Haverhill City Councilors William J. Macek, Mary Ellen Daly-O’Brien and Michael S. McGonagle review the recommended location of a zone for medical marijuana facilities. (WHAV photo.)
The Haverhill City Council is scheduled to have public hearings Tuesday to exempt certain downtown office plans from future special permit requirements.
Councilors will hear recommendations from the Haverhill Planning Board on a proposal to require a special permit process for certain building uses in the Hale Street-Stevens Street Industrial General (IG) zone, which officials called “an area of significant transition.” An amendment made Aug. 12 by the planning board to proposed changes to zoning Table of Use and Parking Regulations would now exempt Hale Street and general office uses on Stevens Street from the special permit zoning requirements.
“I recommend these minor changes be made to the document currently on file with the city council,” said Economic Development and Planning Director William Pillsbury. “The result of this minor amendment means that Hale Street is not included in this zoning change and general office use continues to be allowed by right on Stevens Street.” The amended proposal received unanimous favorable recommendation from the planning board and Pillsbury also recommends council approval as amended.
Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini’s administration has advocated overlay districts and other changes to allow certain businesses to build or locate in the city without city council intervention.
Street Would Have Been Home to Healthy Pharms
Hale Street, which runs parallel to the railroad tracks crossing Winter Street, has historically hosted industrial businesses. Recently, however, other uses have been proposed such as Healthy Pharms’ proposed medical marijuana distribution store.
Councilors ultimately refused to designate the area for marijuana uses, choosing instead an area within the Broadway industrial park, off route 97, near interstate 495. Healthy Pharms has since struck an agreement with the town of Georgetown to locate there.
In another proposed zoning regulation change, the city would have the ability to regulate designs of signs at Harbor Place and other businesses in the Merrimack Street portion of the downtown Waterfront Zoning District.