Marlborough Council Poised To OK 276-Unit Development

MARLBOROUGH, MA — The Marlborough City Council may approve a large mixed-use development proposed for the French Hill neighborhood in July.

The 276-unit Alta development would overtake a nearly empty lot at the corner of Mechanic and Lincoln streets. The development would be between four and five stories, feature commercial space on the first floor and have about 448 parking spaces, according to plans.

Since the project first went public in April, the Marlborough City Council's Urban Affairs Subcommittee has been debating the merits of the project — including traffic impacts, the number of affordable units and the potential to exclude natural gas service. The last hearing was held on June 15, and councilors in the subcommittee voted to send the project to the full city council.

On Monday, councilors voted 8 to 1 (with Ward 3 Councilor Christian Dumais abstaining) to put the Alta project on the agenda for a vote at the July 25 meeting. The council held a public hearing on the development in May.

At-Large Councilor Mark Oram was the sole "no" vote on Monday. He said he wanted to discuss the traffic impacts of the project in more detail in the Urban Affairs Subcommittee. Oram also said he felt the council was "moving a little too fast" on the project.

The developer behind the project is Wood Partners, whose Alta-branded developments have sprouted up across the region in recent years. Wood Partners will soon open Alta Oxbow, a partially affordable development along Route 20 in Wayland. The company also built the Alta Union House in Framingham, and is building an Alta building in Worcester along Mulberry Street.

Apart from the mixed-use building, Wood Partners will build a 22-space parking lot and restroom facility where the Assabet River Rail Trail ends near Highland Street. The facility would be transferred to city ownership once complete.