This is the text of a letter submitted to the Planning Board in advance of their May 20, 2021 meeting and to the Design Review Board in advance of their May 26, 2021 meeting.  
 


Dear Mr. Griset and Mr. Durand,

As we have been participating in this community review of the proposed project at 4 Franklin Street, we have been pleased to see the unified opinion the Planning Board expressed regarding building placement and the receptiveness with which the applicant responded to this request.  

We have one other major concern and that is regarding the materials in this proposal.  The North River Canal Corridor Zoning Ordinance in Section 8.4.2.2 highly discourages the following materials: precast concrete, pre-fabrication aluminum or metal panels.  We ask the Boards to work with incoming neighborhood member Cataldo Ambulance to merge the desired look of their brand with the neighborhood’s established “brand” or, as it is described in the Zoning Ordinance, “historic neighborhood character.”

The materials that are encouraged in the ordinance are brick, stone or wood.  These, or similar, materials could lend a warmth and connection to place that the building, as currently proposed, lacks. The highly discouraged materials should not be allowed.