On November 30th, the Zoning Board of Appeals holds a hearing to discuss numerous variances requested to allow for the redevelopment of the Caruso’s Pizza property, including the addition of three floors of housing on top of it. Our Committee supports the requested variances, which will create a project that is consistent with our existing commercial districts and will help to create a more vibrant, walkable community. Please find out letter to the Zoning Board below. You can read our previous letter to the Planning Board, in support of the Special Permit for parking waivers, here.
Date: November 30th, 2022
To: Melrose Zoning Board of Appeals
Re: Case 22 021 – 681-697 Main St.
To the Members of the Zoning Board of Appeals:
We are writing in support of the appeal of Green Rise Homes, LLC for the redevelopment of 681-697 Main Street, commonly known as the “Caruso’s” building.
We are excited at the prospect of a commercial unit coming back online in the marquee “Caruso’s Pizza” location. We believe the community has a great desire to specifically see a restaurant use at this site. We also know that the community understands that housing in Melrose is too expensive, and that a greater variety of relatively more affordable options is called for. We believe these two dynamics can complement one another on this site. As we’re all aware, the Planning Board has granted the developer a waiver of parking requirements for this project. We all know that parking requirements make housing units more expensive. These units are likely to be relatively more affordable than comparable units built elsewhere with parking. Given the criticality of getting the ground-floor use the community wants in this building, it is important to permit a suitable number of units on this site to allow the operator the economic flexibility to work with the city on getting the right tenant, something we are sure the Planning Department and Mayor’s Office will be eager to do.
Last year, the Planning Department and Planning Board proposed an amendment to the zoning of this parcel from BD to BA-1. This amendment had the support of the Planning Department, the Planning Board, the city council, and the public. Unfortunately, it was ultimately deferred; in our understanding, this deferral was due to the fact that some of the BD district (but not this parcel) overlaps with the Downtown Historic District. This circumstantial delay in rezoning this parcel should not be held against the applicant, nor should the city suffer a continued vacancy here because of it. This proposal would be perfectly in line with BA-1 zoning.
Again, we feel that the variances requested are clearly suitable to enable the sort of use the community desires on this site. It is unfortunate that the proposal results in the net loss of commercial units for the city, but given the nature of this proposal, we are confident that Main Street as a whole will see an increase in foot traffic. Getting more foot traffic in our commercial districts should be seen as one of the top goals of this community, and buildings like this one will unequivocally help contribute towards that goal. We hope to see this project move forward, we are excited to see car-free units succeed on this site, and we are certain this project will serve as a model for sustainable, walkable development in the Melrose of the twenty-first century.