ZBA Considers Imaginative Housing Project on Grove Street

The Zoning Board of Appeals met last Thursday evening with only a single topic to focus on, namely,  121 Grove Street- `Fairfield Grove Street’ – where a developer is aiming to construct a 330-unit multi-family complex.

And “complex” is a word that was implied at many points in the discussion. The seemingly ‘prime’ property has remained undeveloped even as warehouse and office structures have crowded the length of Grove Street. In part, according to those before the ZBA and those familiar with the property’s history, it is because the site has multiple locations with ledge not far beneath the surface and, even more concerningly, a number of areas considered environmentally sensitive.

So, it has never been deemed a good fit for a large footprint business structure and associated parking.

But while a housing project could be one or two large structures, approximately the same number of units could also be placed around the site in a way that minimizes the need to deal with ledge and with less disturbance of sensitive natural areas.

That was the essence of the pitch coming from attorney Richard Cornetta and the Fairfield team.

Cornetta explained that the project was being pursued as a 40B and that 25 percent of the units would would be available to those households that are earning up to 80% of area median income. He noted that Franklin currently meets it affordable housing requirements but the additional units being made available would help ensure it stays in compliance for even longer.

In addition to having previously come before the Historical Commission, Cornetta noted that the applicant had come before the Franklin Planning Board in October of last year, the Franklin Economic Development Committee in February of 2023 this year, and the Franklin Town Council in March of this year.

The Board heard from several others associated with the project and listened to lots of facts and figures and viewed multiple charts and maps. When the one hour-long presentation was done, there were no questions from the board, which voted to continue the hearing to Feb. 15. 2024.