Zoning Board More Receptive To Proposed Apartment Building

CHATHAM – Plans for a proposed apartment building on Route 28 have been revised, reducing the total number of units and changing the traffic flow on the property at 1134 and 1142 Main Street.

At an informal discussion Nov. 5, zoning board of appeals members appeared more receptive to the revised proposal than historic business district commission members were to earlier plans. Last month, HBDC members and a number of neighborhood residents soundly rejected the project as too big and disruptive.

Attorney William Riley said the original 18 unit building proposed by developer Tom Kennedy was reduced to 15 units and the access switched from Old Main Street to Route 28. Neighbors had criticized the use of the quiet residential roadway, saying it would dramatically increase traffic in the area.

At 90 feet and two-and-a-half stories, the building is still very large, zoning board members said, and more detailed plans, including architectural renderings, would be needed before they could adequately address the proposal. But because of the need for rental housing in town, members said they would be willing to consider the project.

“We’d need a lot of input from the public to give it serious consideration,” said ZBA member Paul Semple. “We’d need a lot more information before we can say if this is the right proposal.”

“I think it’s worth considering,” said member David Veach.

Riley said the building’s 12 two-bedroom units would be rented at market rates and targeted to local workers such as firefighters and teachers. Three other units with nine bedrooms would be rented seasonally under contract with local businesses.

“We think there are a lot of people who need places to live,” Riley said. “We have a lot of businesses who need people to work.”

The location marks the beginning of the West Chatham commercial district with other businesses nearby, he said. To accommodate the concerns of neighbors, the entrance was switched from Old Main Street to Route 28, and two rows of Leyland cypress trees would provide screening. The previous plan for a flat roof has been revised to a traditional pitched roof with dormers. 

The project will require relief from the zoning board from setback limits and the number of parking spaces; Riley said the plan calls for 26 where 30 is required under zoning. 

“I think this is something that the town needs,” he said. “I think this is a good location for it.”

Veach noted that recent changes to the state zoning statute provides local zoning boards more latitude in granting variances for housing developments.

ZBA members were critical of the size of the building.

“This looks like a Holiday Inn or something,” said member Steve DeBoer. “It needs some architectural help to help it blend into the neighborhood.”

“I think we can all agree that we need something, and it may be something smaller,” added member Leigh Hovey.

Building graphics submitted to the zoning board were not done professionally, Riley said, and official plans drawn by an architect would reduce the mass of the building.

Veach noted that the property includes two lots that are zoned residential, so two single-family homes could be built by right. Riley added that because businesses have existed on the parcels for years, a commercial building could also be built there as a pre-existing use.

Because it was an informal discussion, chair David Nixon did not allow public input at last week’s session. But he did have the final words.

“Multiple buildings,” he said.