The mood at the City Planning Commission’s March 24 meeting was upbeat and positive as they received an update from developer Lou Larizza and his team on the proposed senior citizen affordable housing project on Theodore Fremd Avenue.
The mood at the City Planning Commission’s March 24 meeting was upbeat and positive as they received an update from developer Lou Larizza and his team on the proposed senior citizen affordable housing project on Theodore Fremd Avenue.
Since the City Council approved the zoning change and the basic scale of the project, the developers have been meeting with the Planning Commission to cover the many elements that need to be determined before construction will be given the green light.
Located at the intersection of North Street and Theodore Fremd, the L-shaped 2.07-acre parcel wraps around a gas station.
The complex, named The Courtyard by the developer, includes a three-story building above a parking lot. The facility will have 41 units and somewhere between 37 and 40 parking places underneath.
They are currently proposing a total of 70 parking spaces on the site, including four handicap spaces. As the developer noted, this is more than is required by zoning regulations.
Other elements of the site, as currently envisioned, include a recycling/garbage unit, a porte-cochere (carport) at the entrance, a gazebo, a lawn area with benches, stone posts at the driveway entrance, fencing, tree and shrub plantings, landscaping, and a retaining wall.
The initial focus of the site planning was on two primary concerns: how much fill would be required to level the property where the building is to be located, and how the water runoff and wetlands will be managed. The site topography is such that the lowest point is in the middle. Some wetland work needs to be finalized.
As with many construction projects scheduled over the winter, work at the site was delayed due to the frigid and snowy conditions. The existing tree inventory has recently been completed.
The Commission gave permission to start work on the remaining site plan issues, based on the location and dimensions of the building.
After the meeting, Larizza said he is very happy with the way the site plan design is progressing. He added that he and his team would do “whatever it takes” to make sure that any concerns raised by the Planning Commission are resolved to their satisfaction.
— Bill Lawyer
