Jay Vinskey, City Planner for Westfield
WESTFIELD—The city’s Planning Board is expected to conduct their continued public hearing of the proposed Root Road school at their next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16, starting at 7 p.m..
On the agenda are just three items, including one for the continued public hearing for a proposed school on Root Road, and another for a request of an extension of a public permit at the former Moseley School.
The first item on the agenda is expected to be for a review of a plan that will not require “approval under Subdivision Control Law” at 627 Southampton Road.
Jay Vinskey, City Planner for Westfield, said that items like this are a review of plans that may be for an adjustment of a property line, as an example.
“As long as they have frontage, it’s a pretty administerial act,” Vinskey said. “The board looks to make sure they have adequate frontage.”
Vinskey said that the Registry of Deeds will not accept plans that have a change in property lines without a board’s signature.
Mosley School (WNG file photo)
Then, the continued hearing for the proposed school on Root Road is expected.
Vinskey said that this is a continuation from a previous hearing, after the board wanted additional information. The continuation was the second such one for this particular project.
“The board continued it because they wanted to hear from the Traffic Commission,” he said. “But nothing new to report.”
The proposal, from Sage Engineering and Frank DiMarinis from Roots, is for a three-story school that could potentially have just under 600 total students. The grades of the students are expected to be from 6 to 12, though no tenant, potential or otherwise, was specifically named at the last Planning Board meeting.
During the last meeting, concerns were put forth from the Planning Board. Among those included areas where students could exit vehicles in the parking lot that may cause safety hazards, as well as plans for vehicle operation inside the parking lot.
The final item expected during Tuesday’s meeting is to consider an expansion of a special permit at the former Moseley School on Dartmouth Street. The permit was originally for a multifamily development that was being done through Domus, Inc., and Vinskey said that the permit is reaching its two-year limit.
“Special permits are good for two years. If you don’t exercise it within two years it lapses, unless the granting authority grants an exception for a good cause,” he said.
Vinskey said that he does not anticipate an issue, though there are members on the board now who were not there when the permit was granted, so they may request additional information or a public hearing.
