Planning Board Tables Big Projects Due To Lack of Quorum…Again

It was a quiet night for the Planning Board Tuesday, as the two biggest projects on the agenda were continued to a future meeting.

A number of residents had filed into the Senior Center to express concerns about a 33-unit residential unit development at 932 Broadway, the former Genesis nursing home, but that proposal was continued because there were not enough board members present to vote on the major site plan review. A quorum of six voting members of the nine member board was needed, and there were only four voting members available at the beginning of the meeting.

The developer, listed as 932 Broadway, LLC, is looking for approval to renovate the existing building and establish 33 residential units and one commercial unit. The proposal does not meet the City’s zoning requirements for density, the number of stories, height, parking lot aisle width and number, size, and setback requirements of off-street parking spaces.

•Also on Broadway, the City was granted a continuance for the Salvation Army building redevelopment project.

The City is looking to pre-permit the parcel for sale and development of the lot for a mixed-used development with 16 residential units and just under 1,000 square feet of commercial space.

•The Planning Board did grant approvals for two smaller-scale projects on Tuesday night.

Fatima Melara was granted a special permit to construct a driveway and curb cut at a single-family home on Garland Street, and Hawthorne Street Chelsea, LLC was granted a special permit and variances to convert an existing three-unit apartment complex to four units.

•The board also appointed member Sara Arman as its representative to Chelsea’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC).

The CPC helps determine the use of funds provided by the Community Preservation Act. Voters approved the CPA in 2016, and the money from the CPA is used for the creation and acquisition of affordable housing, historic preservation, open space, and recreation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *