NORWOOD – The Norwood Planning Board held a public hearing on September 22, 2025, to review an updated site plan and major project special permit application for the property located at 61 Endicott Street, currently known as the Norwood Commerce Center (NCC).
The application, filed by Norwood Commerce Center Limited Partnership, seeks a “Major Project Special Permit” to address several key issues stemming from the property’s transition from its historical industrial use (dating back to the 1700s as a tannery) to a diverse mix of modern commercial tenants.
First, NCC applicants are seeking “Global” Relief for Changing Uses. Representing Norwood Commerce Center, Attorney David Hern Jr. of Gelerman Cabral, outlined the need for relief from the town’s zoning bylaws, particularly concerning allowed uses within the Manufacturing (M) District. Hern noted that the Commerce Center houses a variety of businesses including retail, indoor recreation, artist studios, offices, and service establishments, many of which are not permitted as a matter of right in the manufacturing district and have historically required individual special permits from the Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA).
NCC wants a “global” special permit from the Planning Board which would allow a broad range of prospective uses across the site, similar to a previous permit granted to the Norwood Space Center in 2016. This would streamline the process for new tenants, preventing the ZBA from being “flooded” with repetitive use applications and shortening the two-to-three-month waiting period new businesses currently face. The requested permitted uses would include indoor recreation, restaurants, retail, offices, service establishments, and food processing.
Next, NCC requests special zoning relief related to parking and landscaping requirements (Sections 6.1 and 6.4 of the bylaw). This would include parking which would require 748 parking spaces based on the current bylaw’s calculation methods. However, the current application proposes a mere 450 spaces, which Hern argues is more than sufficient due to the diverse operating hours and usage patterns of the tenants (some daytime, some evening, some weekend-based). Based upon what we saw from the Lenox St application, the Planning Board is poised to receive some push back from neighbors.
Finally, landscaping and stormwater improvements are planned for the site. Specifically, The Commerce Center acknowledges that their proposed new landscaping may not meet the bylaw’s quantitative requirements for elements like the number of trees. They are seeking relief based on the site’s unique, heavily-developed circumstances.
Civil site engineer Susan Spratt P.E. of McKenzie Engineering presented the plans for significant infrastructure and environmental upgrades to the site’s stormwater management. One such improvement is to install a zero subsurface infiltration system for treating runoff to remove total suspended solids (TSS). The plan proposes to restore the existing water quality swale which was built in 1999 and is currently overgrown with invasive species.
NCC assures a mutual benefit between the facility and the town, specifically with respect to environmental protection, traffic safety, and the increased tax revenue for the town. The hearing is expected to continue as the board reviews the detailed plans and testimony in the upcoming months. -RD