By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — NRP Group, the developer of Grayson Lofts at 168 Albion St. (the old Harvard Mills building at Albion and Foundry streets), is rapidly moving to project completion and expects to be finished with the 184-unit residential project by the end of the year. In the meantime, they are seeking a temporary Certificate of Occupancy for the first floor only.
Attorney Brian McGrail told the Zoning Board of Appeals last week that his client is seeking the temporary occupancy permit for the common areas and units on the first floor in order to allow them to show some model units and allow some early renters to move into the first floor.
McGrail said that Building Inspector Ben DeChristoforo was open to the idea of granting a temporary Certificate of Occupancy but wanted to make sure that the ZBA did not have a problem with it. The Fire Department will also have to sign off before any temporary occupancy permit is issued.
McGrail stressed that his client was moving rapidly toward project completion and would be seeking a permanent Certificate of Occupancy by the end of the December. To that end, he requested that the ZBA appoint a subcommittee, as it has done in the past, to go through the building and verify that everything is done in accordance with the ZBA’s decision on the project. On August 14, 2019, the ZBA granted the Special Permits and issued the necessary findings to enable the development to be constructed.
The lottery for the affordable units has already been advertised, McGrail said, and the regulatory agreement for the affordable units has been approved by the state and entered into the Registry of Deeds. (Under the town’s inclusionary zoning bylaw, 18 percent of the units in all multifamily housing projects must be “affordable,” as defined by the state.)
McGrail said that NRP has also made contributions to the town of $90,000 for inflow and infiltration infrastructure as well as $30,000 for other mitigation. He also noted that NRP has replaced the water main along Foundry Street in front of their building.They have also agreed to fund the repaving of that portion of Foundry Street in the spring.
Board members had questions about the completion of the required landscaping.
Matt Tryder, vice president of Construction at NRP, said that most of the landscaping on the site consists of hardscape. He asked project superintendent Tom Knott to expand on the remaining work.
Knott said that plantings and trees will be installed along Foundry Street in the next two weeks. He added that the courtyard is about 75 percent complete. He also discussed the paving of the Maple Street parking area and the striping in the garage.
The ZBA voted to issue a memorandum to the building inspector saying that they have no problem with the issuance of a temporary occupancy permit for the first floor. They board also appointed a subcommittee of Jim McBain and Ami Wall to go through the project before a final Certificate of Occupancy is granted.
