Gateway Building To Be Quieter

Planning Board members on Monday approved changes to the design including moving HVAC air handlers from the roof to reduce noise.

Condensers are the only HVAC items that will remain on the roof of the 3,700-square-foot commercial building.

It is located at 128-140 Humphrey Street, next to

Designers moved the air handlers — square boxes that include blowers and other components — as a result of talks with parents of kids who go to Hadley Elementary School, Tucker said.

"They are going to hear the road far more than the HVAC," said Jeff Tucker of Walter Jacob Architects, representing the building owners.

Last year, Planning Board members required the building owner to meet with the parents and school representatives as a condition of the board's approval for the project.

The two sides met and talked about noise, truck traffic and other concerns.

On Monday, before the Planning Board, the architect agreed to construct a four-foot fence for the length of the condensers. 

Board members wanted the fence to screen the condensers.

Construction of the Gateway Building is underway. It's a replacement for the original building, destroyed in a March 1, 2011 fire.

Jayne Orloff-Carey, whose family owns the property, said they have been in talks with potential tenants including two people interested in renting restaurant space.

The new single-story property will be able to accommodate six businesses of anywhere from about 400 to 600 square feet each, though units could be combined if that is what tenants want.

One former tenant has committed to returning, Orloff-Carey said.

That is the owner of Raina's Hair Color Cafe.

Morgan Raina will be moving into a space that will be double or triple the size of her former shop, Orloff-Carey said earlier.

Gateway building materials will include masonry at the base, lots of glass for ocean views, as well as clapboards and metal.

It will be topped with a cupola.