Retail Village Development Update

We are pleased to report that Old English Square is moving forward quite well. We submitted the Retail Village portion of our project to the Planning Board for Site Plan Review earlier this month. A public hearing is scheduled at the Holbrook Town Hall on June 7, 2005.

Concurrently, the Conservation Commission is reviewing the wetlands and stormwater impacts of that project. Public hearings are ongoing. We hope to resolve all site plan issues and receive permits in about 3 months. Construction of the first retail building may start as early as October 2005.

At this year’s Town Meeting we plan to present several zoning articles that relate to our project. Working with various Town committees, the development team has identified a number of technical modifications to the current Holbrook Zoning By-laws that would enhance our project, as well as others in the community. For example, we prepared a comprehensive parking analysis for the Industrial Development Committee which was well received. The report recommends adjusting Holbrook’s retail parking ratio from its strict requirements to a more mainstream figure such as that found in surrounding communities like Braintree and Randolph. This proposed change could increase Holbrook’s potential retail development by 20 percent, while maintaining a responsible parking requirement.

In support of the Soccer Committee, we submitted an article to change the underlying zoning of our proposed soccer field from Business / Commercial to Residential to allow necessary access. If our soccer field proposal is accepted by the Soccer Committee, this article will be needed. The current Zoning By-laws do not allow commercial land to be accessed through a residential neighborhood.

Another important zoning modification the development team proposed is a mix-use article. The proposed article would allow us to deliver the Old English Square plan as presented at last year’s Town Meeting, enabling us to create a master condominium under single ownership, all on one lot. Under current zoning, we need to create a subdivision, something we feel will negatively affect our plan for a cohesive, pedestrian friendly development on Union Street.

The Planning Board will hold two Public Hearings at the Holbrook Town Hall to receive comments on our proposed Zoning By-laws changes: the Soccer Field rezoning and Mix-use articles will be presented on May 10, and the Parking Ratio and remaining articles will be presented on May 17.