Urban Affairs delays vote on downtown Wuhu housing project, asks for design revisions

MARLBOROUGH — June 3, 2021 — Marlborough committee stalls 44-unit downtown Wuhu project over facade design dispute. The City Council's Urban Affairs Committee on Thursday postponed action on a site plan for a six-story, 68-foot mixed-use building at 28 South Bolton St. after a straw poll showed councilors preferred an earlier May 25 design over the concrete-and-punched-window version presented this week. Attorney Brian Falk and Chief Development Officer Zach Karizzi told the panel the project would bring 44 units renting from roughly $1,400 to $2,300, plus 25 parking spaces and about 1,000 square feet of retail. Councilor Michael Ducette said the latest design "doesn't fit the rest of the city," while Councilor Laura Wagner defended its all-electric, Transsolar-engineered sustainability program. The committee also voted 4-1 to advance the Results Way Mixed Use Overlay extension, with Councilor Donald Landers opposed, and 5-0 on rezonings at 290 Hudson St. and a Mobil sign amendment at 656 Boston Post Road East.