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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin of planning brd 07/19/00 RfCEIVEO TOWN CLERKS OFFiCe: Planning Board 00 AUG -3 P" 31311 Minutes of July 19,2000 Present: H. Thomas French, Chairman, Bernard J. Dolan, Clerk; Roger Achille, HANSf~1limk HASSA6tlUSitllrke, Director ofPlannin and Develo ment Mr. French explained the purpose of site plan review and the items the board would be considering. He also explained Mr. McShane would be unable to attend the meeting, and Mr. Cook and Dr. Torman had excused themselves due to potential conflicts. Mr. French read a disclosure indicating his employer does work for Shaw's, but is not involved in this project. (' Attorney James Kelley explained a similar retail project, with 90,000 square feet, had received a positive recommendation from the board in 1993. This proposal is for 92,000 square feet of retail. He said the project complies with all setback and zoning requirements and has addressed the department head comments. r Gregg Mikolaities, Appledore Engineering, explained the wetlands have been flagged, a traffic study has been completed on 15 intersections, a MEP A scooping session has been held, and staff meetings have been held. He showed the board several plans, including existing conditions on the 34-acre site; there are some wetland areas in the state right-of-way, but none on the site. He also presented a plan with the 1993 layout and the current proposal, saying there is more landscaping proposed now, but the lot coverage and building area are the same. A third plan, showing the whole property with a Shaw's supermarket and a second, smaller retail store, includes a new driveway on West Street and a ring road around the site with a connector to Norfolk Street. The site is in the Industrial 1 zone and includes 510 parking spaces. Stormwater will drain to a detention pond at the Route 140 side of the site and will be treated at Best Management Practices standards. The water line will be upgraded and looped, and the site will be on town sewer. Lighting will be from shoebox fixtures with shields. Landscaping will include street trees around the perimeter and to Norfolk Street, screening along the back of the site, and landscaped islands in the parking lot. A building elevation plan shows stores with gabled entrances. r Rob Woodland, Rizzo Associates, explained that in the traffic study, they followed the same process they used in 1993, looking at the same 15 intersections. Traffic figures were projected for five years out, with and without this project, and considering other developments in the area. He said the analysis indicates that with some signalization adjustments, the project can work. - I Planning Board Minutes 7/19/00 r The existing driveway on West Street will be pulled back from Route 140 to provide separation for traffic, a Left Turn Only lane will be added going into the site, and West Street will be widened. There will be separate Left and Right Turn lanes for traffic leaving the site, and an exit onto Norfolk Street. Mr. Woodland explained the study shows up to 75% of traffic into to the site will be cars already driving by, but said they used a conservative figure of25% drive- by business. Department Head Comments The clerk read comments from Kurt Gaffney, Water Operations Manager, John Sullivan, Town Engineer, and Mr. Burke. Mr. Mikolaities presented the board with a memo addressing each comment. They agreed to comply with each of Mr. Gaffney's requests, and addressed all of Mr. Sullivan's concerns. r' I With regard to one of Mr. Sullivan's comments, Mr. Woodland explained the process by which the traffic study was done. The growth rate (2%) was determined by 1993 and 2000 traffic volumes, along with adjacent development. They had proposed to adjust the traffic signal one year after opening to give traffic patterns time to settle, but Mr. Woodland agreed to do that prior to the opening, then look at traffic patterns again after the opening. He added they would have to get MassHighway's permission to make any changes to Route 140. Mr. Mikolaities said he anticipates one more revision to the plans with MEPA's and the board's comments. Mr. Dolan asked how deep the water in the basin would get. Mr. Mikolaities said during the I DO-year storm, it could be nine feet deep. Mr. Burke asked about the response to his question regarding landscaping; Mr. Mikolaities said they agreed to do the landscaping. Public Comment Celeste Jones, 60 South Walnut Street, asked why there are no plantings shown along the wetland, and was concerned that the landscaping shown is not on this site, but on the property of an abutter. She said that landowner could remove those trees and leave no buffer between the stores and the neighborhood. She asked exactly what type of buffer would be used and who would maintain it. Mr. Mikolaities explained there would be a fence and plantings at the rear of the stores and he will look at the issue of the trees on the abutting property. .r-. Mrs. Jones asked about the noise from refrigeration units on top of the buildings. Mr. Mikolaities explained they would have to do a study for the state and adhere to specific sound levels. Mrs. Jones was concerned about traffic into the site backing up on West Street, especially when the Industrial Park lets out in the -2 Planning Board Minutes 7/19/00 (' afternoon. Mr. Woodward said they would try to address that with traffic signal adjustment. Mrs. Jones said a traffic light at Norfolk Street was denied by the state in 1993, and would probably be denied this time, leaving West Street the only access. Bob Jones, 60 South Walnut Street, explained how the site had changed over the years and was concerned about drainage problems with the additional development. Mr. Mikolaities said he had not seen any changes to the site since 1993, but has done pre- and post development analysis. Existing pipes will be replaced, as some are clogged or damaged. Mr. Dolan asked if water would back up onto Walnut Street because it can't get through this site. Mr. Mikolaities explained the new pipe will be at the same elevation of the existing pipe, so there would be no change. Mr. Jones said the vegetation in the area is thick now, but is concerned about being able to see the site in the fall and winter. Sandra Levine, 20 Walnut Street, said it is the developer's responsibility to provide a buffer around the site. r Mrs. Levine said the abutting Residential 2 property cannot be used to calculate open space, and asked if the site would meet the 35% requirement without it. Mr. Dolan said they would have to show their conformance to open space. Mrs. Levine asked how far the parking lot would be from the state-owned land. Mr. Mikolaities said it would be at least 50 feet away. Mrs. Levine asked if the Truck Route Only sign could be placed further up the driveway to avoid passenger cars going around the back of the stores. She also asked if the truck route could be one-way, with trucks coming in West Street and going out Norfolk Street. Mr. Mikolaities explained the majority of supermarket deliveries are in the morning, with three or four tractor trailers per day. The peak hours for the store are in the evening and Saturday afternoons, which are not the peak delivery times. He agreed that the Truck Route sign could be moved further up the driveway. Mrs. Levine noted there is a bus stop at West and Walnut, which is 200-300 feet from the proposed entrance. ( Mrs. Levine asked if a 21E environmental assessment had been done; Mr. Mikolaities said it had been, and the site is clean to state and federal standards. -3 Planning Board Minutes 7119/00 r Mrs. Levine asked if the utilities would be underground and about the height of the light poles; Mr. Mikolaities said utilities would be underground, and the light poles would be 30 feet high. A property maintenance company will do parking lot sweeping, trash collection, catch basin cleaning, and the applicant is willing to agree to a schedule for these activities. There will be a self-contained compactor behind Shaw's, which will be emptied weekly. Lynn McDonald, 330 West Street, lives across Route 140 and said the traffic is very loud at the West St/Route 140 stoplight, and asked if the signs on site would be lighted. Mr. Leahy said he would be willing to discuss the traffic light timing. Mr. French said the sign appears to be 15 feet and internally lighted. Mike Healy, 18 Casa Drive, asked about hours of operation for deliveries; Mr. Leahy explained Shaw's does not plan to be open 24 hours, but doesn't want to restrict hours of operation. He said they could work out something to restrict delivery times. Mrs. Jones asked if the buffering could be added before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. Mr. Burke said if they were unable to do the plantings because of the weather, they could get a temporary, then a full certificate when they have completed all the requirements. r Board Comments Mr. Frank asked if the auto repair building would be removed and whether the 34 acres includes the entire parcel. Mr. Mikolaities explained the existing building would not be removed as part of Phase 1, and the area calculation includes the whole site. However, the parking for Phase 2 is not included. Mr. Burke suggested they could add a Phase l/Phase 2 line, but the Phase 1 plan includes the Norfolk Street access road, which goes through both phases, dividing the site East-West. Mr. Frank suggested in that case, the open space should not be included for the whole site, unless all other Zoning By-Law requirements are included for the whole site. Mr. Frank asked about snow storage. Mr. Mikolaities explained it would be plowed to an empty portion of the site. Mr. Frank asked about the size of the sign. Mr. Mikolaities was unsure of the dimensions and whether it would comply with the Zoning By-Law. Mr. Frank asked if the Board of Health should sign off on the noise study. Mr. Burke explained the town has no noise by-law, but the board could request the Board of Health review and comment on the study. r- Mr. Frank: said he would like to see the buffer up before occupancy. He was concerned about the distance of the farthest parking spaces from the stores. Mr. -4 Planning Board Minutes 7/19/00 (' Mikolaities said the parking plan was not concrete and they would look at that issue. Mr. Frank asked about the number of employee parking spaces; Mr. Mikolaities said he would check the numbers of the largest shift. Mr. Dolan said the dumpsters would have to be screened; Mr. Mikolaities agreed. Mr. Dolan asked about the basin; Mr. Mikolaities said he rechecked that, and it would only hold five feet of water. The basin was not sized for expansion, however, and would have to be increased with Phase 2. Mr. Burke said basins with flat slopes are not usually fenced, but water in them doesn't usually get that deep because they tend to be larger. Mr. Dolan said he supports making the truck traffic one-way. Mr. Leahy said there will be far fewer trucks in and out of the site than presently, with West Lynn Creamery. Mr. Burke asked how the HV AC units would be screened. Mr. Mikolaities said they could be placed in penthouses, and if noise is a problem, sound barriers could be installed. He explained the need for sound barriers would be decided early on in the project. Mr. Burke asked about the cooling units. Mr. Mikolaities said he believed they would also be on the roof r Mr. Burke asked about the elevation change on the site. Mr. Mikolaities said at the Shaw's location, it would be one to five feet. He added that the loading docks will be depressed, so the trucks will be sitting below grade. Mr. Burke asked about a sidewalk on the south side of West Street to South Walnut Street and a crosswalk at Walnut Street and Casa Drive. Mr. Mikolaities agreed to the sidewalk; Mr. Woodland said there is nothing to tie a new sidewalk into at Walnut and Casa, but would look into the crosswalk. Mr. French suggested continuing the center striping along the ring road. Mr. Mikolaities agreed. . Motion: To continue the site plan review to September 6, 2000 at 8:00 p.m. (Dolan-Achille) All in favor. PASSES Motion: To adjourn at 10:45 p.m. (Dolan-Achille) All in favor. PASSES ~ Date of next meeting: July 26, 2000 at 7:00 p.m. ~)..,~O~ Signature of Clerk '- ~~~r--tfV Date of Approval -5 Planning Board Minutes 7/19/00