PEABODY — Much to the dismay of many neighboring residents, the path has been cleared to build a 133-unit housing complex on the property formerly occupied by J.B. Thomas Hospital on King Street.
On Monday night, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) voted 4-1 to issue a comprehensive permit (with 44 conditions) under Chapter 40B, the state’s affordable housing law, to Hemisphere Development Group, LLC for the Kings Residences project.
Despite the fact that the meeting was not open for public discussion, it was contentious at times, with several residents attempting to express their opinions.
This prompted ZBA Chairman Frances Gallugi to remind the audience that, “we do not hear from people in the audience. What we hear from is the board and the attorney.”
Councilor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin objected immediately, reminding Gallugi that the attorney (former ZBA Chair Jason Panos) represents the developer’s interests, not the city’s.
“He is not there to tell you what to do,” Manning-Martin said. “You are deliberating.”
There were also other words exchanged with residents clamoring for board members to use their microphones as one crowd member claimed they couldn’t hear board member Stephen Zolotas.
Barry Osborne, the only member of the board to vote no, expressed some concerns about the density of the project and also stated that he was torn on voting on the residences.
“I really believe that something needs to happen at that site because it’s just going to get worse; it’s going to continue to be an eyesore,” he said. “My own personal feeling is that at this number of units, it’s too dense.”
Fellow board member Daniel Sencabaugh stated that he appreciated Osborne’s concerns and talked about how tough these “40B projects” can be.
“We listened to a lot of people, we had a lot of different department heads weigh in, we had an opportunity to have several meetings to discuss this project,” he said. “We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that we’re putting 44 conditions on this project and if we were to outright reject this project that they can appeal and they can get what they want and they don’t have to do any of these conditions.”
Ward 4 Councilor Ed Charest said he wasn’t surprised.
“I was always in favor of the 55-and-over project for many reasons, not just because it had 23 fewer units, but the fact that it was going to be owner-occupied,” Charest said. “There would have been no impact on the schools and no three-bedroom units. The problem was the people kept saying they could stop it and I kept saying they can’t but they didn’t listen and now look at what we have.”
Ward 4 candidate Julie Daigle said her main goal is to help Peabody remain affordable.
“We all share the goal of making sure that Peabody remains an affordable place to live and raise a family,” she said. “My neighbors and I recognize the constraints that Chapter 40B places on local control of developments like Kings Residences. But there are opportunities to negotiate a better outcome every step along the way.”
Manning-Martin wasted no time turning her dissatisfaction into action. Frustrated with the board for refusing to address density, size or scope, she filed a Freedom of Information request with the city first thing Tuesday morning, requesting ZBA documents, all meeting minutes — including executive session — and “any and all documentation and communications from the petitioner’s attorney, Panos, dictating these conditions and with whom in the City of Peabody they were exchanged, discussed and deliberated.”
Manning-Martin said the board has admitted that it never addressed size, scope or density issues of the project.
“ZBAs all across the commonwealth downsize these projects all the time,” she said. “It’s the only power the city has to control the size and scope. Once that’s done, the burden is on the developer to show that it is uneconomic and not supported by the local concerns that outweigh the residents’ need for affordable housing.
“They never broached those negotiations with the developer (Hemisphere Development Group, LLC ) to come up with a manageable project in terms of size. The neighbors were ignored and got nothing. The developer got all he wanted.”