A few years ago, Roy Piscitello, owner of Breadman’s Restaurant, teamed up with developer Larry Short to propose a project called Amity Station to be built on the West Rosemary Street site where Breadman’s now stands. The developer has submitted at least five plans. The iteration of the development team’s concept plan, presented in May 2017, proposes to construct a 243,693 sq. ft., 6- or 7-story building, mixed-use development with 5,800 sq.ft. of ground floor retail and office space, a minimum of 8,800 sq.ft. of 2nd floor flex space, and 204 residential apartments with 35 units designated for affordable housing. The proposal included parking for 300 vehicles in a 2-level subsurface parking area on the 2.2 acre site.
Two years ago, the Council decided to proceed with a negotiated contract for the property instead of a special use public hearing process. A team of council members, Jess Anderson, MIchael Parker, Nancy Oates and Donna Bell supported by staff have represented town interests in discussions with the developer and his consultants. Their goal, assuming an agreement could be reached, would be to turn that agreement into an enforceable permit.
When embarking on these negotiations, council members pledged that they intended to follow the Town Council in 2016 adopted the West Rosemary Street Guidelines . Key elements of the guidelines include limiting building height to around four stories and a preference for commercial (i.e., non-residential) development rather than student housing. The Guidelines were developed following a public outreach process involving property owners, neighbors, and interested citizens.
Key questions for Town Council
- If the Development Agreement negotiation yields a product that is entirely or mostly residential, how does this result accord with the community vision?
- What is the benefit of spending staff and council time on an agreement that does not satisfy the Town’s stated development goals in the Rosemary Street Guidelines?