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Home My WebLink AboutPublic Comment from Jim Holland - 6.8.26 - Correspondence - 0 Prescott Street 6/8/2026 6/8/26, 11:18 AM Town of North Andover Mail-Online Form Submittal:Contact the Zoning Board of Appeals (OR N I ROVER Massachuslt Terri MacNeil <tmacneil@northandoverma.gov> Online Form Submittal: Contact the Zoning Board of Appeals 1 message noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Mon, Jun 8, 2026 at 10:54 AM Reply-To: noreply@civicplus.com To: zoningemails@northandoverma.gov Contact the Zoning Board of Appeals Your Name Jim Holland Your Email jimcholland@gmail.com Subject Comments for June 9 2026 hearing Message Dear ZBA board members, Attached please find my comments on the proposed Zero Prescott Street development, and an attached exhibit. Thank you, Jim Holland Attachments is Files must be less than 2 MB. Allowed file types: txt doe pdf docx jpg gif pug. Attachment Number 1 June 2026 ZBA n-iee ing cc. rnment,pdf ...... Attachment Number 2 Penalty kick distanc:e,pdf __ ._ . .... .... _ Attachment Number 3 Field not completed. Email not displaying correctly?"View it in your brMser. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/O/?ik=fObefc9b3b&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f:1867440941510266673%7Cmsg-f:1867440941510266673&s... 1/1 Dear Zoning Board of Appeals Members: Area residents have presented unified opposition to the current plan and strong evidence demonstrating valid local concerns, During the meetings most residents have not opposed the development, but have requested reasonable changes to accommodate our area. I have not heard any comments from residents or businesses supporting the project asp|anned, and | believe the board has also received written comments opposing it. However, to date, the board has not requested major changes from the developer. As a result, we have seen no changes that respond to valid local concerns. Financial considerations should enter proceeding otthis point I am very concerned the ZBA's is using financial considerations to determine the scope of its change requests. The board has mentioned developer financial concerns as a primary reason to not request major changes. No evidence has been presented, but statements about financial concerns have acted tn favor the proceedings toward the developer's plan. This is not procedurally correct in a 40B review and is beyond the board's scope. In the same way the board has told residents it cannot use a financial break-even analysis to request changes to the plan, it also cannot use an ambiguous developer financial concern to shape requests for changes. The only time the board can take this into account is after a pro forma has been produced, and that has not happened. Potential town expense for appeals I do not believe the board should make a determination about the town's potential expense in an appeal process. Unless the board has been advised that the town will not provide funding, | do not think this should factor in decision making. If the town advised this, it should be disclosed. Local concerns Prescott and High Street residents have expressed great alarm on matters of pedestrian safety, traffic, parking, environmental impact, and the planned siting ofa large building and garage feet away from residences. In contrast to the ambiguous financial concerns, we have presented evidence. Thus far, the developer's most substantive change has been shifting a 16-foot distance from our neighbors on Prescott Street to just 35 feet away.These changes have made the situation for our neighbors across the street worse. The new plan now shows part of a building squarely facing their front porch. Drawings have used foliage to obscure the true impact ofa4-S story building. Despite being told the project isfu||y3Drendered,Lheboaodhosbeonshovvn only a fraction of the site in renderings. To get a sense of how close 35 feet is, consider the example of a penalty kick in a soccer match. The penalty kick spot is 1 foot further (36 feet) than the proposed siting of a 4-5 story building and parking garage.The size of soccer goal is about 8 l6 feet tall including the crossbar. If goals were stacked on top of each other,that would close to o SO-foot building. | have attached a picture of the soccer spacing to show what it looks like. Other similar spacing includes length of school bus (35feet), or the distance for a football first down /5 feet shorter at3Ofeei\. | have seen no written reports or expert testimony about the expected health and safety impacts on the abutters. The abutters have expressed concerns to the board about this and the Z8A should require on independent health analysis as a matter of decency. | am grateful that Prescott Steet sidewalk extension has been planned and that the board has focused on it. However, no designs have been presented and funding is unknown, on itisnot confirmed. The developer is asking for assurance -vve should have assurance on Prescott Street safety. In the last meeting, we learned that the developer's traffic evaluation inexplicably did not measure any speed conditions on Prescott Street so these are unknown. Speed and volume distribution data was promised by the developer during an earlier meeting at the choir's request (see minutes specifically asking for Prescott Street data\. There have also been no plans provided for the currently F-rated High Street/Sutton Street intersection.The most optimistic forecast of few more vehicles in queue might sound |om4 but Consider turning left on Sutton Street at 8am under current conditions. Adding any volume tothat intersection will make an already busy intersection worse. Finally, | have not found any 3+story parking garages in Massachusetts that are sited so close to a residential neighborhood. | would be interested in hearing about the precedent for siting a garage like this, and if developer has taken any ideas from these previous examples into the garage plan. Request for board At this point, I am most concerned that no substantial changes have been made to respond to our |000| concerns. | am concerned the board has refrained from requesting changes because of the vague assumption about financial impacts. | am not opposed to a well-sited apartment building that has less impact on the neighborhood, but I am disappointed by what I have seen so far. | would like to request the hoard chair instruct board members to disregard previous statements about developer financial concerns. I would like to see the board request a smaller building to address valid local concerns. I also request the board commission an independent health study for the abutting residents and for the Prescott Street speed data to be provided. Thank you for considering nny comments and requests. Sincerely, ]ino Holland Spacing comparison r„ //ii pia/ r / � i A ✓�;�1 i ('�,i JI','//'{'.7 f1," "q('D' II IYV IWF,'lf', N Spacing comparison 4 i 'i iifdlJ. �Id�I �.rYl /P'I�i. .I. �•�%(�.11I II III IA(�IPI�;A/,�(.Y;p, w1 W 6/8/26, 11:16 AM Town of North Andover Mail-Online Form Submittal:Contact the Zoning Board of Appeals VER Massaclrus'Ols Terri MacNeil <tmacneil@northandoverma.gov> Online Form Submittal: Contact the Zoning Board of Appeals 1 message noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Mon, Jun 8, 2026 at 11:08 AM Reply-To: noreply@civicplus.com To: zoningemails@northandoverma.gov Contact the Zoning Board of Appeals Your Name Jim Holland Your Email jimcholland@gmail.com Subject typo/correction to June 9 comment Message Dear ZBA members: Attached please find a correction to a typo I made in my most recent comment. Thank you, Jim Attachments Files must be less than 2 MB. Allowed file types: txt doe pdf docx jpg gif png. Attachment Number 1 June 2026 ZBA meeting comment typo.pdf Attachment Number 2 Field not completed. Attachment Number 3 Field not completed. Email not displaying correctly?View it in your browser. https://mail.google.com/mai I/u/O/?ik=fObefc9b3b&view=pt&search=a II&permth id=thread-f:1867441820681063646%7Cmsg-f:1867441820681063646&s... 1/1 Dear Zoning Board of Appeals Members: |nnny most recent comment, | made a mistake with a header. |tstated: "Financial considerations should enter proceeding at this point" It should have included the word "not" asfo||ovvs" "Financial considerations should not enter proceeding at this point" Thank you, Jim Holland