Plans For Revamped Monomoy Theatre Property Go Before HBDC

CHATHAM – Preliminary plans for the former Monomoy Theatre property at 776 Main St. show renovation and expansion of the property’s two remaining buildings, with entrances and parking for the 2.6-acre parcel coming off Depot Road.

 Both the renovated Washington Taylor House and former playhouse building will be used as commercial space, although specific uses are not yet established.

 “We’re kind of open to what is the need of the market for commercial space,” Victoria Clark of Chatham Productions, which owns the downtown property, said at the March 18 historic business district commission meeting. “At this time we don’t have any specific companies or uses lined up for the building.”

 Chatham Productions purchased the property in 2019 and originally intended to develop it into a performing arts center, with housing on the Depot Road portion of the parcel. A number of housing plans were turned down by the town and affirmed by courts. A request to demolish the former playhouse building was turned down by the HBDC, a ruling affirmed by the select board on appeal.

 Plans shown at the pre-application session are similar to those presented in 2021. They show renovations and additions to the Taylor House and the playhouse which match the historic appearance of the buildings. Clark said the intention is to duplicate details on the original buildings so that they are consistent across both renovated structures.

 Although uses have not yet been established, Clark said the intention at this time is to retain the stage in the playhouse building, but that will depend on the type of commercial establishment that eventually occupies the space. The property is in the general business 2 district, which allows retail shops, art galleries and professional offices by right, with other uses allowed with approval from the planning or zoning boards.

 The entrance to the complex will be off Depot Road, she said. Parking will be behind the buildings with no access off Main Street. Clark said work on the site plan for the property is not yet complete, but that walkways will connect the parking area to the buildings. The property should be able to accommodate the more than 100 parking spaces that will be required, she added.

 The project will need to go before the planning board for site plan review. Previously a restaurant was proposed for the expanded playhouse building; that is a special condition use in the GB2 district and will require planning board approval. Final designs of the renovations and additions will require approval by the HBDC, which has scheduled a hearing on the additions to the Washington Taylor House on April 15. At the same meeting, the HBDC will continue the pre-application discussion of renovations to the former theater building.