PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Development Board on Tuesday rejected a reclassification request and approved a special permit for the expansion of an assisted living facility.

The owners of Side by Side assisted living facility on Onota Street plan to expand its campus by converting four multifamily homes into 19 assisted living units. The project also includes an application to reduce the number of required off-street parking spaces.

The additional properties are located on Gilbert Street and West Union Street.

"The tenants themselves do not generally own vehicles, its very low vehicle ownership," City Planner CJ Hoss said.   

"So there's not a need to have this extreme amount of parking for residents that just don't have access to their car."

The board members felt that Compass Ridge LCC's application to reclassify a split-zoned property on West Housatonic Street needed more of a solid plan before they could support it.

The applicants Kyle Danforth and Chase Wojtkowski want to change the residential and business and commerce-zoned property into just a business-commerce property.

Located on the north side of Lebanon Avenue and the south side of West Housatonic Street, the two see it as a gateway into the city.

"We own the land on West Housatonic, which we really don't have a game plan for," Danforth said.

"But we see it's multi-zoned and being able to convert it to commercial zone and then asking the city what opportunity there is for us to develop it or what things we can go after rather than having it just — the split zone kind of limits us."

He added that the last thing he wants to do is waste people's time and they didn't want to be limited by the split development.

A meeting was held on the property with abutters and letters were sent out to notify them of the intent.

One abutter called into the meeting to express concern about the type of business that would be put on the parcel.

Hoss confirmed that the big concern typically heard from the board and the City Council is control.  Various retail ventures including lounges, bars, and eating establishments would be allowable by right.

"I'm curious about why you're seeking to do this now without any semblance of an idea about what it might be," board member Matthew Herzberg said.

"I understand wanting to keep your options open, but I think from my perspective, this is kind of an important parcel, as you mentioned, I mean, rightfully, Kyle, it is kind of a gateway to the center of the city and so I think it's understandable then from our perspective that we maintain some control over what's going to go there, which my understanding is that we'll be giving that up pretty much completely if we allow this rezoning to go forward because the parcel will be much easier to develop."

There was also concern about the proximity of the parcel to residential areas and the establishment of buildings that don't fit the character of the area. The applicants assured the board that they don't have intentions to build an unwelcome business on the parcel.

"We're just rezoning an acre of it. It's already zoned commercial and it's already zoned residential so we can still put a commercial building there," Danforth said.

"We're just trying to make it so it's more visually pleasing and away from the residential side of it and to stop that traffic going into that neighborhood because we will use the curb cut on that side."

He added that the current commercial side of the property abuts more of the neighborhood.

Board member Gary Levante said he is hearing that there could be an appetite in looking at that zoning but without a semblance of a plan, there is resistance.

"Right now we're hearing your hopes and as much as we appreciate that we have to deal with the reality of the property," Chair Sheila Irvin said.

The applicants were encouraged to come back with a site plan or more information on how they see the site being developed. It will go to the City Council on Nov. 15.

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