After Settlement, Blueberry Hill Developer Gets Another Crack

A developer seeking to build 20 townhouse-style condominiums off Forest Street, sandwiched between the Ripley School and Forest Court, has another chance to submit a revamped proposal to the Melrose Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).

Delta Fairfield Corporation is seeking a special permit to construct the townhouses on four of the five lots on Blueberry Hill Lane, a subdivision approved by the Planning Board in 2006, having reached a settlement with the city after the project was previously rejected by the ZBA.

Townhouses are not allowed by right in that residential zone, requiring a special permit from the ZBA. Last year, the ZBA voted 3-2 in favor of the special permit for townhouses on the four lots on top of the hill — the fifth lot is located on Forest Street — but approval requires a minimum of four 'yes' votes. The ZBA also did not approve a requested reduction in the city's parking requirement of two parking spaces for every housing unit, which would required 40 parking spaces for the 20 townhouses. Additional concerns raised last year were water pressure, traffic and drainage.

Delta Fairfield subsequently appealed the ZBA's decision in Land Court, resulting in a settlement in which the Planning Board would review the project through its site plan review process and the ZBA will take up the project again in September. 

Monday night, representatives for the developer brought the proposal to the Planning Board for the start of the site plan review.

The board continued the review until Monday, July 26, requesting a more detailed plan and architect's renderings showing the impact on drainage, traffic, and the visual "integrity" of the lots.

Board members and residents of the Forest Street neighborhood pointed out several areas of concern, including drainage run-off into Wyoming Cemetery. The board requested that Melrose City Planner Denise Gaffey look into complaints about run-off at the cemetery.

Gaffey submitted a staff report on the development to the board, which board Chairman Richard Connolly said raised important questions about the number of proposed units.

"The staff report raises questions about density, and whether 20 units is the appropriate number," Connolly said. 

Several board members said they were concerned about the height of the proposed townhouse buildings and the proposed slope of the hill.

Connolly requested that the site architect be present at the next meeting, along with drawings showing how the development would look from street-level on Forest Street.

"We'll go back and re-draw the plans," said attorney Patrick M. McAvoy, representing the developer.

Several neighbors voiced complaints at Monday's public hearing, with one overarching concern being the visual impact of townhouses on top of the hill.

Board member Robert Mercado said the site, which had been blasted to make way for the road, has been a visual blight since the original subdivision was approved in 2006.

"It's plain ugly," Mercado said. "It looks like a quarry."

Other board members called the current proposal "unimaginative," "a real estate nightmare," and "an atrocity."

One common theme raised by neighbors: townhouses in this area of town will impact the community's "integrity;" namely, keeping the landscape intact and not blasting away too much from the shape of the hill, not cutting down too many trees, and keeping in mind that the rest of the neighborhood is single-family homes, not multi-unit developments.

"Blueberry Hill is a beautiful piece of land with a beautiful view of Boston," said Michelle Barr, whose Forest Street home is at the base of the proposed development. "Please preserve some of the trees so the land is still beautiful."