOGO, COLORS AND FONTS.
WHICH WOULD BE REQUIRED BY THE TENANTS IN, IN ORDER TO RIGHT.
I I KNOW YOUR, YOUR AGREEMENT WITH THEM PROBABLY ALLOWS THEM, YOU KNOW.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? HOW'S I'VE MADE MY, MY FEELINGS CLEAR? ANYBODY ELSE WANNA ADD TO THAT? ASHLEY? UH, YEAH, NO, THANK YOU FOR PREPARING THIS.
I KNOW IT'S A LOT OF WORK, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY I'VE, I GREW UP GOING TO THIS SITE SO MUCH AND I ALWAYS GOT CONFUSED WHERE I AM WHENEVER I EVEN ENTRANCE.
AND SO I THINK THIS WOULD BE HELPFUL.
MY ONLY COMMENTS ARE, UM, ONE TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, AND THIS IS LIKE FURTHER DOWN, BUT, UM, IF THERE'S A WAY TO PICK, YOU KNOW, COLORS, FONT THAT IS EASIER TO READ FOR ACCESSIBILITY REASONS, I THINK THAT'D BE GREAT.
AND, UM, I KNOW TOM AND TED ALREADY MENTIONED THIS, BUT YEAH.
UM, SOME OF THE LARGE SIGNS, ESPECIALLY I THINK THERE'S ONE PROPOSED FOR A LAB TENANT FACING LAND BOULEVARD, THAT ONE IS BIG, YOU KNOW, 200 SQUARE FEET, SO THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF EYES ON IT OR IT ALREADY MAKES ME NERVOUS.
AND SO, UM, I'M SURE IT'LL GET A LOT OF SCRUTINY, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHEN IT, WHEN IT DOES GET TO US, SO THANK YOU.
UM, FINAL COMMENTS, IF NOT, UM, LOOKING, UH, FOR A MOTION TO CONCLUDE THIS, UH, DESIGN UPDATE AND MAKE THE FINDING THAT THE NUMBER TYPE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SIGNS HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY DESCRIBED TO THE BOARD.
SO IS THERE A MOTION? PARDON? I CHAIR IF I MIGHT JUST ASK THE QUESTION AS WELL OF JEFF ROBERTS, GIVEN THE ZONING REQUIREMENTS, I THINK WE DO NEED AN APPROVAL FROM THE BOARD OF THE COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN AS WELL.
[02:25:02]
I JUST, OKAY.MR. ROBERTS, THAT'S NOT, NOT THE WAY I'VE BEEN PREPARED HERE TO TEXT.
I HAD, YEAH, I HAD, I APOLOGIZE.
I HAD TO KIND OF GO BACK AND LOOK MYSELF TO TRACE BACK THE, THE HISTORY OF ALL OF THIS.
IT DOES HAVE, UM, AND I, I DID CONFER SORT OF WITH MY COLLEAGUES, SO IT'S A REQUIREMENT OF THE, UM, THE PUD DISTRICT THAT A FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN CONTAINS A COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN.
UM, THIS HAS, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, HAS GONE THROUGH THE SPECIAL PERMIT APPROVAL PROCESS, HAS GONE THROUGH ALL THE DESIGN REVIEW APPROVAL PROCESSES.
AND I, I THINK WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING WAS THERE WAS AN ORIGINAL SIGN PLAN, COMPREHENSIVE SIGN PLAN THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, A BIT LESS, SORT OF LESS THAN COMPREHENSIVE BECAUSE THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF DESIGN, YOU KNOW, WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE.
AND SO THE, THE PLANNING BOARD ASKED FOR THAT TO BE SUBMITTED, UM, AND IT, IT BECAME BASICALLY SORT OF AN ONGOING CONDITION, WHICH IS NOW COMING BACK AROUND TO THE BOARD NOW.
SO I THINK APPROVING IT AS, AS A MATTER OF DESIGN REVIEW OR AS A, YOU KNOW, COMPLETING A, AN AN OUTSTANDING CONDITION OF, OF THE PUD MAKES SENSE.
THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF WHAT THE, THAT'S WHAT THE PERMITEE IS ASKING FOR.
SO I WOULDN'T, UM, I, I WOULDN'T NOT TAKE THAT VOTE, BUT, UH, IT, IT DID GET A LITTLE BIT, THE, THE, THE TRACKING OF, OF THAT CONDITION TO GET A A LITTLE BIT MURKY.
SO I THINK IT, IT PROBABLY DOES MAKE SENSE TO JUST TO PROVIDE CLARITY FOR THE BOARD TO, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE, UH, MAKE AN APPROVAL SORT OF A DESIGN APPROVAL OF THE, UM, OF THE PLAN SO THAT THAT CAN THEN BE ATTACHED WITH THE MATERIALS, UM, IN THE APPROVED PUD.
ALL OF THEM IS THAT, I'M LOOKING, I'M LOOKING AT SWATHI TO SEE IF
YEAH, JEFF, I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT WE NEED, UH, BECAUSE THERE IS A SPECIFIC CONDITION AS PART OF THE CONTINUING DESIGN REVIEW IN THE ORIGINAL SPECIAL PERMIT THAT AS A PART OF EACH DESIGN REVIEW, THERE WILL BE SIGNAGE INFORMATION, UM, THAT WILL EXPLAIN HOW THIS TIES TO THE WHOLE CAMPUS.
I, I THINK THAT'S THE PART THAT DIDN'T GET FULLY FLUSHED OUT AS PART OF THE DESIGN REVIEW APPROVAL.
AND, UH, THE BOARD WAS COMFORTABLE THIS COMING BACK TOGETHER AFTER, YOU KNOW, THINGS WERE LAID OUT AT THE SITE LEVEL.
WE'LL AMEND THE MOTION, UM, BASED ON A, ON A FINDING THAT THE NUMBER TYPE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SIGN THAT CAMBRIDGE SIGNS AT CAMBRIDGE SIDE, UM, HAVE BEEN, UH, DETAILED IN TWO, UH, DOCUMENTS.
UH, VOLUME ONE AND VOLUME TWO, UH, UH, ENTITLED TO COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN THAT, UH, WE, UM, UH, APPROVE, UM, THE, UH, COMPREHENSIVE SIGN, THE DESIGN DETAILS AND COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN, UH, PLAN AS DETAILED IN THOSE TWO VOLUMES.
I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO THAT EFFECT.
IS THAT CONSISTENT, UH, MS. MENTON WITH WHAT YOU NEED? YES.
I JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR THAT WE HAVE APPROVAL OF THE COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN, SO WE'RE ALL REFERRING BACK TO THE SAME PLAN IN THE FUTURE.
THOSE DOCUMENTS ARE DATED SEPTEMBER, 2026.
UM, UH, LOOKING FOR THAT MOTION.
AND WE'LL HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON THAT MOTION.
OH, AND, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS A SPECIAL PERMIT CASE, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, THE, AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER, UH, SHOULD BE APPOINTED TO VOTE.
I THOUGHT I HAD VOTE APPOINTED HIM FOR THE WHOLE HEARING.
SO ON THAT MOTION, TED COHEN? YES.
IT'S ALL MEMBERS VOTING IN FAVOR.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
THAT CONCLUDES THE BUSINESS ON OUR AGENDA OR THE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM STAFF OR FROM BOARD MEMBERS AT THIS TIME? WANNA DRAG IT OUT OF ANOTHER 20 MINUTES OR SO? NO.
SO AT THIS POINT, UM, HEARING NOBODY
[02:30:01]
INDICATING THAT THEY NEED TO ADD ANYTHING, I WILL ADJOURN THE MEETING.THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE TONIGHT, EVERYBODY.