Zoning board approves indoor basketball facility, housing development hearing delayed

Waltham could score new indoor basketball facilities after a Tuesday Zoning Board of Appeals decision in favor of a planned Clematis Avenue building renovation.

The ZBA at its Jan. 6 meeting agreed to let the company Tico Inc. convert the current gymnastics space at 110–1 Clematis Ave. into a “hoops center” for basketball training and practice. The property, part of the Tico Industrial Park, is a warehouse-style building where  a tenant previously running the gymnastics space moved to a larger space in the same building.

Tico’s lawyer, Philip McCourt, told the board that the building’s owners do not anticipate an increase in traffic to the area, because the basketball facility will primarily be used for limited-registration classes. He added that it will not be used for basketball games.

One of the property’s neighbors spoke against the new basketball gym, saying that the current facilities are already disruptive in ways the change in use will not fix. She said the gymnastics facility leaves its back door open, and as a direct abutter to the back of the property, she and her husband are bothered by the noise. She also raised concerns about emergency access to the building, saying access to the back of the gym was blocked by storage containers.

The board voted to require the basketball facilities to keep the back door closed except in case of emergency as a condition of its permit.

455 Totten Pond hearing delayed

The ZBA was scheduled to hear at its Tuesday meeting updates to a special permit request for a large residential development at 455 Totten Pond Road.

The Davis Cos. first came before city officials in March with its plans to build The Residences on Winter using the state’s Chapter 40B law. This statute allows special permits for residential buildings in nonresidential areas if they provide a sufficient amount of affordable housing. 

The development team received permission from the board at its last meeting to begin drafting final language for a special permit with the city’s Law Department. The team was scheduled to update the board on its progress with the city on Jan. 6.

However, because ZBA chair John Sergi, who had sat in on all previous hearings for 455 Totten Pond Road, was absent, the board agreed to delay the next stage of the hearings until its meeting on Jan. 27.