Last night the Planning Board granted Tofino Associates/Kohl Construction a special permit to build 20 condo units off North Street. Kohl still requires approval from the Conservation Commission, which is expected to hold a fresh hearing on the proposal in July. Kohl also has yet to resolve a dispute before Land Court involving matters of title and rights-of way. We will provide pictures and video from the Planning Board hearing within a few days.
The North Street Neighborhood Association believes most of Kohl’s land is unsuitable for building (too wet, buggy and flood-prone) and that the best use of the land is to conserve it as an informal park. The state has offered to match funds raised by abutters for the purpose of conservation.
Today’s Gazette reports that “Kohl said he would not begin construction until the Land Court issue is resolved.”
See also:
Latest Kohl Condo Proposal for North Street: 20 Units as Duplexes
- Units 5-12 would be in an area that Conservation Commissioner Paul Wetzel objects to building on because the ground is so wet (March 12 hearing)
- Wetzel also expressed concerns about how the underground stormwater detention system by Unit 10 would interact with groundwater in and around the wetland
- Unit 18 appears to be slated for the same place as a unit that Conservation Commissioner Downey Meyer objected to previously as too close to the wetland
- The total amount of disturbance inside the 100-foot wetlands buffer zone would remain high; Meyer objected to this on the version of the proposal reviewed on March 12
Video: Conservation Commission Reviews Latest Kohl Condo Proposal on 5/14/09