February 7, 2019 by Carol Britton Meyer
Construction at the long-vacant former Settles Glass site at 6 Station Street could begin in the near future.
The Planning Board approved the site plan recently, and the Zoning Board of Appeals gave its stamp of approval to the proposal this Wednesday.
This comes as good news following two earlier attempts to develop the site that never became a reality -- one, a proposed biergarten and the other a larger-scape mixed-use proposal.
Matt Falconeiri (whose company is constructing the Lincoln Building replica in Hingham Square) plans to build a three-story residential/retail building at that location.
While the Historic Districts Commission granted approval before the other two boards, a sign-off on the final design is required. The HDC reviews projects located in historic districts to ensure they fit into the surrounding streetscape.
"The plan has to come back to the Historic Districts Commission for finish details, i.e., windows and doors (type and materials), body and trim paint colors, landscape/hardscape plan, and lighting (plan and fixtures)," said HDC Administrator Andrea Young. "Construction will likely begin before these finish details are approved."
Local Hingham Architect Vcevy Strekalovsky confirmed that in the meantime, the building design is being refined to comply with that requirement.
Regarding the ZBA process, Senior Planner Emily Wentworth said the developer still needs to gain the necessary approvals to complete work in the public right of way, with the hope of beginning work late in the spring.
Stay tuned for the further details!