Trust To Provide Off-site Parking For Pennrose Project

HARWICH – The affordable housing trust has agreed to use a section of its land outside the 5.4 acres it is leasing to Pennrose LLC at 456 Queen Anne Road to provide an additional 20 overflow parking spaces for the proposed 60-unit mixed use housing development.

Members of the appeals board wanted to see more parking provided for the development. The initial plan showed 76 spaces where 102 would be required to meet local zoning requirements. Members of the board also raised issues about the tightness of the parking spaces and their proximity to the housing units.

In a special meeting of the affordable housing trust May 7, trust chair Michael MacAskill said he received an unofficial request from appeals board chairman Brian Sullivan about using additional land on adjacent trust land to provide an overflow parking lot.

The initial thought was to add 30 parking spaces through an easement on the trust’s property north of the proposed development. Pennrose made adjustments to its plan to provide 83 parking spaces. The plan presented to the trust on Thursday called for 20 overflow parking spaces on the trust’s land, which would provide the Pennrose project with a total of 103 spaces, one more than is required by zoning, eliminating the need for a waiver for parking provisions. 

 The design for the overflow parking presented by Pennrose provided two options: one to the north side of the development, just off the east boundary line, and the other with more of a rectangular hook to it, bringing it closer to the east boundary.

Trust member Brendan Lowney recommended option two with the rectangular hook. The 20 parking spaces would be standard size at 20 by 9 feet, slightly larger than the 18-by-8-foot spaces proposed within the development. There would be a lighted pedestrian access connecting the parking to the Pennrose housing. 

 “I like option two because it's more into the corner,” Lowney said. 

 Abutter Jim Pina, who said he owns the property along the east side of the development, noted option two is more toward his property, and he was concerned about lighting from the parking lot. He suggested option one would provide less of a concern.

 “I’ve got the entire eastern side with Pennrose,” he said.

 Town Planner and Director of Community Development Christine Flynn said the lighting must be dark sky compliant, which requires lighting to be directed toward the ground, so spillover should not be an issue. 

Pina said he is not as much concerned with the existing house on the property, but he might build a larger structure near where the parking lot is proposed.

MacAskill said the vote taken by his members show the board of appeals the trust supports the 20 overflow parking spaces, but it is not an endorsement of the final plan. He said additional discussions will be necessary with the trust and town counsel. The trust would be sensitive to Pina’s concerns when endorsing the final plan, he added. 

In the appeal’s board’s hearing later that evening, members remained concerned with the project’s internal parking conditions. Sullivan raised concerns about the absence of parking in front of three of the 14 buildings planned for the site. He admitted the appeals board can’t regulate that, but he recommended at least one space be immediately adjacent to each unit. He said that is not the case with buildings 6, 8 and 14.

 “I’m having trouble with accessibility,” Sullivan said, adding that people will be parking in front of other people’s units.

 “The zoning board of appeals acts on practicality and safety and this can be inequitable and cause disputes,” he said. “I’d like to balance the parking program. Pennrose has done a beautiful job given the land you have been given. Let's do the first development right.”

Pennrose attorney Marian Rose said the RFP Pennrose responded to had a cap of six acres, adding that most 40B projects do not have as much parking. If there are issues with disabilities and tenant access, Rose said the onsite management team will address it.

Asked whether the developer would move the buildings to accommodate parking, Rose said it would be costly because it would require a new design for the project. She also said she didn’t think the trust could provide more land without going through a new procurement process. 

Pennrose Project Manager Ryan Kiracofe said eight new spaces were added inside the development, including six at the clubhouse and two more by removing a parking island. He also said Americans with Disabilities Act designated spaces were increased from four to six. The project now provides 1.72 parking spaces per unit, he said.

 During the public comment period, neighbor Tom Stapleton pushed the board to consider the proposed project to be located on the entire 13 acres the trust holds at the site. He argued that the Six Pond Special District and the Herring River marine resource recharge areas are too sensitive for the project to be located on just 5.4 acres. He also called for greater buffer zones along Queen Anne Road and Pleasant Lake Avenue.

 Citing the town meeting approval of the update of the town’s local comprehensive plan, which will guide future town development, Stapleton said the plan seeks a balance that will protect environmental resources, economic growth, quality of life and community character. 

 “Three of these qualities aren’t being met by the current design,” he said, adding that the project would be a “gold standard” if placed on all 13 acres.

 The appeals board spent the remainder of the evening working through waivers and conditions sought for the project as Town Counsel Amy Kwesell begins to craft a draft decision, which she will present to the board in its June 11 hearing