This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
04/25/2017 12:00 AMResidents showed up to the Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) meeting on April 19 expecting to hear more discussion and possibly a decision on the special permit application for a U-Haul facility on Boston Post Road, but left empty handed. After building design concerns were raised, PZC has pushed the second discussion on the application to Wednesday, May 17.
PZC held the first public hearing on March 15 on a proposal from U-Haul to construct a new, three-story facility on its Boston Post Road site, raising questions about design, traffic, and the character of Route 1 in town.
The proposed facility would be located at 301 Boston Post Road on the corner of Route 1 and Tanner Marsh Road on what was formerly the Mannix Motors site. The U-Haul proposal includes renovating the existing structure on the site and building a second structure for storage. If approved, the site would include more than 500 storage spaces within the two buildings, U-Haul trucks for rent including seven trucks parked close to the front of the property, a new perimeter of trees, and a new sidewalk along the Post Road.
The application came before PZC without formal approval from the Design Review Committee (DRC), which serves as an advisory board to PZC, but Town Planner George Kral had said he thought the committee viewed the application in a favorable light. Now, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case—the committee has expressed concern over the size of the new building and the seven trucks that would be parked close to the front of the property.
DRC does not have authority to reject an application and is simply advisory, as the name suggests. However, after the committee elected not to recommend the design, the U-Haul applicant is now going back to DRC to see what if any changes can be made, causing the delay at PZC.
“There are three ideas out there. One is to make it smaller, one is to articulate the building design a little bit so that it appears to be smaller or is more interesting architecturally, and the third idea is to move the building further way from the road than the zoning regulations allow,” said Kral. “For that they would have to get a variance and move the building closer to wetlands.”
While U-Haul goes back to the DRC, there is another issue floating around concerning the seven display vehicles in front of the store. Kral said lawyers representing a resident opposed to the development and a U-Haul lawyer are currently debating if vehicles can be displayed for sale or rent in the 50-foot setback from the property line.
“Under the current regulations, if this was a brand new facility, they would have to be 50 feet back,” said Kral. “However the issue is because historically this has been a car dealership where they have displayed vehicles close to the road, do they have the right under the rules of non-conformity to continue to display motor vehicles?”
U-Haul goes back to the DRC on Wednesday, May 10 and will possibly then return to the PZC on Wednesday, May 17.
“The ideal situation is obviously one where everyone is happy with it and PZC doesn’t have to make a decision between what the applicant wants and what design review is recommending,” said Kral.