EASTHAMPTON — The city Planning Board is expected to review an application for a three-story apartment building on Cottage Street next week, which would modify plans for a similar proposal already approved by the board for the site in 2017.

The new proposal, which would be constructed on a 31,968-square-foot parcel of land at 47-49 Cottage St., calls for retail space on the first floor, 34 parking spaces and 19 one-bedroom apartments — four of which would be designated as affordable housing.

The building that now houses Cottage Street Motors would be demolished, and Jim’s Package Store would take the retail space, said Ed Sanderson, the proposal’s project designer at Siegfried Porth Architects. The applicant and landowner, Harnish Patel, also owns Jim’s Package Store.

Patel was issued a permit for a project with 18 apartments in 2017. However, a decision to change the design of the proposed building forced the owner to apply to the board for a modification to that approval, Sanderson said.

“They reviewed some of their [plans] and wanted to build in a different direction that altered the project substantially enough that we had to reapply,” Sanderson said, noting that the owner wanted to expand the liquor store and that it is currently the only planned retail tenant for the new building.

The first proposal called for more than one tenant for the retail space on the first floor. This is still possible, Sanderson said, as the retail space could be divided into multiple storefronts in the future.

“Basically we’re looking at the long-term cycle of the building,” he said.

The proposal is in the city’s Smart Growth Overlay District, part of a state program where communities receive payment and financial incentives for following goals that promote affordable housing in areas of high development. This allows for higher building heights and greater lot densities, Sanderson said.

The project also calls for concrete sidewalks with tree plantings that will replace the “busted-up” asphalt in front of the property, he said.

“Visually, the idea is that it will tie into the sidewalk improvements they’re performing on Cottage Street,” he said.

In addition to those improvements, new bike racks, benches and waste bins would also be added, Sanderson said.

Jeffrey Bagg, the city planner, said Tuesday that the project will be beneficial to the downtown area.

“It’s a significant investment that revitalizes a key property with a new mixed-use building and provides new market-rate and affordable units,” Bagg said.

Beth McElhiney, owner of Wonderland at 56 Cottage St., said she opened a few months ago and was concerned about how her business would fare with construction across the street.

“I’m hoping that could be done without road closures,” she said.

McElhiney said she was supportive of more residential spaces in Easthampton, butthat she was not happy with the way the building is designed. She said the side facing Adams Street included a part of the building that looked like “an afterthought.”

“I’m a designer, and to me, I’m looking at it like it doesn’t make sense as an architectural design,” she said.

Sanderson said a lot of consideration went into the design of the proposal and its downtown location.

“It’s intended to help the streetscape and the development on Cottage Street to develop in a way that is complementary to the style of the town and [its] architecture,” Sanderson said.

The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. at 50 Payson Ave.

Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.]]>