Listen to this articleReading, MA — In two separate motions, the Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC) approved a four-story mixed-use building at 252, 258, and 262 Main Street by votes of 5-0. The project will be known as Strada on South Main. The building will sit on just over one acre of property and include thirty residential units along with 7,500 square feet of commercial space. The site will have seventy parking spaces, two curb cuts on Main Street, and an amenity space on the property’s western edge for the residents’ use.
Attorney Jesse Shomer, speaking for the developer, shared a few amendments to the prior plan, including squaring the parking area to better allow for fire access, modifying the fencing plan, and removing a previously proposed berm next to the amenity area. Shomer noted that the changes will provide “the most privacy to the neighbors.”
Several abutters from Pinevale Avenue shared concerns about the project, including those about parking during construction, the amount of parking on the site, stormwater concerns, and trash management. Abutter Jennifer Killeen shared pictures from the rear of the Fantasia Building, which also abuts Pinevale Avenue, showing the site’s trash and pest management issues. CPDC member Tom Armstrong suggested language in the decision for the new development that would mention expectations regarding trash removal practices.
After continued discussion regarding trash management, project developer Santino Fulciniti shared that this site will have “an exponentially different approach to trash management” than the other site in question. He pointed to plans that include a dumpster enclosure made of concrete with a solid gate as opposed to the chain link fence enclosed dumpster at the Fantasia Building. “We’re being held accountable for the way someone else is managing their property,” Fulciniti noted. CPDC member Mark Wetzel agreed, pointing out that trash management at the Fantasia Building is an enforcement issue.
Wetzel also addressed stormwater concerns, suggesting that the management plan proposed by the developer “will be better than it is today.”
After a lengthy review of the written decision, CPDC voted to approve the project.
CPDC also reviewed plans for streetscape improvements on Haven Street and voted 5-0 to approve a definitive subdivision plan at 246 Walnut Street. At the applicant’s request, a definitive site plan review for 0 Harold Avenue was continued to CPDC’s next meeting.
CPDC adjourned at 11:30 pm.
