Marblehead board delays store opening

MARBLEHEAD – The new store and office buildings slated for the Warwick Theater block on Pleasant Street have been delayed for a month by the Zoning Board of Appeals.Board members continued the hearing on a special permit for the proposal until their April 26 meeting after a 60-minute hearing and discussion Tuesday evening.Attorney Paul Lynch tried to get the board to take the matter up March 28. Board Chairman William Moriarty told him that the board already has seven hearings scheduled that evening, “a full docket,” and did not wish to add an eighth.Moriarty pointed out that appeals board members delayed their decision because they want to review a traffic study that Lynch provided to the Planning Board but not the appeals board, and a professional review of traffic and drainage issues requested by the Planning Board.He told Lynch, “I can almost guarantee that the Planning Board won?t have that review until March 8.”The appeals board chairman also said he had “misgivings” about the design.Board member Barbara Shefftz said she wanted the permit to stipulate that no food operations would be permitted on the Anderson Street end of the buildings.Three people spoke at the hearing. Chris Givens told the board his grandparents went to the Warwick Theater and “I hate to see it torn down.”Anderson Street resident Gary Dodd told the board that traffic and parking on his street are “horrendous,” especially during the summer when cars frequently block his driveway.He asked about trash disposal, citing past rat problems in the area, and Lynch assured him there would be no food in the dumpster, which would be out of view. Anderson Street neighbor Sean Connolly seconded Dodd?s concerns.The Warwick Place Realty Trust plans to erect a two-story and a three-story commercial and office structure on six abutting parcels at 117-129 Pleasant St., starting near Anderson Street and ending at the Spirit of ?76 Bookstore building, with an 84-space parking lot at the rear of the structure. There will be store-front units on the street side and parking lot side.The Warwick façade and marquee will be preserved and the architects said there will be a walkway along the side of the present theater space, decorated with movie posters and movie stills to remind visitors of the historic business that attracted generations of Marbleheaders from 1919-1999. Business tenants may also pick up on the movie theme for their décor. In addition to the buildings the developer has offered to provide a small park at the bus stop, along with a new full-service traffic light instead of the blinking light at Pleasant and School streets.Town Planner Becky Curran said the Warwick plan needs appeals board approval because it has slightly less parking than the zoning bylaws require, but the Planning Board approval won?t depend on that. “(The Planning Board) could approve it March 8,” she said.