Planning Board Firms Up More Details on Franklin Place Ordinance

Judy Mandelbaum, member of the Planning Board, detailed Monday night many of the elements of the Franklin Place ordinance expected to be voted on in April.

The ordinance, which aims to drive redevelopment of the Infiniti Dealership on Franklin Place, does not include any rezoning of the North lot.

The ordinance does rezone the dealership property to a multifamily-transit oriented development zone with a density range of 12-17 depending on a developers use of incentives built in to the ordinance.

Extra dwelling units can be earned for things such as building underground parking (three additional uinits) or putting a green roof or solar panels on the roof of covered parking (one additional unit).

Mandelbaum said the ordinance also includes specific language about the roof lines, front doors and porches.

"We didn't want one massive structure," she said. "We wanted it to look like townhouses ideally."

But the key achievement of the ordinance, City Planner Eileen Banyra said, is the inclusion of one driveway in and out of the property. One of the biggest concerns of the neighbors on Franklin Place, Banyra said, was additional traffic on the street.

"To me pulling the driveways out certainly makes for a much better street scape," she said. "It's the single biggest improvement for this ordinance."

The ordinance also limits building height to 35 feet from the existing grade, which is consistent with the existing homes on the block.