MEDWAY - The proposed Heritage on Main development returned to the Medway Planning and Economic Development Board (PEDB) on Aug. 11 when the applicant presented revised plans addressing concerns raised by town officials, residents and an independent peer review.

The two-hour hearing focused heavily on traffic and the project's redesigned architecture. Attorney Jonathan Silverstein, representing the applicant, said the development team had taken public and municipal feedback into account.

Silverstein said, "We think we are responsive to a lot of the comments that we've heard."

The proposed mixed-use complex would encompass 107-119 Main St. and 1-3 Elm Street.

Traffic concerns

Jeffrey Dirk of Vanasse & Associates, the project's transportation engineering and planning consultant, presented an updated traffic analysis and said the team is coordinating its work with the town's planned municipal complex across the street.

Dirk described the Main Street location as well suited for a dense multifamily residential development because of its proximity to amenities, saying "It's perfectly located for having dense multi-family residential because of all the amenities we have in the area."

According to Dirk, the analysis found no significant traffic impacts from the project. The study examined conditions before and after construction, including delays and vehicle queues at nearby intersections.

"As we look at the overall impact of the project...when we look at conditions before and after the project being constructed, we didn't find any significant impacts," said Dirk.

"What we're looking at are increases in delay and how those delays translate into backup or queuing at the intersections."

He said the projected increase in delay would be no more than 16 seconds at any one intersection, while vehicle queues would increase by no more than four cars.

The proposed development would have five driveways, including one at a signalized intersection near the gas station. The remaining driveways would be unsignalized, meaning residents leaving the development could experience delays, particularly when attempting left turns onto Main Street.

Dirk said, "We're not installing traffic signals along the corridor, so there is going to be delays" for vehicles exiting the project. He noted the maximum queue at the project's driveways is expected to be only one or two vehicles.

The development is projected to generate approximately 3,140 trips on an average weekday, with about half entering and half leaving the site. Morning peak traffic would occur between approximately 7:15 and 8:15 a.m.

Dirk said some intersections, including the Pond Street and Elm Street area, are already operating "at or above their design capacity," with queues of approximately four to five vehicles. The average delay for drivers at those locations could be between 35 and 40 seconds, he said.

The project team is exploring possible improvements, including retiming traffic signals, and plans to connect with GATRA regarding public transportation.

Residents and board members also raised concerns about traffic on surrounding streets, including Pond Street, Curtis Street, Holliston Street and the Brentwood neighborhood. One resident called for a pedestrian signal at the intersection of Pond and Main streets, while others questioned whether increased traffic could affect nearby residential streets and intersections.

PEDC Chair Andy Rodenhiser said improving the flow of traffic on Route 109 could help prevent motorists from diverting onto neighborhood streets, and would address many resident issues raised at the meeting. "The more traffic we can move on 109 faster, the more likely we are to minimize any traffic that hits the side streets [and] prevent people from feeling like 109's a clogged artery," he said, and Dirk agreed.

Architectural redesign

The second half of the hearing was related to the extensive revisions to the project's architectural design which incorporated comments from the town, residents and the Design Review Committee.

Aksel Solberg of HFA, the project's architectural firm, said the response to those comments resulted in an extensive overhaul of the development.

"The architectural revision here has been pretty significant, we really went back to the drawing board; we wanted to make it clear that we were responding to the comments and that we heard the desires of the community," he said. "Given the extent of comments and the genuine philosophical alignment that we have with delivering the best project we can to the town, we essentially redesigned the entire project," said Solberg.

Among the concerns raised about the original proposal were the appearance of the multifamily buildings, which some felt were too long, flat and visually unbroken. The revised plans incorporate additional architectural elements, colors and materials intended to better reflect a 'New England village' aesthetic.

The materials palette now includes more masonry, shingles and shakes, as well as additional colors and textures to the clapboard design. The redesign also seeks to soften the appearance of the fourth floor and the project's edge along Main Street.

Solberg said, "It is a much more New-England-inspired theme. The fourth floor has been completely redesigned to incorporate Mansard roofs, gable roof forms, dormers for the windows. We've completely re-evaluated the window proportions, the window types, ground floor storefronts have been added to give the appeal of that commercial space that people wanted to see more of along Main Street."

Projecting balconies were replaced with Juliet balconies (doors that open to a safety rail but no patio floor).

Retail buildings were also redesigned to reflect a more traditional New England village style. Solberg said there are plans for an ice cream window and a farmers market area associated with the proposed country store. Solberg also said the 'tree top canopy' has been removed from above the fuel pumps.

"The architectural revision here has been pretty significant," Solberg said. "We really went back to the drawing board; we wanted to make it clear that we were responding to the comments and that we heard the desires of the community."

PEDC member Sarah Raposa said the revisions have improved the project's appearance.

"Certainly, it's still a massive building, but the architectural features that you're incorporating do help with the visual buffering," said Raposa. "And I think having the benefit of the rendering for across the street [municipal complex], it's telling a better story."

The hearing will continue Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Medway Middle School presentation room.

Public comments and questions may be emailed to [email protected].