New plan filed with MEPA for BRMC site
Published on July 10th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - Burlington based developer Arthur Gutierrez has submitted new plans to the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency revitalizing his effort to turn the former Boston Regional Medical Center into a large corporate office park.
Gutierrez, who purchased the failed medical facility for $20 million in 1999, submitted a similar plan last year to MEPA, but that plan was rejected citing traffic and drainage issues and the impact it will have on the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The scope of the project including three new buildings totaling 540,000 square feet and the renovation of the three existing buildings has not been changed.
In an effort to ease the environmental concerns of MEPA and residents, Gutierrez‚ new Supplemental Draft Environment Impact Report (SDEIR) better addresses those traffic and drainage issues.
“We have approximately $2.3 million in traffic improvements included in the plan,” said Gutierrez. “Our revised plan for drainage will have less run-off after the project is completed than the site has today.”
The Stoneham Planning Board approved a special permit and the Board of Selectmen approved the site plans on February 16, 2001. A Draft Environmental Impact Report Certificate was issued on October 15, 2001, which requested a Supplemental DEIR be completed. The SDEIR dated July 1, 2002, estimates the finished project will generate $1.2 million in annual tax revenue.
The engineering firm of Vannasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. prepared the new Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report that addresses the previous concerns of opponents and MEPA. The SDEIR is available at the Stoneham Public Library and will soon be available on the Internet at www.stonehamexecutivecenter.com. The four-volume report is impressive in size, weight and content. Included in the report is a thorough traffic impact study that details traffic and accident occurrence at 14 nearby intersections. The report also has copies of 212 original letters from opponents and proponents voicing their opinion of the proposed office park.
According to the report, once the SDEIR is noted in the Environmental Monitor at the end of July, the public will have 30 days to express their comments concerning the proposal. To have your voice heard send your comments to MEPA file # 12372, Suite 900, 251 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02114.
Gutierrez is hopeful that the environmental impact report will satisfy the concerns of MEPA and the community. Other than the impact study, Gutierrez has some litigation and appeals cases to work through, which he says may be concluded by the end of the year. Nevertheless, he is confident that the project will become reality.
“We are very confident that our plan will go forward once all the criteria have been met,” said Gutierrez. As far as future tenants, there are no interested parties at this time. “Our biggest hurdle right now is the economy and the tenant market.”
For more information on the SDEIR residents can contact Rick Bourne of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., the engineering firm responsible for preparing the report, at 614-924-1770.
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