The Land Use Committee met on Tuesday, July 7. See the report and meeting video.
Approved
- Request to allow a retaining wall four feet or more in height at 335 Langley Road — 5-1-1 (Councilor Block opposed) (Councilor Lucas abstained) (Councilor Roche not voting); public hearing closed. The petitioner, a developer, sought a special permit to build retaining walls to level two currently vacant lots that drop about 20 feet from street level, making them more buildable and sellable. The petitioner noted that leveling the lot will help control water runoff onto Bowen Field. Councilors were concerned that trees had been removed from the lots. The petitioner stated that the tree replacements will be part of the sale. Several councilors were puzzled that no building project accompanied the request; the committee retained a condition (Condition 2) clarifying that a future by-right development would not need to return to the committee. A motion to strike that condition failed 1-5-1. Petition documents Draft order
- Request for a Special Permit to allow 16 attached single-family dwellings at 93, 103 and 0 Thurston Road — Approved Subject to Second Call 7-1-0 (Councilor Roche not voting); public hearing closed. The petitioner reduced the project from 16 units to 14, from 8 buildings to 7, and from 6 curb cuts to 3, and now complies with the 25-foot front and side setbacks; the number of affordable units dropped from 3 to 2. Extensive neighbor testimony focused on preserving the “Lupien Path” to the Emerson playground (a one-foot easement was proposed as a condition), density, privacy buffering, traffic safety near a playground and daycare, and drainage from a rock ledge. Conditions to be added address the vibration control ordinance, privacy landscaping, pedestrian safety funded through Inflow and Infiltration funds, the path easement, and drainage. Petition documents Draft order
Present: Councilors Kelley (Chair), Leary, Irish, Block, Farrell, Lucas, Golden, and Roche.
Also present: Councilors Oliver, Wright, and Malakie.
City staff: Sondria Berman, Senior Planner; Jonah Temple, Deputy City Solicitor; Cat Kemmett, Deputy Chief Planner.