Click image for Haverhill City Council agenda.
The new owner of a longtime dental office building seeks a special permit to convert the four-story building at 119-125 Merrimack St. into a day care center for 56 children and add a dozen one- and two-bedroom apartments.
Jony N. Perez, chief executive officer of Davinci Mini Apartments, is requesting permits when the Haverhill City Council meets Tuesday. The planned first-floor daycare is allowed by right. On the top three floors, the developer plans six one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments.
The building, at the corner of Merrimack and How Streets, recently housed the dental practice of Dr. Abol M. Tehrani and was sold last June for $875,000, according to the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds. For many years, the property was owned by New England Electric System before it was purchased and used as an art store by the late Natalie Paul.
In a letter, Haverhill City Planner Jacki Byerley is recommending councilors open the public hearing, but continue it until Perez satisfies concerns from several city departments. Among them is a request from Haverhill Police Lt. Kevin Lynch that Perez provide a traffic management plan which takes into consideration traffic flows, particularly during morning and afternoon drop-offs, staff parking and contingency measures should congestion occur.
Perez established Davinci Child Center in 2005 and currently operates two programs in Lawrence.
Councilors will also hold a public hearing on the application from Robert DeNisco to change the zoning for land he owns on Leach Street from Commercial Highway to Residential Urban. In a letter, DeNisco said his intention is to build a two-unit townhouse condominium. In her comments to the council, Byerley noted the land does not have access to River Street as do other adjacent commercial properties. Thus, changing the zoning to residential and allowing access off Newburg Street or Montrose Avenue makes more sense.
A new marketing logo for the city will also be unveiled.
In a letter to city councilors Friday, Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett said the new symbol will not replace the city’s official seal, but rather is meant to provide a more versatile graphic for advertising and promoting city events. Barrett recommended the City Council accept City Clerk Kaitlin M. Wright’s approval of the logo—a power provided under city ordinances.
“This logo’s permitted use shall be limited to marketing and promotional materials related to City of Haverhill events. As Keeper of the Seal, I do not permit this logo to be used in place of the existing city seal on deeds and other legal documents made, given, or entered into by the City, requiring a seal, pursuant to City of Haverhill Code of Ordinances,” Wright wrote in her letter of approval.
In a draft press release before the Council, designer Emilio Viscio of Haverhill said, “”While designing the new City logo for downtown events, it was very important to showcase Haverhill’s history and maintain the essence of the beloved city seal. We distilled some of the most iconic visuals—a shoe, the rolling hills, the river—into an image that can be easily read at any size, in any medium. We wanted the logo to lean on the dependability we all associate with our city seal, while embodying the excitement that has come with all of the new programming in downtown. This new logo will serve as a visual meeting of Haverhill’s rich past and bright future.”
The city paid $750 for the design, according to a resolution before city councilors.
Boat owners who dock their crafts on the Merrimack River in Haverhill would see an increase in fees this summer, according to a Harbor Commission proposal before councilors. Members are expected to place the plan on file for the required two weeks before debating its merits.
Currently, anyone who docks or moors their motor-driven boat in Haverhill for more than two weeks in a calendar year is required to purchase a waterways sticker from the city treasurer’s office and display it on the top, starboard side of their boat, according to city ordinance. The current fee is based on the boat’s length—$1 per foot with a minimum of $20.
The Harbor Commission’s plan would increase the fee to $3 per linear foot this summer, to $4 next summer and to $5 in 2028. Salisbury and Newburyport both charge $5 per linear foot.
Broco Energy is back on the agenda with its request to increase its propane storage by 37,800 gallons. Councilors initially approved the permit for the company’s depot at 168 Hale St. in December but revoked it in January after several neighbors complained they were not formally notified in time to attend the December hearing.
Ward 4 Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski will introduce an update to the city’s Agriculture Commission ordinance. The commission was created in 2020 at the behest of Devan M. Ferreira before she was elected to the Council to represent Ward 3. It is composed of five members and is charged with advocating for farmers, educating the public on agricultural issues and serving as a mediation board when there are farming-related issues. The board has never met.
Councilors will be asked to confirm the reappointments of six members of the city’s Community Affairs Advisory Board. Applicants are the current chair, Sharon Sullivan, 20 Westminster Ave., and current members Anne Vlack, 60 Hancock St; William Lapierre, 1 Hanscom Ave.; Nomsa Ncube, 67 Washington St.; Penelope Guerrero, 89 Washington St., and Andrew Tarasuk, 88 Race St. The Community Affairs Advisory Board evaluates grant requests awarded from the city’s federal Community Development Block Grant program.
At-large Councilor Thomas J. Sullivan, Ward 2 Councilor Daniel R. Diodati and Ward 7 Councilor Catherine P. Rogers have invited Eileen Duff, the head of the Essex South Registry of Deeds, to discuss property fraud and the state’s homestead protection law.
The Haverhill City Council meets Tuesday night at 7 p.m., remotely and in-person at the Theodore A. Pelosi Jr. Council Chambers, room 202, Haverhill City Hall, 4 Summer St. As a public service, 97.9 WHAV plans to carry the meeting live.