JRC site in Swampscott to see new project

The site of the former Aviv Center for Living/Jewish Rehabilitation Center will soon be home to a new project. The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) unanimously approved a special permit for the construction of a two-building apartment complex at 326-330 Paradise Road by the Hanover Company, at their meeting Wednesday, Dec. 18.

"I'm thrilled with the decision," said Hanover development partner David Hall.

The permit grants site plan and dimensional relief for two four-story buildings containing 184 market-rate luxury apartments. Ninety-nine of those apartments will be one-bedroom units, 70 will be two-bedroom units and 15 will be three-bedroom units.

Building 1, with a projected 104 units, is designed as a horseshoe-shaped building on the side of the property near Longwood Drive towards the Lynn side of town and further away from the street than the present two-story building.

Building 2 will be a long rectangle with 80 units on the other side of the property with its rear facing Crown Pointe Condominiums, towards Salem. It is the same layout first presented to the Planning Board July 15 and ZBA July 24, although concerns about drainage and the location of the driveway were addressed in the meantime.

In October, the original location of the driveway was moved from 326 Paradise Road to a spot closer to Vinnin Square because it was found to be zoned a residential lot, having held a house at one time.

Other concerns were finally laid to rest Dec. 18, at least to the satisfaction of the ZBA. The original plan for emergency access via Longwood Drive and a second plan for such access from Eastman Road behind the complex, which upset residents, were superseded by a new plan for emergency access through Crown Pointe land via a connecting path in the northwest corner of the Hanover site. Hall reported Crown Pointe is amenable to the idea, which will be reciprocal.

It would only be used in the case of a large fire when we'd need more apparatus," Fire Chief Kevin Breen said. "We couldn't see it until the leaves came down. What we thought was steep was a gentle grade."

The ZBA was also satisfied with traffic information submitted by Hanover through consultant Jeffrey Dirk. Using numbers from a similarly sized Hanover development in Braintree, he said Hanover Vinnin Square will generate the same traffic level as the JRC did, although residences generate outbound traffic in the morning and inbound traffic in the evening, the opposite of a workplace.

When the complex is 90-95 percent full, traffic counts will be made. If the count exceeds 110 percent of the projections mitigation is in order, probably taking the form of retiming traffic signals, to be paid for by Hanover.

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JRC site in Swampscott to see new project