With little fanfare, the Marion Planning Board on April 1 issued special permits for a village business, which included a reduction in the parking requirement, a point of contention in recent special permit applications before the board.
Skin Med Spa, Inc. requested a special permit for a change of use for the second-floor office space of the building located at 154 Front Street, as well as a reduction in the parking requirement.
The business, represented by Attorney John Mathieu, has operated for six years at 340 Front Street. Mathieu described the business as “not quite medical, but a bit more than a business use.” Skin Med Spa is a cosmetic skin business, including elective beauty treatments by appointment only. The owner is a nurse and nurse practitioner and has one employee who also is a nurse. There are approximately five customers per week, who stay no more than an hour.
Currently the property, which includes eight units, has a common driveway and parking area, with the businesses sharing all the parking. Mathieu stated that his office measured the entire parking area using an overlay with the required 9-foot by 18-foot sized parking space, resulting in a total of 12 spaces when in full use.
Based on the town bylaw, the applicant’s business would require six medical spots, or four business spots. With the business located in a Limited Business District, which reduces the required parking to 70 percent of the normal requirement, the parking requirement would be reduced to four medical spots, or three office spots.
The employees will be employed full time and live in the village, so will often be walking to work. As other businesses in the village have asserted, Mathieu suggests that, if need be, the business could use Island Wharf for overflow parking. He also noted that in 2011, the Planning Board gave the dentist office in the same location a special permit for a reduction in parking.
While the comparison was made with the recent application of the Mary Celeste Neighborhood Lounge for a reduction in parking, which drew significant pushback from residents and other businesses, board member Eileen Marum pointed out that this business is significantly different, in that cars are not staying long in the area and the number of people visiting the business is comparatively low.
Board member Chris Collings noted that this was the second meeting in a row that the board had deferred parking to a public parking lot.
“At what point,” Collings asked, “do we determine how oversold it is becoming? At what point are we creating an issue we have to address?”
Chairman Will Saltonstall observed, “An applicant with more intense use, I can see that discussion happening.”
Selectman and Planning Board member Norm Hills stated, “The general concept of parking in the village will need to be addressed,” and the board agreed it was an issue for the Master Plan Implementation Committee and the Transportation and Circulation Task Force in particular.
With the current application, the board agreed the question was “straightforward” and the business would not have a significant impact on the village parking situation. After a unanimous vote to approve the special permits for a change in use and a reduction in parking, Administrator Terri Santos provided the board with the decision letter to be signed this evening.
Also during the meeting, developer William Curley of SBS Partners on behalf of Sherman Briggs and Arnold Briggs, had a brief hearing with the board to determine the timeline for the construction of the three affordable housing units in the Residence E property on Spring Street.
There will be three affordable units built on an adjacent lot, all located within the same building. Curley confirmed with the board that inclusionary zoning section 230-8.1.2 says the construction of 30 percent of the market units (nine units in this case) triggers the requirement to construct one affordable unit. After completion of another 30 percent of the market units, another affordable unit would be built, with the final market and affordable units being completed simultaneously.
Curley suggested he would pour the foundation, frame the building, and install associated walkways and railings at the affordable unit building, and complete the interior of each affordable unit one at a time.
“I can live with the town bylaw – a third, a third, and a third is fair, with everyone acting in good faith,” Curley said.
In other business, Town Planner Gil Hilario presented the board with the report of the summary findings of the Municipal Vulnerability (MVP) Workshop held by SRPEDD last June.
Marion had applied for and received a grant to become a certified Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Community; this workshop was part of the process to receive that certification.
Numerous stakeholders attended, including Hilario, Hills, and Marum, as well as other town and state employees, business owners, and residents. In addition, Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, and Sippican Lands Trust participated.
During the workshop, the groups split in two to identify specific vulnerabilities to climate change within Marion. Hilario pointed out that, interestingly, the two groups identified similar top actions the town should take to improve resilience, which included: Enhance communication systems, elevate the pump stations, ensure shelter preparedness and evacuation planning, and create a forest management plan.
Hilario said, once the town is MVP certified, it could apply for grants to address the action items. Hills reminded the group that the whole town is subject to inundation during a major storm event, with town residents possibly cut off from hospitals and other services.
Planning Board member Steve Kokkins suggested it is important to determine what kind of resilience the town is planning for – immediate hazards or long-term effects, as well as the source of funds associated with those plans.
The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for April 16 at 5:00 pm in the Marion Town House.
Marion Planning Board
By Sarah French Storer