The Natick Planning Board held a public hearing this past week regarding the retail-and-maybe-residential development project at 1 South Main St., where ground-level work has finally begun on the site of a 2019 fire that razed a handful of businesses. Cambridge Realty and its partners earlier got town approval for a two-story building with 10 retail units, but now seek the Board’s blessing to modify the special permit issued to add a third floor for 6 apartments.
It’s the first time we’ve seen the team behind “The Block” at a town meeting recorded and posted by Natick Pegasus since last December (they did take part in an online Design Review Board meeting earlier this month, too, in which the DRB was good with the increased height, less certain of the colors and facade on West Central St.). The Block is really back: It even posted a project progress photo on its Instagram account, which has been dormant for 2-plus years.
The tone of the Nov. 8 meeting was supportive. Several Planning Board members voiced their hope for the project to get done if conditions are met and lingering questions get addressed.
“I want you to make sure that in spirit the Planning Board is completely behind you,” and has earlier been supportive of a 3rd floor, said Planning Board Chair Glen Glater. “…We want to work with you to get to the right place. We need to do that within the bylaws of the town. We need to do that within what’s reasonable and feasible. Nobody is against you in this at all…”
1 South Main St. under construction in Natick Center
While the project team would like to have the option of adding a third floor if they find it would be economically feasible based on whatever conditions the town would put in place, Cambridge Realty’s Stuart Rothman vowed that they have every intention of completing at least the 2-story building and its courtyard if not. The developer’s concerns had to do with whether it would still be allowed to go forth with the 2-story plan under the original special permit even if different conditions, such as placement of a water feed line, are laid out in a modified one.
Rothman numerous times made reference to the differences between orders of condition in the original permit and those raised by the engineering department and others for a possibly modified plan as being “de minimis” (I confess to almost writing that as a single word). In fact, he used that Latin term a handful of times—a point that a Board member picked up on and that a neighboring property owner cited when making clear his displeasure with the possible revised plan. That property owner pointed to the proposed significant increase in structure size from 10,670 sq. ft. to 17,500 sq. ft., including a roof deck for use by residential and retail tenants.
Questions were raised during the hearing about whether parking requirements might change based on the introduction of residential units, and that led to broader discussion on Natick’s parking challenges as more housing is built downtown under the MBTA Communities plan and via other development efforts. The possibility of introducing permitted overnight parking for residents downtown was raised, though in a way that wouldn’t harm downtown businesses. Rothman said The Block plan would be to market the apartments to train users and those without vehicles, though that could be a tough sell given the commuter rail’s limitations.
1 South Main St. rendering shared by architect Khalsa
When asked about where things stand on the project, Rothman said the team has its construction documents and mechanical/electrical/plumbing plan ready for a 2-story structure, and would need 2-3 months to ready updated documents if a 3-story project were to get the go-ahead. “We are busy for the next several months with the site work,” Rothman said, adding there may be a pause due to a shift to a 3rd floor, but also because getting electrical switching materials has proven challenging.
Regardless of the town’s decision about the 3rd story or the developer’s economic analysis of going through with it, Rothman stated: “We are committed to doing the 2 stories and that is going to get done, and I don’t want anybody to leave thinking [the] third story is a requirement for this project to get done. This 2-story project is gonna get done and it will be available by 2025.”
The public hearing on the project has been continued to the Planning Board’s Nov. 29 meeting.
“market to people without cars” – ridiculous given the realities of downtown Natick. The train is not going to take people to the doctor, grocery stores, and there is no binding mechanism to require buyers to commit to never having a car. The solution is to require a design that dedicates a sufficient amount of the land area for the residences to reserved parking, put in an underground garage, or omit the 3rd floor.
Parking is a waste of space and Natick already has way too much of it. I would rather live somewhere walkable than somewhere with plenty of parking, and we can’t have both. I don’t think 6 apartments worth of people will have any problems parking on the street in Natick.
I have known several people who were able to live in Natick without cars, so I don’t think it is as ridiculous as you think.
If you’re worried that the people living in these apartments won’t be able to get around, maybe it makes more sense to have the developer contribute towards local transit than it does to further invest in car infrastructure.
I agree with Nathan – lots of people these days WANT TO BE CARLESS (weird to some people, I know) & with convenient services like Uber Lyft and ZipCar, as well as delivery services for many desirables (food, alcohol, possibly marijuana), it really is quite possible for lots of people to live without a car.
Agreed! Half the downtown is already parking lots and it feels like a wasteland. We must use our remaining space for walkable development.
Sorry, Robert, but parking is so terribly yesterday.
Natick Does Not have enough Parking! Bring back the parking garage idea. We already have people parking on side streets to use the train, this happens especially in the winter months. Don’t forget to add all the new school busses needed to jam up downtown even more when Johnson is closed. The kids are then bussed to a trailer learning school, wait! We now have money to build a new school, not a new Johnson! So obvious That in the pocket deal will add hundreds of cars to that future condo development. Who got that sweet land deal? I guess time will tell. So short sighted Natick!
Mr. Brown – de minimis was NOT used in the context of the additional residential third floor (which we obviously agree is NOT de minimis), but rather to the orders of condition on the project by the various Natick Departments, i.e. the feeding of waterlines and waste lines. Also, regarding parking, you have lots of expiring-use properties in Natick that will be looking for residential reuse in the next several years – those buildings will not support on-site parking – it will be a shame to see these beautiful buildings raised because the Town of Natick couldn’t plan for parking facilities to support these reuses.
Mr. Rothman, thank you for commenting. Our use of “de minimis” in the headline was intended to indicate that providing the public with a project update was significant, not to suggest that you had made any indication that the addition of a 3rd floor was a minor thing. As noted in the story, you used the term when describing differences in the orders of condition.
To your point on parking, it does sound as though town leaders are ready to examine that issue, and more zoning changes could come at Spring Annual Town Meeting…not sure, but maybe something could emerge there related to parking.
Regards, Bob
Not that many remember, but this building was originally 3 stories, I remember as a kid the top being taken down