UPDATE: The Zoning Board denied the Variance request for this project. In other news, the Board approved Variances needed for Ciminelli Real Estate’s 201 Ellicott project. The next step for 201 Ellicott is the Planning Board on Monday.
In March, the Zoning Board of Appeals rejected three variances needed to construct a WellNow urgent care facility at the southeast corner of Elmwood Avenue and Amherst Street. Variances for “excess of front yard setback”, “excess of interior side yard setback”, and “Interior side yard parking not permitted” were denied “due to the undesirable change to the character and physical conditions of the neighborhood that the proposed variances would produce.” But WellNow has not given up.
Silvestri Architects has revised the site plan and is trying again. The Zoning Board will be looking at a new plan on Wednesday that pushes parking away from the road frontages but still needs a variance for the maximum width of a side yard: 83 feet where 30 feet maximum is normally allowed.
The proposed 3,500 sq.ft., one-story building would replace two aging commercial buildings along Elmwood Avenue and two residential structures at 709 and 711 Amherst Street. A rezoning of the Amherst Street properties is also required. From the application:
“The character of the neighborhood will not be affected or a detriment to the nearby properties. The building has been sited to be an anchor for the corner of Elmwood and Amherst Street, keeping the facility sited from the neighboring residential parcels.”
The Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 2 pm, City Hall Room 901.