LEBANON — A proposed 260-unit apartment project on Mount Support Road would bring the number of neighboring units owned by a Hingham Mass.,-based developer to about 700.
Don Smith, a partner with developer Saxon Partners, presented early-stage plans for the Marek West complex, a three-building apartment complex with 261 units, to the Lebanon Planning Board Monday night.
Smith’s presentation was part of a conceptual site plan review, a newly-required informal review that allows the Planning Board to learn about the project and catch any potential problems early in the process.
The proposed complex would share a driveway with another Saxon project, the 250-unit Marek South development that opened its doors in 2023. Construction is ongoing for a third neighboring 200-unit Marek North project.
The complex caters to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center employees. Sixty percent of the residents in the current Marek South work at the hospital, Smith told the Planning Board during Monday’s meeting.
The units will likely be similar in cost to the Marek South, Smith said.
Small one-bedroom apartments in Marek South currently cost between $2,650 and $2,800 a month in base rent for 514 square feet, according to the Marek South website. Some larger one-bedroom apartments cost about $3,000 a month for about 730 square feet.
“The reason more housing isn’t built is because construction costs are so high. These are very difficult to pencil,” Smith told the board. “The tax bills here are a huge part of the impact on these projects. The Lebanon tax rate is very high.”
Board Member Eric Stacy asked if it is even possible to build an affordable smaller apartment building in Lebanon today. In response, Smith shared a plan to eventually build small duplexes or townhouses on a front portion of the undeveloped 58-acre lot that is slated to become home to Marek West.
Marek West itself is expected to cover about 6 acres and Smith said the developers plan to restrict about half of the back section of the lot as a permanent wildlife corridor.
“At some point, hopefully, construction costs will taper off, it hasn’t happened yet,” Smith said. “The tariff stuff is not helpful.”
About half of the apartments in the new project will be one bedroom units, one quarter studio apartments and one quarter two bedroom apartments, Smith said.
Marek West would also include many of the amenities of the other Marek buildings such as a hot tub, gym, dog parks, access to a network of walking trails, and outdoor and rooftop gathering spaces.
As part of the other developments, Saxon Partners also built bus stops and pedestrian crossings on Mount Support Road to allow DHMC employees and other residents to access the Advance Transit bus system.
“We actually have less cars than we have people renting apartments,” Smith said of Marek South. “They survive on buses and bikes.”
The developments are just one mile from DHMC.
Board members said they would like to see more green space to break up a roughly 200-space parking lot. There is also parking under the buildings.
This would hopefully reduce the amount of asphalt-covered surface that can cause flooding and create a “central place-making green space,” as board member Kellen Appleton described it.
The potential environmental impact of the project was a primary concern for board members.
Board Member Kathie Romano recalled walking the site of the nearby Dartmouth College-owned Summit on Juniper apartment complex when it was proposed. The 309-unit complex opened in 2022.
“One of the surprising things walking up that grassy hillside was how extremely wet it was, mushy,” Romano said. “You had to have rubber boots on to walk that hill and when you got even halfway up there were puddles and at the top there were lakes and ponds.”
Romano questioned what flood mitigation measures are needed, especially now that it is one of many large apartment complexes that are under construction or have been recently finished in the area.
Mount Support Road is home to many rental properties. In addition to the Marek developments and Summit on Juniper, other developments include 252 units at Timberwood Commons and several condominium complexes off of Mount Support and Heater Roads.
The city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment and state Department of Environmental Services have already issued permits for the Marek West project to permanently impact over 12,000 square feet of wetlands. As part of this permit, developers outlined stormwater mitigation measures and wetland impacts that are in line with regulations.
“One of the biggest focuses is stormwater for us,” Project Engineer Dave Fenstermacher of VHB told the board. VHB is an engineering firm with locations along the East Coast, including Bedford, N.H. where Fenstermacher is based.
Another concern with the site is that it consists of a steep hillside.
During the public comment period, Conservation Commission Chairwoman Sarah Riley said she is worried about the wetland impact and the amount of blasting that will be needed to build.
The news of blasting for the project raised concerns for neighbors Stephen and Cheryl Bayes who said they live in the Quarry Hill Condominiums that are down the road from the complex separated by woodlands. The couple questioned what liability the developers will hold if blasting impacts their property, such as by creating cracks in their foundation.
Neighboring properties could be surveyed before construction and the company will be liable for any damages that happen as a result of construction, Smith said.
The blasting also will happen directly next to the other buildings owned by Saxon Partners, so it’s in their own interest to limit the impact, he added.
If all goes well, Fenstermacher said, the developers will have plans ready to submit for the more formal site plan review process before the end of the year.