Planning Board Meeting

The Planning Board heard a detailed pre-application presentation for a proposed condominium development at 28 Haverhill Road by Pulte Homes. The 13-acre site in the Office Park zoning district would place two five-story buildings with subsurface parking on a roughly 3.5-acre developable area, providing 126 units total (63 per building), 216 parking spaces, 44 EV spaces, and 25 affordable units (20%). Project features discussed included site constraints (extensive wetlands and floodplain), internal trails connecting to Amesbury Heights, a neighborhood park, pollinator meadow, stormwater strategy, a proposed onsite sewer pump station, and fully electric buildings. Board members and staff raised items to be addressed in the formal filing (snow storage, trash/recycling logistics, EV distribution, architectural and mechanical roof details); abutters expressed concerns about additional traffic, street egress, and pedestrian crossing safety near the trail connections.

The Rocky Hill Development continued with peer-review testimony from VHB and project consultants. VHB reported no “deal breakers” on traffic but noted queuing, left-turn delays, and a need for coordination on pedestrian crossings; parking demand analysis was reviewed and deemed acceptable in context. The applicants and city representatives described a MassWorks award of $3.6 million toward multiple Route 110/Elm Street/Clarks Road corridor improvements (signal reconstruction, a third westbound lane on Route 110, crosswalk and ADA upgrades, bus stop improvements, and related work), and clarified funding/implementation responsibilities and permitting with MassDOT. Outstanding items for Rocky Hill included responses to the engineering peer review, landscaping/open-space plans, snow removal, and certain documentation from MEPA and geotechnical work.

Other agenda items of public interest included a Historic Preservation special permit for 14 Maple Street (revised architectural/landscaping plans and TRC support); the Board voted to have staff draft a decision on that application. Several hearings (9 Oakland St., 5 & 13 School St., 29 Lake Attitash Rd.) were continued to future meetings. The Board accepted Planning Board member Michael Jewell’s resignation and voted to forward it to City Council. Public commenters raised traffic and pedestrian-safety concerns related to the Haverhill Road/Route 110 area and trail crossings, asked for neighborhood engagement and dust control plans, and urged the Board to consider impacts on nearby streets and property values.