Norwood Airport Manager Submits Residential Housing Proposal to Planning Board-August 13, 1985

Meeting last night, the Planning Board examined a proposal submitted by Boston Municipal Airport (BMA), manager of Norwood Airport, calling for the construction of 21 single-family homes on airport property located at the end of Hazelwood Drive. To facilitate the residential project, BMA petitioned to rezone a portion of the land from manufacturing to residential use. Engineer Paul Keane of Norwood Engineering and attorney Louis Beigbeder presented the BMA proposal on behalf of the airport management. Under municipal review procedures, the plans will be reviewed by the selectmen for recommendations before returning to the planning board for an official public hearing.

In other business during the heavy session, the planning board evaluated requested design modifications for two major Route 1 commercial developments: the Stoneridge Office Park and the Everett Street Technology Park. Developers of the 51-acre Stoneridge Office Park requested permission to relocate the primary entrance driveway further south of the off-ramp leading to Dean Street. While board members and Tom Southworth, a representative of developer McNeil Associates, agreed that a shift was necessary to improve traffic flow, they disagreed on the precise distance required. “It is clear that the roadway should be moved south by 100 feet,” Southworth stated, arguing that the distance would satisfy subdivision criteria.

However, board member John Sweeney raised sharp objections to the engineering site plans presented by engineer Paul Keane, criticizing them as being “… deceiving. The exit shown is not the proposed 100 feet. I suggest a 150-200-foot minimum.” Planning Board Chairman E. William Bamber concurred with Sweeney that a 100-foot shift was insufficient, recommending that Southworth and Keane stake out the proposed location on the ground so the board could “… see it physically rather than on a plan.” Although Southworth and Keane pressed for an immediate reaction to prepare finalized paperwork for September, Bamber withheld commitments pending missing environmental and town engineering reports, noting, “I couldn’t make any promises. I don’t foresee any problems with the development pending the missing reports.”

Additionally, the board reviewed the 15-acre, two-lot Everett Street Technology Park subdivision. Engineer Paul Keane sought immediate board approval to move forward despite learning that water and sewer infrastructure pipes would not be installed until the following summer. Chairman Bamber firmly declined to grant conditional approval, instead advising Keane to secure a formal extension for his subdivision plan. (Reporting by local archives).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger