There are a lot of issues regarding the development at the Hendries site. And they all grow out of an old black oak tree that sits on the property.

The developer of the Hendries property, Steve Connelly, and his architect appeared before the Planning Board last night to resume the hearing on his proposal for the property. There is a big tree in his way. Pete Jackson stated that the black oak that sits on the proptery is the largest in Milton, possibly in the Commonwealth, and that Town Meeting had explicitly requested that the tree stay where it is assuming it is healthy. Connelly’s current plans call for removing the tree and he had contracted with an arborist who diagnosed the tree as being past its prime. Jackson is not convinced that without some pruning and cabling the tree could not live on for another 100 years. And there is the rub. The developer has the option of replacing the tree with “in kind” plants. The architect said the trees and landscaping that woudl be put in are “in kind.” It’s unclear if the board agrees.

The arborist was not available for last night’s session. He may appear at the next session but the Connelly team is skeptical that he will be able to convince the board of the tree’s condition. Most likely the board will have an independent arborist provide an assessment on tree’s health and long term viability.

Two fundamental issues hinge on whether the tree stays or goes. First, there is the building’s design. If the tree is a key element that needs to be factored into the site plan it will fundamentally change the current layout. Mr. Connelly argued that the “ratio” of factors that entered into play were hard if not impossible to resolve. “All the ratios push on this building.” For example, one goal was to provide as large a buffer as possible between the new building and the residences on Eliot. This pushes the building to the corner where the tree is located. It is a challenge to have both. Jackson questioned if any “massing studies” had been performed and whether the developer had ever seriously looked at keeping the tree in place. (from Autodesk – “Massing studies allow you to explore design ideas by using shapes to conceptualize a building model. When your conceptual design is complete, you can add building elements directly to these shapes.”)

This segues to the FAR issue (FAR = Floor Area Requirement). This pertains to amount of commercial space in relation to the overall building coverage. That is known for existing plan but depending on decision of presence of oak tree could change that.

There are two other open issues. One regards the height of the building. The board needs to come to closure with Mr. Connelly on how that is calculated. It is significant as it could determine whether the building is 3 or 4 stories. Lastly, there is the look of the building as one enters Milton coming over the Neponset from Boston. Whiteside and Innes find it “unfriendly.”

When pressed by resident Margaret Donovan about when public input on design issues and demolition concerns could be entertained Mr. Whiteside responded that he was hopeful they could be addressed in a Jan / Feb timeframe. The board will next meet on 11/18 at 6:3 at the Council on Aging (Please note that this may change and the town web site should be checked or town hall called to confirm.)