Willow Street Property to Get Site Visit as Planners Consider Mixed Use Project

A portion of the former Hansbury property on Willow Street in Hamilton will get a firsthand look from the Planning Board on Friday morning as it considers permitting a mixed use building for the property.

The board planned the visit when it met on Tuesday night after hearing about changes to the look and design of the building that were greeted with approval by the Planning Board.

“I think you have done a great job changing things around,” board member Rob McKean told Michael Pallazola, who is planning to build the three-story building at 227 Willow St.

The changes included turning three “narrow projections” on the front of the building into two wider projections and the building height was lowered by three feet, according to architect Ray Guertin.

The building is the first mixed use building that’s been proposed in the new overlay zoning district along Willow Street – approved by Town Meeting voters three years ago – designed to spur redevelopment of the area with a mix of residences and commercial uses.

The proposed building will have office space on the first and second floors and a living unit on the third floor, where Pallazola and his family plan to live.

Pallazola has owned the property – between Dodge Street Co. and the Willowdale office complex - for about two years and has already renovated the building at the rear of the property. The new building would replace a vacant two-family home near the street, which has been vacant for about a decade.

Most of the lingering concern from neighbors centered on the planned lighting for the property. Pallazola, who owns Hi-Tech Lighting, said he prefers to light the building to the top on the outside, while some neighbors said they wanted lighting confined to a first floor overhang.

Peter Gourdeau, who owns Willowdale, was also concerned whether the new building would shade his building more than it is shaded now with the pine tree along the property line, which will be removed as part of construction of the new building.

“I love this project, I really want Mike to build this as soon as possible,” said neighbor Paul Erhard.

Following Friday morning’s site walk, the Planning Board has scheduled a meeting on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Hamilton Town Hall to take a final vote on a special permit for the project.