CUMBERLAND – Fred Pesaturo’s plan to bring a mixed-use commercial and residential building to the corner of Mendon Road and Albion Road drew skepticism from Planning Board members on Thursday.
Board member Chris Butler said most people coming before them are asking for the right to develop more residential instead of commercial, due largely to difficulties filling commercial spaces, but this is the opposite.
Pesaturo is seeking a recommendation from the board to the Town Council asking for a zoning change from R-1 low-density residential to C-2 general commercial.
Planning Director Amelia Morton said they didn’t really have enough information to go on from applicant Albion Landing LLC, but based on what was offered, they couldn’t suggest a positive recommendation to the council.
She said they still aren’t sure what the specific plan for the parcel is, and she personally has concerns about allowing the zone change. She said she would be willing to reconsider for a favorable recommendation, but the application lacks the elements they’re typically looking for, including identifying potential uses for the commercial spaces.
The future land use map has one parcel near Mendon Road as mixed-use residential, and two on Albion Road as medium-density residential.
Attorney Riley Runk, for Pesaturo, said his client plans to put in a plaza, but has no concrete plans for what it would be used for as of yet. He recognized staff concerns about the plans presented to them being from 2007, but said the plans haven’t really changed at all. Pesaturo, he said, has owned the property for more than 40 years. He said they would greatly appreciate the board’s feedback.
Butler then noted that this project was part of a court process back in 2007, when the board at the time denied a master plan for a residential development but lost after an appeal and had to approve 16 low-to-moderate-income housing units.
Butler said the major issue jumping out to him is Pesaturo’s plan to add commercial spaces when other commercial buildings in the area have vacancies. He said he’s curious why Pesaturo is looking for this kind of change when others are moving away from it and only wanting to build residential.
He also noted how bad of an intersection this is, located across from Seabra supermarket, though the fact that it is a signalized one does help somewhat.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on there,” Butler said, and if it’s going to be a high-intensity commercial use, it may not fit.
Board member Roy Costa asked Pesaturo why the property isn’t maintained, and always looks so overgrown. Pesaturo repeatedly shrugged off those concerns, but eventually agreed to cut the grass. Costa said it’s not about grass, really, as it looks more like a forest.
Pesaturo was much more eager to discuss his conceptual design for the building, repeatedly asking members if they see it as beautiful as he does. He said he puts his heart and soul into local buildings, saying he wants it to have the class of the Chapel Four Corners intersection across town.
Pesaturo also downplayed concerns about vacancies, saying he has a dentist who wants to go into the building and rent a large space.
Responding to Costa’s concerns about commercial space, he said all-residential would be worse. He stated that he’s never looking to make a dollar on a project, but instead wants to create something people will be proud of.
Board member Joshua O’Neill said he was curious about why the zone change request was coming to them now. He said there’s a significant need for new housing in the state at all price points, and said quality affordable housing would be looked on much more favorably now than it was in 2007 when Pesaturo proposed it. He also noted that this proposal is inconsistent with the town’s future land use map, which calls for medium-density residential on the lot in question, at 8 Albion Road. Why not higher-density residential, he said, a use with a lot more funding behind it?
Pesaturo then responded that he is looking to do what’s been done with other projects near the property, but make it more attractive than others.
Butler said it’s not about aesthetics, as Pesaturo’s drawing is very nice and presents a “classic Colonial look.” He said residents frequently speculate about what might be developed here, and the town is focused on making sure the plan is for something thoughtful, whether that’s residential or a more carefully crafted commercial concept.
Pesaturo then repeated that he loves the look of what he’s proposed, and whatever he builds is going to outlast him. He said he would love feedback and ideas from the board.
O’Neill then responded that the board would likely look a lot more favorably on a project with some component of affordable housing. Pesaturo responded that if he did that, it would likely be in the range of 25 percent affordable to make the finances work. He mentioned the numerous approvals and upgrades he already has, including an 8-inch water main to the property.
Member James St. Thomas said this is a prominent parcel. He asked for and received clarification that the allowable zoning is for three single-family homes, and the units allowed back in the day were 16, so a larger conversation on the development approach here is appropriate.
St. Thomas offered up the idea of perhaps proposing more units given the property’s proximity to I-295, combined into one building. He said the parcel deserves a lot of attention, and the development needs to be done right. He echoed others in saying that he too would favor residential, but the property is constrained by its size and width.
Officials also discussed parking, saying the required number of spaces will be driven by the uses on the property and what each one calls for.
The board decided against recommending approval of the zone change as they wait for more information.
