Planning board approves contractor storage building at 75 Lawrence Street

Scott Faria of Homegrown Engineering presented a proposal to redevelop a vacant, industrially used lot at 75 Lawrence Street into a 50 ft by 200 ft commercial building with garage doors and parking for contractor tenants. "It's a 50 ft by 200 ft long... essentially warehouse slash storage for contractors," Faria said.

The plan includes new landscaping (red maples, red oaks, crab apples and screening evergreens), retention of one curb cut on Lawrence Street and consolidation of two existing curb cuts on Commercial Yard, and proposed lighting at building entries and two parking‑lot fixtures. Board members asked about sidewalk conditions, curbing, lighting, and whether the owner would clean and thin brush on an adjoining narrow parcel along the rail line; the applicant said his client had been coordinating with DPW on drainage and would work to clean and groom the abutting land.

Public comment focused on hours of operation and whether outside storage or heavy truck parking would be allowed; the applicant and staff said there is no plan for outside storage and standard licensing/building permits will address hours. The board approved the site plan with standard conditions and a stipulation that the connected southern lot be thinned and groomed under common ownership.