Urban Affairs OKs five design changes at 28 South Bolton project

MARLBOROUGH — October 16, 2024 — Marlborough's Urban Affairs Committee unanimously approves five as-built design changes at 28 South Bolton St. The 5-0 vote Wednesday cleared deviations the Building Department flagged Aug. 30 as more than minor, contingent on the applicant submitting revised drawings for formal site plan review. Architect Albert Costa told councilors the original insulated metal panel skin had been replaced with James Hardie fiber cement clapboard, full-height casement windows swapped for double-hungs over 30-inch walls fronted by Juliet balconies, round gable windows built as faux spandrel units, and an 18-foot brick podium matched to the bank across the street. Costa apologized for proceeding without notice, saying "we changed without telling anybody, especially the city council," and defended the window change on life-safety grounds: "Every year somebody falls out of a window in the Boston, New York area." Councilor Sean Ossing led the item-by-item review.