ORDER-2023-2 : Appointment of Michael Aveni, 16 Hillside Ave, to the Planning Board to fill the term of Robert Mercado which expired in February 2022. Mr. Aveni’s term shall expire on the last day of February 2027.

Transcript (~7 min @ 10:00)

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▶ 9:51 Mark Garipay: Alright, we are going to take order 2023-2. The appointment of Michael lavini 16 Hillside Ave to the planning board to fill the term of Robert Mercado, which expired in February 2022, Mr. Devinney's term shall expire on the last day of February 2027. Mr. Mayo

▶ 10:13 Paul Brodeur: Thank you, Mr. Chairman members of the committee again happy to be here with you to offer your consideration Mr. Ravini for for a spot on the planning board planning board is one of the most important boards in the city in terms of our long term development and future planning. I do want to thank Mr. Mercado for his outstanding. He is a service he served with the distinction. He will certainly be missed but sitting beside me Mr. Vini brings almost four Decades of experience in the field including training as a registered architect, but also involve really in all areas of development planning licensing and really regulation of properties. He can certainly tell you about that. Better than I but he is again it's been involved in a lot of the type of development work that goes on here. Right right here in the city of Melrose and he'll be a true asset to the planning board since you decide should you decide to move forward and approve his nomination?

▶ 11:33 Speaker 6: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you for having me here this evening. My name is Michael levaney I have lived in Melrose. with my wife and three children since 1998 I am indeed a registered architect and I currently the last 26 years have worked for a major North Shore developer. And in those 26 years, I have acquired immense experience in Land Development. So not only do I wear the architecture hat. I'm also a an amateur civil engineer. I worked in a civil an Ane firm when I first got my my first job you say four decades. That's scary. It is 37 years. I'm proud to say it's 37 years in the industry without missing a day without not having a job for a day. So the first firm I worked at had was an architectural engineering for him. So when things were slow in the late 80s, I had the opportunity to work on the Civil side as well. And you do all up some skills that I still use today in my development world. I am not only responsible as the architect for all of our out of the ground projects and Redevelopment projects. I am also responsible for all the content and all the presentations and all the What's the word I want to use acquiring entitlement procedures? I have the firm I work for right now has properties manages properties in 11 Eastern, Massachusetts, Eastern, Massachusetts communities. And I've been in front of the conservation the planning the city council design review boards Zoning Board of Appeals. And every one of those towns and I basically am responsible for the content the presentation the putting packages together understanding all the rules the regulations the process. And I as as my children are now older and I have this big house and I sit there by myself my wife every night and I this is something that I've always thought that I would. Seek an opportunity to take these very honed in extensive development skills and try to kind of turn them around and be be in a position to contribute to the community. I know it would be great to see Melrose have some more commercial development help our tax base and that's something that I'm very interested in and understand very well. and I felt the time was right now that I there was an opportunity and Here I am and I would hope that the this commission would consider my appointment to the planning board.

▶ 14:29 Mark Garipay: Thank you Council of 70 questions.

▶ 14:35 Speaker 1: Council Echols

▶ 14:36 Jack Eccles: Thank you, Mr. Vini for putting your name in I guess I'll ask one question. Are you kind of familiar with the work of the Melrose housing production plan and how it's out there? And do you have any? do you agree with the vision of Creating more Transit oriented development in town and you talked about commercial but as far as the need for more housing if you could speak to that at all.

▶ 14:59 Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean certainly. And I am not familiar with whether Melrose has met their 40 affordable housing quota. And it would be fantastic to have opportunities to have more affordable housing here. So I totally in line with that regarding the transit oriented orientated development. For sure, I think that is well. Obviously, we have this beautiful transportation system that runs through a Melrose so obviously but I do feel that there needs to be you know, the mixed use component of it is is important and you know, it's a delicate balance, right? We certainly have plenty of residential stock. It'd be nice to have more be nice to have a little more commercial stock as well. But yeah, we certainly have opportunities here and I'd be open to hearing about them. Awesome. Thanks.

▶ 15:59 Speaker 1: Council let's do it.

▶ 16:01 Robb Stewart: Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you Mr. Savini for being here tonight and for volunteering your services. I think that's great. You have an impressive background. I have no objections to you being recommended. So at this point I will make a motion to recommend your appointment to the full Council.

▶ 16:17 Speaker 5: second

▶ 16:18 Mark Garipay: motion to recommend was made by Vice GS Stewart second and by Council or Eckles on discussion

▶ 16:27 Speaker 1: all in favor I post

▶ 16:30 Mark Garipay: This this order will go in front of the full council with with the recommendation. You do not have to be there. The next meeting full council is the 15th of August also. Thank you.

▶ 16:43 Speaker 6: Thank you again for coming. Thank you all for having me. Thank you. Have a great night.