OTHER · PLANNING BOARD

27 Kimball Road

Application for a 95‑unit, all‑electric rental development on a ~9.2‑acre parcel at 27 Kimball Road with 174 surface parking spaces, a widened two‑way entrance and an internal looped driveway; studies address traffic, drainage and fire access.

approved residential

AI summary

MP Properties IV, LLC proposes a 95‑unit all‑electric rental community at 27 Kimball Road on about 9.2 acres, with clustered 1‑ and 2‑story paired homes, 174 surface parking spaces and a widened two‑way entrance feeding an internal looped driveway. Traffic and sight‑distance analyses conclude the site’s trips are not expected to materially affect nearby intersections but will require selective clearing (including removal of a large tree in the ROW) to meet sight‑line requirements; the Fire Chief found the design generally meets applicable fire code and requested a third‑party fire engineering review that has not yet been submitted.

Generated by an LLM. Verify against the official record before quoting.

Gallery

Auto-selected pages from the source documents. See Documents on file below for the originals.

Existing conditions survey/site plan for 27 Kimball Road in Amesbury, showing property boundaries, contours, vegetation, structures, easements, and nearby road frontage along Kimball Road. The sheet also includes a locus map, legend, survey notes, and title block. — Existing conditions survey with contours and property lines Source

A satellite/aerial context image showing the 27 Kimball Road site highlighted in yellow within a larger residential area. The page is labeled "Site & Context Photographs | 27 Kimball" and includes a broad aerial view of surrounding roads, buildings, and wooded land. — Aerial context map of the site and surrounding neighborhood Source

Black-and-white layout and materials plan for the proposed 27 Kimball Road development, showing the arrangement of multiple residential buildings, parking spaces, drive aisles, landscaping, and site features. The sheet also includes parking and zoning summary tables, a legend, and project title block information. — Overall site layout with buildings, parking, and landscaping Source

Erosion control plan for the 27 Kimball Road project site, showing the overall site layout with proposed building footprints, grading contours, stockpile/staging areas, and erosion control measures such as silt fence and sediment barriers. The sheet includes a legend, notes, and the project title block along the right side. — Erosion control plan with grading and sediment barriers Source

Architectural elevation sheet showing the right and rear elevations for Building 2 of the proposed BTR prototype units. The drawings depict a two-story residential building with gabled rooflines, windows, doors, and material/roof legends. — Rear and right elevations for one prototype building Source

Project details

What is proposed

MP Properties IV, LLC has submitted a Comprehensive Permit (Chapter 40B) application to redevelop 27 Kimball Road with a 95‑unit rental residential community organized as clustered 1‑ and 2‑story "paired home" buildings. Each unit is shown with private outdoor space (porch, patio, or small yard). Exterior materials shown in the application include horizontal clapboard and shingle‑style siding (fiber cement and/or vinyl), painted trim, gables, dormers and covered entry porches. The buildings are planned to be all‑electric and designed to meet or exceed the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code.

Where and how big

The site is a single lot of roughly 9.2 acres (about 402,344 sq. ft.). The proposed site plan arranges units in small clusters around a central circulation spine and internal looped driveway, with landscaped buffers, common greens and pocket parks dispersed through the development. Surface parking areas are distributed across the site and screened with landscaping where practical.

Parking, access and transportation

The plans show 174 surface parking spaces for the development. Vehicular access is proposed from Kimball Road via a widened, two‑way entrance feeding an internal looped driveway; the driveway geometry is designed to accommodate the Town’s largest fire apparatus. The project’s traffic impact and access study (MDM, Jan. 2026) estimates approximately 624 vehicle trips on a typical weekday, about 45 trips during the weekday morning peak hour (11 entering / 34 exiting) and about 48 trips during the weekday evening peak hour (27 entering / 21 exiting). The study concludes the incremental traffic is not expected to materially affect operating conditions at nearby studied intersections and that the site driveway will operate with minimal delay (LOS A) in peak hours. The study recommends maintaining sight‑line triangles (field review indicates at least one large caliper tree in the right‑of‑way will need removal to achieve required sight distances), installing MUTCD‑compliant signs and markings, providing on‑site sidewalks and bicycle accommodations (including covered/secure bike parking), and consideration of EV charging and Transportation Demand Management measures; it also suggests the City consider intersection improvements at Haverhill Road and Kimball Road and traffic calming on Kimball Road.

Special considerations

Amesbury Fire Rescue reviewed the submission focusing on fire protection, life safety and emergency access and stated the proposed design generally meets applicable fire code requirements. The Fire Chief noted the looped driveway provides continuous apparatus circulation and the entrance meets minimum required widths, while suggesting that a boulevard‑style entrance could further enhance operational access. The Fire Chief also noted a third‑party fire engineering analysis had been requested for additional technical review; that report had not been submitted at the time of the most recent fire department memorandum. The Department of Inspectional Services reported no concerns at this stage of review. The site development plans include erosion and sedimentation control measures and a drainage design; erosion control installation and maintenance notes are detailed on the submitted civil plans.

Status and next steps

The Comprehensive Permit application and supporting materials — including architectural plans and narrative, site development and drainage plans, a traffic impact and access study, erosion control plans, and departmental memos — are under review by the Amesbury Zoning Board of Appeals and Technical Review Committee. Revised plan sets and supplemental cover letters were submitted in June 2026. A third‑party fire engineering report had been requested by the Fire Chief and remained outstanding as of the latest fire department memo.