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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin of planning brd 08/22/01 r 'T"P RECEIVED PI ' B d M' t'; ; ';/ .r.D/.~("'o OF anmng oar lOues" ..l,.,')" -FleE August 22,2001 0 i SEP _ H. Thomas French, Chainnan; Bernie Dolan, Clerk; Roger Achille, 1JN,~cShane, Kenneth Torman, Scott Frank, Mark Cook i"ild~ s:.: /" Shaun P. Burke, Director of Plannin and Develo ent MAS S -, !.~ E L D (t.f~M~~fi~j~.~.j~N#4.#~.d~M?lim{?~fr\ff~tt~~~r:r~f:ttt(t~:{~:::~:f:}}:/)t?~~~:t:~tt::::r{:~ Motion: To appoint Mr. McShane Acting Chair (Dolan- Torman) All in favor. PASSES I~@t~~t~~@ij~~wtttttttt\ttttttttttttt?tft?t?ft?ffff?ftftftfttftft1~~~fl 1. Workshop notice - DHCD - Comprehensive Permit Law/Chapter 40B 2. Workshop notice - SPREDD - Chapter 40B Presentation 3. Memo from SRPEDD re: Municipal Assistance Program 4. S Massachusetts Biodiversity Project newsletter 5. Planning magazine [Mr. French arrived at this point and took over as chair.] r l)r]m~t~fG.AAiiiwttttttttt~ttttttftttttttttttttttttttttttttftffftftft1d George Dentino, Gladiola Terrace, discussed the board's recommendation to the ZBA on the MMAS holiday light festival variance. Mr. Dentino was concerned about the variance going with the land, not with the applicant. He also said he did not think anyone other than the landowner was legally able to apply for a variance. Mr. Frank disagreed, saying anyone with use of the land can apply for a variance, but agreed with Mr. Dentino that if the MMAS moves the festival someplace else, they cannot take the variance with them. Mr. Dentino said they should have gone to the Board of Selectmen for a temporary use permit rather than a variance. Mr. McShane said the board understood the MMAS concern about not having time to persue a zoning change through town meeting. '~~~~.IIr~~..fLI;f..I. The clerk read the public hearing notice. Charles Mulcahy, Wynn & Wynn, attorney for the applicant, explained the size of the project has been reduced since the original submission. Chelsea Hanbridge, engineer with Edwards and Kelcey, said the original plan was denser, had more impervious surface, and had problems regarding the Rumford River. She explained the new design takes into account the environmentally sensitive areas of the site, including the 200-foot riverfront restrictions. There is a stormwater management area within the 200-foot area, and the wetlands bylaw restricts work in the buffer along the edge of the wetland, which is the perimeter of the site. In addition, there is a 50-foot buffer zone wherein alterations must be kept to a minimum, and a 25-foot no-touch zone. The applicant has received an Order of Conditions from the Conservation Commission. Ms. Hanbridge explained the site will be accessed from Reservoir Street via a 20-foot wide driveway. There will be 27 two-story units in six buildings, the largest building having seven units. r The site will be graded to allow stormwater from the paved areas to collect into the basin at the end of the point; water from normal storms, up to the 25-year storm, will be r retained and flow out normally. Runoff from the Sebonic Partners parking lot currently goes to the area of the proposed driveway; a basin designed for the 100-year event will be installed to take that discharge. Greg Thompson, project architect, said they would work with native species and minimize the disturbance beyond the footprint of the building. They are proposing shade trees such as red oaks and red maples, informally scattered along the roadway. The front yards will have specimen trees such as dogwood and redbud, with white pines around the site. There will be an understory of evergreen shrubs, such as azaleas and rhodedendrons. Red cedar hedges will be used to screen the site from the Sebonic parking lot, and sedge grasses will be used in the retention basins. The back of the units will be left mostly natura~ with some wild grasses and flowers, mowed once a year. Mr. Thompson explained this will be active senior housing, but the residents will want mostly one-level living; the main space will be on the first floor, with a guest room and storage on the second floor. There will be no basements. Each unit will have a garage, with one parking space inside and one outside. The units will have patios off the back. r Mr. Thompson explained the lighting plan. Shoebox fixtures with cutoff lenses will be used, so the light will not be seen offsite. The light levels fade to nothing at the edge of the site. Lighting on the back patios will be wedge downlights, which will light the patios, but will not be visible any distance away. A 75-100 watt light and decorative fixture will be attached to the exterior of each garage. There will be a "tombstone" sign at the entrance with small floodlights, shrubs, and stone. Mr. Mulcahy said there would be no impact on the educational system, and he did not think it would tax emergency services because it will be an active community. He said he understands there is a traffic issue on Route 140, so the entrance will be located on Reservoir Street and will be a private drive, with a homeowner's association maintaining the road, snow and trash. They have an easement over a portion of the adjacent Sebonic property for their driveway. The clerk read department head comments. The Fire Department was concerned about the island around the sewer pump station and recommended it be smaller to allow trucks to turn around. Lt. Towne also noted the Fire Department's vehicles will not be able to get between the buildings. Ms. Hanbridge said they meet the 35-foot radius, and do not anticipate snow being stockpiled on the island. She said she thought resizing or relocating the island would cause traffic confusion; adding that as far as trucks having to back down the driveway, there isn't much they can do that close to the riverfront area. Mr. French asked if she was comfortable with a fire truck's ability to get around the island. Ms. Hanbridge said they would use cape cod berm, so the vehicles could go over it. Mr. French said he did not think a :frre truck could make the turn, and was also concerned about making the turn into the driveway. Mr. Sevard said they could accommodate that. Dr. Torman suggested a hammerhead turnaround. (' r r r' Mr. Burke asked if the questions about access and the property size had been addressed. Mr. Mulcahy said he had a statement of fact from the Building Inspector saying the upland on the site complies with zoning, and as long as they have an easement over the Sebonic land for access, that also complies. He said the area is seasonally dry, so it meets the minimum requirement to be "upland." They plan to convey a piece of their property to Sebonic for use as open space. Mr. Sevard explained the issue is the amount of upland open space. Mr. French said the Building Inspector's letter seems to indicate that the lot area requirement doesn't distinguish between upland and other land; therefore, a lot can be 10 acres even if9 is under water. Mr. McShane asked if Town Counsel had opined on this issue; Mr. Burke said Mr. Cook's letter was in response to a specific question from the applicant, and Town Counsel has not been asked about it. Mr. Burke said he had spoken with Mr. Cook about accessing the site through land other than their frontage, which is on South Main Street. Mr. Cook indicated there was nothing requiring land to be accessed through its frontage. Mr. Burke asked about the sight distance at the intersection of Reservoir Street and the access road? Ms. Hanbridge said Vanasse, Hangen Brustlin found the site to have 320 feet to the west, and in excess of 500 feet to the east. Mr. Burke asked if this would be a public or private way; Ms. Hanbridge said private. Mr. Burke asked about pedestrian access through the site. Ms. Hanbridge said there are no sidewalks, but there are footpaths throughout. She said due to the low volume and speed of cars on site, pedestrian and vehicular traffic will be able to use the site safely. Mr. Burke asked about road lighting; Ms. Hanbridge said they had added a new plan sheet showing roadway and outside lighting features. Mr. Burke asked about the details of the sewer lift station and homeowner's association documents. Ms. Hanbridge said she is working with the Engineering Department to finalize the sewer connection permit and details of the sewer pump station. Mr. Dolan asked about snow removal; Ms. Hanbridge said the Conservation Commission's Order of Conditions indicates what chemicals may be used. Kurt Gaffney, Water Operations Manager, said the water main does not have to be looped, but a fire hydrant must be added at the end of the main; Ms. Hanbridge said they have eliminated the loop and added a hydrant. Mr. Gaffuey indicated a 12" water main would have to be installed in Reservoir Street to connect to the existing main in South Main Street. Ms. Hanbridge said she had contacted the town's water consultant, Woodard & Curran, to model their system. That study indicates fire flow will be adequate; some areas on South Main Street and Reservoir Street currently have less than adequate flow, and this will not impact those problems. Ms. Hanbridge will be meeting with Mr. Gaffuey to determine what needs to be done. " r Mr. Gaffney's memo indicated the Soccer Bubble would also need to connected to the new 12" main; Ms. Hanbridge said they intend to comply with the Board of Selectmen's water connection policy, but does not think they will need a 12" main. Mr. Houston acknowledged they may have to do some offsite improvements under the water connection policy. David Field, Senior Engineer, asked how high groundwater was determined and how permeability rates were determined. Ms. Hanbridge said the groundwater was determined through subsurface exploration, and perc tests were done. She said the separation between groundwater and basin #2 will be 1 ~ to 5 ~ feet. The bottom of basin #2 is at 103.5 feet. She said closer to the edge of water, the ground gets lower, so if the basin bottoms are raised to increase separation from groundwater, there may be flooding during storm events, resulting in flooded roadways. She said they could have designed it to allow the lower areas to collect in retention basins, but decided it would be better to leave the basin bottoms as is and treat the water. Mr. Field asked about the difference in the infiltration rates. Ms. Hanbridge said two basins will collect runoff from their site and the adjacent site, and roof water from the middle buildings will go into an existing isolated wetland. She used the town's standard safety factor of two with a 5 minutes/inch for the rate, double to 10 minutes/inch for the models. The basins were shifted during the Conservation Commission process, and the rate was doubled again for a more conservative approach. r Mr. Field asked about the drainage basin details; Ms. Hanbridge said that has been added to the plans. Mr. Field asked for the test pits, borings, and permeability tests to be shown. Ms. Hanbridge said they have been added. Mr. Field asked if the 8" water main should be Class 52; Ms. Hanbridge said they had used Class 150, but have changed the plans to use 52. Mr. Field asked about the separation between the water and sewer mains; Ms. Hanbridge said the water main has been relocated to provide separation. Public Comment There was no public comment. Board Comment Dr. Torman asked about a second access. Mr. Sevard said the Fire Department did not indicate the need for a second access. Mr. Frank asked about the effect to traffic on Reservoir Street. Mr. Houston said the VHB study shows the 27 units will generate six morning peak trips and seven afternoon peak trips. He said they used a 27-unit retirement community for the model. Mr. French said he didn't necessarily agree with the mode~ since most ofthese residents will still work, but said he didn't disagree with the conclusion. Mr. McShane asked about the bump in Reservoir Street, just beyond this site; Ms. Hanbridge said Officer Lawson had no comments on that issue. r , (' r r Mr. Frank asked about the easement for access to the site, and how the land, owned by Sebonic, meets the Zoning By-Law requirement of common ownership? Mr. Mulcahy said an ownership interest in the land comes with the acquisition of an easement. Mr. Frank said he would like to have Town Counsel's opinion. He asked if there was a designation of permanent open space on the plan; Mr. Sevard explained the Order of Conditions requires the 200-foot riverfront area to remain open space. Mr. Frank asked that the open space be specified on the plan. Mr. Frank said he thought the lack of a second access was a concern for the board. Ms. Hanbridge said they specifically asked the Fire Department if it wanted a second access, which it did not. She added they did not specifically speak with Officer Lawson about it. Mr. McShane asked if there would be community facilities; Ms. Hanbridge said there would not. Mr. McShane asked about the hedges; Mr. Thompson said they would be arbor vitae and red cedar, approximately 12 feet tall and quite dense and fast growing. Mr. McShane asked about the type of sign at the entrance; Mr. Thompson said it has not been designed, but would be something permanent. Mr. McShane asked about the site's visual impacts from offsite. Mr. Sevard said there would be a very dense buffer between the site and Route 140, and 25-50 feet of trees will remain on the reservoir side. Mr. McShane asked about the additional tax benefit to town. Mr. Mulcahy said the development would not use as many town services as The Village at Willow Crossing, but said he did not know the tax benefit at this point. Mr. Sevard estimated $90,000- 100,000 a year in property tax revenue. Mr. McShane asked about homeowner's covenants; Mr. Sevard said they had been submitted in draft, abd would be fmalized with staff's and the board's concerns. Mr. McShane asked if a lift station was being used because of the site's grading. Ms. Hanbridge said the site slopes toward the end of the street, so material will be collected by gravity with the pump station, then go through a force main up the road to the existing manhole in Reservoir Street. She said the pump station would be an underground, eight-foot diameter structure, without much storage, but with an emergency generator, making it acceptable by DEP standards. Mr. McShane asked about trash pickup. Ms. Hanbridge said it would be private. Mr. Thompson added it would be curbside, so there would be no central dumpsters. Mr. McShane asked if any of the buildings are longer than 340 feet or higher than 40 feet; Ms. Hanbridge said they were not, and added that the buildings cover less than six percent of the site. They calculate the open space, upland only, to be 68 percent. Mr. Achille was concerned about the project's impact on ambulance service. Mr. Mulcahy said because it is not an assisted living facility, it would have no more impact than a subdivision. Mr. French asked about the 20-foot wide driveway. Ms. Hanbridge said they wanted to take advantage of the site's woodsy fee~ making it a lane without pavement markings, and with reduced impervious surface. Mr. Burke suggested requiring a grassed-over gravel shoulder off the paved surface, which could help with the turnaround issue. r .Mr. Burke said he would like to see all the revisions in one plan set prior to the continued public hearing, so department heads will have adequate time to review them. Mr. Frank requested that the easement/ownership issue be addressed prior to the next meeting. Motion: Continue the public hearing to October 3, 2001 at 8:00 p.m. (Torman-Cook) All in favor. PASSES ~:~~/~ij~~~~~fu(@p.Him~hM(~~fF~~~~~j~~~*~~ij}rW~~ffl!~~~f:#trrrrrrrj~ Attorney David Gay introduced applicant William Wolf and engineer Robert Rogers, Tibbetts Engineering. Mr. Gay explained that after Sweetlands was denied, he met with Mr. Burke and decided not to appeal the denia~ believing the board had sincere concerns and issues. Mr. Rogers has gone back to look at the site and has some alternatives to discuss. Mr. Wolf said they would like some feedback so they can make changes to the plan that will be paletable to board and advantageous to the residents. Mr. French informed Mr. Wolf that if the board reacts favorably to any idea, that does not mean it will be approved later, and that a full plan submission will likely bring up more issues that couldn't be seen during a discussion like this. Mr. Gay said they understood. f Mr. Rogers showed a plan eliminating the loop road, Scott's Drive and leaving Bethany's way in the same location. This would eliminate 750 feet of roadway, and limit the scenic road alteration to about 400 feet; it would also limit the amount of fill. He showed seven Form A lots on Gilbert Street, and proposed one or two common driveways to service them. With those curb cuts, there will still have to be some scenic road alteration and some sight distance issues. Mr. Frank said if there were shared driveways for several Form A lots, then the only issue would be the scenic road. Mr. Burke agreed, saying there are no sight requirements for driveways. Mr. Frank said if they were if Form A lots not on a scenic road, the board wouldn't have much control at all provided they complied with lot size and frontage. Mr. Rogers said when he tried to address the sight distance issues, he had problems with the scenic road. He said they were trying to set the site up in a village sort of way, even with the Form A lots. He said they could get 12 Form A lots, but would rather do two clusters with one drive to each. Mr. Dolan was concerned about fIre access and the Fire Department's need for a 35-foot turnaround. Mr. Rogers asked if there was a way to get relief from the drainage standards if the road were kept private; Mr. Burke said they would need waivers from the subdivision regulations. Mr. Rogers added they would need a waiver for more than 10 units on a dead-end street. Mr. French said he would have a problem voting for that many waivers. .r Mr. Burke said if some of the units are two-family, which would effect the vehicle trips. r Mr. McShane said he thought the proposal is too dense for this property, whether the homes are single or duplex. Mr. Rogers said there would still be drainage issues; if the lots cannot be filled as much as originally proposed, they would have to be pitched to the front and back, resulting in the need for retention basins to avoid draining onto abutting properties. ~. Frank said he understood the need to develop the property, but said there has to be an option that doesn't cut and :f1l1 so much, and doesn't put so many lots on one cul-de-sac. ~. McShane said he would prefer the Form A lots because they provide more open space, and because board doesn't have to make a judgement decision that a Form A is better than a second option. Mr. Frank asked whether the houses would all be two-family. ~. Wolf said he didn't think they all needed to be two-family, and couldn't be if they are held to 10 units on a dead end. He asked if 12 duplexes and 8 single be more palatable;~. Rogers suggested shortening the road and building five two-families. Mr. Wolf said he didn't want to do 12 Form A lots along Gilbert Street, and said if that is his only option, he would sell. r Mr. French said his sense was that the board is more favorable to Form A lots, but doesn't love either plan. ~. Burke said common driveways are allowed under the residential compound by-law, and the by-law does not forbid accessing the site through that other than the site's frontage. I~~!/t)ij~~~~jb~~t:ij~~~ft\tftttf?ftftj~ftft/ftttttttft~~~tt{tfrtt/tttr~tt?tjt~tj~I Dr. Torman said the Zoning By-Law requires a two points of access if a public roadway is more than 650 feet, and asked whether that should apply to private ways as well. Mr. French asked whether, even on a private drive, a second access is needed for public safety, since the Fire Department will be using the private way in the same manner it would a public way. ~. McShane said he would like an opinion on whether open water is open space. k~tf:Mf9ij~ijiiij(ffffffffffffffffffi~fffftffffffffffittttttt?ffffffffffit~:~i Motion: To adjourn at 11 p.m. (Scott-Cook) All in favor. PASSES Date of next meeting: September 5, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. ~ ~ 7-Sr-tJ ') ~r~ Date of Approval r