HUDSON – A mixed-use commercial and residential development is still under review by the Planning Board.
Located at 136 Main St., the site is currently occupied by a number of buildings and tenants, including a Domino’s Pizza.
The project has been proposed by 136 Main Street Condominium. It would include 27 residential units and about 4,800 square feet of commercial space.
Abutting the property is a dam to Bruce’s Pond, which has prompted conversation during Planning Board meetings in the fall.
If there are redevelopment activities on the site that impact the dam, spillway or the conveyance infrastructure, the spillway must be improved to handle flows worse than the conditions of a 100 year flood, according to Hancock Associates’ Joe Peznola.
He said the developers have addressed the issues regarding the dam and spillway, which are classified as “high hazard” by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety, which means the risk to property and life is high.
However, Planning Board Chair Robert D’Amelio said the structural integrity of the dam is secure.
In an email to Office of Dam Safety Permit Engineer David Ouellette in October, Peznola said the spillway upgrades would cost between $1 and $1.4 million.
“My client’s project just cannot absorb those costs,” Peznola said.
It would also trigger the need for a permit with the office.
In his email, which was provided as part of the packet for the Planning Board’s Dec. 6 meeting, Peznola said the developer was “rethinking” the project, including renovating the building on the east side of the spillway, similar to their plans for the building on the west.
“The structure will be maintained and utilized, no work will be done to lower level structure or the dam wall,” Peznola wrote.
He said the front facade of the building would be modified to allow for parking and the floors for the new nine condos would be built using the existing second story floor deck.
During past Planning Board meetings, the developers have proposed retaining the building that currently houses Domino’s. The other structures would either be demolished or repurposed.
Peznola said they have removed all parking, vehicular access and infrastructure on the dam behind the buildings.
“We envision this area to just be lawn for passive recreation,” he wrote.
Peznola sought confirmation from the Office of Dam Safety that this plan would not require the need of the permit and spillway upgrades, a message that was also shared in a letter by Rep. Kate Hogan (D-Stow) also seeking confirmation.
“This project has many potential benefits to the Town of Hudson and has been welcomed by the Town Planner and Planning Board,” Hogan wrote.
The plans will return before the Planning Board Feb. 21.
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