Planning Board

The Board heard detailed presentations and public comment on the proposed redevelopment of 2 and 13 Merrimac St., a waterfront project that would retain an existing building, add a shingle-style restaurant (reduced to an 80-seat configuration), marina operations space, and associated parking, landscaping, boardwalks and terraces. The design team described elevating the new building to address floodplain concerns, screening utilities and trash, creating pedestrian connections, and treating stormwater with catch basins and a rain garden. Planning staff and Board members raised engineering, sidewalk, lighting, traffic-calming, sightline, snow-storage and shared-parking questions; Conservation Commission review and peer review (engineering/stormwater) were expected. Multiple members of the public voiced concerns about parking adequacy, potential overflow to nearby church and park lots, sidewalk condition, and impacts from events or public-access uses; the Board continued the public hearings for further review and peer review comments.

The Board also reviewed a proposal at 12 South Hunt Rd. to add a 100' by 180' practice field, 39-foot lighting poles (facing away from the road), a new parking area bringing total spaces to 197, and substantial grading (fill and retaining walls). Discussion focused on stormwater connections to the existing system and wetland impacts, monitoring and maintenance of the current drainage, the amount of fill proposed, and ownership/maintenance agreements for shared stormwater infrastructure. The Board unanimously determined the applicant's request to perform the earthwork was a minor modification (subject to conditions and further technical/peer review), allowing the applicant to continue moving dirt but not to construct structural elements until outstanding engineering issues are resolved. The hearing for 87 S Hampton Rd. was continued to a later date; a Board member recused from the Hunt Road discussion and meeting time extensions were approved during the session.