5-story apartment plan on Cabot Street raises concerns

Jul. 21—BEVERLY — Residents and Planning Board members are expressing concern about a plan to build a five-story apartment building on Cabot Street in the middle of the downtown.

In a public hearing at City Hall on Tuesday night, residents said the new building would displace artists who work in the building, close the Family Dollar store that many people rely on for affordable food, eliminate 98 parking spaces that are currently available for the public, and potentially pave the way for more tall buildings to be built in the downtown.

"After Depot II (an apartment building under construction on Rantoul Street), my recurring nightmare has been the 'canyonization' of Cabot Street with five-story buildings, as we have all along Rantoul," resident Peter Johnson said.

Leggat McCall Properties, a Boston-based developer, plans to build the apartments behind the commercial building at 222-224 Cabot St. that now includes Family Dollar, Bonefish Harry's restaurant, and Rent-A-Center. The building would have 113 apartments on four floors over a ground-level parking area. The plan also includes renovating the existing commercial space and reducing it from three businesses to two.

Planning Board Chairperson Ellen Hutchinson said the project is "too massive for the neighborhood," a comment that drew applause from residents who attended the meeting. But she also said the city cannot stop it because it complies with the city's zoning laws, which allows buildings of 55 feet in the downtown commercial area.

"People can love it, people can hate it, but there's not a whole lot that can be done frankly to prevent it because they have done it in accordance with the zoning," Hutchinson said.

Thad Siemasko, the architect for the project, told the Planning Board that the building will provide "much-needed housing" and bring more activity to the downtown and its stores and restaurants, as well as generate more tax revenue for the city.

"This is 113 units, call it 150 people that will be using our restaurants, using our retail, we hope staying in Beverly, not getting in their car to drive," Siemasko said.

Siemasko said the apartment building will be behind the two-story commercial building, set back from Cabot Street.

Attorney Miranda Siemasko said 12 of the apartments will be affordable units, with rents ranging from $1,500 to $2,800 per month depending on the renters' income, family size, and whether it's a one- or two-bedroom apartment.

Planning Board member Derek Beckwith asked the development team to provide information at the next meeting on how much the market-rate rents will be.

"If the affordable two-bedroom unit at the moderate rate cost almost $3,000 a month, I'm really kind of wondering what the market rate is going to be for a two-bedroom unit in this building, in this city, in this neighborhood, and what impact that's going to have," Beckwith said.

Residents who live nearby said they were concerned about the loss of the parking lots behind the Dollar Store building, which have 98 metered parking spaces and are used by residents during snow emergencies when they are not allowed to park on the street. Those lots are currently leased by the city but are privately owned and can be sold.

"During a snow emergency people flood to the place," said Mike Mendis, who owns 4 Chapman St.

Others said the project will displace artists who rent the 17 studio spaces on the second floor of the building. Sylvia Burger, who grew up in Beverly and attended Montserrat College of Art, said she finally acquired studio space in the building in April, only to learn a week later about the new development. Burger said it is difficult to find studio space in the city.

"If there is no space for us to practice our craft in Beverly, we will have to find other towns to create work in," she said. "And we all know that once something is gone it's hard to get back."

Leggat McCall Properties said they would incorporate four art studios into the new building. Burger said she appreciates that gesture, "But unfortunately four is just not enough. There's 17 units, so that still leaves 13 artists displaced."

Residents also mentioned the loss of the Family Dollar store, which they said provides an affordable option for groceries for people who live in the downtown and don't have a car, including seniors and college students.

"Family Dollar does provide a big essential grocery store for those people, myself included," Park Street resident Vivian Hudgins said.

Johnson said the city should consider new height restrictions "with real urgency, because I can tell you that developers are looking at it with real urgency."

The Planning Board will continue the public hearing on Aug. 16.

Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.

Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.