By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Conservation Commission approved an Order of Conditions and the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approved the Site Plan for the Knights of Columbus redevelopment project during two recent meetings.
Brothers Matthew and David Palumbo’s Top Tier Properties, LLC will be razing the Knights of Columbus located at 1 Knights of Columbus Way that abuts The Shops at Post Office Square strip mall in South Lynnfield, a large portion of which burned down during a six-alarm fire last September. The Palumbo brothers will be constructing a new 4,225-square-foot mixed-use building that will include two office spaces on the bottom floor and eight apartments on the second floor.
Top Tier Properties, LLC requested an Order of Conditions from the Conservation Commission and a Special Permit and Site Plan Approval from the ZBA for the mixed-use building. There were no residents who weighed in on the project during both boards’ respective meetings.
Planning and Conservation Director Emilie Cademartori walked the Conservation Commission through the Order of Conditions for the new mixed-use building. She said Linden Engineering conducted a peer review for the project due to the new development’s associated parking, utilities, stormwater management system and septic system being located within the 100-foot buffer zone to a bordering vegetated wetland and the 200-foot riverfront area for Hawkes Brook.
Cademartori said the Board of Health has yet to approve the mixed-use development’s new septic system that will be replacing an outdated cesspool.
“They haven’t been there yet,” said Cademartori. “To grant it where it is, it is subject to it getting the waivers that it will need and getting its approval from the Board of Health.”
According to the Order of Conditions, the mixed-use development’s new septic system will need to include “all Title 5 requested variances.”
Cademartori said the new mixed-use building will comply with performance standards for the Wetlands Protection Act and the Lynnfield Wetland Protection Bylaw. She said landscape plantings have been incorporated into the project for “riverfront mitigation” due to the development being located near Hawkes Brook.
David Palumbo said he and his brother reviewed the Order of Conditions.
“We are fine with it,” said Palumbo.
The Conservation Commission approved the Order of Conditions.
“Good luck with the project,” said Conservation Commission Chair Don Gentile.
ZBA discussion
During the ZBA’s meeting, attorney Jesse Schomer recalled that the ZBA approved a Special Permit application last spring to “change the use of the nonconforming Knights of Columbus function hall to a less detrimental nonconforming mixed-use building.”
Schomer told the ZBA that the mixed-use building has “no significant changes to the Site Plan” as a result of the Conservation Commission’s Order of Conditions.
“Nothing has changed about the plan,” said Schomer.
Schomer said people will be able to access the mixed-use building over an easement that will be through The Shops at Post Office Square strip mall’s access road. He said the site is big enough to accommodate emergency vehicles such as fire engines.
“There are a total of 35 parking spaces proposed,” said Schomer. “The allocation for that is 23 spaces for the commercial offices and 12 for the residential apartments. The plan for the management of the site by my clients is they will be restricting the parking so that it is available for the offices during office hours. More parking will be available during evening hours and off-peak hours to allow for residents as well as guests to use those spaces. There will be a management plan that is created by the owners of the property to make sure that is managed by the residents and their guests, and the overnight guests are out of those spaces by the time they are needed for the office uses.”
In response to a question from ZBA Chair Anthony Moccia, Schomer said the woods behind the 1 Knights of Columbus Way property and Route 95/128 has “very dense screening.”
“It’s all wooded and drops down to Hawkes Brook,” said Schomer. “It is wooded on the other side of Hawkes Brook. The existing site already provides a significant amount of screening to the residential abutters.”
Moccia asked where will the mixed-use building’s dumpster be located.
Schomer said the dumpster will be located at the end of the parking lot. David Palumbo added that a fence will be placed around the dumpster.
ZBA member Elizabeth Gaskins asked if the new mixed-use building will have a stop sign.
“The adjacent parking lot gets really crowded,” said Gaskins.
Schomer said Top Tier Properties, LLC did not proposing adding a stop sign due to “slow moving traffic in that area.”
“But if it is something people would like to see, we can add it,” said Schomer.
Moccia suggested that Top Tier Properties, LLC work with the MJA Realty Trust that owns the strip mall to incorporate signage for vehicles exiting Post Office Square.
“There should be some kind of warning so that operators of vehicles are not flying out of the parking lot,” said Moccia.
Building Inspector Joe O’Callaghan proposed that a slow sign be installed.
Palumbo expressed his support for O’Callaghan’s suggestion.
After the discussion, the ZBA approved Top Tier Properties, LLC’s Site Plan for the mixed-used building.