Support 331 Lafayette Street Development

North Shore developer Robert Burr, Principal of 331 Lafayette LLC, is proposing to build a state-of-the-art mixed retail and office building at the corner of Lafayette Street and West Avenue in Salem.

The current buildings at this corner are run-down and house businesses with leases that are expiring. The property is actively being sold by its current owner.

Robert Burr has met with South Salem neighbors a number of times and incorporated their feedback, making changes that include size reduction, added parking, and a complete redesign of the building to fit with the historic nature of the neighborhood.

While a traffic analysis has found that the project would not increase traffic in any significant way, the developer has offered to provide the City of Salem with a strip of land to widen West Avenue and alleviate traffic, which has been a concern of many residents.

The most recent changes to the proposed development for 331 Lafayette Street include:

• Reducing its size from 40,000 square feet to 29,000 square feet.
• Increasing parking from 35 to 85 spaces, bringing the building’s parking capacity within zoning requirements.
• Offering to grant a strip of land to the City of Salem to widen West Avenue to alleviate traffic.

For this state-of-the-art mixed retail and office building to move forward, the developer must secure a height variance from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, even though the proposed development will be no higher than the highest part of the existing structure.

This petition was launched as a way for community members to demonstrate their support for the project.