Gables Natick Crossing rendering
The latest Planning Board hearing regarding a proposed 219-unit apartment complex next to the West Natick train station had a collegial vibe that bodes well for this project getting its site plan review approved before too much longer. The applicant, Gables Residential Services out of Texas, initially shared its pitch with the elected Planning Board in March, and since has been making the rounds at the Conservation Commission and Design Review Board.
While this is largely a proposed five-story apartment complex (a mix of studio, 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units—330 bedrooms in all) that involves demolishing the existing Natick Crossings structures at 273 West Central St., it’s presented as a mixed-use project because there are plans for 4,000 sq. ft. of ground level space likely to be “programmed” for such purposes as co-working, community art displays, and perhaps a grab-and-go shop. Don’t expect traditional retail tenants, such as restaurants, though there will be room for food trucks on the property, and of course food delivery vehicles.
The other component of this project that town officials have embraced are the applicant’s plans for a welcoming 14,000-plus sq. ft. public plaza that would fit would Natick’s plans to “activate,” as planners like to say, that section of Rte. 135, and eventually make it more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. As a transit-oriented project, the Gables Natick Crossing plan would fit with statewide efforts for more housing to be built near public transportation, and provide improved access to the station. Natick has complied with the state’s MBTA Communities Act.
Legal notices for public hearings on this topic were published in a local print newspaper, allowing the town to comply with outdated state rules. We encourage the town to consider paying for additional legal notices on our online site, where interested parties might actually see the notices. No one from the public chimed in at the July 1 meeting.
At the July 1 Planning Board meeting, the board’s Doug Landry set the tone early by complimenting the applicant on having done its homework. “I think we are on a very good track here with this project,” he said, while also noting that the expectation would be that the hearing would be continued before the board would vote. Indeed, the hearing—which took about an hour-and-a-half, was continued at the end to July 29.
The applicant brought a small army to the meeting featuring architects, landscape designers, engineers, and you name it. Their goal was to share updates on the plan since the team last met with the Planning Board in March, incorporating responses to Planning Board questions as well as those from other town bodies. Jamie Fay, of consulting firm Fort Point Associates, cited specific updates regarding truck turning movements through the site, an updated traffic study, and the latest on handling of a sidewalk along the street, plus noted that acoustic, shadow, and other studies are included in the project package submitted to the town. Fay was complimentary of the feedback received from town departments and bodies, including the Design Review Board about ensuring the building has a “signature entryway” (it’s gone from two to three stories). An architect for the team said they focused on simplifying a design that originally might have been trying to do too much.
Regarding the public plaza, plans are for ample seating, as well as permanent and dynamic decorative features, such as stuff reminding you you’re in Natick (hey, we used to make baseballs here or maybe now, hey, we used to have a dam here!) and fancy light displays featuring designs, quotes, etc. Residents will have their own amenities, including pool and fitness center access.
Planning Board member questions focused on issues such as the MBTA connector path, truck turning clearance (like for moving vans), parking (plans are for about 260 spaces, 184 in a garage) and traffic generation (the project is estimated, you guessed it, to generate less traffic than the previous use or other possible future uses). The board said it would like to see new signalized pedestrian crossings as part of the project’s traffic management plan.
The developer raised questions about whether having a multi-use path as part of its project on its side of Rte. 135 is really the best approach given that most pedestrian traffic currently is on the opposite side of the street where there are continuous sidewalks and there would be a lack of other pathways to connect to on the north side where the project would be. There are construction challenges too, including current utility pole placement. Fay referred to the town conducting a study as part of a master plan for the area, and looking at whether the north (where the train station is) or south side would actually be best for a multi-use path. There was agreement from the board that a sidewalk will at least need to be constructed in front of the project, with the possibility of reserving space on the 3.4 acre property for a multi-use path if such a corridor emerges in conjunction with other properties.
Assuming Gables gets through the town approvals process in the near future, it hopes to begin construction in the spring. Projects of this type typically take 18-24 months to construct prior to occupancy, according to the applicant.
Sign up for Natick Report’s free weekday email newsletter
This article says the town of Natick has accepted the requirements of the State of Massachusetts for MBTA communities, but it was my recollection of that passage at town meeting, that this was not an area we could use, for MBTA communities. Is this one of the lots that counts toward our square footage, or is it extra MBTA housing?
Natick focused on Natick Center for its initial MBTA Communities compliance because it was already so far along toward compliance there anyway, as I recall. But West Natick was always considered by the town to be the other obvious MBTA Communities area given its proximity to the West Natick train station.
Bob Brown + they could not be on the way to compliance, it was a set number of square feet and floors/stories in the mile zone that must be identified and zoning voted to be available for developers without the towns interference, like 40B. Now someone is adding to that but it doesn’t count. And will never count toward our amount demanded by the state. A lot of people wanted the zoning next to that station because it looked like the obvious place. On the main road, not next to little residential houses in downtown.