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2025-09-10 SRA Meeting MinutesSRA September 10, 2025 Page 1 of 9 City of Salem, Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Board or Committee: Salem Redevelopment Authority Date and Time: Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at 6:00pm Meeting Location: City Hall Annex SRA Members Present: Chair Grace Napolitano, Dean Rubin, Glenn Larose, Christine Madore, Christopher Dunn Others Present: Tom Daniel, Executive Director, Kate Newhall-Smith, Principal Planner Executive Director’s Report Mr. Daniel acknowledged Mr. Rubin and thanked him for his service as this was his final meeting with the SRA. He will continue as a member until the new member is appointed by the City Council. Mr. Daniel presented Mr. Rubin with the City Seal from the Mayor, which honors and recognizes his seven years of service in the SRA , where he shared his professional expertise as a former business owner and his thoughtful voice as an advocate for downtown Salem Mr. Daniel reported that they are continuing to work through language for the amendment for the courthouse project with Winn and are hoping to get the final details nailed down at a meeting next week. He reported that the Commonwealth was not ready to close on the tax credits in this calendar year so it’s being pushed to the first quarter of 2026. The team is still hoping to start predevelopment work on the Crescent lot via the Early Start License Agreement, but per the SRA’s vote last month, that license won’t be executed until the amendment is executed. Work is not likely to start until late October. Projects in the Urban Renewal Area 1. Lappin Park: A. Request from Flying Saucer Pizza Company to set up a tent on weekends in October 2025 (including the Halloween weekend that extends to November 1st and 2nd) and the October 13, 2025, holiday for the purpose of selling food and non-alcoholic beverage items from their menu. Laura Potter was present to discuss the proposal: • A map of Lappin Park showing the location of the event, signage, and layout was shared. • Ms. Potter said she is requesting permission to sell slices of pizza and soft drinks from a tent in Lappin Park. She said that Flying Saucer has been doing this for roughly 10 years, and it helps them to keep the crowds more controlled from everyone trying to come into the restaurant. • In the past it has been done in conjunction with Gulu Gulu Café. Flying Saucer will be doing their own tent this year. • Gulu Gulu will be set up between the two trees on the left. Flying Saucer will set up closer to Ginger to avoid having clusters of people. Mr. Rubin expressed concern about crowd control and queuing so many people. He asked that the applicant coordinate with Gulu Gulu as the events unfold. SRA September 10, 2025 Page 2 of 9 • A member of the public, Jess Crescimano, owner of Gulu Gulu Café, noted that they will have different hours of operation, so there will only be a couple of hours of overlap. • Ms. Potter said they will start setting up at 11am and operating at 12pm. She expects to stop serving at 8pm, with break-down at 9pm. On Sunday night, they will stop serving at 6pm, except for the Sunday before Indigenous People’s Day. • Foot traffic will still have full access to the main sidewalks. VOTE: Dunn made a motion to approve. Second: Madore. Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. B. Request from James Rogers in collaboration with the owners of Gulu Gulu Café, to host Art in the Park, a Salem 400+ community event in Lappin Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026, with a rain date of Saturday, April 25, 2026. James Rogers was present to discuss the proposal: • Mr. Rogers noted that the event would be free and that easels and supplies would be provided. The idea is for people to come throughout the day to draw, paint and sketch, and hopefully spend time in the park. • He doesn’t expect people to stay all day; more in and out foot traffic. • Mr. Rogers noted that he is hoping to showcase old photographs from the Salem State Archives that showcase the downtown architecture. • The event is open to all ages and all members of the public. • There is no attachment to the proposed date. Ms. Madore noted that April 18th falls on a holiday weekend. Mr. Dunn noted the dates fall during many schools’ April vacation. Mr. Rogers thinks a date at the beginning in May may also work. • Mr. Rogers chose Lappin Park because it is a central location and a lot of architecture is viewable for sketching. • Mr. Rubin suggested that Mr. Rogers look at Charlotte Fortin Park which is much larger and a place the SRA is trying to activate. • Mr. Rubin suggested that the SRA could approve the project in concert and allow the applicant to finalize the date in coordination with the City and notify Ms. Newhall-Smith. • Ms. Cherol, the City’s Salem 400+ Coordinator, indicated that she is flexible with the date. VOTE: Dunn made a motion to approve the proposal with a date to be determined by the City and the applicant. Second: Dunn. Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. 2. 128 Washington Street: Small Project Review – Review of DRB Recommendation on proposed façade painting for Ba Banh Mi. Mr. Pho was present to discuss the proposal: • Mr. Pho would like to paint his restaurant façade a dark gray color. He has already received permission from the DRB for the signage. SRA September 10, 2025 Page 3 of 9 • Ms. Madore noted that they would usually encourage more transparency on the top windows. Mr. Pho said he plans to leave the windows clear. • Mr. Pho expects to open the restaurant at the beginning of October. There were no comments or questions from the public. VOTE: Madore made a motion to approve as proposed. Second: Rubin Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. 3. 216 Essex Street: Small Project Review – Review of DRB Recommendation on the proposal to modify the façade to facilitate the change in use from offices to hotel, including new doors, new trim paint, and new light fixtures. The use of public land adjacent to the property will be considered at a later date via a separate permit application. Attorney Scott Grover, Tinti Navins, representing the applicant was present representing Essex Cabot, LLC, to discuss the proposal: • The two principles for Essex Cabot LLC are Pavel Espinal and Peter Lutts, who have the building at 216 Essex under agreement. • They are looking to convert what is now a commercial office into a boutique hotel. • The changes to the exterior of the building are very minor. • The SRA referred the matter to the DRB to look at the design elements in detail and they have it referred it back to the SRA with a positive review. • Renderings of the exterior of the building were shared. • Mr. Espinal reported that they want to keep the building looking historic . He noted that they want to bring one of the doors forward three feet and they want to convert existing windows to a storefront door opening so that building is more symmetrical. • Along Cervoni Walk, they wish to convert a window to a door because they will be coming back in the future requesting permission to operate a small patio area off the building. • The shutters will be painted black. • He reported that the DRB inquired about the shutters and the condition about the necessity to keep the shutters on the building. Mr. Espinal said that that Doug Kelleher , who is leading the Historic Tax Credit Program application, recommended that the shutters stay on as there are photos from the late 1800s/early 1900s with the shutters on. • Ms. Madore asked about the missing shutter on the second floor of the rendering. The applicant said he wasn’t sure if it was missing in person or just missing from the rendering. It was speculated that there wasn’t enough room to mount the shutter on the building. • The brick is in very good shape, and the applicant doesn’t intend to make any changes to it. There were no questions or comments from the public. VOTE: Rubin made a motion to approve pursuant to the DRB recommendation and the understanding that shutters will stay given their historic significance. Second: Madore Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. SRA September 10, 2025 Page 4 of 9 4. 311 Derby Street: A. Extension of Premise for Outdoor Dining – Review of DRB Recommendation on the proposal from The Goat for outdoor dining on both the privately -owned front and rear patios. B. Small Project Review – Review of proposal and DRB Recommendation for the façade modifications. Justin Pasay, Chief of Development from the Flurry Group, parent company of Salem Goat, LLC, Adam Prentice, Creative Director, Ken Woods, Engineer, and Al Flurry, owner, were present to discuss the proposals: • Images of the building and proposed changes were shared. • The applicant is proposing to change the trim color from red to charcoal gray. The same changes are proposed for the rear of the building. • They are proposing to add 56 feet of new metal fencing. • They are proposing outdoor dining in the same location as the previous owner, American Flatbread, who had outdoor dining in both the front and rear patio area. They are proposing to add 48 sears in the front, with 52 in the back, for a total of 100 additio nal outdoor dining rear. There will be 13 umbrellas, 3 planters, and the fencing. • Per the DRB’s recommendation, everything will be black, and the planters will be like what is used at Hotel Salem. • The planters will be used as the boundaries between the outdoor dining areas. • The applicant is proposing to box in the mechanical HVAC equipment. • All of the natural brick will remain. • The large mural wall will be painted brown. • Outdoor seating layouts and images of tables, chairs, planters, and fencing were shared. • Ropes and stanchions will not be used. Planters will be used instead. • The applicant is trying very hard to open in October. There were no questions or comments from the public. VOTE: Rubin made a motion to approve the application for the extension of the outdoor dining subject to the conditions made by the DRB. Second: Madore Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. VOTE: Rubin made a motion to approve the project pursuant to the DRB recommendation. Second: Madore Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. 5. 301 Essex Street: Schematic Design Review – Review of DRB Recommendation on the interior building layout and functionality. Charissa Vitas, Mike Becker, and Dan Ricciarelli were present to discuss the proposal: • Mr. Becker reported that the change to the project is to increase the number of residential units from 20 to 30 units and to increase the commercial space from 1500 sf to over 5000 sf. The onsite parking is going to be eliminated. The Planning Board has responded favorably to SRA September 10, 2025 Page 5 of 9 parking being located off site and were enthusiastic about the increase in commercial space. • The last time the SRA saw the project members voted to refer the project back to the DRB to review the microunits. • Mr. Ricciarelli reported that the smallest unit is now 351 sf and the largest is 1,010 sf. He said the 30 units are a mix of nine studios, 17 one BRs, and four 2 BRs which are the townhouses. • He reported that Mr. Durand had questions about the doors to the stairs, and those were answered. Everyone has accessible doors. A few tweaks to walls were made to accommodate furnishings. • Layouts of the building were shared. • Mr. Ricciarelli discussed the proposal to activate the patio space between the building and the Salem Inn. • Based on feedback from the Planning Board, storage units will be provided for the units and there will be an increase in community space in the basement. The building will have a compliant plan for the number of bike racks needed. • The community room space was increased from 270 sf to 400 sf. • The laundry room and trash room are the same size. • There are two washer/dryers for 16 units. • There are nine storage lockers and those could be allocated to the smaller units. • Mr. Rubin expressed his hope that the rent for the smaller units will allow renters at the lower end of their career earnings. The applicant said the smaller units will have smaller rents. He said the comps he has seen have ranged from $1,500-$2,000. Mr. Rubin said he hopes the developer can push to keep the rents closer to $1,500. • Discussion of the commercial use was discussed. A potential coffee/café was discussed. • Mr. Daniel noted that the materials were due two weeks ago, and that it is frustrating for staff not to have submissions on time. He said it does not give staff the opportunity to review the materials and provide comments to the Board in advance of the meeting. He added that this has been a repeated issue with this development team. • Ms. Madore agreed with Mr. Daniel and said that she also spent time looking at the basement plan, and with the new plan found her questions to be irrelevant. • Ms. Madore noted that it appears that her previous question about access through the community room has been addressed. She asked for clarity on bike rack and storage access. • Mr. Becker said that a person with a bike coming from Summer Street would access the basement through the elevator with an electronic locked secure door. Images of the floor plan were shared and discussed. The elevator is gurney size. • There are two accessible units, one on the 3rd floor and the other on the 4th floor. Those floor plans were also shared. • The affordable units have not been designated yet, but there will be three. Ms. Madore said one of the accessible units should be assigned as affordable. • Ms. Madore reiterated Mr. Rubin’s comments about the commercial use and having quality, year-round tenants. SRA September 10, 2025 Page 6 of 9 • The applicant will need to come back to discuss any signage proposed for the commercial tenants. • Mr. Dunn noted that he hopes the basement storage goes to the smaller units. Ms. Madore said seeing the unit layouts was helpful as was learning about the TDM requirements. • Mr. Daniel acknowledged that the questions the board had about the functionality of the space was very helpful in establishing a process for future projects. • Additional city board approvals are needed for the parking requirements and a traffic demand plan. • The developers hope that the parking reduction ordinance will pass. • Mr. Larose asked about the design of the community space. Mr. Becker said they still have work to do on that. There were no questions or comments from the public. VOTE: Rubin made a motion to approve the schematic design subject to the DRB conditions with the understanding that in the final review they will want to hear more about the commercial tenants and how tenancy plans address the SRA’s concerns. Second: Madore Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. New/Old Business 1. Redevelopment of the Historic Courthouses and the Crescent Lot: Update on Project Status Mr. Daniel reported that he believes they are close to agreement on the amendment. He said they are having a meeting next week with just the folks from the business followed by a meeting with the attorneys in the room. It’s been acknowledged that the project today is different from the project it was. Mr. Daniel said the City is asking to clarify that, and that Wynn is cautious about that as the language and underwriting matters to the lenders. Ms. Napolitano commended Mr. Daniel and Ms. Newhall-Smith on their attention to detail and record keeping throughout the process. 2. SRA Financials Mr. Rubin noted that the courthouse predevelopment fund is dangerously low. Mr. Daniel noted there is a contingency plan. He said the SRA has been advanced $100,000 of the total cost of the price; the balance is now less than $5,000. 3. Other Meeting Minutes 1. August 13, 2025 VOTE: Dunn made a motion to approve the August 13th meeting minutes. SRA September 10, 2025 Page 7 of 9 Second: Madore Roll Call: Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. Upcoming Meetings 1. DRB: September 24 2. SRA: October 8 Adjournment VOTE: Rubin made a motion to adjourn meeting. Seconded by: Dunn Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, and Napolitano. 4-0 in favor. SRA adjourned the regular meeting. ANNUAL MEETING 1. Annual Report and Financial Report Mr. Daniel noted that Ms. Newhall-Smith put the Annual Report together. He reported that the project that has been most time-consuming is the Crescent lot and Courthouse project. He said that activation of Charlotte Forten Park with Anthem is ongoing. He said COVID initially impacted plans and activities at the park. The hope was that the City would not have to subsidize the programming, which led to the City releasing and RFP for a management entity and Anthem getting selected. He said Anthem’s rollout was tough; there was misinformation about nothing local being served, and that has been imprinted on people’s minds. He said the shade structure has run into issues , which has complicated things, but they are working to keep the project moving forward. He said the memorial has been great at the park. Mr. Daniel said there was a curveball with mock-up for the Exchange, which was very time consuming. Board members should note that the DRB suggested a condition to have the team construct a mock-up, which proved to be challenging yet beneficial in the long run . There were complications in terms of layering materials and window treatments while meeting the energy codes they wanted to meet. He said the lesson learned was that if someone wants to do something outside the box, it’s worth the time and investment to have a mock-up. Mr. Daniel said the sign manual is very close and will likely come to the SRA in October. He said they really wanted to drill down on the temporary signs and murals. SRA September 10, 2025 Page 8 of 9 Ms. Newhall-Smith reported that the SRA issued a grant for storefront improvement for Salem Tipico on Congress Street. North Shore CDC worked with the owner, and they refaced their sign. Ms. Madore inquired about the City Council candidate who reported they no longer had that program. Ms. Newhall-Smith said they do have the program, and it is a one-to-one match, so a check for $750 was issued for a $1500 project. Mr. Daniel noted as a reminder that the DRB is an advisor to the SRA. The SRA also supports the Planning Board via design review of projects in entrance corridors and the NRCC district. He said the parking study wrapped up and that they have funding to put towards engagement around Church Street. He said the Old Town Hall Phase I is wrapping up. Phase II is the bigger phase which includes interior work, HVAC, etc. and has an $11M estimate. Julie Barry is working on that now. The goal of having multilevel activity needs shoring up. He said the bathrooms on Artists’ Row have been difficult to manage and will be managed differently this year. Mr. Rubin noted that there is a loss of foot traffic by having the bathrooms closed. Mr. Daniel talked about the Main Streets Program, and the work with the Chamber and partnership supporting the downtown activities. Mr. Daniel thanked the SRA for their support, engagement, and the planning that they do. Mr. Dunn inquired about the licensing revenue. Ms. Newhall-Smith said they get the fees every three years, and that they are on schedule. She said there is a 3% escalation every year. 2. Fiscal Year 2026 Goals Mr. Daniel reported that the first goal is that they will continue to work on the downtown vision, the courthouse, and the parking study. The second goal is to focus on their own systems and organization, and the sign guidelines which is very close to being done. The third goal is around Charlotte Fortin Park. Mr. Rubin noted that the mall continues to be a problem and a blight they are fighting. He thinks the owners are just going to let it continue to crumble. Mr. Dunn said the value of the mall would be phenomenal for the City. Mr. Daniel said the businesses there have been successful with the public spaces/hallways less so. SRA September 10, 2025 Page 9 of 9 Ms. Madore suggested that the next time they put out a solicitation like the one they did for Charlette Fortin Park, that they have the contractor come before the Board. She noted that there is a lot of chatter in the public about how badly Anthem is doing and that it reflects badly on the SRA as they provided them with $50,000 in funding. She hoped that could be reflected in their goals. Ms. Newhall-Smith added that she wants to explore methods and practices to increase SRA efficiency and transparency as a goal. VOTE: Dunn made a motion to approve the goals with Ms. Madore’s addition. Second: Larose Roll Call: Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. 3. Election of Officers: Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer Ms. Napolitano will remain as Chair, with Mr. Dunn as Vice-Chair and Ms. Madore as Treasurer. VOTE: Larose made a motion to approve the slate of officers. Second: Dunn Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor. 4. Adjournment VOTE: Rubin made a motion to adjourn the annual meeting. Second: Dunn Roll Call: Dunn, Larose, Madore, Rubin, and Napolitano. 5-0 in favor.