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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 7/8/2020Planning Board Minutes July 8, 2020 MEETING HELD VIRTUALLY USING GOTOWEBINAR PLATFORM Present: Beth Ashman -Collins, Chair; Joseph Cerretani, Clerk; Michael Feck, Sharon Friedman, Alternate Shaun P. Burke, Director of Planning and Development; Jennifer Davis, Administrative Secretary The chair read the following statement: Whereas both the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health have advised residents to take extra measures to put distance between themselves and other people to further reduce the risk of being exposed to COVID-19, Governor Baker has issued an order suspending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law, Massachusetts General Law c. 30,4, §20. In order to satisfy the Open Meeting Law requirements, today's Town of Mansfield Planning Board meeting will available for to public via GoToWebinar and Mansfield Cable. The instructions for joining via GoToWebinar are in the Meeting Notice on the Town's Wehsite at www.mansfieldma.com and then clicking on today's date on the calendar. None Minutes June 24, 2020 Motion: To approve the June 24, 2020 minutes (Cerretani-Feck) Feck — In favor Friedman — In favor Cerretani — In favor '.cs Ashman -Collins — hi favor i 4 in favor. 0 opposed. 0 abstained. PASSES Lawrence Beals, Beals Associates, Inc, explained the proposal, in the Cabot Business Park with frontage on Hampshire Street, is to expand the parking lot to provide additional parking. He explained there are currently 520 parking spaces, and they plan to mill the pavement, expand the parking area, install a stormwater management system, overlay the expanded parking area, retrofit the parking area with LED lighting, relocate two light poles, and restripe for 615 parking spaces (including 246 compact spaces). The site includes two lots totaling 11.2 acres with two interconnected office buildings. There is currently approximately 195,000 square feet of parking; they are required to have 439 spaces, which Mr. Beals said would be inadequate for the buildings. Planning Board 1 7/8/2020 Mr. Beals explained there is a bordering vegetative wetland on the western property boundary, with a Swale to take runoff from Route 95 and other business park properties. He said it is classified as an intermittent stream and they have filed a Notice of Intent with the Conservation Commission. That hearing is scheduled for next week. Mr. Beals said the post -expansion open space will be 40% where 30.5% is required. Mr. Beals said the parking expansion is to support employment opportunities and encourage commercial growth and economic development. He said there will be no adverse effect on the abutting wetland resource area and no changes to the aesthetics of abutting properties. Mr. Beals said there will be six percent increase in pavement, or about 12,000 square feet. One parking island will be relocated and the timber guardrails along the perimeter of the parking lot will be expanded. He said to avoid the 25-foot no touch zone around the BV W, they will install modular block walls. Light poles will be relocated and retrofitted with LED fixtures. The total wattage will be 3,000 watts, a 64% decrease from the existing demand, which is a little over 8,000 watts. Mr. Beal said any disturbed areas will be loamed and seeded, two retaining walls will be installed, as well as orange construction fencing along the 25-foot no -disturb zone. The stormwater management system is being designed to bring drainage from the parking lot away from the site. There will be a 2'x2' stone trench to infiltrate the first inch of runoff from the expanded parking area. The southwestern expansion area will have deep sump hooded catch basins connected to a corrugated pipe detention system. Two new catch basins to capture runoff from the new parking area and send it to a large pipe under the pavement, connected to a smaller outlet pipe to drain stormwater runoff and slowly release it to a riprap apron area. They will rebuild a discharge point and connect the existing pipe to a manhole, with a second pipe that discharges to a riprap apron area. Erosion and sedimentation control methods will include: erosion control blankets and hydroseed mix, riprap level spreaders at the outlets, inlet protection, 8" mulch sock and silt fence, silt sacks to protect inlets outside the 25-foot no disturb zone, orange construction fencing, and monitoring and sweeping of the parking area. Mr. Beals said there are no proposed changes to waste removal, egress and access, or pedestrian access and signage. Department Head Comments The clerk read memos from Mr. Burke and Mr. Alves Planning Board 2 7/8/2020 Board Comment Mr. Cerretani thanked Mr. Beals for taking the time to explain the plan so thoroughly. He asked if this parking change will help the building get to 100% occupancy; Mr. Beals said it will satisfy the future tenant demands. He said there is a new tenant coming in that needs the additional parking. He said he thinks expanding development where there is already development makes tremendous sense. Ms. Ashman -Collins asked about bicycle racks; Mr. Beals said there are existing bike racks. Ms. Friedman asked about electric vehicle charging stations; Mr. Beals said they are not shown on the plans, but said when there is a demand for chargers, they could be installed close to the building without the loss of any spaces. Ms. Friedman asked if the site has adequate handicapped parking spaces; Mr. Beals said it does. Ms. Friedman asked about the "double bay" parking spaces; Mr. Beals explained those are nose - to -nose parking spaces, not tandem spaces. Ms. Friedman asked if the lighting will dim at night; Mr. Beals said there must be a certain amount of lighting for safety, which they will provide. Mr. Beals said the lights will have the same lumens, but will be more energy efficient than the existing lighting. Public Comment The chair read the following statement: It is important to us that you have a platform for your questions and comments during this meeting, therefore to ask questions or make a public comment during tonight's virtual meeting you must have registered and joined the meeting via GoToWebinar where you now have the ability to submit your question or comments through the questions option in your control panel, or you can use the raise your hand option to be allowed to speak. For those who have joined the meeting via telephone who would like to ask a question or make a comment, you are now welcome to unmute your phone. We ask that you only have your phone unmuted while you are asking your question. Please mute when you are no longer live. You can unmute your phone by pushing *6. Please then state your name and address, and when acknowledge by the Chairperson you can then state your question or comment. When you are done with your comment please mute your phone again by pushing *6. As with any public hearing we ask you to be respectful of the Board members and the other residents who are making their comments by patiently and quietly waiting your turn. Thank you. There was no public comment. Mr. Burke said he is happy with the site plan as it has been revised and recommend approval. Ms. Friedman noted the Conservation Commission would be reviewing this site as well. Motion: To approve the site plan for a parking area expansion at 9-19 Hampshire Street in accordance with the "Plans to Accompany Permit Documents for Parking Lot Expansion 9 & 19 Planning Board 3 7/8/2020 Hampshire Street Mansfield, Massachusetts," dated April 16, 2020 and revised June 25, 2020, prepared by Beals Associates, Inc. with the standard conditions regarding street sweeping, possible police details during construction, hours of construction operation and pending Conservation Commission approval (Friedman-Feck) Friedman — In favor Feck — In favor Cerretani — In favor Ashman -Collins - In favor 4 in favor. 0 opposed. 0 abstentions. PASSES Suzanne King, PE, BL Companies and Brad Griggs, Amazon Mr. Griggs explained this proposal is for a "last mile" delivery station, which will use 53-foot delivery trucks that will come during the overnight period. They will drive into the site, around the back and unload from a conveyor system. Employees will be parking inside the building. Mr. Griggs said delivery vans will be loaded in the morning. He explained van drivers arrive around 9:15am, park outside, collect a van and drive into the facility for loading. He said there will be approximately 32 vans per "wave;" with 20-30 minute load time, then additional "waves" during the day. He said the drivers are independent contractors, but will use Amazon -owned vans that will be garaged and parked in Mansfield. Mr. Griggs said the first wave of vans will leave the facility a little before 1 Oam, and other drivers come throughout the day to repeat the process. He said there may be a small number of trucks that come in during the day, "flex" drivers who come in personal vehicles and load packages and usually don't come back to the site. He said the regular van drivers return to the site around 7-7:30 pm, park the vans and leave in their personal vehicles, a process that continues until approximately 1 Opm. Ms. Ashman -Collins asked about the inside parking; Mr. Griggs said employee parking is closest to the building, with van drivers' personal parking close to the loading area. He said loading and unloading will happen inside the building. Ms. Friedman asked if the drivers use the same vehicle every day; Mr. Griggs said the drivers are third -party contractors and usually use the same vehicle. Ms. King explained there are no proposed changes to the building footprint. She explained the changes to the parking area; including the existing truck loading through bay doors; parking inside and outside of the building. She said the primary entrance is off West Street, but they have an access easement with an abutting property owner off Forbes Boulevard. Vans will be parked inside and outside the building; parking will be rearranged to allow van parking spaces measuring 11'x27'. Ms. King said this is a tight site with stormwater basins around the parking areas. They will maintain the existing impervious coverage and use the existing stormwater system. She said the finished floor at the van egress will be four feet higher than roadway outside, so they plan to Planning Board 4 7/8/2020 reshape the drainage area but will maintain the existing volume. A ramp will be added for the vans to leave the building. Some of the parking spaces on that corner will be removed and grass planted. The parking areas will have landscaped islands. Ms. King said there will be no change to the building footprint, they meet the parking requirement and have more than enough parking for the maximum shift. Ms. King said there are wetland areas on either side of the site; there will be some work within the wetland buffer and they will work with the Conservation Commission. Ms. King said this would be a 24-hour operational facility, so lighting will remain on for safety. She said there will be no light spillover from the site and the fixtures will face downward. Ms. King said there is not much space for additional landscaping Department Head Comments The clerk read memos from Mr. Burke and Mr. Alves. Ms. King said they will be able to comply with the comments. Ms. King said Amazon has learned towns do not want to see trucks and vans sitting in traffic. She said they have shifted their operation so the vans do not start leaving the site until around 1 Oam, after the morning peak, and return after the afternoon peak. Ms. King said they plan to add a bike rack on north side of building. She said Amazon is looking toward having its vans be electric, but the company is at the beginning of that process. She said existing electric vehicle technology requires a four -foot concrete band in front of the parking stall, and this site is so tight, they do not have room for that. However, she said as vans get smaller, that is something they hope to incorporate. Board Comment Mr. Burke said they are staying within the building footprint, keeping pervious and impervious surfaces the same, and he likes the fact that they plan to stagger their van times. Mr. Feck said there are 460 parking spaces, but the traffic study shows 662 total daily trips; he said he has a hard time seeing how that is possible. Mr. Griggs said the parking spaces are to allow for peak operations around the holidays, so it will not be utilized at the highest level all year. He said the number in the traffic study is for average operation throughout the year. Mr. Feck asked if Mr. Burke is comfortable not using the ITE numbers for this type of use. Mr. Burke said he is comfortable with the traffic study because this is a unique use. Mr. Feck asked if the board can condition the times of operation in a decision; Mr. Burke said he thinks it can. Ms. Friedman asked if the Fire Department has gone through this and is comfortable with the vehicles parking inside the building, as well as with the ventilation system. Ms. King said the Fire Department is reviewing the sprinkler system, the inside parking and access around the building. She said with vehicles stored inside the building, they are also storing the gas inside them, so there is an additional permit will be required to get. She said there will be two separate Planning Board 5 7/8/2020 ventilation systems for the office area and parking/loading area, with a wall in the middle of the building that seals the two areas from one another. Mr. Cerretani said a resident on West Street submitted a letter with concerns about traffic going west on West Street and asked how much traffic would leave this site going in that direction. Ms. King said the delivery area is about a 45-minute area, which can be done using the highways. She said most of the traffic will go to Routes 140, 95 and 495. She said any traffic going west on West Street would be for local deliveries. Mr. Griggs said they anticipate most of the traffic going east out of the site to access the highways. Mr. Cerretani asked how far out deliveries the facility would go; Mr. Griggs said about 45 minutes, but said that will change as more delivery stations are added and depending on the customer locations. He said they also utilize FedEx and UPS for deliveries. Ms. Friedman asked if the Taunton and Bellingham facilities are happening concurrently with this one; Mr. Griggs said they have a number of ongoing projects, and Bellingham is already open. He said the vans will head to Route 140 to get to the highways, and vehicles going west out of the site will be for local deliveries, which would be happening regardless of this facility being in Mansfield. Ms. Friedman asked if a van is delivering to Attleboro, would it go to West Street and through the neighborhoods, or get onto Route 495 and then Route 95; Mr. Griggs said he anticipates the highway route being the most efficient. Ms. Friedman said the board has to balance Amazon's efficiency concerns with our neighborhoods. Mr. Griggs said their company is built on efficiency, so he doesn't think it would be logistically efficient to send vehicles through a residential neighborhood when there is a highway so close to the site. Ms. Friedman said she is trying to be sensitive to the resident's request that vans be directed toward Route 140. Mr. Griggs said he thinks a van servicing Attleboro would probably be making deliveries in Mansfield as well. Mr. Griggs showed the board a volume map showing the bulk of vehicles leaving the site heading away from West Street. Mr. Burke said according to the traffic study, about 10% of the traffic leaving this site would go west on West Street. Mr. Feck asked about fueling the vehicles and noted there are no gas stations on that side of town, except Stop and Shop on Route 140. Mr. Griggs said they have worked with communities on this issue and said they cannot dictate to third -party vendors which gas stations they have to use, but can make recommendations. Mr. Feck said all the gas stations in town are located at difficult intersections. Mr. Griggs said they are not planning on -site fueling. Public Comment The chair read the following statement: It is important to us that you have a platform for your questions and comments during this meeting, therefore to ask questions or make a public comment during tonight's virtual meeting you must have registered and joined the meeting via GoToWebinar where you now have the ability to submit your question or comments through the questions option in your control panel, or you can use the raise your hand option to be allowed to speak. Planning Board 6 7/8/2020 For those who have joined the meeting via telephone who would like to ask a question or make a comment, you are now welcome to unmute your phone. We ask that you only have your phone unmuted while you are asking your question. Please mute when you are no longer live. You can unmute your phone by pushing *6. Please then state your name and address, and when acknowledge by the Chairperson you can then state your question or comment. When you are done with your comment please mute your phone again by pushing *6. As with any public hearing we ask you to be respectful of the Board members and the other residents who are making their comments by patiently and quietly waiting your turn. Thank you. The chair read an email from Tim Cahill, 996 West Street. Carlos Santana, 106 Walnut Street, said West Street is frequently used as a cut -through and asked about restrictions to reduce drivers using Walnut Street. Ms. Ashman -Collins asked what Amazon does to ensure drivers obey speed limits in neighborhoods. Mr. Griggs said they work on safety training multiple times a week, the third -party managers are on site every day, they do safety checks morning and evening, and work with contractors to ensure drivers operate safely. Mr. Feck asked about "Local Deliveries Only" signage at either end of Walnut Street to discourage cut through traffic. He said if that doesn't work, something like a speed bump could be investigated. Ms. Friedman suggested adding "No Through Trucking" signage. The board discussed possible conditions, including avoiding peak traffic times, avoiding problematic cut-throughs on side streets Mr. Burke said he thinks the board can add conditions to the site plan, and can plan to revisit the issues with Amazon in a year. Ms. Friedman said with vans leaving the site after peak morning and afternoon commuter times, there is scant need for drivers to use side streets for cut-throughs. She said she would like that to be a condition Mr. Cerretani asked how many vans would leave the site at once; Mr. Griggs said starting around 9:45-10am, the first wave of 32 vans start to leave the site, which takes 20-30 minutes. Then a second wave leaves 10:15-10:30, a process that continues throughout the day. Ms. Ashman -Collins asked the board how it feels about the conditions to avoid peak traffic and asking drivers not to use specific local roads. Mr. Feck asked if the board can revisit the traffic study and include offsite mitigation as needed. Mr. Burke said the board did that with Mansfield Crossing, which did follow-up traffic studies. He suggested asking for actual traffic numbers in a year. Ms. Ashman -Collins said this site currently has a distribution facility, which uses trucks instead of vans. Ms. Friedman said the existing site uses 18-wheelers that go to the highway. Mr. Cerretani asked about the Police Department; Mr. Burke said they were notified when the site plan was submitted, but have not submitted comments. Motion: To approve the site plan for warehouse improvements at 560 West Street in accordance with the "Land Development Plans Issued for Site Plan Approval 560 West Street Mansfield, Planning Board 7 7/8/2020 Massachusetts" dated May 7, 2020, prepared by BL Companies with the standard conditions regarding street sweeping, possible Police Department details during construction, hours of construction operation, avoiding peak traffic times, avoiding cut-throughs on side streets, revisiting the traffic study in a year, request review from the Fire and Police Department and pending Conservation Commission approval (Cerretani-Feck) Friedman — In favor Feck — In favor Cerretani — In favor Ashman -Collins - In favor 4 in favor. 0 opposed. 0 abstentions. PASSES There were only four members of the board present, so public hearing. The clerk read the public hearing notice. will be unable to conduct the Motion: To continue the public hearing to August 19, 2020 at 7:40 p.m. (Cerretani-Friedman) Friedman — In favor Feck — In favor Cerretani — In favor Ashman -Collins - In favor 4 in favor. 0 opposed. 0 abstentions. PASSES Motion: To adjourn at 9:45 p.m. Friedman — In favor Feck — In favor Cerretani — In favor Ashman -Collins - hi favor 4 in favor. 0 opposed. 0 abstentions. PASSES Next Planning Board Meeting: July 22, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. Signature of Clerk r Date of Approval Planning Board 8 7/8/2020