By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Hearings on plans to upgrade a contaminated property near Nasella Playground appear to be winding down and a Zoning Board of Appeals decision on the mixed-use development proposed for 184 Water St. could come in the next couple of meetings.
Developer Saverio Fulcinitti purchased the property that sits on Water Street in front of Nasella Playground, with Shaw’s supermarket just to the west of the site and Nasella Playground to the east and the rear. Banner Glass Shelmar is directly across the street. The building currently on the site has an automotive repair shop on the ground floor with a residential use above. The site has underground tanks, which will be removed as part of the cleanup.
The plan for the site calls for a new three-story, mixed-use building with seven residential units and a first-floor retail or service business. The 8,600 square-foot site is in the Industrial Zone, but is surrounded by the Business District.
Fulcinitti’s plans for the site include pushing his proposed building further off the street and adding landscaping in front. There would be seven surface parking spaces in the rear and four spaces in a ground floor parking garage with rear-facing bays. Landscaping will also be added in the rear of the building.
The proposed building will be 35 feet high, stepping down to 33 feet. In addition to the ground floor commercial use, there will be one residential unit on the first floor and three units each on the second and third floors. All of the residential units will have two bedrooms. Two of the three units on each of the upper floors will have rear-facing balconies. The exterior building material will consist of a natural wood, three-color panel system.
The surrounding sidewalks and pedestrian walkways to Nasella will be improved, according to the plans.
Fulcinitti and his local attorney Brian McGrail told the ZBA last week that they recently met with the Traffic Advisory Committee, which had a favorable reaction to the project, which includes plans to replace a fence along Nassella. DPW Director Joe Conway, who sits on the TAC, expressed a desire to use the same fencing contractor to replace a couple of sections of town-owned fencing on Nasella Playground, but Fulcinitti offered to have the repairs done at his own expense.
The TAC also requested a bicycle rack on the site of the project, but Fulcinitti suggested putting it on Nasella so that kids and parents can also use it while at the park. Fulcinitti will pay for the new bike rack.
At the request of the Town Engineer, Fulcinitti also agreed to pay up to $15,000 for a flashing pedestrian light to improve safety for people crossing Water Street.
McGrail noted that the retail or service establishment component of the project would technically require a separate Special Permit, since it’s in the industrial zone. The ZBA also opened a new hearing on that Special Permit application.
When the hearing was opened to the public, Larry Rosenfield, owner of Banner Glass Shelmar, expressed his continuing concerns over parking in the neighborhood.
Fulcinitti said that there would be parking behind the site and the owners of Cardillo Industries on Melvin Street had agreed to help with any overflow parking. McGrail said that the idea of the cafe or coffee shop on the ground floor was to appeal to pedestrians and users of the playground, more than serving as a drive-up destination. ZBA member Greg McIntosh noted that the project meets the legal parking requirements.
The ZBA continued the hearing to Nov. 16, when McGrail is expected to present an operation and maintenance plan and draft conditions for the project.