Planning Board Looks Ahead to a Busy Summer

It was a short night for the Planning Board for its May meeting on Tuesday night, but longer agendas and bigger projects are on the horizon for the summer.

The board voted not to recommend approvals for special permits for two projects where the petitioners failed to show up for Tuesday night’s meeting and failed to notify the board. Those projects were for a special permit for a driveway opening permit on Grove Street and a special permit for a trade shop and accessory equipment storage on Crescent Avenue.

“We have a very full agenda for next month, and I think adding two more (cases) simply because they could not do us the courtesy of letting us know ahead of time that they couldn’t be here, I would vote against continuing the hearings,” said Planning Board member Sharlene McLean.

The Planning Board did recommend approval for the one case that it did hear, a special permit for a driveway extension on Ash Street.

The board held a discussion on summer meeting dates, given the number of cases currently slated to appear before it.

There are seven cases on the agenda for June, and another four for July, with the possibility for an additional four, according to John DePriest, the city’s director of permitting and land use planning.

DePriest also noted that the large Chelsea Soldiers’ Home redevelopment project is headed to the Planning Board in July. He suggested the board set up a separate date to hear that case, since he said it will likely take several hours.

The Soldiers’ Home developers also want to give an informal presentation to the Planning Board, which the board tentatively scheduled for June 21.

“They will get to talk a little more informally, and there will be more time to think about (the project),” DePriest told the Planning Board. “There will not be any decisions based on the informal meeting, but at least it will give you a chance to absorb some of the information and some of the background.”

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