[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6575014,"mediaKeyId","3151670-b0b7d0e4d02cb6fefa59c996e984ba82","parentId",3151670,"title","Planning board approves parking realignment, landscaping deadline and barrier condition at Norwood Golf site","audioSeconds",4040,"startMs",2424000,"endMs",6464000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3151670-b0b7d0e4d02cb6fefa59c996e984ba82&start=2424&end=6464","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3151670-b0b7d0e4d02cb6fefa59c996e984ba82/thumbnail_2424000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6575014/Town-of-Norwood/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Planning-board-approves-parking-realignment-landscaping-deadline-and-barrier-condition-at-Norwood-Golf-site","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575014-2fa2c588feeefc198ecdc7a4be6f8f5d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173498&Signature=Ls1GJzwlU89smKbotZxQCaJRraLH4nsDacILO0eZzhhkyc5lJYt8GMkCJ7v8gpgxnDOPZN6ConEi2R56v7V8C8~HkAaAgoGE0~Om7Wq5QBAP15M0SqP7AksYUyivoDrDxd1cx75St8ZxuVLN3aORBO~62efrVl~FaoedJihO7Rs69EW-p9gf1GCZXVdE1XWh-LYBoGDuuy~JANiFV3CqbjfQK8J-tfNrKZuev4lDePyd8f9IYZ-0y1fkw5HpWHW8WtJ4teRQ9Yi9JISW6brVXanfYV4TIxbyLjyDs7qydev5hBrwuTLI4vGJzd6rNHqPzWuTz1ljBWSQY5UcHh3jYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Norwood, MA","date","2025-04-29T00:00:00Z","article","The Norwood Planning Board on April 28 approved a set of site-plan modifications for the property at 707 Neponset Street (Norwood Golf) that included reorienting three parking spaces to improve accessibility, a requirement that the property owner complete and certify landscaping within three months, and a condition that the owner work with the Department of Public Works and the Fire Department to install a demarcation or low curb to keep vehicles from using the wide sidewalk area as waiting space.

Attorney David Hearn Jr., representing Gus and William Realty LLC, told the board the applicant made the parking change during construction because the originally approved angled spaces were not workable on the site grade; engineer Tim Power explained the new 90-degree orientation creates a safer, more level approach for two handicapped spaces and a short-term stall. The board voted to approve the parking modification.

Board action and conditions
The board’s motion approved three discrete items: (1) the rotation of two accessible spaces and one short‑term parking stall (no change in total count); (2) an instruction that the applicant work with DPW and the Fire Department to install a physical demarcation so waiting vehicles do not park on the public sidewalk; and (3) a requirement that the applicant submit a signed landscape certification within three months showing the required plantings are installed as approved in the 2023 site‑plan decision. Planning staff and the applicant said the owner is actively planting and expects to complete the work in the current planting season.

Board members and neighbors discussed a separate issue raised by residents: removal of mature trees that once buffered neighboring houses along Ridge Road and Bridal Road. Neighbors said the loss of tall vegetation has reduced screening and increased light and noise for adjacent homes. The applicant and staff said many of those mature trees were removed prior to the 2023 site-plan application and that the approved landscape plan (the plan the owner must now complete) shows new plantings, including trees and shrubs, intended to provide screening; the board required the certified landscape plan be filed within three months so staff can verify compliance.

Building addition reference and certificate of occupancy
Attorney Hearn asked the board to remove any reference to a building addition from the earlier site-plan decision on the grounds that the waiting‑room/service area addition did not require site-plan approval and instead fell to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The board agreed to issue a site-plan modification decision that removes the language referencing that addition and to work with the applicant’s counsel and planning staff on the precise wording. The building commissioner has not issued a final certificate of occupancy for the addition while site-plan and landscape items remain open; the applicant said closing the listed items will allow the building department to complete the final sign-off.

Public concerns and next steps
Several neighbors, including Helen Abjell Donahue (Bridal Road) and Brideal/Bridal Palmater (Ridge Road), spoke at length about tree removal, the scale of parking and the visual impact on their properties. Planning staff noted that enforcement of any removal of trees shown as preserved on a prior decision would be handled through the building/zoning enforcement process and that the forthcoming landscape certification would help staff determine whether any required replacements remain outstanding.

Votes and implementation tasks
The board approved the parking reorientation and associated conditions in a single motion. The motion required: a DPW/Fire Department–approved demarcation to prevent vehicles from encroaching on the public sidewalk; submittal of a certified landscape plan within three months showing compliance with the 2023 approval; and correction of the site‑plan record to remove references to the building addition. Staff will review the landscape certification and confirm whether any previously required existing‑landscape elements that were removed must be replaced or otherwise enforced.

The board’s action allows the property owner to proceed with the reconfigured parking layout and requires the applicant to complete landscaping and obtain department signoffs before final administrative closure of the site-plan file.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town of Norwood: Planning Board 4.28.25","oneSentenceSummary","The Norwood Planning Board on April 28 approved a set of site-plan modifications at 707 Neponset Street including reorienting three parking spaces to improve accessibility, a three‑month deadline for landscaping certification and a requirement to install a demarcation to keep vehicles off the public sidewalk.","taxTitle","Town of Norwood, Norfolk County, Massachusetts","taxId",52806,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6575018,"Norwood planning board approves FM Global site tweaks and signs with conditions",2292,103000,2395000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3151670-b0b7d0e4d02cb6fefa59c996e984ba82&start=103&end=2395","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3151670-b0b7d0e4d02cb6fefa59c996e984ba82/thumbnail_103000.jpg","/articles/6575018/Town-of-Norwood/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Norwood-planning-board-approves-FM-Global-site-tweaks-and-signs-with-conditions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575018-eb159fe3117bc1e0e29c70274d0931bb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173498&Signature=DLgmpiPJFGtNgkcxyx-JrcZr0TfAoyr2hNYYBCNvcPlixbop6-4XIQQL8EzytPvGLKVqpUl75t4UoqS7nRG0HajyLRcaNCnUhszRLPaajhYVdzqLoV6SxNGQ-i-fJXduao~ULQVVt5Go4A20vhzbQl1VlYe0DzGqhstPnB3f4DkbuhtbfA83Huha4-Sc~l8dCfo2YwGxBygMBJwEdsnPPh~4nHYFZiKryR13snFqu3GvKhoi4zHqZ--xegRIKDpIWNJGazl6ictqcSHCNDHocWr3YKHj0Gjx0J8LzAhDBJlw~eg1L2sfbgpTOE7re8lU1d5zWSPy5LUvIl8ZE9mDzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Norwood Planning Board on April 28 approved minor site-plan changes and special-permit relief for FM Global’s campus redevelopment at 1125–1177 Boston Providence Turnpike, including a package of five FM-branded signs, but attached multiple conditions requiring town approvals before the replacement sign on FM Global Way may be installed.

The changes approved include functional updates to roadways, parking and stormwater systems and a signage package that FM said is needed because the campus is large and requires multiple identification points. Planning-board members voted to approve the site modifications unanimously and approved the sign permits subject to specified conditions.

Why it matters: The approved modifications are intended to improve flood resilience, traffic circulation and pedestrian access at an active construction site and to regularize new, branded signage that will be visible to vehicles on Route 1 and to pedestrians and drivers inside the campus. The board’s conditions preserve town control over signs proposed on or near town-owned right-of-way.

What the board approved and why
FM Global sought two approvals at the meeting: minor amendments to a site plan that the board originally approved in May 2023, and special-permit relief from the Town of Norwood zoning bylaw for signage that exceeds permitted size or illumination limits. Jessica Camano, attorney for the applicant, said the site-plan refinements reflect “design finalization and construction” and are intended to produce “a more durable and resilient site.”

On civil changes, Apex Companies civil engineer Dylan O’Donnell described three focused updates: moving and lengthening the driveway throat that leads to an executive parking garage to a higher elevation to reduce ponding risk during extreme storms; softening horizontal curves on the roadway between the new lab building and the adjacent hotel to accommodate large delivery vehicles; and reorganizing the site’s utility/service yard and loading areas to improve functionality. O’Donnell said the project’s stormwater work increases capacity and splits an older single system into two hydraulically connected underground infiltration systems and adds a vegetated swale as an extra measure of flood resilience. He said the total number of parking spaces remains unchanged and that some new EV spaces were added.

Landscape and pedestrian work
Landscape architect Laura Noss said the project’s “Great Meadow” along Route 1 has been re-graded into a more naturalistic rolling meadow with two pedestrian connections to Route 1, a reduced area of elevated boardwalk over the deepest basin and pervious walkways elsewhere. Noss said tree counts will rise by more than 50 percent and shrub plantings by roughly 400 percent from earlier plans, with native species and increased planting diversity to support pollinators and reduce long‑term irrigation needs.

Signs and conditions
Selbert Perkins designer Corey DePasquale described a five-sign package: monument signs for Route 1 and campus entries, pedestrian‑scale monuments at building entries, a wall sign that the applicant said conforms to allowable square footage, and an on‑campus vehicular directional sign on FM Global Way. The applicant first described four monument signs and a wall sign and later the designer summarized three freestanding monuments, a wall sign and a vehicular directional; the board asked applicant representatives for clarity during the hearing and the applicant confirmed five sign installations were proposed overall.

Planning staff recommended conditions related to a sign proposed inside the gated portion of FM Global Way because that short portion of roadway is town‑owned. The board adopted conditions that require: (1) the applicant obtain a license or other authorization from the Board of Selectmen before installing any sign on the small town‑owned portion of FM Global Way that is interior to the campus gate; (2) final Route‑1 monument‑sign location and plans be reviewed and approved by Norwood Light Department to address required horizontal clearance from overhead wires and any related adjustments; and (3) illumination limits for the sign closest to residences, with the board and applicant agreeing that the FM Global Way sign not be illuminated between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. The board also required that the Route 1 monument sign’s final location satisfy lighting‑department and setback requirements; the light department indicated it would accept a 10‑foot horizontal clearance from overhead lines in this case.

Other operational details discussed
The applicant said construction is under way and slated for completion in 2026. The applicant also said FM has been operating and maintaining the interior portion of FM Global Way and that a license with the Board of Selectmen is being prepared to memorialize maintenance and sign placement within the gated area. Board members asked about how the campus gate is operated; the applicant said campus security opens and closes that gate.

Votes at the meeting
The board voted to approve the site-plan modifications (motion approved; unanimous). The board also approved the special-permit relief for signage with the conditions summarized above (motion approved; unanimous). The board’s motion allowed the applicant to proceed with signage only after satisfying the Board of Selectmen license requirement for signage on town land and meeting any final light‑department requirements.

What remains
The board’s action updates the site plan on record and allows FM Global to proceed with the five‑sign package subject to the stated conditions. The license and any final light‑department approvals must be secured before the sign on FM Global Way is installed. The board left detailed plan adjustments to staff and to the relevant town departments for final sign placement and any plan updates.","The Norwood Planning Board approved minor site-plan modifications and granted special-permit relief for FM Global’s new signs, subject to a license for a sign on FM Global Way, light‑department sign-location clearance and night-time illumination limits for the sign nearest residences.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6575008,"Planning board grants preliminary subdivision approval for 65 Nahant/Manhattan Street",435,4945000,5380000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3151670-b0b7d0e4d02cb6fefa59c996e984ba82&start=4945&end=5380","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3151670-b0b7d0e4d02cb6fefa59c996e984ba82/thumbnail_4945000.jpg","/articles/6575008/Town-of-Norwood/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Planning-board-grants-preliminary-subdivision-approval-for-65-NahantManhattan-Street","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575008-dc1be2db683324241fe681a3e25a7cad/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173498&Signature=FwXcgiTI~-3JP7avLqLUxZLoFsozOByS6FP0KT98QnZvV6ePbqWAU6dtoPC5GtTJ9B4roMlky6F1aSXqSedtnw2daKkkhWphxuk5-s5h9fDHGfJeQN6V-i1Jiym1gIFWyS--nVe5sYdgIDRUmm6plqQlIE92GqbBoEBcORDZMZhkSWkYzkS61myxHrRU2IU-skBjOYmTkfV1K7HC~FqiLdmcWYJRa1dRC1ugIUJuCwkJExDPRF72DMkjtlmlzj7ZnfmNsU-TliHsXgI2nx-VCPGf59F6c~YRAchoIOAjkmeeqMabcW3XyPV9xdsw8QjX0meslnIWZUmW-bZe9GmIlg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning Board granted preliminary subdivision approval on April 28 for a proposal to split the property at 63–65 Manhattan Street (also referenced as Nahant Street) into two lots and a short roadway. The applicant told the board the site is roughly 28.75 acres in the Providence Highway zoning district; the plan proposes a 0.4‑acre roadway, a roughly 3‑acre lot and a remainder lot of about 23.35 acres.

David Mackwell of Kelly Engineering Group, who presented the proposal, said the preliminary approval allows the applicant to proceed to a definitive subdivision, at which time the board and town departments will examine detailed design, sidewalks, hydrant placement and truck turning radii. The board noted a similar application at this site had reached the preliminary stage in 2023 but had lapsed; the applicant said this filing follows the same general scheme.

What the decision means
Preliminary approval does not authorize immediate construction; rather, it preserves the applicant’s ability to file a definitive subdivision plan. Planning staff reminded the applicant that state subdivision-control timelines apply: after preliminary approval, the applicant typically has a specified period to submit a definitive plan (the board noted seven months in discussion). The definitive submission will include additional technical details and any needed waivers; the board approved the preliminary plan at the public meeting.

Votes and next steps
The board voted to grant preliminary subdivision approval; the applicant may proceed to prepare the definitive subdivision submission and coordinate required reviews with Planning Department staff and town departments (Fire, DPW).","The board granted preliminary subdivision approval for a two‑lot division with a small roadway at the former Tyco site; the applicant may file a definitive subdivision within the statutory time frame.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning board approves parking realignment, landscaping deadline and barrier condition at Norwood Golf site

Norwood planning board approves FM Global site tweaks and signs with conditions

Planning board grants preliminary subdivision approval for 65 Nahant/Manhattan Street