WESTFIELD – The Planning Board will review three special permit applications and two zoning amendments tonight, including a change to the CORE district needed to allow for a transit facility.
The Board will continue its review of Angelica Estates, an 11-lot subdivision proposed for Northwest Road. The board will also resume its review of the proposed 99 Restaurant & Grill proposed for 342 East Main Street.
Both of those special permit applications were continued by the Planning Board while those projects were under review by the Conservation Commission which recently set conditions for both projects.
Angelica Estates initially drew a large number of Northwest Road and upper Western Avenue residents for the Conservation Commission review of a wetland replication, but most of the issues raised by residents will be addressed by the Planning Board.
The 99 Restaurant & Grill, is seeking permits needed to demolish the former dealership building and construct a new structure and parking area at 342 East Main St., the site of a former automobile dealership that has been vacant for years.
Rob Levesque of R Levesque Associates recently told the Conservation Commission that the property owner is responsible for the demolition and will present a “clean site” to the restaurant chain for construction of a new building and associated parking.
The project was reviewed by the Conservation Commission because it is in a flood plain and the petitioner had to present data on compensatory storage. Levesque said the building to be constructed is significantly smaller than the existing building to be demolished and will result in a surplus of compensatory storage.
The Planning Board will also hear details of a special permit application to construct a commercial kennel proposed by Alessandra and Nicholas Connor for property at 202 Union Street. That site is zoned for Industrial A uses.
Property owner Ronald Schortmann is seeking a zone change for several parcels of property on Union Street. One Parcel is currently a mixed zone with part of it designated as Residence C and the other part as Industrial A. Schortmann is seeking to rezone the entire parcel as Industrial A property.
Schortmann is also seeking to rezone a second parcel at 125 Union St., which is currently zoned Industrial A to partially Residence C land.
The Planning Board will also conduct a public hearing to add transit facilities to the uses allowed in the CORE District. The issue was raised during an informal review of the proposed Westfield Transit Pavilion on Arnold Street.
The issue raised is that the present CORE district zoning language neither specifically allows nor prohibits a transit facility. The proposed modification of the CORE zoning would specifically allow that use.
