SAUGUS — The Planning Board met to continue a hearing for a proposal to turn the former Pranker Mills property into a 22-unit apartment building on Thursday; however no representatives from the development team or the public were in attendance.
A representative from 180 Central Development, LLC sent a request for continuum to the Planning Board Chair Dorothy Poppe prior to the hearing, stating that the applicant would like to continue the hearing to its next meeting on March 17.
Without representation from the developers or the public, the board discussed different items they would be expecting of the applicant at the next hearing.
“I inquired about the Wetlands Commission,” said Planning Board Vice Chair John O’Brien. “(The developers) haven’t finished up all of what was needed of them as of yet.”
O’Brien also mentioned that the board had asked for certified parking plans during the last meeting and the board had not received these yet either.
“It’s just pretty hard to vote on something when nothing is certified,” said O’Brien.
Board member Joseph Vecchione agreed with O’Brien, saying that the board needed certified plans to vote on anything. He said the developers discussed a parking agreement and a parking plan, and needed approval from the Conservation Commission for the access road that would circle around a free-standing structure along the river on the Central Street property.
Town Engineer Todd Baldwin had additional requests from the developers.
“Could you (Poppe) or one of the board members add in if (the developers) could submit what they have been using for existing utilities and the proposed utilities review? If you could add that to the list, I would appreciate it,” said Baldwin.
The proposed apartment building at the 180 Central St. location would have 10 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom units.
At the prior public hearing for the project on Jan. 20, representatives of 180 Central Development, LLC appeared before the Planning Board, seeking a site-plan review permit for the building to be constructed on the property.
Two major concerns brought up by the Planning Board during the last meeting included parking and flooding. Town Manager Scott Crabtree advised the board to require the developers to submit a comprehensive parking plan for the project, and take into account potential parking in the case of a flood when tenants would need to find different spots to park their vehicles.
The Planning Board chose to continue the hearing until March 17.
