The City Council last night approved a zoning change for some 53 acres off Winter Street that would allow for a new hotel as well as an office building.
Developer Davis Marcus Partners asked the city to switch the zoning of their property on 40 Sylvan Road from limited commercial to commercial designation. Robert Connors, an attorney for Davis Marcus, told the council last month, that the zoning change would allow for a 145-room hotel.
With the approval of the zone change, Davis Marcus Partners pledged more than $4 million in traffic improvements, which would include widening a stretch of Winter Street at both First and Second Avenue intersections as well as repaving, upgrading traffic signals and installing sidewalks.
The council approved the zoning change by a 10-2 vote. Councilor at large Kathleen McMenimen and Ward 3 Councilor George A. Darcy III voted against the zoning change.
City Councilor at large Thomas Stanley said in the midst of a tough economy, Waltham needs such development, the type he said other cities would clamor for.
"I think we would be crazy not to approve this matter tonight," Stanley said. "For us to turn away a project like this is absolutely ludicrous."
McMenimen said she is concerned that more development in the area would strain the city's aging infrastructure. She also said she had received phone calls from several residents who are concerned about the zone change.
"In my opinion, it is not a benefit to this city," McMenimen said of the zone change.
Ward 9 Councilor Robert Logan, however, said that when looking at a map, it shows the 40 Sylvan Road property is not close to any homes.
"I don't want the impression to be out there that this is going to be something that's going to impact a residential neighborhood," he said.
Logan called the proposed traffic improvements by Davis Marcus Partners "very significant" and said the long-awaited Winter Street Bridge would not be as effective - once its finished - if other upgrades aren't made to the roadway.
Logan said that changing the zoning of the land also made sense because it was next to other commercially zoned properties.
Darcy was concerned the development would pose a traffic burden. He added that the city should wait until the Winter Street Bridge is completed before deciding whether to approve the zone change.
Ward 2 Councilor Ed Tarallo said the upgrades promised by the developer would be needed to ensure the bridge is a success. He said those improvements would help make the bridge "useful and not useless."
Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com
