Planning Board Gets First Look At Downtown Mixed-Use Proposal

MANSFIELD, MA — Following the construction of One Mansfield next to the train station and Rumford 214 on Rumford Avenue, Mansfield developer Marco Crugnale is hoping for more success in the downtown area.

The planning board got their first look at the site plan for a proposed 102-unit mixed-use development slated for the property that North Main Street, Thomas Street, and Old Colony Road wraps around. Plans for the project shows three four-floor building which wraps around the exterior of the property with parking in the middle. About 11,600 square feet of retail space is slated for the ground floor, along with some storage for the tenants.

“It’s our front door. It creates an impression from the street and highway,” former Selectman Doug Annino, who is the architect for the project, told the planning board.

Unlike other projects, this one will have an emphasis on one-bedroom apartments with the split between one- and two-bedroom apartments favoring the former 65-37. The parking spot to apartment ratio is about even.

“What we’re finding is we have a lot of professional couples who will take the lower rent,” Crugnale said. “A lot of people are moving to Mansfield. They love the town and hop on the train. It’s more common for couples to have one car.”

Like One Mansfield, the developer is promising to install park benches, bike racks, and lighting around the property.

Planning board member Ralph Penney said the proposal is part of a changing Mansfield.

"It’s a beautiful project and it’s going to change the face of downtown. I see it as an improvement. I hope you take some of the comments you hear and try to revise the design the best you can," Penney said to Crugnale. "It’s just overwhelming because the town is changing but like I said before, it’s progress, we can’t hold it back."

While no one questioned the beauty of what is being proposed, there were concerns about parking and the future of the current tenants like the Looking Glass Cafe. Gretchen and Christos Kalogeras, owners of the popular restaurant, said speculation about the future of the building is at a fever pitch.

“It has been a firestorm for the last year. What does become of the Looking Glass Cafe? We’re a fixture in Mansfield, we have worked hard to become that. We don't want to go anywhere. We love Mansfield, this is our home,” Gretchen Kalogeras said.

Crugnale said he would be willing to sit down with the owners and see if they can work something out.

“Everything is open for discussion,” he said.

Residents, public safety officials, and some board members were concerned that there are not enough parking spots, noting that the parking numbers given to the board include 17 street parking spaces. Officer David Kinahan, the Mansfield Police Department's traffic officer, wrote that there have been past parking issues where tenants with two cars and only one spot have obtained a residential street parking hanger, taking away spots from customers of the businesses. That situation creates a challenge during the winter months when parking is not allowed during the overnight hours and major weather events.

"Every year I get an increase of 'where can I park during snowstorms?'" Kinahan wrote.

Planning board Chairman Tom French said he felt the project had too many tandem spaces, was too dense, and wanted to see the size decrease.

Despite the concerns, there appears to be a demand for housing near public transportation. Crugnale said Rumford 214 is at 100 percent capacity and One Mansfield has 20 units left for lease and is further along than he expected. He also said the businesses are benefiting, telling the board that business at Geno's Restaurant & Lounge near One Mansfield is up 30 percent.

The planning board will revisit the site plan hearing June 6.

Images of project mock ups taken by Dan Libon.