By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — After 18 months of hearings before the Zoning Board of Appeals, decision time has arrived for two separate 40B projects proposed on Nahant Street. Both plans were initially submitted in the summer of 2023.
The ZBA closed both hearings this week and the board now has 40 days to render a decision and 14 days after that to file its written decision. The ZBA plans to deliberate and vote on both projects at its Jan. 8 meeting.
Over the course of negotiations, both applicants have granted multiple extensions of the statutory 180-day period that the local Zoning Board has to issue a decision on 40B affordable housing projects.
At this week’s meeting, the attorneys for both projects said that they had no further information to present to the board and that their clients would not be granting any further extensions.
In their final forms, the two proposed projects consist of a four-story, 80-unit structure at 119 Nahant St. and a three-story, 22-unit building at 32 Nahant St.
Both proposals have been reduced in size after the ZBA and neighbors said repeatedly that the buildings were much to large for the neighborhood of mostly one and two-family homes.
The 119 Nahant St. project was initially proposed at 100 units in a five-story building, but was recently reduced to 80 units.
The 32 Nahant St. project was originally submitted as a four-story, 32-unit building, but over the course of the hearings was reduced to 22 units in a three-story building.
In addition to size and density, ZBA members and neighbors have raised concerns related to traffic and safety on the narrow, winding street.
After attorney Jason Panos said that he had nothing further to present on the 119 Nahant St. project, several board members said that they were prepared to vote immediately. But chairman Tom Lucey pointed out that the board would then have just 14 days during the holiday season to issue a formal written decision. He recommended taking advantage of the 40-day window and waiting until after the holidays to take a vote. Board members agreed to wait until their Jan. 8 meeting.
Regarding the 32 Nahant Street project, attorney Paul Haverty said that the only new information he had to present this week was related to a plan to flip the driveway from the west side of the property to the east side, moving the driveway that much further from the intersection of Main and Nahant streets. He asked civil engineer Chris Sparages to discuss the change. Sparages said that nothing else on the plan was significantly different, noting that the new plan was essentially a mirror image of the previous plan. He did review some of the other features of the site, including an outdoor gathering/fire pit area for residents and six-foot high privacy fences on each site of the property.
Beyond that, Haverty said that his client, Scott Green, had nothing further to present.
Board members said that they still thought that the building was too large for the neighborhood.
Haverty reminded the board that his client had been cooperative and willing make changes to address the ZBA’s concerns. But he stressed that if the board were to deny the project, his client would then be forced to go the state Housing Appeals Committee where he would seek approval of the original, four-story, 32-unit project.
The Board of Appeals voted to close the public hearing. The board to deliberate and vote on both Nahant Street 40B projects at its Jan. 8 meeting.