PROVINCETOWN — Developer Jay Abbiuso has proposed building a 14-unit condominium complex encompassing five buildings on what is now a vacant lot at 33 Conwell St.
Because the proposal includes three on-site affordable units, about 22 percent of the total, Abbiuso wants the town to permit it under the provisions of the inclusionary bylaw, which allow for certain waivers for projects with on-site affordable housing. The proposal has the support of Kristin Hatch, the executive director of the Provincetown Housing Authority.
“The idea of creating 22-percent affordable, that creates three on-site affordable housing units at no cost to the town, is an important opportunity,” Hatch wrote in her letter of endorsement. “More and more I see affordable deed-restricted units as vital to the survival of our town.”
The proposal calls for two multi-family buildings, each having four one-bedroom units, flanking three smaller ones, each with two two-bedroom units.
The complex would go up in two phases. The two buildings made up of one-bedroom condos and one of the two-unit buildings would be constructed first and served by a Title 5 septic system. The remainder would be built when municipal sewering is available at this location — which should be sometime between 2027 and 2030.
Abbiuso has requested five waivers, which include putting five buildings on the 19,200-square-foot lot and constructing 14 units instead of the 11 allowed by the zoning bylaw. (The inclusionary bylaw allows for one market-rate unit to be added for each on-site affordable unit under its density bonus.) Other waivers would allow the builder to reduce the front yard setback to allow more space between the buildings, to exceed the allowed height for the two corner buildings, and to provide 14 parking spaces instead of the 16 that would normally be required.
A May 9 opening hearing before the planning board got off to a somewhat rocky start with several neighbors lining up to express concern and opposition. After a 90-minute discussion, the board continued the hearing to June 13 to allow time for board members to conduct a site visit and give the developer time to clear up confusion regarding traffic on neighbors’ private ways.
Neighbors from Old Colony Way and Off Conwell Street — the complex would run between these two private ways — had plenty to say at the hearing. Abutters own those roads, they said, and pay taxes on them. Adrian and Barbara Peters wrote to the planning board saying the proposed plan shows that two parking spots for the complex were on Off Conwell.
“Off Conwell Street is a private road, the beginning portion of which we own,” they said. “Because of this, we are not OK with this proposed plan. It raises serious concerns regarding our property bounds and makes us question the integrity of the entire project.”
Russell Lopez of 14 Old Colony Way expressed similar sentiments at the hearing. “It’s a gravel road and we have to maintain it ourselves,” he said. The proposed parking at 33 Conwell, at one space per unit, would be inadequate, he predicted, and there was no off-street parking on Conwell Street, Off Conwell Street, or Old Colony Way.
Property owners on Old Colony Way said their road has been quiet for the last several years because a section that would have made it a cut-through to Conwell Street had been chained off.
That closure greatly improved the quality of life there, they said.
“Reopening this is not acceptable to anyone on our street,” said one Old Colony Way resident. The size of the proposed buildings was also a concern, he said. “This is an extremely small plot of land. It’s a postage stamp.”
“This is our back yard,” said Chris Casale, owner of 13 Old Colony Way. “You need to listen to us. We’d like to see that land developed, but work with us.”
Abbiuso would be opening the chained-off section of Old Colony since it is now part of his property and doing so would provide access to most of his proposed units. “The road, drive, dirt path is fully contained on our property, and the road will be built on our property and will be maintained by us,” he said.
After hearing neighborhood concerns regarding increased traffic, Abbiuso said options for avoiding problems could include making his section of Old Colony one way only or putting a gate at one end of the road.
“We want to find the path of least resistance, and I think it’s definitely going to be a collaborative effort,” Abbiuso said.
Residents and planning board members wanted clarification regarding traffic and the use of nearby private roads to access the project; they asked that these be provided at future meetings.
Chair Dana Masterpolo said the concern over density would also be addressed. She suggested a broader look at the area around 33 Conwell that would include development beyond the two nearby private streets.
The hearing was continued until June 13, with a site visit planned just before the meeting, if Abbiuso can have the structures, parking, and access flagged in time. Town Planner Thaddeus Soule added that the site visit is open to the public.
“I think there are a lot of positive attributes to this project,” Masterpolo said. “If we could just work to resolve some of the questions.”
