Planning board recommends discontinuing unused Merritt Road right‑of‑way to allow adjacent owner to pursue redevelopment
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Summary
The board voted to recommend that the City Council discontinue a 50‑foot paper street (Merritt Road) that has not been developed; the discontinuance clears a procedural step so the adjacent owner can pursue a larger mixed‑use development that would require further approvals.
The Chelsea Planning Board voted to recommend discontinuing a 50‑foot paper street known as Merritt Road, a right‑of‑way that has never been constructed and currently reads as a wooded strip between Galluli Road and Webster Avenue.
Planning staff said the property owner who abuts the right‑of‑way owns the adjacent vacant lots and the existing commercial building at 121 Webster Avenue; the owner has indicated an intent to pursue a larger residential development that would require a revised planned development and other regulatory approvals. The board’s vote is a recommendation to City Council; the final legal discontinuance must be adopted by council action.
Why it matters
Discontinuing a paper street is a procedural step that can clear title or remove a municipal barrier to redevelopment. Board members said the right‑of‑way is dormant and does not provide necessary public access in its current form.
Board decision
After brief discussion, a member moved that the board recommend discontinuing the public right‑of‑way. The motion passed on an affirmative voice vote. The board noted that any redevelopment of the adjoining property will still require planning, zoning and permitting review and that the discontinuance does not by itself authorize construction.