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HomeMy WebLinkAboutplanningbrdmin04072010 Planning Board Minutes April 7, 2010 Present: Tom French, Chair; Beth Ashman-Collins, Clerk; Mike McClanahan, Doug Annino, Don Cleary, Olivier Kozlowski Shawn MacDonald, Alternate ' \ Shaun P. Burke, Director of Planning and Development ~_. l t.. i \...1 !...... ,..~. ?: 03 11. Meeting .:aUedto order .t7:30p~m. liz. CorresPoll~e.ce 1. March 24, 2010 minutes Motion: To approve as submitted (Collins-Cleary) Four in favor. Two abstentions. PASSES 2. Public hearing notices - Easton, Foxboro, North Attleboro, Norton, Sharon, JTPG 3. The Beacon 4. Mass Interchange newsletter 5. March 24,2010 letter from SRPEDD re: SRPEDD commissioner reappointment Motion: To reappoint Mr. Flynn the Planning Board's representative (McClanahan-Annino) All in favor. PASSES 6. AprilS, 2010 letter from Ralph Maloon, RIM Engineering re: sight distance at Patriot's Way / AprilS, 2010 memo from Mike Ahem recommending final release of remaining bond Motion: To release the remaining bond on Patriot's Way (McClanahan-Annino) All in favor. PASSES 7. Mr. Burke presented the board with a draft letter regarding the three abandoned buildings at 315-339 School Street (permitted as Mansfield Commons) asking the building inspector to contact the developer and require the buildings be removed. Motion: To send the letter as drafted, with a copy to the Board of Selectmen (McClanahan-Kozlowski) All in favor. PASSES !...3....Around tile T..ble Mr. Kozlowski asked when the public meeting for the Walsh Well will be held. Mr. Burke said it is scheduled for Thursday, April 8 at 6:00 p.m. in Room 2 a/b. Mr. Annino asked about Mr. Burke's meeting with the Town Manager. Mr. Burke explained the Town Manager plans to go to Town Meeting with a five percent reduction budget, which will eliminate coverage for Planning Board meetings, reduce secretarial support in the office by 3.5 hours a week and eliminate all of the department's expense items except those required by union contracts. Mr. Burke said the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and School Committee will have a joint budget meeting on Wednesday, April 14 at the high school, the same night of the Planning Board's zoning by-law amendment public hearings. He said he understands some of the members may want to attend the budget meeting, and suggested the public hearings could be held next week as scheduled, but the board could wait to vote on its recommendations until the meeting of April 28. Mr. French said there isn't much time Planning Board 1 4/8/20 I 0 11' before Town meeting, and notice has been given to the abutters for April 14. Mr. Burke said it would be unfair to continue the citizens' petition at this late date, but said the board's public hearing could be continued. I 3. Form A (ANR) Plans 4.. Sit.ePla.nRevi~Wll\fu~i~ipalCl~ringlt()useIte"Vie",-Eflst.Man.sfieIdSubstation _ Mansfield..Muni.:ip.al.LightJ)e.pai"tlllellf...,lli..diRoad Gary Babin, Light Department Manager and Chris Cox, Light Department Engineer, introduced Cheri Ruane, landscape architect from Weston and Sampson; Alyssa Rezendes, Weston and Samspon; and Alan Rice, electrical consultant from PLM. Mr. Babin explained this project has been discussed since the late 1990s, at which time the options for increased capacity were to add to the Gilbert Street substation and to build a new substation in East Mansfield. Capacity at the Gilbert Street substation was increased, then they began to look at an East Mansfield substation. Two studies were prepared in 2007; one identified the need for new capacity; the second looked at alternatives to meet the capacity. The studies determined the construction of an East Mansfield substation was the best option. Five parcels were reviewed, and the Bird Road site, owned by National Grid, was chosen as the best one. The town has worked out an agreement with National Grid to site the substation. Mr. Babin said they have had several public meetings with the abutters on ways to mitigate the impact to their properties, through things like landscaping and screening. He said they sent 100 letters notifying residents of this meeting. Mr. Babin said they have an approved Notice of Intent from the Conservation Commission. Mr. Babin said the department heads have reviewed the Municipal Clearinghouse application and MMED has satisfied their concerns. Mr. Babin said there is an article on the Annual Town Meeting warrant to borrow $8 million for the substation, but they may not need to borrow that much if they can fund some of the work from enterprise accounts. The estimate for construction is $8-9 million. National Grid will construct a transmission line from Easton to the site; the town is supplying a needs analysis to explain the need for construction. Mr. Babin said if they get the required permits, they could get building permits and begin to purchase equipment by the end of2011. National Grid would do their work during the winter of2011-2012, and the substation would be in service by 2012. Alan Rice, electrical consultant with PLM, explained there is an existing transmission corridor, which this site abuts. The transmission corridor has existing structures, one of which was designed for two electrical circuits; this project would add wires to that structure. No additional structures will be added to the transmission corridor. Planning Board 2 4/8/2010 ....- Mr. Rice explained the wires would come into the substation at a safe height. Within the substation, there will be overhead work, two power transformers and an electrical control enclosure. The connections between the transformer and enclosure, and between the enclosure and the street, will be underground. He said they have tried to work within the constraints of the National Grid transmission corridor. Their staging area and access driveway will be in the National Grid right-of-way. Mr. Rice explained the tallest structures have been placed as far back and as far down on the site as possible. The building will be one story, approximately 12.S feet high. The underground conductors will connect to existing overhead poles on Maple Street. The station will bring power to East Mansfield, which is currently supplied from the Gilbert Street substation. This will improve the efficiency of the town's delivery system. Alyssa Rezendes, Weston and Sampson, explained the perimeter wall will be 12 feet outside the 50-foot wetland buffer zone, so construction will not impact the wetland. She explained the design had to meet Mass stonnwater standards, which means ensuring post- development runoff isn't more than the existing conditions. They have a four-foot separation to groundwater. Ms. Rezendes said the site's existing grades bring runoff to the wetland area. They will not be increasing the runoff, simply changing how it gets to the same location. There will be some additional impervious surface, but most of the site will be gravel. The catch basins will be connected to 4x4x4 perforated leaching galleys, which will provide additional discharge. The pipes will all be set at the same elevation so they will work together. The site drains at about a 1 % slope. The plan has met all Conservation Commission requirements, as well as the Engineering Department concerns. Cheri Ruane, landscape architect, explained the landscape buffer design. MMED has met with abutters to hear their concerns and aesthetic preferences for screening; those meetings resulted in the current landscape buffer strategy. The goal is to screen the substation from the neighbors, so a lot of care was taken with the plant materials, elevations, and the design of the walls. Because of drainage issues, the retaining wall around the substation will be two feet tall with a four-foot parapet wall and a 12-foot fence on top, along with a planted berm along Bird Road. The total profile of the wall will be 14 feet, higher than the proposed building. Ms. Ruane said there are strict restrictions about planting around a substation, so they have pulled the plantings away from the substation in order to use taller specimens. In addition, they will install plantings on abutting properties. The retaining wall will be a concrete structure made to look like stone, with an acoustical fence on top. Ms. Ruane showed the board before and after renderings from Bird Road. The plant materials are native species, a combination of evergreen and deciduous plantings, so there will be buffer year-round. They have met with the abutters to discuss what could be done on their properties to mitigate their views. Ms. Ruane showed the board a rendering of 64 Bird Road, including evergreens mixed in with the homeowners' existing landscaping. Planning Board 3 4/8/2010 - Ms. Ruane showed the board a rendering of 61 Bird Road, which is closest to and upgradient of the substation. This property will be most intensely planted with a combination of evergreens, birch trees and shrubs. They have been working with Jay Zola regarding the transition to the Stanley Village subdivision. Ms. Ruane showed the board a rendering of 449 Bird Road, across the transmission right-of-way, with plantings including evergreens in a staggered fashion. She said they made sure the proposed plantings would get tall enough to help mitigate the view from these properties to the substation. Ms. Ruane showed the board a view from Stanley Village. Ms. Ruane said they plan to plant the private properties first, which would give the materials time to establish and help mitigate disturbance during site construction. Mr. Cleary asked how this plan would effect the board's approval of Stanley Village. Mr. Burke explained that site is lower than Bird Road, and there was a proposed retaining wall on the left side of Stanley Circle. By grading from the edge of Stanley to the substation property line, the retaining wall can be removed and replaced with a landscape buffer. He said he doesn't think that will require an amendment to the special permit. Mr. Annino asked if the town would be landscaping the west side of the Stanley Village entrance; Mr. Burke said it would not. Ms. Ruane said they will be buffering that entrance on the substation side, like they are doing for other abutters. Mr. Annino said there is no locus plan, so it is hard to tell where the abutters are. Mr. Babin said sheet C I shows the abutting houses and driveways, and the unbuilt Stanley Village lots. Ms. Ruane said there are wetlands to the south. Correspondence The clerk read memos from Mr. Burke and Mr. Alves, as well as MMED's responses. Public Comment Lei Xu, 6 Rosewood Drive, asked how much noise this substation will generate. Mr. Babin explained the noise will come from the transformers, and they will be low noise transformers inside a wall with sound-dampening qualities. In addition, there will be a wall around the perimeter of the site. The low-noise transformers create about 10% less noise than a regular transformer. The noise produced will be similar to a conversation, but will be retained within the walls of the station. Mr. French asked if there will be increased noise beyond the property line. Mr. Babin said there will be some level of noise, but they have tried to minimize that with the design of the walls surrounding the station and with the equipment. Mr. Rice said the target is for no greater noise at the nearest residences than what currently exists. He said that will be accomplished with the low-noise transformers, the internal wall, the additional perimeter wall and the plantings. The decibel level for a typical outdoor environment is about 35, which will be their target for this site after construction. Alan Rogers, S Hartford Road, asked what the plan is if the mitigation measures don't work. Mr. Babin said they have professional engineers and designers working on this Planning Board 4 4/8/2010 'II" plan, and their target is to not increase the noise to more than what exists. Mr. Rogers asked what would happen if the noise is more than expected. Mr. Rice said he doesn't think that will happen. He explained the 35 db figure is a function of the equipment being used and the mitigation through walls and plantings. Debbie Rogers,S Hartford Road, said residents other than those directly abutting this site will be impacted by it. She said she was promised a copy of a study on EMFs that she has not received from National Grid. She said their property has mature landscaping that provide a buffer, and said she was told which plantings would be cut down, which has not happened. She said with the addition of the substation and transmission lines, property values could be affected. Mr. Rogers said they had been told someone would come to their property to tell them where the easement is located, which has not happened. Mr. Babin said National Grid is going through a filing with the state for the transmission lines, and the Rogers are impacted because those lines run next to their property. Mr. Babin explained he is here to permit the plot of land with the substation, and the transmission line is a National Grid issue. He said National Grid has told MMED not to get involved with that issue. He said National Grid is running a three-mile transmission corridor from Easton on existing towers, which could be extended to Foxboro and Walpole in the future. Mr. Rogers asked who did the study that indicated the town needed another substation. Mr. Babin said MMED commissioned the study as part of the utility's long-term planning. Mr. Rogers said every other street light has been turned out; Mr. Babin said the electricity savings from that change is minimal. Mr. Babin said they will build a duct line down Bird Road, then start running wires to the substation. When they get to Maple Street, they will go above ground on existing poles. Helga Reinisch, 6 Hartford Road, said she is concerned about the impact of EMFs. Mr. Rice explained they looked at the impact of the substation at the edge of the property and at the edge of 61 Bird Road, the closest abutter. He said there is enough distance between the substation equipment and the property line so there will be no increase in EMFs. He said the structures they are proposing to use are quite tall, so the conductors will be high up, which reduces the EMFs. Ms. Reinisch asked if a similar study could be done for her neighborhood, which abuts the transmission line. Mr. Rogers said the proposed new wires will be 10 feet from his house, and it appears the wires will go over the roofs of other houses. He said a decrease in property values will cause a decrease in tax revenue. Mr. Babin explained the MMED is a self-funding department, and some of the funding for this project would come out of their enterprise accounts. He said the street lights are the responsibility of the town. Planning Board 5 4/8/2010 11' Mr. Rogers said the whole project is not shown on these plans. Roger Paquette, 61 Bird Road, said he wanted to be sure full-sized pine trees would be planted on his property. Ms. Rezendes said they would be. Mr. MacDonald asked about hours of operation for the substation. Mr. Babin said someone would inspect the station daily and make sure the landscaping remains current. He said they would only be there after hours in an emergency. Mr. MacDonald asked how long it would take for the landscaping to grow to the size shown on the plans. Ms. Ruane said they will plant large trees, so there will already be significant growth on the property, and they would take about five years to mature. Mr. Cleary asked about public safety access. Mr. Babin said there will be a 24-hour alarm to the Police and Fire Departments. If there is any kind of malfunction, it will be sent to the MMED staff member on duty. Public safety will not have keys. Mr. Cleary asked about lighting. Mr. Babin said there will be wall packs on the equipment enclosure and switchable flood lights, which would be used in an emergency. Mr. Cleary asked about fill. Mr. Rice said they would bring some fill in for the northern side of the site. Ms. Ruane said they might bring use fill if existing material is unsuitable. Mr. Cleary asked about flooding on site. Mr. Babin said they have designed the site around the Conservation Commission's Notice of Intent. Mr. French asked if they had looked at the flood plain, and whether there would be water issues during large storms. Mr. Babin said the site was designed for a IOO-year storm. Ms. Rezendes said they ran a model on existing conditions, 100-year conditions, and with the proposed grading to ensure the volume and peak flow is better. Mr. Kozlowski asked about the landscaping schedule; Ms. Ruane said the landscaping on abutting properties will be installed first, followed by the landscaping at the substation. Mr. Annino asked about the property lines, easement lines, tower and line locations, and if they will actually be 10 feet from residential properties. Mr. Babin said they will have one tower, with one additional tower installed later by National Grid. Mr. Annino asked where the right-of-way line is. Mr. Rice said it is coincident with the substation wall across Bird Road. Mr. Annino asked if the new wires would be 10 feet from any house; Mr. Babin said the width of the easement changes. Mr. Rogers said National Grid told him they would come out to measure the width, which was not done. Mr. Rogers said there is a house on Elyse Road that will be less than 10 feet from the new wires after this work is done. Mr. French said it sounds like National Grid is planning to fully build out the easement, which is their right. Mrs. Rogers said at the meeting with National Grid, they showed the residents a chart regarding safe distances for EMF, and their plan seems Planning Board 6 4/8/2010 11' to show much less than that. Mr. Babin said he would ask National Grid to provide the report Mrs. Rogers has requested. Mr. Annino asked about emergency generators. Mr. Babin said there are none; their backup equipment is battery-based. Mr. Annino asked about the fence. Ms. Ruane said the fence is composite, pre-cast concrete with a wood-like exterior texture; the color is cast through the product. The core is filled with insulation, which helps with sound attenuation. Mr. Annino said he would like to see the specs and the proposed color. Mr. Cox provided the board with samples of the fence material. Mr. Annino asked if anything would be visible beyond the fence. Mr. Babin said the switch house wouldn't be visible, but the two 40-foot structures would be. Mr. Annino asked about the light pole in the middle of the yard; Mr. Rice said that is a lightning mast. It will not be lit. Mr. Babin said the only lights will be wall packs, pointed down, and the emergency flood lights. Mr. Annino asked about signage. Mr. Rice said there would be small signs on the exterior wall identifying the utility. Mr. Annino asked about the permeable pavers in the driveway. Ms. Ruane said they will use pre-cast unit pavers, similar to bricks. They come in a wide variety of colors, and they will use a color to coordinate with the wall and fence. Mr. Annino asked about the boulders. Mr. Babin said National Grid requires them there to prevent bikers getting through to the easement. Mr. Annino asked if Ms. Ruane could design an attractive placement for the boulders. Mr. Annino asked what the pump chamber is for. Mr. Rice explained it works with the oil containment system, which surrounds the substation. It will collect rain water and channel it into underground storage tanks. The system is designed to work by specific gravity, and the pump is to evacuate water from the storage chambers to make room for the oil. It is a dual system, so if one pump fails, the second is there for backup. Mr. Annino asked what kind of oil is used in the system; Mr. Rice said it is mineral oil. Mr. Annino asked about the gates. Ms. Ruane said they are translucent metal. They have talked about slatting the gates, but that may cause maintenance issues, so they may use metal mesh across the gates so they wouldn't be totally opaque. Mr. Annino asked about sound transmission through the gate. Mr. Babin said he doesn't that will be an issue because there is no direct abutter at that location. Mr. Annino asked if the plantings would be maintained. Ms. Ruane said the plant materials are dwarf and compact, so their mature height won't exceed the height of fence and pruning won't be necessary. Their intention is to keep a consistent massing of plants Planning Board 7 4/8/2010 ,.. year-round. Mr. Babin said their staff will also be responsible for grounds maintenance. Ms. Ruane said the wall will have a graffiti resistant coating. Mr. Cleary asked if there is a way to tell National Grid not to cut the plantings. Mr. Babin said National Grid isn't concerned about what is planted around the substation, but more about what goes on within the 300-foot right-of-way. Mr. Burke said the fence will require a structural engineer and a building permit. Mr. McClanahan asked why the land is leased. Mr. Babin said National Grid won't sell. Mr. McClanahan asked ifMMED has an agreement with Folkman and Zola to change the retaining wall at Stanley Village. Mr. Babin said they do. Mr. Burke said the plans have come a long way since he began reviewing them. He said the two big concerns are noise and appearance, and he thinks they have done everything possible to protect the neighbors from visual and sound intrusion. Mr. Annino asked about the color of the gate; Ms. Ruane said they were thinking of making it black. Mr. Paquette asked if a sidewalk could be installed on Bird Road after the construction. Mr. Burke said the layout of Bird Road varies, and is about 18 feet at its narrowest, so it would be very difficult to fit a sidewalk there. Mr. Xu asked if residents have to worry about electrocution by the cables under the street. Mr. Babin said the wires will be 14,000 volts, encased in conduit and concrete, and at least three feet from the surface. Mr. Rice said the wires will be insulated and grounded, so if the wire short circuited, and a signal would be sent to the substation and the break could be repaired. He said when the wires go above ground, they are installed at least 10 feet up. ~'_.... Mr. French explained that when you buy a home adjacent to an easement, the holder of the easement has the right to maintain and clear as necessary. Mr. Burke explained the board is being asked to make two recommendations; one as municipal clearinghouse on the project itself, and the second to the building inspector on the site plan. Mr. Burke suggested sending positive recommendations to both. Motion: To send the Board of Selectmen as Light Commissioners a positive recommendation on the municipal clearinghouse review with the following conditions: 1. The perimeter wall should be a neutral, subdued color other than brown; 2. The lighting within the boundaries of the fence should be low and have cutoff fixtures; 3. No structures other than the towers should be visible be above the level of the outside fence; 4. The proposed boulders be appropriately placed to preserve the aesthetics of the area; Planning Board 8 4/8/20 10 11' 5. The gate should be black; 6. Mr. Babin has offered to act as a contact with National Grid to obtain the EMF study that was to have been provided to the abutting property owners. (McClanahan-Annino) All in favor. PASSES Motion: To send the Building Inspector a positive recommendation on the site plan review with the following conditions: 1. The perimeter wall should be a neutral, subdued color other than brown; 2. The lighting within the boundaries of the fence should be low and have cutoff fixtures; 3. No structures other than the towers should be visible be above the level of the outside fence; 4. The proposed boulders be appropriately placed to preserve the aesthetics of the area; 5. The gate should be black; 6. Mr. Babin has offered to act as a contact with National Grid to obtain the EMF study that was to have been provided to the abutting property owners. (McClanahan-Annino) All in favor. PASSES I 5. Pub".: Comment I I 6. Around the Table I Motion: To send a letter to the Town Manager asking that Planning Department staffnot be reduced to part-time (Cleary-Annino) All in favor. PASSES Motion: To adjourn at 10:00 p.m. (MacDonald- ) All in favor. PASSES N~~ceZliPriI14. 2010 at 7:3~ :.~ -10 Signature of Clerk Date of Approval Planning Board 9 4/8/2010 11