At their monthly meeting on Thursday, the BAC heard from Mr. Peterson, representing the company developing the Marlin Bay Project, who presented the design changes for the Marlin Bay Apartment Complex which mainly consisted of reducing part of the building to 3 stories. Mr. Davenport, chair of BAC, cautioned commission members and visitors that zoning questions such as density were not within the purview of the BAC. They were to address compliance with the Shore Drive Corridor Plan and Design Guidelines. Mr. Bob Magoon, chair of the Design Committee, gave a summary of the pros and cons of the project. The Design Committee recommended non approval. After hearing from the commission members and from many residents, the commission voted not to approve the project as it stands now. Mr. Magoon made recommendations including eliminating the fourth floor from the rest of the project. Mr. Peterson’s response was that would render the project unprofitable. BAC approval for a project is not required for approval from Planning Commission or City Council.
Many residents spoke against the project at the virtual meeting. Apparently many more residents were not able to join the meeting. Mr. Mark Shea, Comprehensive Planning Coordinator COVB, said that the noon deadline had been set and noted in the meeting sign up so that there wouldn’t be a flurry of activity during the meeting. He apologized to those who could not enter and attempts were made to let people in. At the end of the meeting, he said that the May meeting would be in person.
OPCL will keep residents updated as new steps are taken in regard to this development. Stay tuned!!