On January 12, Viking’s attorney, Edward Angley, sent a letter to both the planning board and the Zoning Board of Appeals indicating it was not going forward with plans for a proposed 6,000-square foot commercial building at 104 Tremont Street.  In the letter, Angley said that the demands the planning board put on the applicant during its site plan review could not be met “without protracted and costly action.”  Angley’s letter went on to describe an “adverse and hostile” reception during the meetings that led the tenant to withdraw from the project.

At Monday’s meeting, Chairman Peter Donahue took issue with that language among other things.

“It is obvious to me that the developer and the attorney have no idea what the site plan review process is all about and expectedÖa rubber stamp on this project,” he said.

Donahue said that the board conducted itself in a professional and courteous manner during its two meetings with Viking on the project and took objection to the fact that they did anything else.

He reiterated concerns that numerous members of the public cited during these meetings including traffic concerns and the sheer mass of the building on a small lot as issues brought to the forefront and not in any way “hostile” against the applicant.

“I don’t consider this to beÖadverse in expressing this to the developer,” he said.  “This board extended [the applicant’s] appearance a number of times, even on short notice and extended them every courtesy.”

Board member Aboud Al-Zaim then suggested that the group write its own letter to Viking stressing these facts.

“We should at least clarify some points,” said Al-Zaim.  “The application did not meet the requirements of the bylaws and we made no demands outside of the bylaws, so I take exception [to the letter’s language].”

The board voted 5-0 to accept Viking’s withdrawal with James Kimball recusing himself because the company is a client of his employer.

Donahue then dictated a letter to be sent to Viking and Angley to make them aware of the vote and how the board takes “distinct exception” to their letter.

“As Mr. Al-Zaim said, this board made no demands except to [meet zoning bylaws],” said Donahue.  “At no time did the board create an adverse and hostile environment and in fact extended every courtesy to meet the town’s requirements.”