The City Council gave the okay last night to the construction of a 24-unit apartment building at 66 Emerson Street, the site of a former Comcast office.
The building, which was purchased about two years ago by developer Anthony J. Rossi, had been closed since 2017 and fallen into disrepair.
Rossi’s plans to tear the old building down and replace it with new construction which will hold 11 two-bedroom, 10 studio and three three-bedroom apartments. He described his plans to the Council at Tuesday’s meeting.
“I couldn’t really save this building and work off this building because of the elevation grade, so my goal here is to build a nice building that fits in the neighborhood. It’s going to clean up that area and make it more warm and more lighting and more inviting,” he explained.
The plans also call for a total of 41 parking spaces, five more than required by zoning ordinances. He also intends to include a dog park on the site.
Rossi said he originally intended to build 30-40 units on the site but scaled back plans after discussing it with the city.
Councilor Thomas J. Sullivan said he was very pleased with the project as he has been with other buildings Rossi has developed.
“I like this project. I like the fact that this project isn’t located immediately downtown, but it’s right above the downtown. There’s all kinds of positives to this and I just want to thank you for your investment in Haverhill,” he said.
The Council voted 8-0 to grant the special permit allowing construction to begin.
Rendering of proposed new apartment building.