Weiss Farm Update - Public Comment Period Still Open

Tuesday night I attended the Stoneham Board of Appeals continued public hearing on the review of the proposed development of a 264 unit apartment complex referred to as The Commons at Weiss Farm submitted by Weiss Farm Apartments LLC.

This matter has been before the Board of Appeals for some time now. They have held several public meetings, many of which I have attended and spoke on behalf of Melrose’s interests – namely the impact the project would have on traffic, flooding and drainage, and overall public safety.

Although the previous request for a continuance was requested by the applicant, it was agreed upon that the Board of Appeals would issue a final decision on the comprehensive permit application no later than April 29, 2016.

Tuesday’s meeting focused on two areas – (1) Traffic and (2) Storm water management and flooding issues.

Traffic
The Town’s traffic consultant, Jeff Dirk, reviewed the results of the traffic study findings.

The study found that the proposed development would add an additional 138 cars entering and exiting during peak hours. (Page 25 of the Environmental Notification Form filed by the applicant indicates a 9.7% daily increase in traffic on Franklin Street.)

Several months back, prior to the traffic study being completed, I requested that the study be expanded to include the impact on intersections in Melrose along Franklin Street, including those at Perkins, Greenwood, Tremont and Main. At Tuesday night’s meeting, I followed up on this and was told that the study found that the development would add approximately 20-30 new vehicle trips heading toward Melrose on Franklin Street during rush hour – approximately one additional car every two to three minutes.

The applicant proposes that the Town of Stoneham eliminate the bike lane in order to make the necessary changes to the vehicular roadway to accommodate this development.

In order to retain the bike lane, the applicant would need to provide an easement to the Town to widen the road. This is something the applicant is willing to do, with the expectation that the cost of the road reconfiguration to be borne by the Town. The traffic consultant, Jeff Dirk, estimated that since there are 2-3 utility poles which would also need to be relocated, that the cost to the town to reconfigure the road would near $100,000. The consultant, further went on to say that it would be customary that the applicant would bear this cost, although this is not what is being proposed here.

During public comment at this meeting, I did stress that Melrose has made a significant effort and investment of public tax dollars in order to improve bicycle safety and access on Franklin Street, and that eliminating the bicycle lane due to this proposed development would be counter to the work we have done in Melrose.

Some of the benefits that the applicant is willing to provide are the installation of a “hawk beacon” to aid in road crossing. Much like the lights on the Fellsway in front of the Middle School, these lights would only be triggered if a pedestrian pushed the button requesting to cross. At that point they would begin to flash yellow, and eventually turn red, allowing the pedestrian to cross.

The applicant was also willing to put aside $8500 in an escrow fund to provide for any necessary road reconfiguration of the intersection of Pleasant and Spring Streets which the study found would be adversely affected by the proposed development.

Storm water management and flooding issues
Another item on the docket was flooding and drainage. The town’s consultant, Tom Houston, said that after discussion in October, in which many proposed engineering changes were verbally agreed upon, the applicant had not provided revised drawings nor calculations. The applicant believed documents had been forwarded on February 1, but no one from the Town appeared to be in receipt of them. It was agreed they would be re-sent to the Board of Appeals right away.

What’s next?
The Board of Appeals has several meetings scheduled in the near future including a March 22 pro forma development budget meeting and a March 23rd meeting in which engineering issues regarding storm water management will be discussed. Both of those meetings are scheduled for 7:30 pm in the Hearing Room at Stoneham Town Hall, 35 Central Street, Stoneham.

An additional meeting is scheduled for 7:30 pm on March 31st, also at Stoneham Town Hall, to focus on the pro forma development budget and & traffic issues.

Those interested in this development, especially the aspects of traffic and flooding and drainage are encouraged to attend.

The Board of Appeals is still accepting written comment which may be sent via email to the attention of Chairman Robert Saltzman through Staff Contact, Catherine Rooney, at crooney@ci.stoneham.ma.us. Letters may be addressed to The Stoneham Board of Appeals, Attention Robert Saltzman, Chairman, 35 Central Street, Stoneham, MA 02180.

The possibility of the Town of Stoneham completing a land swap with this developer still remains, but it is completely separate and independent of these public hearings before the Board of Appeals.

Additional information regarding the proposal can be found on the Town of Stoneham website and under the “Updates & Events” section of the Friends of Stoneham website http://friendsofstoneham.org/.

Monica Medeiros is a Melrose Alderman-at-Large.