DOUGLAS – The Douglas Planning Commission declined to act on a proposed large-scale apartment development, Wednesday, Sept. 9, citing a number of unresolved issues, including environmental and transportation concerns. twenty one.
tomorrow:Douglas’ Haworth factory razed as city awaits federal help to tackle pollution
A public hearing was held to discuss the proposed Forest Gate development at 485 Ferry St. — A 90-unit townhouse-style condominium project. The location is west of the former Haworth factory at 200 Blue Star Highway, which was demolished in December.
Developer representative John Kavchak said the project met a “structural need” for more housing.
“The proposed plans help achieve the city’s goals by providing high-quality homes to a wider year-round audience,” he said, adding that each unit will feature three bedrooms, two bathrooms and “high-quality finishes. Surfaces”, including quartz countertops, upgraded plumbing fixtures and in-unit laundry.
Residents made some public comments questioning the development. Two commenters said they believed the development did not meet the city’s need for affordable housing and was too costly. The possibility of additional traffic is also an issue.
There is also the environmental health of the region to consider. The development will be built on the former Miro Golf Course, which was once a peach orchard. Members of the public cited a 2003 study by the state that determined arsenic contamination in the property’s surface soil.
Studies in 2015 and 2017 found toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the industrial solvent trichloroethylene in the soil of the neighboring Haworth plant, according to city documents.
Residents have expressed concern that large-scale development in the area could lead to further environmental problems and a threat to the health of nearby residents.
Commissioners and staff were concerned about higher-than-permissible net densities per acre, lack of specific landscaping plans, lack of right-of-way information, lack of wetland maps and other issues.
Tricia Anderson of Williams and Works, Douglas’ interim planning administrator, advised the committee not to take action on the proposal. She said the developer’s submission was a “good start” but needed “more information” before continuing.
“They should have listened to all the opinions expressed by the public here tonight, get some guidance from the planning committee and staff, and provide us with revised submissions that we can review and possibly propose differently in the future,” Anderson said.
Members agreed that there were too many open-ended issues to move forward.
“There are a lot of issues here that need to be addressed,” Commissioner Jerry O’Malley said. “It’s almost hard to ask questions (for developers) until we have more information. I’d say I’m kind of stuck at this point until we have more descriptions of the whole project.”
The vote on the table passed 5-0. Louise Pattison abstained from voting after previously finding a conflict of interest with David Barker, one of the developers involved in the project.
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The Forest Gate hearing was one of several during Wednesday’s session. The committee approved a site plan and recommended that the City Council approve an extension to the condos at 424 Fremont Street. Site plan for the 39 Washington Street development. Sent back to the interim zone administrator for staff review.
It was also revealed at the start of the meeting that Commissioner Paul Florian had resigned before the meeting.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.follow him on twitter @SentinelMitch.