Developers revise 166 Commonwealth Ave. plan; West Concord advisory committee to send letter of support with conditions

Developers representing the applicant for 166 Commonwealth Ave returned to the West Concord Advisory Committee on March 4 with revised site and architectural plans, and the committee agreed to draft a letter to the planning board indicating general support while asking for refinements.

Matt Merva of Boller, representing the applicant, said the team had replaced the previously proposed overhang sconces with flush soffit lighting beneath the canopy, committed to using the Concord streetlight fixture along the sidewalk and added a new pedestrian-scale streetlight. He also described curb changes to define the boundary between parcels and showed a prefabricated wood-grain trash enclosure raised slightly off grade so gates and panels would not trap debris. "We replaced all of the fixtures with the version used along the street, and we've actually extended that lighting down the sidewalk and included a new streetlight," Merva said.

Committee members raised design and resource concerns. Several members said renderings gave the roof an undesirable "rusted" appearance and urged the applicant to ensure the roof reads as a copper-colored standing-seam metal roof rather than patchy corrugated rust. "I strongly encourage them to change the rust patchwork roof," a committee member said. Merva said the architects (HFA) reviewed the West Concord design guidelines and that the team would revise the roof finish and prepare a memorandum explaining how the selection aligns with guidelines.

Town staff and the applicant discussed lighting and wetlands. The applicant said the LED fixtures can be fitted with shields to reduce light spill toward adjacent wetlands; Elizabeth, town staff, said the project's photometrics will be reviewed as part of the application and that the planning board is proposing a new exterior lighting zoning bylaw at the upcoming town meeting, which is not yet in effect.

Resident Eric Young, of 49 Crest Street, spoke during public comment, saying he had visited Imperial's locations in other towns and worried that a corrugated rusted roof would not fit the West Concord gateway and that the project could worsen traffic and pedestrian safety at the nearby intersection. Town staff replied that the applicant submitted a traffic study; the town uses a third-party consultant to review traffic because Concord Public Works Engineering does not have an on-staff traffic engineer.

After discussion, the committee voted to draft a short letter for the planning board and board of appeals stating that the applicant presented and that the committee is generally in favor of the design, while encouraging the applicant to refine roof materials and coordinate lighting with the Natural Resources Commission. The committee agreed to send the letter; members did not record a formal roll-call tally in the minutes, and staff will prepare the text.

The planning board and the board of appeals will receive the project's application, the committee's letter and the applicant's revised materials for further review.