Planning Board Hears Updated One Howard Plan

FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham Planning Board continued their public hearing regarding a proposed six-story residential building in the downtown area during their meeting on Thursday, March 20.

One Howard, LLC—a branch of the Boston-based City Realty Group—has proposed developing an apartment building at 1 Howard Street and 38 Park Street, which is currently the site of a parking lot adjacent to the MBTA Commuter Rail station and the Armenian Church of the Holy Translators. The development team is seeking a slew of special permits to be approved in order to move forward with the plan, which currently features 89 dwelling units and 109 parking spots—most of which would be enclosed within a first-floor garage. The current proposed project would cover nearly 46,000 square feet.

Planning Board Chair Kristina Johnson noted on Thursday that the most recent pitch is significantly reduced after developers received feedback by the body; the One Howard project was initially proposed with over 130 units included, but local officials requested that they reduce the scope of work. One Howard planners said on Thursday that the redesign was meant to incorporate community feedback while complying with design standards within the downtown Central Business district.

“I think what we’re looking at is significantly more improved than what we have seen before,” Johnson said at the Memorial Building on Thursday.

While the feedback from Planning Board members was generally positive during their recent meeting with the One Howard team, one notable point from Mitchell Matorin regarded a lack of renderings from the building’s south side, which faces Waverly Street. He explained that he doesn’t think the building would be attractive from that vantage point, adding his concerns about a six-story project that could “detract” from the downtown area’s potential vibrancy.

“I guess my bottom line is that I’m not there yet,” Matorin continued.

“I think that there still needs to be work done on the south side, and also on the west side that presents that same problem.”

Planning Board members also suggested additional lighting and landscaping to make the path towards the MBTA station more inviting for pedestrians. Public comments raised on Thursday brought up the high water table around the area, as the property is located by Farm Pond. Members of the Armenian Church still expressed concerns about stormwater and flood damage that they fear could be brought on by the new building. Both the development team and Johnson said they were confident about the plan’s ability to mitigate those issues based off of studies reviewed by engineering firms throughout the project’s review process.

The public hearing on the One Howard plan will continue during the Planning Board’s meeting on Thursday, April 17.