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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 05/12/2021Planning Board Minutes May 12, 2021 RECEIVED MEETING HELD VIRTUALLY USING GOTOWEBINAR' U6 S OFFICE Present: Beth Ashman -Collins, Chair; Joseph Cerretani, Clerk; Sharon Fri?o�paRfh ff h Penney, Adrian LeCesne and Diana Bren, Alternates P A If: 33 Shaun P. Burke, Director of Planning and Development; Jennifer Davis, Admit sV"r I Secretary M &;S;, Art.{1 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. 30A, §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 Website at www. mansfieldma. com and then clicking on today's date on the calendar. 1. April 28, 2021 minutes Motion: To approve the April 28, 2021 minutes as submitted (Bren-Cerretani ) Cerretani — In favor / Penney - Abstained Friedman — In favor LeCesne — In favor Bren — In favor Ashman -Collins —In favor Five (5) in favor. Zero (0) opposed. One (1) abstained. PASSES I 2. May 5, 2021 email from Steve Chorney, Community Gardens re: proposed revised roof at 500 School Street; including revised roof rendering received by email May 12, 2021 Mr. Burke explained the approved plan, which included a rendering of the building with a pitched roof, is re/ferenced in the special permit decision. Owner Steve Chorney explained his request to change to a flat roof. He said they have decided it would be best to have the rooftop equipment over each room in the building. He said the building would be eight feet shorter with a flat roof, which would also be safer for maintenance staff working on the rooftop equipment. Board Comment Mr. LeCesne asked if there would be any problems putting the equipment at the back of a flat roof; Mr. Chorney said it would not be any structural issues. He said the flat roof would be 110 feet wide and they will screen the equipment with a parapet at the front of the building. Planning Board 1 5/12/21 Mr. Cerretani asked if the front edge of the roof where it meets the wall will be higher; Mr. Chorney said it would not be; he said the wall height will be 32 feet high either way. Mr. Cerretani said the screening should be stepped back to better screen the equipment and asked if the two step-down portions of the building would also be flat. Mr. Chorney said the roofs should all be flat or all be pitched, not a combination of both. Mr. Cerretani said flat roofs are more expensive to maintain. Mr. Chorney said he understands that, but said the flat roof will make it easier and safer to maintain the equipment. He also said putting the equipment on the flat roof will bring it further from the wetlands. Ms. Friedman asked if there would be equipment on the two step-down buildings and what the total height of the building would be. Mr. Chorney said the overall height is 33 feet to the top of the eave and there would be about eight feet of screening to cover all the equipment. He said there may be backup generators on the two stepdown roofs. Ms. Friedman said in that case, the total building height would be 42 feet. Mr. Chorney said he is willing to add plantings along School Street and is still interested in adding a mural to the building. Ms. Ashman -Collins said she thinks this is a minor modification. / Mr. Penney said the board usually asks applicants to try to hide the mechanical equipment. Mr. Burke agreed and noted most of the buildings in the business park have flat roofs. He suggested a four -foot parapet rather than eight feet. He said drivers traveling west on School Street, drivers will be looking down on the building, so-(o screen the equipment completely, the parapet would have to be both parallel and perpendicular to School Street. He said he doesn't think that is necessary. Mr. Penney said he doesn't have a'problem/with the flat roof and suggested hiding the equipment as much as possible. Motion: To incorporate the revised flat -roof rendering into the special permit, to put the mechanical equipment on the roof and to screen it with appropriate materials (Friedman- LeCesne) Cerretani — In favor j Friedman — In favor LeCesne —In favor Bren — In favor z Ashman -Collins — hi favor Penney - In favor Six (6) in favor. Zero (0) opposed. Zero (0) abstained. PASSES None window on an undeveloped pad site in the approved commercial development at 50 Reservoir y Street in the Industrial 1 (I1) Zone. Planning Board 2 5/12/21 Property owner Marco Crugnale and Bob Rego, RiverHawk Environmental, were present. Mr. Rego explained this addition to the previously approved project at Reservoir Street and South Main Street. He said the pad sites that have already been constructed include a 12,000 square foot medical building and a 108-room hotel. This modification is to add a 1,500 square foot coffee shop with a drive -through and a 5,000 square foot (tenant unknown) space on the easterly side of the main entrance. Mr. Rego said all utilities have been installed and this modification will not result in any changes. He said there will be modifications to the front of the proposed building, the removal of parking spaces to accommodate the entrance and exit to the drive -through and an escape lane from the drive -through. Mr. Rego said the drive -through was designed with two goals: to meet the requirements of the Zoning By -Law, which requires 10 queueing spaces before the order board and four spaces after, with one additional space after the pickup window for a total of 15 spaces, which the plan shows. He said they also considered practical design issues for a coffee shop and said literature for a similar use shows a minimum queue length of 260 feet; they have 300 feet. Mr. Rego said there were questions about whether the queue would extend onto Reservoir Street. He said this site is unique in that it will allow for some additional queueing inside the site before exiting onto or causing backup onto Reservoir Street. He said"No Queueing" signs were suggested, which he said they will do. He said Vanasse widbe rechecking the queueing. Mr. Rego said Vanasse's original traffic report showed that most people visiting coffee shops are already driving by the site, so this use will not generate a lot of additional traffic. He said additional trips in and out of the site will be handled by the improvements that have already been made and the planned future improvements. He said they have added a Right -Turn Only lane leaving the site and will be installing the traffic signal at South Main/Reservoir Streets. Board Comment Ms. Friedman asked about the landscaping plan. Mr. Rego said the landscaping for the overall project was approved as partof the original project, and the landscaping along Reservoir Street and throughout the site has been installed, along with additional landscaping between this pad and the hotel and along the eastern side of this pad. Fl Ms. Bren asked how many parking spaces were removed; Mr. Rego said three or four. Ms. Bren asked what changed to accommodate the escape lane; Mr. Rego said that was included as part of the three or four parking space removal. Mr. Crugnale said this original pad site was 8,400 square feet, and with the drive -through, the proposed building is smaller. He said he planted sod, trees and shrubs along Reservoir Street and met with the Village at Willow Crossing association to go over the plan prior to this meeting. Mr. LeCesne asked about traffic flow and said people will pull off Route 140 onto Reservoir and into this site, and people coming out of the drive -through will have a sharp turn. He asked if that would cause problems with the intersection and what safety measures will be used. Mr. Rego Planning Board 3 5/12/21 said they are proposing a "No Right Turn" at the drive -through exit and have asked Vanasse to look at that. Ms. Bren said she is concerned a "No Right Turn" sign may cause a bottleneck. Mr. LeCesne asked if the applicant had considered flipping the two buildings at the front of the site, which could eliminate the drive -through traffic flow problem. Mr. Crugnale said the coffee shop wants that location for maximum visibility at the Route 140 intersection. Mr. LeCesne said the "No Right Turn" sign will force drivers to circle the building, which could cause more traffic problems. Mr. LeCesne asked what the dotted blue line on the plan indicates; Mr. Rego said that is the 100- foot buffer to the bordering vegetated wetland. Mr. Cerretani said that could become a potential problem zone for traffic and asked about making that an "Entrance Only." Mr. Rego said staff had mentioned making that a one-way and he has asked Vanasse to look at the best way to minimize traffic interactions, but that review has not been completed yet. Ms. Bren said she would feel more comfortable having that information before making a decision. / Mr. Penney asked about the queueing line; Mr. Rego said the lane can fit 10 cars between the first and second windows and four after the second window. Mr. Penney said he thinks drivers will ignore the "No Right Turn" sign. Mr. Rego said that is one of the issues they asked Vanasse to look at. Mr. Penney said they wouldn't want cars stacked up to Reservoir Street or at the entrance to the site, which could cause problems with the hotel and medical offices. Mr. Crugnale said flipping the coffee shop to the other pad would not be economically feasible. He said they will get more information from Vanasse. Mr. LeCesne said he thinks people will take a right after leaving the drive -through, cross traffic and take a left out of the site. He suggested something like a small rotary could manage traffic now. Mr. Penney asked if this is an allowed use in the I zone; Mr. Burke said it is a special permit use. Department HeadPmunents The clerk read comments from Mr. Burke; Fire Chief Desrosiers; Mr. Reinke and Mr. Alves, Engineering 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 4 5/12/21 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 clerk read the following written public comment: May 11, 2021 email from Eugene Caterina, Village at the Point May 11, 2021 email from Steve Theodorakis, 15 Reservoir Street Roberta Reingold, 15 Reservoir Street, said she appreciates the questions the board has asked. She said the Village at the Pointe's entrance/exit is close to opposite the,entrance/exit to this site. She said traffic from Norton uses Reservoir Street as a cut through to get to Routes 140 and 495. She said she doesn't have any reservations about a coffee shop, but given the small size of the proposed building, it is obvious it is primarily intended as a drive -through. She said she is concerned about the safety of the abutters at 15 Reservoir Street Fina Pasqua, 15 Reservoir Street, echoed Ms. Reingold's concerns and said she was opposed to the drive -through for safety reasons. j Mr. Crugnale said he understands the safety and traffic backup concerns and said the proposal meets the requirements for queueing. He said he thinks the traffic will flow well, he will get more information from Vanasse and noted he will be starting the installation of the traffic signal. Ms. Friedman said pad 2 is currently empty and asked if there could be consideration given to moving the coffee shop there instead of pad 3, which could help the traffic circulation. Mr. Crugnale said that was lookejd at, but he can't make it work with a building this small. He said pad 1 will probably be a medical use. He said he asked about a coffee shop without the drive - through, which the tenant said was not an option. Mr. Penney asked what would happen if cars back onto Reservoir Street. Mr. Burke said "No Queueing" signs would be installed and would be enforced by the Police Department. Mr. Penney said when the coffee shop opens up, it will be a novelty and have a lot of traffic, but that would probably be short-term. He asked to have Vanasse do estimated traffic counts by each hour of the day. Mr. Rego said most of that data probably already exists for similar uses. Mr. Cerretani he thinks said the two most comparable shops are Starbucks and Dunkin in Foxboro and suggested looking at those. Ms. Bren said tenants' delivery schedules may impact traffic at this site. Mr. Crugnale said he can put language in the leases about delivery times and locations. Ms. Friedman said large truck Planning Board 5 5/12/21 deliveries would be difficult ono this site; Mr. Rego said deliveries to this site would not be by 18-wheelers. Mr. Cerretani asked about trash removal; Mr. Rego said there is a dumpster to the right of the drive -through lane. Mr. Crugnale said that would be screened and landscaped. Mr. Rego said it is within the 100-foot buffer area, but that is a previously paved area. Motion: To continue the public hearing to June 9, 2021 at 7:10 p.m. (Penney-Bren) Cerretani — In favor Friedman — In favor LeCesne — In favor Bren — In favor Ashman -Collins — In favor Penney -In favor Six (6) in favor. X (x) opposed. X (x) abstained. PASSES April 7, 2021 letter from Marco Crugnale; April 7, 2021 letter from Stag Representative Jay Barrows; April 9, 2021 email from Bill Travers, MassDOT District 5; April 14, 2021 letter from Kara Griffin, Executive Director, Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce Mr. Burke explained Mr. Crugnale has requested the board delay the required signalization of the Reservoir Street/South Main Street intersection until the mast arms have been delivered. That equipment has been ordered but is backordered. Mr. Burke explained staff and Mr. Crugnale met with MassDOT, which requested a number of item Is from Mr. Crugnale. He noted the ENF includes the traffic signal and will have to be amended. He said MassDOT also asked for additional traffic information from Mr. Crugndle. Mr. Burke noted this is only a discussion and would not encourage the board to vote until Mr. Crugnale has updated MassDOT. Mr. Crugnale said he has submitted everything to MassDOT, including a Vanasse-generated traffic study. He said he is trying to get occupancy for the hotel by June 7. He said installation of the signal equipment will begin next week, and hopes the mast arm delivery will be July 7-21. Ms. Bren said it sounds like Mr. Crugnale is doing everything he can to make this work, but the board has to wait until MassDOT is satisfied. Mr. Burke said the board could post prior to Town Meeting on May 24 if the information comes in. Mr. Crugnale said he will do everything he can to get the information as soon as possible. Ms. Ashman -Collins asked if MassDOT will say it can't decide until the Planning Board decides; Mr. Burke said he has spoken with them and they understand the board is waiting for MassDOT's decision. email from Attorney withdrawing Articles 29 and 30 Planning Board 6 5/12/21 Ms. Ashman -Collins said Town Counsel has requested the board vote its acknowledgement of the withdrawal of the citizens' petitions prior to the public hearing. Motion: To acknowledge the withdrawal, prior to the public hearing, of citizens' petition Articles 29 and 30 from 2021 Annual Town Meeting and recommend they be passed over (Bren-Friedman) Cerretani — In favor Penney — In favor Friedman — In favor LeCesne — In favor Bren — In favor Ashman -Collins — In favor Six (6) in favor. Zero (0) opposed. Zero (0) abstained. PASSES Mr. Penney asked about the Chocolate Factory; Mr. Burke said the Building Department is looking for some final documents before final occupancy. Mr. Penney asked about Trattoria Romana; Mr. Burke said the owner has purchased the adjacent property for employee parking. Mr. Burke said the Planning Department is working on three grant applications, including funding for a TOD zoning study, the reuse of 50 West Streeet as a COA building and a PARC grant to change the Hang Chase Place park/parking area over to a park. Ms. Friedman asked about the retail space at Station Square (300 North Main Street) and asked what kind of coordination there will be on the PARC grant with the Downtown Committee, Cultural Council and Keep Mansfield Beautiful. Ms. Ashman -Collins said those committees have been meeting frequently to talk about focusing on activating the space and installing local history informational signage. Mr. Burke said to the best of his knowledge, 300 North Main Street has rented first -floor space to a law office and to a physical therapy space. He also said Providence Bagel is going into first - floor space at 214 Rumford Avenue. Motion: To adjourn 4t 8:45 p.m. (Penney-Cerretani) Cerretani — In favor Friedman — In favor LeCesne — In favor Bren — In favor Ashman -Collins — In favor Penney -In favor Six (6) in favor. Zero (0) opposed. Zero (0) abstained. PASSES Date of Annual Town Meeting: Monday, May 24, 2021 at 5:30 p.m., Xfinity Center Date of Next Planning Board Meeting: June 9, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Si atu of CI rk Z Date of Approval Planning Board 7 5/12/21