HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 02/24/2024RECEIVED Town of Mans ield
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February 14,2024
Meeting Held in Person in Meeting Room 3A/B and
Virtually Using GoToWebinar Platform
Present: Joseph Cerretani, Chair; Sharon Friedman, Clerk; Michael Feck;
Beth Ashman -Collins; and James Turnbull, Associate
Sarah Raposa, Director of Planning & Development
Priscilla McGill, Administrative Secretary
Absent: Michael McClanahan; Ralph Penney; Mark Corsillo; and Sreelatha Allam, Associate
Mr. Cerretani read the meeting's introductory remarks.
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Discussions continued for each potential bylaw amendment,
Firearm Dealer Locations
Chief Sellon was present for the discussion.
Ms. Friedman preceded the discussion with background information and why she recommended
this item for a bylaw amendment.
Chief Sellon expressed that care needs to be taken with the existing laws and not be too
restrictive as Massachusetts has the most stringent gun laws that pass constitutional muster.
There are only two issued licenses for people that reside in Mansfield but the businesses are not
located in Mansfield and neither license was issued by the Town. Both licenses were issued by
the State. Per Massachusetts law, a person can be issued a license to carry in either their
hometown, where they work, or where they have a place of business. Chief Sellon also
suggested that the implementation of mental health resources to assist in lowering community
risks. He said that the license to carry firearms is a very long application process. Currently,
there are no businesses that sell firearms in Mansfield.
Planning Board Meeting Minutes 2./14/24 Page 1 of 5
A brief discussion ensued relating to ghost guns and their impact. Ms. Ashman -Collins
expressed concern with restrictive zoning for a gun bylaw. Ms. Raposa referenced a recent
bylaw passed in Acton and noted highlights of that bylaw. Other local town bylaws could be
reviewed as models in drafting a Mansfield bylaw.
Ms. Friedman noted some factors to consider for this bylaw and that more research is necessary.
Chief Sellon also said that there is a direct correlation between a shooter and the location of the
shooting. Those that commit harm, hunt and study what they know. If a shooter can't predict
then they can't plan. Preventive measures could be to look at where people gather, how to
pinpoint those locations, and increase police engagement,
Ms. Raposa noted areas in Mansfield, according to the bylaw, where gun establishments could be
allowed by special permit, site plan approval, or by right. Board Members who were present
agreed that further discussion and research would be helpful. Mr. Cerretani suggested a review
of other local town gun bylaws for examples of elements that the Board would like to discuss
further. He noted that this discussion is in the early stages and would be a future consideration
as a bylaw amendment.
MSROD Phase II
Laura Smead and Elana Zabar of the JM Goldson team were present remotely.
Ms. Smead reviewed the Agenda for the upcoming public session which included the schedule,
MSROD expansion discussion, existing conditions analysis preview, and community
engagement update. She also reviewed the MBTA Communities testing compliance and the
proposed districts relating to the compliance for height and density. Ms. Raposa said that the
application for State compliance had been submitted and it could take up to 90 days for a
response from the State.
Ms. Smead reviewed the MSROD analysis relating to study areas, zoning, land use, impervious
surface, FAR density, improvement value, and density for residentially zoning areas only. She
then presented two specific cases using existing buildings and data from the analysis.
The next steps will be to continue analysis for future housing visioning areas, calculate tables for
each metric, and residential dimensional compliance town -wide.
Ms. Zabar presented the outline for the community engagement session. There was discussion
on what percentage of the community would engage in public outreach and network for public
engagement. Ms. Zabar presented the 2/28/24 public forum logistics for discussion, activities,
public engagement, and room layout.
Ms. Smead spoke about the engagement website which will include:
MSROD/MBTA
— Presentation
Planning Board Meeting Minutes 2/14/24 Page 2 of 5
— Sign-up for updates
— Timelines
— Links to FAQ maps, more information and resources
— Survey
Future Study Area
— Presentation
— Sign-up for updates
— Survey on vision and visual preferences
— Crowdmap
— Comments
Ms. Raposa said that the goal would be to bifurcate the TOD Parkway project from the MBTA
zoning project. She also spoke about the social media outreach process for the public forum on
February 28"i. She asked the Board members to also reach out to their circle of friends, family,
and co-workers to get the word out about the public forum.
Amend Recreational Facilities Definition
Ms. Raposa referenced an update relating to exercise gyms and sports courts,
After a review of the presented material for the bylaw amendments, the Board discussed which
of the items should move forward for recommendation to the Select Board.
1. Firearms Dealer Locations/Discussion -postpone
2. Amend Recreational Facilities Definition (housekeeping) —yes recommend
3. MSROD Phase II - yes recommend
4. Special Permit/Site Plan Approval (housekeeping) - yes recommend
5. Electric Vehicle Charging Required Parking —postpone
6. Section 230-7.2 Board of Appeals — Terms of Associate Members (housekeeping) - yes
recommend
7. Delete Section 5.5.11 Moratorium on the construction and siting of resource recovery
systems (housekeeping) —postpone (Ms. Raposa would like to review this further so that
there are no unintended consequences)
8. Special Permit for Open Space Percentage Relief - yes recommend
9. Add B4 Zoning District to Sign Bylaw (housekeeping) —yes recommend
10. Add special Permit provision to Sign Bylaw - postpone
Motion that items 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 be sent to the Select Board for recommendation to be
included in the Warrant. (Friedman/Ashman-Collins)
Four (4) in favor, Zero (0) opposed, Zero (0) abstained PASSES
Planning Board Meeting Minutes 2/14/24 Page 3 of S
To amend the Policies & Procedures of the Planning Board with Site Plan Approval and Special
Permit Rules and Regulations. Proposed amendments include, but are not limited to, policies,
procedures, application submittal requirements and regulations, technical specifications for
certain application types, and regulatory references.
Ms. Raposa said that having been absent from the January 24'h meeting, she watched the video
and was able to address Board comments.
Ms. Raposa said that the Policies & Procedures document will not be on eCode, as it is not a
bylaw, but it will be an internal PDF document on the Town webpage. She will also modify the
"under review by Counsel" section so that it will be clearer. Section 7 Roles and Responsibilities
has been edited for clarification. The voting and quorum section was relocated from the end of
the document to the beginning. In Section 9 the individual names of people for specific
appointed roles were removed. In Section 15 for meeting minutes and record of vote the
language was changed for clarification based on Open Meeting Law. Also addressed but not
specifically reviewed at this time were minor grammatical edits.
Ms. Raposa said that at the next meeting, there will be a more focused discussion on fees.
There was a brief discussion for clarification of when an associate member can vote,
Motion to continue the public hearing to March 27, 2024, at 7:05 pm. (Friedman/Ashman-
Collins)
Four (4) in favor, Zero (0) opposed, Zero (0) abstained PASSES
Meeting Minutes presented:
January 10, 2024
Motion to approve the minutes as presented (Turnbull/Feck)
Five (5) in favor, Zero (0) opposed, Zero (0) abstained PASSES
January 24, 2024 — postponed to March 271h
January 31, 2024
Motion to approve the minutes as presented (Turnbull/Feck)
Four (4) in favor, Zero (0) opposed, One (1) abstained PASSES
Planning Board Meeting Minutes 2/14/24 Page 4 of 5
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Ms. Friedman said that the Open Space and Recreation Committee continues to work on
updating the Open Space and Recreation Plan with guidance from SRPEDD.
Ms. Ashman -Collins said that she would like to know if there is any data relating to Town
intersections that have higher safety concerns for bicyclists and pedestrians. Mr. Turnbull said
that MassDOT has information on their website relating to crash data. Ms. Raposa also noted
that one of the items in the Master Plan is to address a bike and pedestrian plan.
Ms. Raposa recommended adding a nomination vote for the Planning Board representative to
SRPEDD on the next meeting agenda.
Ms. Raposa said that in March there will be a special public Planning Board meeting with VHB
for presentations of the Parkway project. She also noted that there will be monthly memos
apprising the Board of the progress. There will be changes to the Town website where the
MBTA project will be located on the Planning Board pages and the parkway will be bifurcated to
a separate project page as a Town project.
The Town received a $40,000 ADA Grant for a self -evaluation and transition plan and an
$18,000 grant for ADA evaluation at the recreational facilities. The Town also receive a $90,000
for the MBTA work currently in progress.
Motion to adjourn at 9:33: pm (Feck/Ashman-Collins)
Five (5) in favor, Zero (0) opposed, Zero (0) abstained PASSES
The date of the Next Planning Board Meeting is February 28, 2024 at 7:00 p. ni.
Sharon Friedman, Clerk
Documents Presented at the Meeting
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Date of Approval
1. Sarah Raposa, Director of Planning and Development meeting memo dated 2/14/24
2. Draft Minutes for January 10, 2024, January 24, 2024, and January 31, 2024
3. Revised draft Policies & Procedures of the Planning board with Site Plan Approval and
Special Permit Rules and Regulations dated 2/14/24
Planning Board Meeting Minutes 2/14/24 Page 5 of 5