Haverhill City Council to consider 7-story residential building along river in Bradford

Mike LaBella, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read

May 4—HAVERHILL — The site of the former Arthur Sharp True Value hardware store on Middlesex Street in Bradford is targeted for an 18-unit, seven-story apartment building overlooking the rail trail and the Merrimack River.

Local attorney Michael Migliori is scheduled to go before the City Council Tuesday night to request a site plan review of the project and several waivers needed for it to happen.

Migliori plans to request waivers from the city's Waterfront District zoning so the developer can build 18 residential units where zoning allows only five units on the quarter-acre lot, create 18 parking spaces where 27 are required, and erect a 91-foot-tall building where 55 feet is the maximum allowed by zoning.

The project has received a favorable recommendation from the city's Economic Development and Planning Department.

According to city planning officials, the development will provide easements for public access to the Bradford Rail Trail that runs along the Bradford side of the river, and will also allow for public parking for the trail.

Arthur Sharp owner Patrick Lane sold his store and accompanying land on the Bradford side of the Merrimack River late last year to developer Alain Sfeir, trustee of Middlesex Haverhill Realty Trust in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Sfeir's proposed development is one of the latest in a series of proposed housing projects along the river, including a sprawling complex at the former Ornsteen Heel factory site next to the Bradford commuter train station.

Documents in the City Council meeting packet for Tuesday night's meeting say the proposal for the former hardware store property is in the theme of other high-rise buildings constructed along the river in recent years. They include Harbor Place at the site of the former Woolworth building and the Haverhill Heights building constructed by developer Sal Lupoli next to Haverhill Bank.

Watch eagletribune.com and print editions of The Eagle-Tribune for results of the City Council meeting and updates on the proposed project.