SWAMPSCOTT — The Planning Board voted to further refine design guidelines and standards for the redevelopment of Vinnin Square to require public outdoor spaces and outdoor dining spaces in the future commercial district.
Town Meeting voted to rezone Vinnin Square, the lot of land between Essex Street and Paradise Road, for use as a mixed-use residential and commercial hub in May. At the board’s meeting Monday night, Metropolitan Area Planning Council Urban Planner Josh Fiala presented the Planning Board with a draft presentation of standards, which are required by the town, and suggested guidelines for the future lifestyle center.
Fiala opened his presentation with a demonstration of the three general standards the MAPC has listed for the district’s future developers — the inclusion of public outdoor spaces with amenities, outdoor dining, and an architectural style that highlights both of those features.
“In terms of site design standards, which was one of the priorities from the community, we’ve really honed in on featuring outdoor open spaces and community amenities as real highlights of what we think that the redevelopment of the Vinnin Square area should include,” Fiala said. “This would be potentially strengthening the connection between buildings and the surrounding landscapes, the connection of strong sidewalks, and effectively trying to define open spaces, which would be publicly accessible and filled with amenities that don’t presently really exist on the property.”
Fiala then went on to describe traffic-safety and circulation standards, which include sidewalks with a minimum width of 5 feet, clearly marked crosswalks, and portions of the street that would be closed to vehicles. Raised curbs for pedestrian and cyclist safety was also included as a circulation standard.
The inclusion of clearly marked traffic lanes, Fiala said, was changed from a standard to a guideline for its lack of objective measurement. The standards also minimize and spread parking spaces to ensure that parking is not the location’s focal point.
“The basic idea here is that all of those circulation routes would have pedestrian connections and they would have, at least on one side of those routes, a sidewalk or a walking path, and that those connections would then, where they cross a circulation route, have marked crosswalks with curb aprons. All buildings shall have pedestrian connections from at least two directions,” Fiala said.
In response, Planning Board member Angela Ippolito said that while she appreciated the pedestrian-centered design of the future center, she was concerned that building too many sidewalks to the same access point would unnecessarily dwindle valuable parking spaces.
“Every time we add more requirements, we’re taking up more space. We’re going to keep chopping away convenient parking spots,” Ippolito said.
Outlining the center’s building and design standards, Fiala said the buildings must be a minimum of 20 feet tall and complement abutting properties, with shapes that define the edges of streets and open spaces. Ground-floor residential or commercial spaces, Fiala said, must be designed for pedestrian use and comfort, with 25% of a building’s facade comprising windows.
Standard ground-floor uses, Fiala said, consist of street-facing shops, restaurants, lobbies, exercise areas, or art galleries in the front. Standards also indicate that spaces such as offices, banks, or medical-treatment centers should be located in the back end of the ground floor.
“As we think about the character of the ground floor and height, we’re really focused on the visual interest and pedestrian comfort. This is the primary part of the building that pedestrians are engaging with so integrating features, such as windows, storefronts, canopies, green screens, or landscaping or other interactive design elements, that would engage pedestrians and make it an inviting and thriving feeling street or sidewalk environment,” Fiala said.
In response to one of the building design standards prohibiting blank, windowless wall surfaces greater than 20 feet, Planning Board Chair Michael Proscia suggested Fiola add an exception for walls that could be used for murals or other works of art.
“It strikes a nice balance between letting the architects kind of do their thing within a sandbox of tools that you’re giving them,” Proscia said. “You don’t want a lot of blank.”
