Planning board continues 7 New Driftway 18‑unit site plan after questions on stormwater, traffic and design

The Scituate Planning Board continued the major site‑plan public hearing for the proposed redevelopment at 7 New Driftway — a plan to replace an existing medical office with an 18‑unit, three‑story residential building — to Aug. 27, 2026 for additional technical review of stormwater, traffic and design details.

John Barry, manager of 7 New Driftway LLC, described the proposal as an 18 one‑bedroom‑unit rental building with 19 parking spaces that reuses much of the existing footprint and foundation. Barry said the current proposal reduces impervious surface compared with a larger project previously approved for the site, noting existing impervious area of 28,572 square feet and proposed impervious reported as approximately 14,950 square feet (the applicant later cited 14,590 sq ft in discussion). Barry said the project will be all‑electric, using heat pumps rather than gas, and that the basement level would be limited to garage/storage and be FEMA‑compliant using flood vents.

Greg Morse of Morse Engineering outlined environmental constraints: much of the one‑acre site lies within the 200‑foot riverfront area of First Herring Brook, portions are in a water‑resource protection district and some areas fall in a FEMA flood zone; the project will require zoning relief for certain work and coordination with the conservation commission, which provided an initial favorable review.

Board and staff reviewers flagged several technical issues that must be resolved before the hearing can be closed: detailed stormwater treatment and outlet designs (including TSS removal for roof runoff and proprietary device approvals), the limited potential for artificial recharge because much of the property lies in Zone A where recharge is restricted, clarity on the extent of disturbance and grading/retaining‑wall details, a complete landscape plan and clearer snow‑storage and lighting plans, and updated traffic counts or a limited traffic study because police expressed concerns about the driveway location at a rotary and peak‑hour conflicts.

Public comment included support for redevelopment and questions on drainage and recharge from local reviewers. Bruce Arbanese of the Water Resources Commission asked whether artificial recharge was planned; the applicant replied that little or no recharge is proposed because of Zone A restrictions, but that a rain garden at the far east end outside Zone A is part of the plan.

The board referred the project to the Design Review Committee (scheduled June 23) for architectural and landscape review, requested updated technical information (stormwater details, landscape plan, any required traffic counts), and granted the applicant’s request to continue the public hearing to Aug. 27, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.; the board also continued its time for action filing with the town clerk to Nov. 30, 2026.

The continuance preserves the public record while the applicant supplies additional studies and design material requested by staff, conservation and public commenters.