312-unit Hyannis apartment complex undergoing state environmental review
By Jeannette Hinkle
HYANNIS — As neighbors and local conservation groups work to curtail a proposal for a 312-unit apartment complex on Scudder Avenue, the developer is moving forward with a voluntary state environmental review of the project.
Developer Lennar Multifamily Communities (LMC) last month submitted what is called an Environmental Notification Form to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office. Members of the public now have until Sept. 21 to share their comments on the project with that office.
"This proposed redevelopment is undergoing a lengthy public review process, and we felt that going through (the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office) at this stage would help decision makers and the public better understand both the benefits and impacts of the project as we move forward," LMC Divisional President Dan Lee wrote in an email Thursday.
"We believe this coordinated and collaborative approach will result in a more streamlined process and better outcome for both the community as a whole and LMC," he added.
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LMC's submission of the Environmental Notification Form kicked off a review by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office related to LMC’s development proposal and associated environmental impacts, as assessed by LMC's consultants.
State Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen A. Theoharides is expected to decide whether LMC’s project requires further state review on Oct. 1, 10 days after the close of the public comment period.
'Emblem Hyannis'
The apartment complex that LMC is proposing, called Emblem Hyannis, would be located at 35 Scudder Ave. on land now occupied by the Twin Brooks Golf Course.
Plans show the complex would consist of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments broken up into 13 three-story buildings clustered around surface parking lots. The complex would also include a recreational clubhouse featuring a fitness center and pool.
LMC staff have billed the units as a much-needed housing option for local workers, including teachers and firefighters. According to Lee, monthly rents will range from the mid-$1,000s to the upper-$2,000s.
While neighbors don't deny the severe lack of rental units on Cape Cod and in Barnstable, they say the property should be preserved as open space — especially given its proximity to a changing coastline and ecologically fragile wetlands that are already in need of restoration.
The streets surrounding Twin Brooks, one of the largest parcels of green space left in the village, are now dotted with signs bearing the name of the neighborhood group that has mobilized to stop the development: Save Twin Brooks. The Barnstable Land Trust is working on an alternative vision for the property.
Project exceeds certain environmental regulation thresholds
In its Environmental Notification Form filing, LMC noted that its development proposal exceeds Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act thresholds for new parking spaces, impervious surface area and daily vehicle trips associated with the property.
LMC proposes adding 429 new parking spaces on top of the 64 spaces that now exist on the lot.
In part because of the addition of new parking, the project would increase the amount of impervious surface on the 40-acre property from 0.1 to 8.7 acres.
The project would also result in more than triple the number of vehicle trips per day associated with the property. According to an estimate provided to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office by LMC, the number of daily trips would increase from 548 to roughly 1,700.
What's next?
Members of the public are allowed to submit comments about LMC’s plans to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office through Sept. 21.
Lee noted LMC requested the public comment deadline be extended from its original Sept. 14 date because neighbors requested more time to review the company's Environmental Notification Form submission.
On Oct. 1, Theoharides is expected to issue a certificate that either the project can proceed to permitting or is required to undergo further review by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office through submission of an Environmental Impact Report.
Neighbors, who are skeptical of the developer’s assertions that the project won’t negatively impact the surrounding environment, are hoping for a more thorough review by state environmental officials.
Any project review by the state would be conducted in addition to project reviews by the Cape Cod Commission and the town of Barnstable. Those have not yet begun because the commission hasn't yet deemed LMC's application for a development agreement complete.
Meanwhile, the Barnstable Land Trust is moving forward with its work to propose an alternative vision for the Twin Brooks parcel that the organization hopes would better balance the area’s housing needs with good environmental stewardship.
The organization has expressed interest in purchasing the Twin Brooks property should LMC’s agreement with the current owner fall through. If that doesn’t happen, executive director Janet Milkman said, the land trust would use the alternate proposal to lobby local government to scale back LMC’s proposal.
Contact Jeannette Hinkle at jhinkle@capecodonline.com.