Two special permit requests “chartered” until next year: 1314 Washington Street and 106 River Street

Two requests for special permits at Monday night’s City Council meeting (watch video on NewTV beginning at 45:25) 1314 Washington Street and 106 River Street will be voted on at the next full council meeting in January. Ward 4 Councilor Lenny Gentile invoked a provision in the City Charter that allows any Council member to cease discussion of an item until the next meeting (see Article II, Sec. 2-9(c) of the City Charter).

Land Use Committee Chair Rick Lipof presented the report for 1314 Washington Street and stated that the 50 units and size of the building were secondary issues to the neighborhood and the committee, as opposed to the use of the first-floor Santander bank space. He said a lot of people wanted to solve the parking situation in West Newton before allowing another restaurant to come to West Newton Square. He noted that the petitioner gave a good-faith effort to find alternative places for parking, citing the church and the parking garage on the other side of the block. While there are no restaurants in the square that have 13 on-site spaces, this project would provide 13 spaces on the property dedicated for retail/restaurant use. Although the developer offered to go retail instead of a restaurant use to offset the parking issue, Councilor Lipof said that “ultimately the council [committee] came to a meeting of the minds that the vibrancy a restaurant would bring to the square far outweighed the fear of a potential Armageddon of no parking in West Newton that some say they are not seeing yet and some say exists now.” He reported the vote in Committee as 6 -1 and moved the report (Lucas opposed – see Report).

Councilor Gentile chartered both the rezoning request and the request for the special permit.

Councilor Lipof then presented the committee report for 106 River Street. This item is a request for a 9-unit residential dwelling development. He reported that updates had been made over the course of several meetings, including moving a driveway that would preserve one vibrant tree and some minor revisions to the site plan and landscape plan. He said that the committee debated whether to hold the item but decided the changes were small enough to move forward. Although neighborhood residents came out and were not happy about the project — mostly concerned with the setback, the size of the project, and the number of cars that would be brought to the neighborhood — the committee voted to approve the project 5-1 -1(Laredo opposed; Lucas abstained – see Report).

Councilor Gentile rose to charter the item, stating “this project is to me the poster child for the overdevelopment of a small lot,” and will speak to that issue at a future date.

Both items will be taken up at the next City Council meeting on January 3.