Office, Research Zoning Draft About to be Handed Off

The Planning Board voted Tuesday night to finalize a draft of an 0ffice and research zoning ordinance and submit it to the Borough Council.

For three meetings since April 6, the board has discussed the zone, the entirety of which resides on a property currently owned by The Hampshire Companies. The property is at 175 Park Avenue and is the former Verizon Wireless site.

Because the site encompasses the entire zone and Hampshire is constructing plans to redevelop the current site and building for future tenants, the board has been working on the zoning ordinance draft while hearing from the company's representing attorney Glen Pantel and architect Devin Ratliff from Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.

Pantel said at the conclusion of the April 27 meeting that he was in agreement with the ordinance as drafted with one exception. That exception, which became the major point of discussion Tuesday night, was the reduction of impervious coverage from the initial draft's 60 percent to the current draft's 57 percent.

"Our job is, obviously we want to welcome you to the community and work with you, but that being said we as a board have to really consider what's best for town, and frankly I'm really concerned with the environment," Planning Board Council Liaison Astri Baillie said in response to Pantel's opening comments.

The current regulation for the zone the property is in calls for 42.5 percent or less of pervious coverage. The previous site was given a guideline of 61 percent.

Planning Consultant Susan Blickstein made a point to say that this was a draft of an ordinance and that she didn't think it was beneficial to look at it from a standpoint of what would be a requested variance in any site plan presented at a later date.

"I used very broad-level thinking on this," Blickstein said. "I think it is important to look at the totality of this site, and the totality of design."

Pantel and Ratliff argued that, because they are taking over an existing site and building, and pledging to renovate and rebuild it as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building, they felt they would be presented with a cost penalty with the impervious coverage at 57 percent.

Pantel and Ratliff said it would cost about $1 million per acre to rip up the current pervious pavement and repave with porous pavement to meet the percentage requirement.

Pantel said Hampshire could have considered preserving the building as it exists and not undertaking the project as they are.

"I don't think we're asking something unreasonable," Pantel said.

Planning Board Member Tom Johnson told Pantel that he didn't think an ordinance number was something Hampshire should be concerned about.

"There is an alternative. When you come to us with a fantastic project and all of its amenities and improvements, in that there could be request for a variance," Johnson said, "if your project is really that good, and now we have seen the details and the recharging of the aquifer."

Johnson said that as someone who has sat on the board, he feels the chances of succeeding in obtaining a variance could be good if the project is something the board really likes.

"The best way for this board to craft the ordinance now is for what is best for this town," Johnson said.

After some discussion about the impervious percentage the board voted unanimously to have the draft finalized with the latest changes–and the 57 percent impervious guideline–and then brought to the Borough Council. Baillie will be presenting the draft to the council at the May 24 meeting.

Planning Board Chairman Steven Tombalakian recused himself from the matter because the law firm he works for does business with Hampshire. Peter Flemming held the gavel during this portion of the meeting.