A former factory building near 41 Jefferson Street in Westfield could be razed to make way for several new condominium units. (Photo by chief photographer Frederick Gore)
Developers prepare for next step
By DAN MORIARTY
Staff Writer
WESTFIELD – The developers of a proposed nine-unit condominium project off Jefferson Street are preparing documents to submit to the Planning Board for its site plan review process.
However, the developer, Shah Property Corp., of Northampton is taking an intermediate step before it goes to the Planning Board with its project. The company is seeking a meeting with residents who presented a number of objections to the project at a public hearing conducted by the Zoning Board of Appeals on Jan. 25.
The ZBA voted Feb. 2 to grant a variance from the frontage requirement to allow the project to move forward. City ordinance requires frontage of 100 feet, but the property has only 65 feet along Jefferson St. and 10 feet along Franklin Street.
Shah Property needed the frontage waiver to convert an abandoned machine shop located between Jefferson and Franklin streets. The project involved demolition of an existing structure, rehabilitation of another structure and construction of a new building for a proposed nine-unit condo project.
The property has been abandoned for decades and has become a blight to the neighborhood, requiring frequent police intervention to prevent its uses for consumption of drugs and alcohol.
The City Council, with a positive recommendation from the Planning Board, voted to rezone the property for Residential C use, which allows multifamily units.
A number of residents spoke in opposition to the variance, raising issues related to the impact of the project. The residents did not generally opposed the condo project because it would remove the blight now there – just the scope of that project.
Residents expressed concern that a nine-unit project would add to the already congested traffic pattern which would pose a safety risk to young children and that it will further exasperate the limited parking situation.
ZBA Chairman Michael Parent said that many of the issues cited by residents would be addressed by the Planning Board review process.
However, the ZBA took the unusual step of adding three conditions to it decision. Condition #1 is that the access driveway, a narrow strip of land from Jefferson Street “may be used only for ingress and egress. No parking shall be allowed in that area and a fence or natural buffer shall be required to shield the entrance driveway from neighboring property.”
Condition #2 states that “No adjacent property or parts of adjacent property may be used to benefit the subject property in any way. This development is limited to the property subject to this petition.”
While Condition #3 states “This development is for up to nine (9) residential condominium units.”
Shah Property was represented at the ZBA hearing by Attorney Raymond W. Zenkert Jr. and Marc Shute of D.L. Bean, Inc. Shute is currently out of the city on vacation and unavailable for comment Tuesday.
Zenkert said that when Shute returns to the city, the developer will seek a meeting with residents and Ward 3 City Councilor Peter J. Miller Jr., before the final plans are developed and submitted to the Planning Board.
“They want that meeting to see what concerns are raised (by residents and Miller), to show the preliminary plans to those residents before any (planning Board) public hearing is conducted,” Zenkert said.
“What the residents said at the ZBA hearing is that they had no information about the project and we want to fix that to alleviate their concerns,” he said. “Right now there is nothing to submit to the Planning Board. The next step will be to develop a site plan” after residents provide their input.”
“I think it will be a nicer neighborhood” after the existing blighted buildings are removed or rehabilitated, Zenkert said.
Dan Moriarty can be reached at [email protected]
