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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin of planning brd 09/22/04 r- Planning Board Minutes September 22, 2004 Present: Tom French, Chair; Fred Armstrong, Clerk; Doug Annino, Ken Torman, Walter Jenkins, John DeMassi, Frank Holmes Shaun P. Burke, Director ofP . and Develo ment Motion: To sign the special permit decision for Suzanne Estates (Torman-Armstrong) Five in favor. Annino, Holmes abstained. PASSES Richard Hollworth, ESS Group, explained the presentation would address the outstanding items regarding aesthetics, parking relief and infrastructure. He provided the board with copies of photographs including views along School Street and Route 140, photos of anchor stores from other developments and a description of an architectural review process which they have used in other towns. Mr. Hollworth introduced John Ruffo, architect and Mark Flanery, landscape architect Mr. Ruffo explained the architect's renderings of the site, which include features such as wood details and awnings on the buildings, and stone walls. The School Street entrance to the site includes a berm and landscaping which are intended to act as a buffer. r- Mr. Flanery explained the landscaping plan for the entrance, the loading/service area at School Street, the pond area and the area along Route 140. He said there will be a serpentine stone wall along the outside of the street edge, which will curve into the property. There will be flowering trees along the entrance and street trees and flowering trees inside the site, as well as plantings along the stone wall. The loading area will have a ten-foot high earthen berm with evergreens and flowering shrubbery, as well as a stockade fence. The entrance driveway will be curve linear, with the berm at different heights on either side. They would like to put additional plantings in the buffer zone, outside of their property line. Mr. Flanery explained there will be a utility easement required along Route 140, which has changed their original plan; they will plant shrubs under the existing vegetation with large shade trees inside the site and smaller flowering trees within the parking areas. Mr. Flanery explained the pond area, which calls for edge treatment using native plant materials, including weeping willows. At the points where the pond will connect with the buildings, they will use birch trees, along with stone surfaces and benches. Mr. Hollworth explained a plan showing the parking areas and parking ratios. He said the board had asked for an explanation of the parking for the whole site, as well as for the individual buildings. He said they feel a reduction in parking would preserve open space, r- reduce runoff and be reflective ofthe parking demand for the site. He said the retail parking requirement is five spaces per 1000 square feet, the hotel requires one space per r- room, and the restaurant requires one space per four seats. The shaded plan shows where they comply with parking and the areas where they have requested relief. He said the parking for the hotel complies with the Zoning By-Law. He said they anticipate the restaurant and retail uses sharing parking because of different peak hour demands. He said each restaurant will have around 300 seats and would need 75 parking spaces each. He said the employee parking needs have been integrated into the site. Mr. Hollworth said the parking area is based on gross floor area, as are the Zoning By-Law requirements, which he said is somewhat representative of the gross leasable area. He said their parking ratios are conservative. Mr. Hollworth explained other areas on the site where parking could be provided if demand proves to be higher than they anticipate. He presented a plan showing two possible areas, but said they are not ideal places for parking because of their proximity to wetlands; one shows 256 spaces and the other shows 60 spaces. He said the largest parking field has some landscaping which could be eliminated or consolidated, and could yield another 60 spaces. Mr. Hollworth explained a plan showing the open space area, which could be used for snow storage. He said depending on the snowfall and the season, snow may be trucked off site; if it is a busy time, they would not lose parking for snow storage. There are approximately 1.5 acres of snow storage within the site, and with a snowfall of more than six inches, snow would be trucked off site. :- Board Comment Mr. DeMassi said the presentation has given the board a better understanding of the plan for the pond, but would like to see landscaping plans. He said the view from School Street is still of the back ofa building, and he is concerned about the view in the winter. Mr. Hollworth said there is a dense row of vegetation along the existing corridor, which they intend to preserve. He said the architectural treatments could be wrapped around the back of the building, and drivers on School Street will not see the entire building from the road because of the trees and berm. Mr. DeMassi asked about the hotel's employee parking; Mr. Hollworth said if the hotel is completely occupied~ there would be four employee parking spaces. There is no employee parking specifically shown for the hotel. Mr. DeMassi asked why the site isn't being built to the size for which they can provide parking. He said patrons having to cross the internal drives from far-flung parking areas during peak hours could be dangerous. Mr. DeMassi asked about lighting and security for the parking areas behind the buildings. He suggested some type of communication device for people parked in those areas to contact the police or mall security. r- Mr. DeMassi said he would like to see a snow removal plan as part of the application; Mr. Hollworth said that could be made part of an operations plan. .r- Mr. Jenkins asked about the architectural renderings. Mr. Ruffo said the images presented show what they have done so far, but as the hearings go forward they will further explore the architectural details. Mr. Masiello said he had submitted language for an architectural review process. Mr. Jenkins asked about plans for the pond. Mr. Hollworth said they are proposing a four-foot high fence, which Mr. Masiello said would not be a security fence. Mr. Jenkins said the natural vegetation will be an inhibitor to people getting close to the pond for most ofthe year, but is concerned about access to the pond during the winter. Mr. Jenkins asked about the changes to the strip of buildings to the north ofthe pond. Mr. Masiello said they had been unsure about the location of two restaurant pads, which have now been incorporated into this strip. He said there had been a concern that there would not be enough parking for the restaurants originally shown along School Street, so one has been moved to the small strip north of the pond. He said he anticipates one of the restaurants in that strip to have lunch, rather than dinner, service. Mr. Masiello said they have signed Kohl's department stores as one of their anchor tenants. He said they are likely to sign TOI Friday's and Applebee's, which both have fewer than 300 seats. ~ Mr. Jenkins said the Mass Highway parcel shown on the upper left ofthe plan would be a good area for overflow parking and asked if some type of agreement could be worked out. Mr. Masiello said he thought Mass Highway would probably consider that surplus land, but said the process for him to buy or lease that land would take years. Mr. Jenkins asked if they have met with the ZBA; Mr. Masiello said he has requested the ZBA hearing be continued until the Planning Board decides on its recommendation on the parking variance. Mr. Annino said the architectural plans could be done in a preliminary manner so the board could have something to see, then when the tenants are signed, the individual building plans could be adjusted. He asked to see all the elevations, saying he would not be comfortable voting without them. Mr. Masiello said he would not be able to produce factual representations because of the tenant variations. He said he was optimistic he would be able to come back under architectural review with plans the board would want to approve. Mr. Annino said he would have to see elevations before voting and he does not want to see typical big box-style architecture on this site. Mr. Masiello said he has been able to design big box retail stores on other sites to fit into the development. Mr. Annino said he would like to see the entrance sign, the back side of the restaurant closest to School Street and the loading dock at the back of the large retail pad backing onto School Street. He said the landscaping should accentuate, not hide, the buildings. r- Mr. Annino asked about building heights; Mr. Masiello said the anchors are 30-34 feet ,- high and the smaller stores are 25-27 feet high. Mr. Annino asked about the view from the pond to the backside of the long building; Mr. Hollworth said there will be no loading at that location and the architectural features will be wrapped around the building. Mr. DeMassi asked how large Kohl's will be; Mr. Hollworth said it would be 95,000 square feet, including loading facilities, entryway and a mezzanine. Mr. Annino asked about site sections; Mr. Hollworth said they are working on those and will bring them to the next meeting. He said those plans show that the existing embankment on the Route 495 side of the site will provide significant screening. He said the existing vegetation along Route 140 will remain, with additional plantings added. Mr. Armstrong asked about the small stores shown at the front of the large pad at the back ofthe site; Mr. Masiello said they would be similar to the small retailers at the front of the site. Mr. Armstrong said there should be individual stores there to break up the large ~ade. Mr. Armstrong asked about the screening in the lower right corner along School Street; Mr. Masiello said they do not own the property shown before the entrance. Mr. Armstrong said it was unlikely, but the Commonwealth could clear cut that parcel. r- Mr. Armstrong noted an article about the Derby Street site in Hingham and asked about the parking issues that development has had. Mr. Masiello said he did not work on that project, but he would find out what happened. Mr. Armstrong said this site may not require all the parking required by the Zoning By-Law, buthe would have to have confidence in the developer's calculations before he could vote. Mr. Holmes asked about hte landscaping around the pond and whether there would be a no-touch zone to protect the wetlands. Mr. Hollworth said there will be a 25-foot no disturb zone, and the entire pond edge has been previously disturbed. The proposed plantings are intended to provide diversity, but they will need permission from the Conservation Commission before planting additional species. He said the Notice of Intent states they intend to replant native species and remove invasive species. Mr. Holmes asked if there has been discussion with Mass Electric about the easement along Route 140. Mr. Hollworth explained they have worked with the utility to offset the easement onto the parking area, allowing them to provide an undisturbed buffer along Route 140. Mr. Holmes asked if the required 50-foot landscape buffer would be on their property; Mr. Hollworth said 20 feet of the buffer would be within the utility easement. He said there is no impervious surface within that area. ,- Mr. Holmes said the parking shown at the back of the largest store is not practical and may not be safe. He said there is no sidewalk shown near those spaces and the roadway is directly adjacent to both the parking and the back of the store. He said he was r- concerned about parking being provided across driveways from the stores, which may be dangerous. Mr. Hollworth said they have used crosswalks and landscaping to designate pedestrian access areas. Mr. Holmes said the snow storage plan seems to be within the landscaped areas and asked what effect that would have on plantings. Mr. Hollworth said trees are required to be set back four feet, so the front of the islands could be used for storage. He said the 10- foot wide islands planned for this development would not be able to accommodate large- scale snow storage. He said depending on the severity of the winter, the snow would have to be trucked off regularly. Mr. Burke asked what would happen to the site if the required parking is provided. Mr. Hollworth said there would be less building but more parking, so the overall impact to the site would be about the same. Mr. Masiello said the additional parking would have to be developed in areas they now propose to leave as open space. Mr. DeMassi said the developer seems to be chosing not to develop the site appropriately for the amount parking it can accommodate. Mr. Hollworth said Mansfield's Zoning By-Law requires much more parking than they expect to need. Mr. Burke asked about the effect ofthe easement over Route 495. Mr. Hollworth said there is a wetland area along the Route 495 ramp and the poles would be within the hotel's parking area. .~ Mr. Burke said a resident had been concerned about the Kohl's loading dock nearest Cobbler Road. Mr. Hollworth said the building has been shifted as far as possible, resulting in an additional20-foot buffer, which would encroach further into the wetland area. He said they have tried to maintain the 25- foot buffer in areas with more mature vegetation. Mr. Burke asked about the possibility of relocating the loading dock at the back of the structure along School Street. Mr. Masiello said they attempted to screen the loading dock, but would work additionally on that issue. Mr. French asked if the plans presented this evening are the current set; Mr. Hollworth said they are. Mr. French asked about the parking schedule and how many spaces are provided; Mr. Hollworth said there are 1,966 total spaces provided. He said there are 375 parking spaces provided for the 1,500 proposed restaurant seats and 100 for the hotel. He said they estimated 250 employees for the whole center and have included employee parking within the spaces provided. ,- Mr. DeMassi said there are two huge buildings shown that, if done differently, would improve the plan. He asked if there is any intention to make those large pads into smaller spaces and if the development could be buili without those stores being so large. Mr. Masiello said he didn't believe it could be, because it needs to have anchors other than Kohl's. Mr. DeMassi said those two large boxes next to one another make the whole plan unattractive, and was also concerned that those two boxes may be combined into one ( huge box. Mr. Masiello showed the board slides of large box-type stores they have done in other facilities with architectural details to connect them with the style of the specific development. Mr. DeMassi said he would rather see several smaller stores than one large store. Mr. Masiello said he understood the concern, and said there will be portions of this site that will be small stores, but there will be some larger stores like Kohl's and possibly a large bookstore. Mr. Annino asked if the facades of the large stores could be broken down to simulate smaller stores. Pub6c Comment Gary DeCosta, representing local union carpenters, said parking appears to be a problem. He said the development appears to be too dense for the site, and said a variance would still be required even if the additional parking were constructed. He said the additional parking would add an additional curb cut on School Street. He presented a photograph of School Street and a photograph of the back of the development in Smithfield. He said the developer shouldn't rely on landscaping off their property to provide the required buffer. Kevin Gartland, 145 School Street, said the developer doesn't want to comply with the town's standards and is requesting relief based on other town's standards. He said he has not heard the specific number of parking spaces for which relief is being requested and said with big box stores, there is never enough parking. He said he is concerned about cars backing up onto School Street during peak shopping times. ~ Madison Smith, 160 Chauncy Street, asked about the two large stores being combined into one store and if there would be a way to prevent that. Mr. Burke said the special permit could be written to specify the number of retail spaces and the size of each, and a new public hearing and special permit would be required for any changes. He noted the board specified the number and size of stores in the Erin's Centre special permit. Kara Lynch, representing Mansfield Citizens to Save the Land, introduced Fayssal Husseini, a consultant from Edwards and Kelcey, who has done a study of the developer's parking calculations. Mr. Husseini's study used ITE numbers and generated data suggesting 2,900 spaces would be needed. Ms. Lynch said she was concerned about snow storage and about people circling the site looking for parking spaces. Mr. Husseini explained the ITE parking generation handbook uses 1.21 spaces per hotel room. Mr. French asked if ITE differentiates between a standard hotel and an extended stay hotel; Mr. Husseini said the standard in ITE is for a "convention hotel." Mr. French said the board would have to look at this information and suggested Mr. Masiello do the same. Mr. DeMassi asked if the hotel would have meeting rooms; Mr. Masiello said it would. Mr. DeMassi asked what the parking requirement would be for that use. Mr. Masiello said the entire hotel parking was treated on a per-room basis and said there is no restaurant proposed for the hotel. Mr. Hollworth said they are not requesting relief from the parking requirements for the hotel and said he would provide the board with additional data. ( Mr. Gartland asked about the 50-foot buffer for the easement on School Street and said ~ the area under the easement is being proposed to be clear cut; he said the ZBA has said that would require a variance. He said the hotel parking is being placed partially within the buffer along Route 495, which is an indication that the development is too large. Mr. Hollworth addressed outstanding comments about drainage, presenting a plan showing an aerial photograph of wetland areas. He said the watershed area is bounded by the railroad area across School Street, a portion of which drains to this site via two culverts, into a small wetland system, over Nordbeck's rear yard and into another wetland system that drains along Route 140. He said the other part of this site has an intermittent stream, which goes around the pond and to a wetland system There is a closed drainage system discharging to a ditch along the existing driveway. There is a series of ditches running along Route 140 and 495, which were built during highway construction. The existing culverts have the capacity to handle large, less frequent storms, but during smaller, more frequent storms, they overflow. Mr. Hollworth said the intermittent stream encroaches into some of the Cobbler Road properties. Mr. French asked whether flow from the pond goes across Route 495; Mr. Hollworth said it does not. ~ Mr. DeMassi asked about the stream; Mr. Hollworth said that would be maintained; the road will be built over two existing culverts. He said there will be plantings between the pond and the stream, but they will have to go to the Conservation Commission for that activity. Mr. Holmes asked about the drainage that goes to Willow Street; Mr. Hollworth said there are existing structures in Willow Street. Leonard Flynn, 102 Jewell Street, said there is an bridge across the Rumford River and he is concerned about increased flow on that portion of the Great Woods. Mr. Hollworth said there would be no increase in flow off site. Mr. Hollworth presented a slide showing a lighting fixture detail that will minimize lighting spill and provide safety in the parking lots; the poles would be 30 feet in the parking area and 12-15 feet in the pedestrian areas. He presented a detail of a wall pack that would be used on the buildings. He said he would be redrawing the lighting plan to incorporate these changes. Mr. Hollworth provided a list of other projects that have been discussed and their locations. Mr. Hollworth said there had been a question about cutting and filling; he said they may have to import structural fill and materials such as loam, and would remove unsuitable materials. He said they have done soil permeability tests and there will be some challenges to activities like compaction. .~. Mr. Hollworth said the developer is willing to :fimd an independent peer review of the r- traffic study. Mr. Masiello said he is comfortable with paying for that review and said he would like to be involved in the contractual arrangements. Mr. Burke said a Scope of Services would be prepared. Mr. Holmes asked about the possibility of enclosing the Kohl's loading dock; Mr. Hollworth said they are thinking about using a 70-foot screening wall at that location. Mr. Masiello said it would be the same height as and longer than the building in order to screen the trucks. He noted the building has been shifted 20 feet away from that lot line. Mr. Hollworth said the wall would be sound absorbing. Public Comment Len Grimes, 10 Sean Drive, asked about the undeveloped areas for future parking and asked if it could have buildings; Mr. Masiello said it could not without the board's approval. Kristine Mickey, 38 Cobbler Road, asked what kind of maintenance in the easement behind her street would be done; Mr. Hollworth said that easement allows access to maintain the drainage system in Cobbler Road. Mr. Burke said that easement is for the town to maintain the drainage. ".--.. Mr. Burke said there are a handful of items remaining from the Outstanding Issues list, including: tenants, signage, light department changes and upgrades, Mass Electric response, cross-sections through the site, pump station details, revised drainage calculations and test pit results. Mr. Masiello said the only tenant they have signed at this time is Kohl's, and mentioned Applebee's and TGI Friday's. Mr. Hollworth explained they have not completed signage details but the plans show signage locations, with one free-standing sign for each building. Mr. Burke said the elevations should be submitted. Mr. Masiello said the anchor tenants, significantly sized stores, and restaurants would be included on the signs, but all the stores would not be. Mr. Hollworth said the approximate cost of infrastructure for electric will be $80,000. He said the Mass Electric plans have been developed and include parking area overlap with the easement to allow maintenance of vegetation along the edge. He said he has not received a response from Mass Electric regarding their reason for not allowing the lines to be installed underground. Mr. Hollworth said they would provide cross sections for the next meeting. Mr. Hollworth said they would include the pump station details on the revised plans. Mr. Hollworth said they would be providing revised drainage calculations and test pit results. Mr. French said the board would rely on Mr. Sullivan's review of these items. ,-- /"" Mr. Masiello said he had meet with Mass Highway, town staff and state representatives regarding direct access to this site from Route 140. He said there is significant resistance from Mass Highway, but felt the door was left open. Mass Highway has asked him to develop the plans and do a feasibility analysis. Mr. Masiello asked about the board's recommendation regarding his request for parking relief. Mr. French said he did not feel prepared to vote on this tonight. Mr. Annino and Mr. Armstrong agreed. Mr. French suggested having the independent traffic consultant review the parking issue. Mr. Grimes asked if the reduction in parking were granted, would other landowners be allowed to do the same? Mr. French explained the board does not grant variances, but only makes a recommendations to the ZBA. He said other landowners could apply for variances. Mr. Masiello said his traffic engineer would not be available on October 13 and asked for traffic to be discussed on another night, and said he would be willing to discuss different topic on October 13. The board discussed covering Community Impacts on that night. Mr. French said that would be a very significant discussion; Mr. Masiello suggested discussing Community Impacts on November 10. .--- Motion: To continue the public hearing to October 20, 2004 at 7:00 p.rn. (Annino-Armstrong) All in favor. PASSES Motion: To adjourn at 10:15 p.rn. (Torman-Jenkins) All in favor. PASSES Next meeting: October 6,2004 at 7:30 p.rn. ~~ ~J- ~-hr2J Id gnature of Clerk ( ()ctG~ 0, I 20cf Date of Approval r-