Facing mounting pressure to straighten out what officials bluntly term a “zoning mess,” the Planning Board decided last night that it can no longer postpone a thorough reevaluation of the wide-open Trunk Highway A (THA) and Trunk Highway B (THB) zoning designations that loosely regulate extensive commercial acreage along Route 1.
Route 1 “Strip Zoning” Overhaul and Arena Industrial Park
Building Inspector John E. Grover repeatedly urged the board to fully redefine THA and THB zones, noting that properties under these classifications currently sit on the municipal map without specific restrictions—allowing landowners to erect anything from retail storefronts to manufacturing plants. While developer-investor Frank R. Simoni recommended merely establishing a 100-foot highway setback requirement, Town Counsel Justin C. Barton and Inspector Grover warned that simple setbacks would only compound existing dissatisfaction with shallow “strip zoning.”
The planning board voted 4-1 to meet on September 27 with Town Engineer Robert A. Hamilton to devise a corrective strategy through comprehensive zoning revisions or outright rezoning, with Chairman Thomas A. Riolo indicating that Route 1 abutters may subsequently be consulted.
In a related major development, James H. Shane, board chairman of Appendagez Inc. (Faded Glory clothing distributors), formally presented plans for the proposed “Park Place” industrial park on the 220 buildable acres of the Norwood Arena site. Shane announced that roughly 8 or 10 acres will house a two-story glass and brick-faced Faded Glory office building and adjoining warehouse designed with potential for future expansion. While employment numbers will grow beyond the firm’s current 320 Norwood workers, Shane noted specific construction costs and labor projections remain uncalculated. Chairman Riolo praised the proposal enthusiastically, declaring, “I like Shane’s proposal. I think it means more jobs for the people of Norwood and more tax revenue.”
Housing Authority Honors Petrovek and Other Town News
In other municipal matters, the Norwood Housing Authority recently honored August “Gus” Petrovek Jr. for his nine years of dedicated service as the state-appointed member of the board. Housing Authority Chairman John C. Adelmann presented Petrovek with an engraved plaque recognizing his faithful service during a tenure marked by the completion of 152 apartments across two elderly housing developments on Nahatan Street. Petrovek, of 33 Granite St., has been succeeded by former selectman Michael J. Curran, an appointment of the Dukakis administration.
Additional local updates include:
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
More…
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Eminent Domain Pond Taking Considered-June 16, 1971
A marathon Selectmen session brings high-profile legal standoffs over Norwood Arena noise limits alongside a $350,000 real estate deadlock.
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Comprehensive Route 1 Zoning Overhaul Proposed Following Impact Study-June 11, 1971
Massive commercial shifts are coming to Route 1. The Planning Board prepares to unveil a sweeping zoning plan designed to regulate growth near the new stadium.
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Housing Authority Forced to Abandon Two Sites for Low-Income Family Housing-August 7, 1970
acing strict rezoning hurdles on Pellana Road and prohibitive development costs in the Sumner-Union Street wetlands, the Norwood Housing Authority dropped two prospective sites for its 20-unit family housing initiative.⠀
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Police Investigate Twin Burglaries-July 27, 1970
On the sweltering summer evening of July 27, 1970, Sgt. Nicholas J. Connolly of the Norwood Police Department was alerted to a potential break-in at the Norwood Texaco Station, located at 305 Providence Highway. Upon arriving at the scene, he discovered a window shattered on an overhead door, a clear indication that the perpetrators had…
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Late July Completion Date Hoped For Portion Of Electrical Project-June 23, 1970
A massive local utility overhaul transitions the town’s power grid to save thousands in wholesale electricity costs.
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Norwood Kills Funds For School Addition-June 26, 1969
Voters approve a $1,000 Endean Park drainage compromise and reverse a zoning rule to relocate Carl A. Johnson’s Norwood Cadillac Co. along Route 1.
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Harry B. Butters Testimonial Committee To Meet Tonight-June 24, 1969
Officials announce ticket pricing and a late-summer sales window for the upcoming civic banquet slated for September at Route 1’s Roll-Land Hall.
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Norwood Voters To Consider Lighting Funds-June 26, 1968
The Finance Commission backs the utility expansion alongside a $163,000 sewer construction article, while the town master plan is deferred.
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Norwood Planners To Postpone Article On Master Plan-June 25, 1968
Planners vote unanimously to defy a Finance Commission veto, taking an eight-thousand-dollar intersection study request straight to town meeting.
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FinCom Recommends $2.5-Million Expenditure-June 21, 1968
A massive infrastructure recommendation heading to a special town meeting could alter Norwood’s utility footprint and spark eminent domain protests.
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