Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay, good evening everybody. It's the regularly scheduled meeting of the planning board. It is 6:02 p.m. on the 5th of March, 2026. I'm Mike Capuano. I'm the chairman of the planning board. With me tonight is our clerk, Jan Habib, our members, Lynn Richards, Michael McNeely, Luke Schustster, and Coral Cooper. We have a quorum. Pursuant to chapter two of the acts of 2025, this meeting of the planning board will be conducted via remote participation. The video recording of these proceedings will be available in city's websites uh meetings and events page or by emailing planning boards.gov. This meeting is being recorded. Um we have some items on our agenda tonight. two matters of minutes and one case. So, I will take the minutes first, but for the purpose of me not forgetting to ask, Jan, could you please read into the record the notice of public hearing for the case that we've got tonight?

Absolutely, Mr. Chair. 360 Foley Street. Sly Royal Hotel LLC proposes a major amendment to the updated block 5 design guidelines and existing PUB PB2000659 in the Assembly Square Mixed Use District ASMD ZP25-0000120. Assembly Row Hotel LLC proposes a major amendment to a previously issued SPSR- A. PB22014-34 in the Assembly Square Mixed Use District ASMD ZP25-0000121. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Okay. And we will take the case up after we deal with the meeting minutes. Um, so first meeting minutes that we have, we have October 16th, 2025. Um, which is a little bit of a lag, but not too bad. Uh just so that folks are aware, um I know we've mentioned it before, but we we have a new member now. So, um you don't have to have been present at the um meeting that we're voting on the minutes for. All you have to do is read the minutes and uh vote. The the advice that we got a while back was that vote to make sure that the minutes accurately reflected what the meeting um likely was and that doesn't seem to be any glaring issues that that you saw that wouldn't have accurately reflected the meeting. So, uh Cory, you weren't on the board at the time, but you will have the opportunity to vote on the meeting with if you want. Does anybody have any suggested revisions, comments about the October 16th, 2025 minutes? Okay, seeing none, the cham moves to approve the draft meeting minutes of October 16th, seconded by Jan. Um, Alvaro, can we have a roll call, please?

And I, Lynn Richards, I. Luke Schuster, hi. Carly Cooper. I Michael Mcnilli. Hi. Michael Capalano. Hi. We have meet amen.

February 5. I do have a revision. Um based on the discussion that we had at the subsequent meeting at the misheard vote for the site plan approval. Um Alvaro, I think it needs to be recognized in the meeting minutes that the vote for the site plan approval did in fact pass. that there was a confusion as to what the vote was um and that upon you maybe subsequent review of of the record and clarification by the members um that that vote did in fact um pass. Okay, I'll take that comment and pass it on so we can revisit the minutes.

Yep, we can. when we get to the um meeting minutes for the next February meeting, it could be incorporated that this was the discussion to clarify what the FEB 5 vote actually was. Um but the but the the vote wasn't approved. The the site plan approval wasn't approved on February 19th. It was approved on February 5th based on what the actual vote was. Okay.

Yes. Does anybody else have any comments, questions, suggested revisions on Feb 5? Okay, seeing none, the chair moves to approve as amended the draft meeting minutes for Feb 5, seconded by Jan. Um, Alvaro, can we please have a roll call? Jan Khid, I. Lyn Richards, I. Luke Schuster. Early Cooper. Hi, Michael Manili. I'm gonna abstain. Michael Capano. Hi.

Um, okay. 360 Foley Street, our only case, which was just read into the record. Can we please have the applicant and um their representatives, their team be shared, unmuted, um whatever needs to be done to bring folks into the fold.

I just promoted Patrick Mahm to be a panelist. Hello. Hi, Chairman. Patrick McMahon with Federal Reality. Um, shall I shall I begin? Do do you have anybody else on the team that needs to be um joining us with a with a presentation or whatever you might have?

I sure do. So, Matt Snell from Nutter, our legal council, who I now see um as well Leo Zeras, um with XSS, our hotel partner.

I have promoted Leo to be a panelist as well. Thank you. And I do have a presentation. Um I I what I think will probably be a relatively quick one. Um so if if amendable to you, I'm happy to begin. Absolutely. Thank you. And just uh as as a reminder to anybody who might be presenting um and anybody who might be providing testimony later, just provide your u name and address or name and affiliation uh for the recy speak.

I will kick it off. I'm Matt Snell from Nutter Mclennon Fish from Council for Federal Realy. Um one of the applicants for Assembly Road for this project. Um we are here tonight for um a modification. It's really two pieces. Um but as you'll recall, we've done this a whole bunch of times where we have design guidelines that are part of the PUD that encompasses the larger assembly row and the the actual special permit for the building. And so we kind of take them one after the other, but we really present it all together because it all goes together. Um, and Patrick's with me tonight as well. Um, so, you know, kind of starting off, um, you this is, uh, what was referred to as block 5A of of the larger assembly row, master plan, PUB. Um, it it has a hotel and and some retail and some some other things in it. Um the project tonight is to relocate the existing accessory dining area and lounge that's located in the first floor of the hotel um to a to the fourth floor. It would be a new um a new fourth floor on a portion of the building um interior and exterior. Um, so in order to do that, we need to update the the design guidelines that were previously approved by the board as part of the PUD and then modify the special permit. In addition to the design guidelines um, being updated, we also need to update the square footage of the hotel. While typically the zoning kind of refers to the rooms as being the driver, the the PUD actually has a specific square footage of the hotel. Um, and when we add this space on, we increase it by a little over a thousand square feet. So, we just need to to amend it. Otherwise, the change doesn't

change utilities, sewer, traffic, other impacts. It's just relocating space in the hotel to to the fourth floor, and it's part of the accessory use of the hotel. So, you know, I'll start off really quick on the design guideline piece of it, and then Patrick can kind of describe the the nitty-gritty for for the details. Um on the left hand side you see the prior design guidelines that were approved back in 2016 or so. Um and then on the right you can see they the they added um level four on top of the podium at at three for the hotel. That's the only change to the design guidelines. Um condition 39 of the PUD required us to to get the design guidelines approved. Uh and so after meeting with staff and discussing because it changes just a little bit um it was uh deemed a major modification. And then as I said the second piece of this is the hotel as built is 100,56 square ft. Um the PUB approves hotel space which is the only hotel in assembly as 104550. And as I said, we add this 5,000 square feet space, it it kicks us over. So we we'd ask the board then to approve that that modification to the to the PUB to increase the space to 105,626 ft, which is all in the papers. I you don't need to memorize all those numbers, I guess. Um like I said, it doesn't change, you know, utilities, sewer, traffic, all of those things are based off rooms. The rooms stay the same at 158. Um no other changes. whatsoever. So that's that's the the PUD amendment piece. Um and I said we did this we did the same thing for block 7A recently. We did it for block 9 as well. Um and and so some of you that have been here are familiar with this and somewhat administrative, but we appreciate it.

And I'll turn it over to Patrick and he can kind of walk through the actual project.

Thanks a lot, Matt. And uh appreciate uh the time and consideration tonight. uh as as Matt sort of he got into the granular technical uh details relative to the PUD, I I'll sort of pull back and speak about the project in a more uh probably lay person's uh language here. Um as he noted, we're here tonight to present uh our proposed addition of a fourth floor uh above what is the existing ballroom. So, if you're looking at your screen now, uh what looks like a rendering is indeed a rendering. However, these are all built and completed and open and operating structures. Um really at the center of your screen is our hotel building. As Matt noted, it's got retail hotel and residential. We have 122 condominiums over 158 key hotel with approximately 20,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. The proposed addition uh would add approximately 5,500 square feet to what actually is the fourth floor of the hotel. It looks to be the third floor because indeed on the lower portion of the existing hotel, it would be a third story. However, these first two floors, this is all hotel and restaurant program, they are much taller. Um, and so these first two floors sit really apart from the larger building. Um, and each floor we've got four to um, a floor height of 20 feet on the ground floor and about 20 ft on the second floor. That actually gets you to about 40 feet, which is really three stories for the balance of the building. So, this roof deck, while it will sit at floor three above the second floor ballroom and meeting area, it actually will connect back to the hotel at floor

4. Uh, I hope hopefully I presented that in a succinct way. Um, it's something that we had to wrestle with a bit on the design side, but what you're looking at here is the proposed 5,500 foot addition. As Matt noted, this would be a relocation of the dining area that currently sits behind the hotel lobby bar. uh where we've been serving breakfast since we opened nearly eight years ago. Um and since we opened, we have realized significant demand, if not been unable to meet all of the demand um for the FnB program for breakfast. And so we have always sought to try to figure out a way to expand the breakfast offering, to expand the FnB offering. Um that is something that has always been open to the public. um that has helped drive demand as well. We've had significant demand for additional meeting spaces. We do have a ballroom as I mentioned. We have a smaller conference area. Uh we have done very well there with the exception of during COVID uh and have seen increased demand for meeting spaces. So what we are proposing today is to relocate that breakfast dining area to this third to to this third story. expand uh to expand it both in size as well as offering which I'll get back to and then to renovate that ground floor space where the dining area exists today into meeting rooms for the purpose of our hotel guests and those who want to rent them from um uh from outside the hotel. the expanded uh dining area both in size and in program. Uh we look to expand uh the breakfast program obviously as we've said to make that even more robust. Uh we would like to though uh take that dining through the evening um to to provide uh what really would be more small plates, lighter fair uh but a a a

a meaningful menu for our hotel guests and those from outside that are looking for um both a dining as well as bar experience uh into the evening. Let me maybe say what this will not be uh because I think it's important and certainly those uh those uh of our neighbors and employers have asked about this. This will not be a late night bar. This is not a late night destination. Uh the way in and out of this third floor is via our hotel li lobby, our hotel elevators through the fourth floor where we have guest rooms. We're not interested in causing a, you know, creating a place that is um a late night destination. If one wants to find that, there are plenty of options in the seapport. That is not what this is. Rather, it's an expanded dining offering for our guests and for the public. Um, ultimately, we'd look to hopefully ideally one day explore doing brunch there as as an example of expanding the FM program. Um, so that that's really the purpose. So that's really the driver here in terms of the program. Uh this will be owned this will be owned and operated by ourselves and our hotel partner uh Leo Zeras and his team. Um they will continue to operate this. It is not an outside restaurant concept coming in to operate in you know in the four walls of our hotel. In terms of the design, uh this this actually gives a I'm now clicking through slides. Hopefully you can see these. This is this is actually the west elevation. Gives a good sort of um a good depiction of the extent of what we're calling the overbuild here. Uh grade out is what is the existing hotel uh today. So at grade this is our lobby and that dining area that I keep referencing exists today back behind the front entry which is

here along Foley Street. We've got the second floor ballroom here and then this would be that third floor addition with uh approximately 1,700 square foot outdoor terrace uh connected to the dining space. Um the design itself is very much intended to uh remain intended to uh look as as if this addition has always been there. So, Procon uh the design build uh uh group out of Hooks at New Hampshire that originally designed the building, built the building, is indeed our partner on this. Uh in fact, all of the facade detailing, the colors, the materials will be as originally specified in the drawing. So, this this metal panel is and the color itself is indeed the metal panel that you'd see on the buildings today. You can see the fenestration, the window openings are similar both in size, dimensioning as the fenestration below it as well. Even the mullion design matches. So the facade itself is, you know, we've designed this so that it it very intentionally looks as if it's always been there. This gives a shot from, you know, really the intersection of assembly and Foley. This is what exists there today. And again, these are these are uh these are what look to be renderings, but these are all everything that you see in this uh in this rendering is actually built structure. And this would be what the addition looks like on top of the building. So with that, uh and Leo, please jump in. If I've missed something or misstated, please feel free to to to jump in saying that if I've misstated or uh missed missed a detail here.

You did an amazing job. I the only thing I'm here for is operationally, but I think everything sounds exactly as planned.

Fantastic. And and and for the benefit of of the planning board, um I I should have I think I had I did have a slide in here on our on our our team. Uh you know, I I've presented this uh and as I introduced myself, Patrick McMahon from Federal Reality as if this is uh our hotel uh XSS. Um it it it's really their hotel. Uh we are their partner. XSS, you you might not know that name, but you know their work. Uh they have hotels throughout New England. You've likely been to stayed at or driven past many of them in Cambridge in Med in uh just over the river at station landing in Medford in Boston um throughout throughout the area. Uh they Leo Zeros also is CEO and president of Coen Hotels. the manager. Uh so obviously an affiliated company and then their sister company is ProCon. So uh the the effectively we've gotten the same band back together here to to go and execute this. But that is the team uh and as I noted earlier VHB um which was the original civil engineer is indeed our civil engineer and you probably um know that from the submission uh that they prepared for you tonight. So, happy to take questions, happy to provide additional detail.

Much for the for the presentation. I'm uh going to hold off on my my questions and my comments until after we take some public testimony to make sure that people who have joined us uh from the community have a chance to be heard. But wondering if anybody on the board has any comments or questions right now before I do that. Okay. What I'd like to do is open up this meeting for public testimony. So, if anybody from the public wants to speak, please hit the little raised hand button. I'll call on you in the order in which I see you. once opening twice. Seeing nobody who wants to testify on this project uh this application, I'm going to close public hearing. Um bring it back to discussion by the members of the board with the applicant and and their team. So um who has any comments or questions? I see Carly.

Yes, thank you. Um I just want to confirm you said that uh it's going the the new um breakfast area and restaurant will be open to the public. Correct. As it is today. Okay. Okay. And there there is something in the materials about potentially there being um additional jobs resulting from the the relocation. Could you speak to that? Yes, Leah. Do you I'm happy to unless you'd like to.

Either way, you I just I mean it will be a larger seating count and a larger um sort of larger offerings than we do right now. So, I think the the the employee count will will will absolutely go up um with the additional revenue stream and the additional food being served. So, I mean, we can give you estimates and give you exact totals, but I mean, it's probably a 10 to 15 person additional in terms of the job creations. Great. Thank you. Yeah, Lyn.

Yeah. Um, can you I think it was on slide nine or eight. Um, you showed where the existing Yeah. Go back one. Yeah, I I think you showed that the existing breakfast area is on the first floor right now because it's quoteunquote right behind the um Right. Yeah. Right. Right in there. So that is street level retail and um the idea for having that as a requirement is to create a vibrancy um and excitement kind of on the street. this is, you know, consistent with um all of Assembly Row. So, you guys are going to be renovating that area and then turning it into meeting space. So, can you talk a little bit more on that on how the new use will create that um street level vibrancy?

Sure. And it actually um this might be um let's see here if I got a good well actually maybe we'll start here um because uh that's a little generous. The the uh so the hotel lobby is is indeed here and I I don't know if you can see these design guidelines but I'll I'll I'll just I'll go to this one. Hotel lobby is here. Um, and that lobby, and I can, it would take me a second, but I have the drawings up. That lobby is here. This is our front entry.

We've got sort of a grand staircase here that goes to the second floor that you can really experience here on the corner. But this is actually a service alley as as it extends back. These are uh three different loading docks as well as an Eversource um vault. uh that is that is used by um used by the hotel valet. Uh it's not at all open to the public. There's no in fact the sidewalk really does terminate here to discourage folks from kind of walking down this very um it is a public alley but at the same time it's very much an unused back alley. So um that hotel the the and I'll go back here to the um to the um elevation. You know, I think that that goes back I want to say maybe 20 feet to this pyaster here, the fourth kind of column cover pyaster. So I I I can find that out now, but I I guess what I'm going towards is this will continue to be a very active lit sort of dynamic hotel lobby, which is really what is experienced by folks who are walking up and down Foley. These these windows here, while this elevation suggests that this these windows front on a public street, they don't. It they front on an alley and and the public never gets back in that alley. If if that makes any sense.

It it makes sense. I'm not sure I agree with your um analysis um that no one walks back there. So we don't have a requirement to create any sort of vibrancy. Um but uh chair I'll I'll I'll move on and I'm and to be sure I I'm not I'm not suggest I'm not uh hopefully

I think that's exactly what you suggested because I asked you what is the plans for creating street level vibrancy and you went ahead and you answered all the different ways why it wasn't really necessary to have street level vibrancy. So my question remains in that new space that is now vacant with a new with a new on the the new ery on the fourth floor. It's going to be a meeting room. How is the meeting room going to meet that street level vibrancy even though you think it's a street that doesn't require street level vibrancy? I mean, I'd have to go back and check the design guidelines of the newly approved um assembly row, but I'm pretty sure that the idea of street level vibrancy is kind of a a core guiding principle for this area. So, my question remains, what are you doing in this new vacant space to do street level vibrancy?

Got it. Understood. Um and and to be sure, it's not a street. It's it's an alley on on private. It's an exit for the garage today. So, it it's not actually um a public street that the the sidewalk the public domain uh from a from a public private perspective ends at the sidewalk. That said, um I I would concede that indeed conference space is not the most dynamic space to have at grade, which is why I was uh I would concede that. However, it is conference space that will likely be used uh during the day and all day and maybe even into the evening. Whereas today, what we offer there is is really a breakfast service that begins to die out by the middle of the morning. Um and that space remains, you know, effectively dark and unused.

So, Patrick, if if you stop sharing, I will try to share. I have the the street view up and you can see what that that going back is on that that roadway. Let's see if I can do this correctly. Can you see that? So, this is the this this right here would be the lobby that that we were just talking about that doesn't change. So, the main street pedestrians going by is there. you know, the retail goes out around the to the rest of it. And so this is that the alleyway that goes back to the parking. It's really not intended as a pedestrian street way. So that that we're it's more of a service alley. You're not trying to to activate that that as much. You're trying to bring everything out to the main street along Foley. Um I I don't know if that helps to to show to show what that is. So you've got those windows going back and certainly because the whole use on the first floor is a hotel as opposed to kind of some of the other buildings that we've done in the area that would have been you know um the last building we were here for um block 9 which is residential. It has you know retail and things on the first floor where we can to activate the the key streets and so forth. And so I think the intent here is was always to keep you the fronting on the where the pedestrians are um the activated portion and then back of the house other stuff behind the lobby and things um down the sides where the the the service area was. I don't know if that helps. It's not the greatest view, but it it does kind of give you just a little bit more that that's that's not really a pedestrian way. I'm done. Michael, if you want to move

on. Again, I don't agree with our analysis, but um you know, I'm ready to move on. Anybody else have any comments or questions for this? Yeah, Michael,

just a quick comment for me. I think this project's great. Um, I wanted to highlight that more than once you guys talked about the impact to utilities and resources in the area and I just wanted to thank you for that. I think that's an important thing although this is an existing building that's an important thing for us to be thinking about consistently when developing uh especially assembly row. So as you think and as I hope other applicants think about um you know bringing projects going forward especially in this area highlighting its impact to local infrastructure I think is important. So, thank you for that.

Um, I say I think this is perfectly fine. Um, I I I respectfully don't agree with um the way Lynn necessarily views that side of the building. Um, I I I also looked at it. I'm familiar with with your hotel, you know, as I think everybody on the board probably is. Um, I have never stepped foot down that alley. It's kind of a dead space, right? Um, there's not even a Google Street View that goes down there that I'm aware of to not that that's the be all and end all of how a street is used. Um, but from the the photo, it's encased in darkness and, you know, there's not much back there at all and there's a somewhat of a blank wall on the other side. Um, so I don't necessarily have a concern. My my question I think is and it's not really a concern because you've already addressed it, but the addition looks like it includes a um an outdoor space um on top. I'm wondering if you might be able to talk to me a little bit about that because you had indicated and I'm not saying you're wrong um that it's not intended to be a late night um you know loud bar in the evening that might disrupt people. First of all, you guys are a hotel. There's going to be movement in and out you know 24 hours a day. I get that. Um do you have any outdoor space now that you use?

We sure do. Um it's it's actually in this and let me let me quickly click through these to oh here there here's a better we sure do it's it's it's right here. So that outdoor space today is used um primarily during conferences and events you know weddings that sort of thing. Uh you can see that it's uh you know in this again rendering although this is indeed the build condition uh that we've got furniture there. There is indeed furniture there. Um, so yes, that space we do have that is um the I would say the larger of the two outdoor areas. Uh, we do have an outdoor area back here that is immediately off of uh the gym and fitness space. Um, it's very uh small. You know, there are single seats out there uh that are typically used by those who have sort of gone through a workout and want to go outside and just sort of get some fresh air. So, uh, those are the two outdoor spaces, um, that that are existing in use today.

Yeah, I mean, it sounds like the way you intend to use the new space is going to have probably a lesser intensity of, you know, noise and and and vibrancy later into the evening than a wedding, right? Um, yeah, I would imagine people are kind of going a little bit later into the night with a little bit more lubrication than what we're expecting at uh at the the expanded F&B space.

Well, and and Leo, feel free to jump in here. You know, the the intent really is not for this to become a place that people spend hours at and go deep into the evening. Um because uh you know dissimilar from the you know the wedding the wedding and the conference area here on the second floor that really has immediate first floor connectivity. So that is you know those crowds can they also have uh greater separation from our guest rooms and the guest spaces where folks are sleeping and so they can connect to the lobby they can exit the building. They're they're more disconnected from uh guest rooms. this this third floor space is directly connected to the fourth floor uh where we do have guest rooms as well. It is that much closer to simply those those rooms that here are here on the fourth and fifth floor. So um

so the intent is not to disrupt more people while they're in bed. Correct. This is not where you're coming from.

The hotel has you know been very very very successful and won awards. It was it's written been written to be is one of the best hotels in the United in the world top 500 hotels of the world and best it gets contin every year. So it's been very successful. I think it has a a a very um distinct customer who is not looking for um loud and they want this is a nice kind of getaway space soft and and sort of what we're trying to do here is just to have more space to share with guests and what the right level of fit and finish in terms of what the offerings are and to be able to have more um external use of the hotel space is from customers who would love to pick take part in what the offerings are but we just don't have the amount of space to offer that right now. So, I think it's not we're not looking for this to be an evening hangout. We're looking for this to be, you know, a 4 to 9, 4 to 10 p.m. kind of thing and not loud and just the light bright fit and finish. And in fairness, guys, we have beautiful spaces and other hotels that have rooftop offerings. And what we find is it's a really nice getaway from streetscape and it's a different dynamic and it's just a place to get away and sort of have an hour or two of kind of a special to go out and just enjoy the weather and make sure that you know we don't have a lot of good months here but the months we do have we want to get outside and enjoy the space.

Yeah. No, I I appreciate all that. I I I didn't think uh your presentation indicated that you were trying to do anything other than that. I just wanted to make sure that I understood how the space was going to be used um kind of in comparison to any of the other outdoor space that that you currently have. And I think you you answered that quite well. So, I appreciate that.

Thank you. Thank you. Um, the other thing I noticed and kind of dovetailing from what Michael was saying about your um, attention to the the intensity of utilities and things, one of the things that I think I saw in the staff memorandum and the materials was that you were expecting, as you indicated, uh, to expand the number of employees that you might have to be able to service a larger area and and more guests and more people. Um, but that undo itself doesn't impact the other way that um that the that the hotel and the space is used. It doesn't um trigger additional parking requirements or anything like that. You guys are just you guys are also across the street from the tea, so obviously that's helpful, too. Um, awesome. So, I am really happy with with the presentation, guys. I thought it was I thought it was well done. Um, I thought you were very responsive to the to the questions that um that the board had. And does anybody have anything else that they would like to add before we kind of move forward with um this uh this application? Okay. Okay. Um, following public testimony, review of the submitted materials and deliberation of the required considerations outlined by the ordinance. I move to approve of the conditions outlined in the staff memorandum. The major amendment to the updated block 5 design guidelines and existing PUD, which is PB 20659 in the Assembly Square mixeduse district. Seconded by Jan Alvaro, can we please have a roll call? Jan Khabib

I Lyn Richards abstain. Luke Schustster. Hi Corali Cooper. Hi Michael Magnoli. Hi Michael Kapalina.

I congratulations. Following public testimony, review of the submitted materials and deliberation of the required considerations outlined by the ordinance. I move to approve of the conditions outlined in the staff memorandum the major amendment to the previously issued site plan special permit ASPSRB 2014-34 the Assembly Square mixeduse district seconded by Jan uh Alvaro can we please have a role Jan Khabib I Lyn Richards I Luke Schuster Hi, Coraly Cooper. Hi,

Michael McNeely. Hi, Michael Capuano. All right, congratulations. Good luck. Very much. Thank you.

Okay. Um, there are no, we we were trying to we were hoping to get some uh sustainability staff to come in and talk to us. Uh, not not you, not you folks. You can you can go home if you'd like or you can stick around. You're more than welcome. Um we were hoping to get some sustainability folks in here from the city to talk to us um about certain concerns. We were not able to um make that work by by the you know calendar and the nature of folks. So, we're trying to make that part of our agenda going forward in either the end of March or one of the April meetings. Um, other than that, we have uh we have cleared our books of agenda items, which is always a good feeling. So, uh it is 6:43. Did I see Luke's end? Yeah, just real quick, I I missed the last meeting, which I think was Cori's first one, but um just wanted to say welcome from my vantage point and I I don't know if you all did pleasantries and stuff already. Sorry to have missed it if I did, but nice to have a full a full team now.

Yes. Great to meet you, Luke. Despite the fact is not here, so we're not quite full yet. But yeah, I guess theoretically, we are full. in spirit. We have um a full roster, a full official roster. Yes. Yeah, exactly. Um wonderful. Does anybody else have anything they would like to add for the uh for the good of the meeting before we go have some dough? Mr. Chair, I do. Just real quick, um

there there was uh the urban design framework circulated. I was wondering if that's something that we are going to be digging into uh in the future meetings and if and if I could better understand if there's something that we're going to take action on or if this is something that we're just kind of being briefed on.

Uh yeah, so I send those and it will be part of the agenda for the March 19 meeting. Um it has been also sent to the UDC so they can provide comments. Um and then on the next meeting, one of our senior planners will be here to give further explanation and be ready to receive any feedback um or respond any questions regarding that. So for now, it's just kind of a time for you all to see it and then if you have any comments, feel free to let me know. I'm happy to bring them to her as well prior to the meeting.

That's helpful. So do we eventually adopt this or are we just kind of consulted on feedback? Uh I am unsure about that to be honest with you. I can double check and get back uh send an answer back. To be honest, I don't remember how the planning boards um role played out in the last time we reviewed something like this. So it'll be a good thing to to know exactly what our responsibilities are and how much our uh input is is worth. Thank you.

Thank you, Michael. That's um that is something that I think of or you sent around like earlier today is something you know. So I I honestly haven't had a chance to to review that because it wasn't on the agenda time. So I will before we have to address it. Excellent. Anybody else? Okay. Seeing none at 6:45 p.m. the chair moves to adjourn. Seconded by Janvaro. Can we have roll call? Jan Kabid. I Lyn Richards. I Luke Schuster. Hi. Cory Cooper. Hi. Michael Magny. Hi. Michael Capuano.

Hi. Thank you everybody. The next meeting is, just so you know, um the 19th, right? Um and that will also be a joint hearing with the land use committee. Party party. Oh yeah, we're back to back to joint hearings. Bye. Bye everybody. you care. Bye.