140 Pleasant Street

Cresset Development, LLC retained MEG to coordinate the design and permitting of this 44- unit residential apartment complex located on a 0.90 acre parcel of land at 118-120, 132 and 140 Pleasant Street in Watertown, Massachusetts.  The redevelopment project consisted of razing an existing industrial use building and a multi-family residential building, construction of a 44 unit building with a footprint totaling approximately 11,925 square ft, bituminous pavement access drives and parking area, stormwater management facilities, utilities, site grading and landscaping.  The site borders the Charles River and as such the design presented many challenges which involved balancing the density of the project and protecting the sensitive wetland resources associated with the river.  The stormwater management design incorporated sustainable design elements such as bio-retention cells, bio-filter swales and rain gardens which were designed to attenuate peak flows generated by all storm events to ensure that post-development peak flows generated by all storm events are less than pre-development flows and allow for recharge to groundwater.  These “low-impact” stormwater management techniques were preferred by the Charles River Watershed Association as an organic alternative to stormwater management as they provide a higher level of treatment for removal of nitrogen, phosphorus and metals through plant-root uptake and enhanced soil media.    These systems are also less costly to construct and maintain than subsurface stormwater systems and conventional closed drainage systems.  The stormwater management system was designed to be in full compliance with the DEP Stormwater Management Regulations and local requiremnts. The project also required a special permit and site plan approval from the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals and an Order of Conditions from the Conservation Commission. MEG also provided construction administration services to ensure that the final product was consistent with permit approvals and the value engineered design.