Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin of planning brd 12/13/2006 RECEIVED ~ 1 ('I r. r", , 'r. ,.. r" F" , -,~. "; :-,,", -;~.,') :~:. ..~i t.J r ! L~. r Planning Board Minutes December 13, 2006 07 JAN I 7 PH 2: I 5 Present: Doug Annino, Acting Chair; John DeMassi, Acting Clerk; Walter Jenkins, Ken Tonnan, Frank Holmes 1'"1 A "'I S FIE LD Altemate(s): Michael McClanahan, Stan Feck MASSACHUSETTS Sbaun P. Burke, Director of Plannin and Develo ment Motion: To appoint Mr. Annino acting chairman (Torman-McClanahan) All in favor. PASSES Motion: To appoint Mr. DeMassi acting clerk Torman-McClanahan All in favor. PASSES 1. Minutes November 8, 2006 Motion: To approve as submitted (Torman-McClanahan) All in favor. PASSES [Mr. French arrived at this time] r 2. November 14, 2006 letter from Jasen Crozier, Village Retirement Communities re: Cobb Street road completion bond Motion: To release the existing $245,000 bond (McClanahan- Torman) Six in favor. French abstained. PASSES Motion: To accept the new $25,000 bond (McClanahan- Torman) Six in favor. French abstained. PASSES 3. November Building Permit summary 4. Meeting notices - Attleboro, Easton 5. TransReport newsletter 6. SPREDD Regional Review 7. Street Acceptance As-Built Plans to be signed, Cobb Street and Jake's Way Motion: To sign the as-built plans for Cobb Street (Holmes-DeMassi) All in favor. PASSES Motion: To sign the as-built plans for Jake's Way (Holmes-DeMassi) All in favor. PASSES Mill Street (Gourdin Estates) - To extinguish the easements on Lot 9 and Open Space 3. The plan will not create any new lots. Mr. Burke recommended endorsing the plan. Motion: To endorse the Form A (Feck-McClanahan) All in favor. PASSES Mr. French appointed Mr. Feck and Mr. McClanahan to vote on this public hearing. Mr. Burke said the last time the board met, new elevations were discussed, as well as plans showing the building's relation to surrounding buildings. He said Engineering has r" Planning Board 1 1/4/2007 reviewed the revised plans, but noted the Planning Department did not receive those plans. Mr. Burke said he has reviewed the plans that were given to Engineering. ~ V ..1' Mr. Botti introduced Bob Rego from Prime Engineering and Ralph Coppola from Main Street Architects. He thanked the board for its input and said he thinks the building has changed significantly. The roof is now mansard-style with a fieldstone texture. There are coin columns along both the North Main Street and the Fulton Street sides. The sidewalks on both sides have been enhanced, the building moved back and the comer of Fulton and North Main has a comer-rounding patio detail. There is more glass on the North Main Street side. The ice cream manufacturing area has windows to show the activity inside. Roof drains have been added so there are no exterior drains. The awnings have been changed to yellow and green and the clearance between the awnings and the sidewalk has been increased. Each condo will have a small balcony. The Fulton Street sidewalk has more plantings. Mr. Botti said he has spoken with Mr. Riccio about the parking, who said he is in agreement with the arrangement., Mr. Coppola showed the board elevations of the new building in relation to the surrounding buildings. Board Comment Mr. McClanahan asked if the manufacturing area would be better on the side of the building; Mr. Botti said the manufacturing and prep area will be on the Fulton Street side, with additional windows added. Mr. Botti said Mr. Sullivan has requested a stop sign at the parking lot exit, which he said '} they will do. Mr. Annino asked about rebuilding the sidewalks; Mr. Rego said his client would do that. Department Head Correspondence The clerk read a memo from Mr. Botti to Mr. Riccio regarding the installation of a stop sign at the driveway exit. The clerk read a memo from Mr. Rego to Mr. Sullivan in response to Mr. Sullivan's October 26, 2006 memo. The clerk read a memo from Mr. Sullivan indicating those comments have been addressed, adding comments regarding driveway openings, open space percentage, lines of sight and sight distance, stop sign at driveway exit. Board Comment Mr. McClanahan said these plans have come a long way and thanked Mr. Botti for working with the board. Mr. Feck said it appears all of the board's concerns have been addressed. Mr. Annino agreed. Mr. DeMassi asked if any of the mechanical equipment will be above the parapet. Mr. ~ Planning Board 2 1/4/2007 Coppola said it would, but will be placed as close to the center of the roof as possible. r Mr. french asked how far below the peak of the roof the surface of the roofwill be; Mr. Coppola said it is 2 - 2 ~ feet. Mr. McClanahan said he didn't think those would be visible. Mr. DeMassi said the board has been told that before, and many of those are visible after construction. Mr. Annino suggested a certain distance back from the roof could be made a condition. Mr. Botti said they would be willing to do that. Mr. Burke suggested the units could be painted to match the parapet and roof to blend. Mr. Burke asked if the awning on the right side elevation would extend over the windows, wrap around the comer, and pick up on the other side. Mr. Coppola said it would. Mr. Burke asked if the same treatment would be used on the other side; Mr. Coppola said it would be. Mr. Burke asked about the access door on the north side; Mr. Coppola said that door is a recessed emergency exit and will not have an awning. Mr. Annino suggested taking that side light out. Mr. DeMassi asked how far the awning wraps around from North Main Street to the abutting property side; Mr. Coppola said it extends about 10 feet. Mr. Burke asked if the dumpster would be on wheels; Mr. Coppola said it would be. Mr. Annino asked about gutters and downspouts; Mr. Coppola said he didn't think they would be needed with the mansard roof. Mr. Coppola said the roofwill be drained internally and they will have two roof drains per drain. Mr. Burke said there will not be a r lot of snow load with the mansard roof. Mr. French said the plans have come a long way and said he likes the revisions. Mr. Annino suggested adding more detail to the fascia. Motion: To ask the Planning Director to draft a positive decision for review at the next meeting including the revised elevations, more detail to the fascia, mechanical units painted to the match the roof and be set a minimum 15 'from the exterior roof edge; change washroom to manufacturing room; standard conditions such as hours of operation, demolition, etc. (McClanahan-Annino) All in favor. PASSES Motion: To continue the public hearing to January 10, 2007 at 7:45 p.m. (McClanahan-Holmes) All in favor. PASSES [Mr. Jenkins arrived at this time] Lou Masiello, WS Development, introduced the following people: Butch fuller, construction manager for WS Development Vaughan Totovian, PE, ESS Group civil engineer Donald Curwick, , KKE Architects, Kohl's Architect r- Tracy McIntosh, Black Angus director of construction Planning Board 3 1/4/2007 Kohl's Mr. Curwick explained the changes to the design of the Kohl's building. He said Kohl's has recently made a major effort to change its image and upscale it s product, and therefore its buildings. He said the Mansfield store was approved under the old concept, and if this change is approved, it would be one of the first under the new concept. The new elevations show multiple levels of building fa~e, especially at the entrance. The footprint and building height will remain the same as approved, and all the materials approved by the board will remain. The details, like the cornices, will remain. There will be additional materials added to the entrance area. There has been a lot of window glass added, as well as an extended canopy to provide additional shelter. The entrance has a "gateway" detail and Italian tile detail. Dark tile will be used behind the sign, with light tile at the "gateway" detail. There will be a stone-like material added behind the gateway and over the glass. Mr. Curwick said he would like to take the glass block windows out of either side of the approved f~ade. l ,,' Mr. Curwick said the landscaping will remain as approved; there is no proposal to reduce or eliminate any landscaping. Mr. Annino said the landscaping appears different on the approved and proposed elevations. Mr. Curwick said that was an error of the technician who put those plans together. He said Kohl's will do the landscaping as approved. Mr. Annino asked for a floor plan. Mr. Curwick said they have not changed the footprint. Mr. Annino said it is important for the board to be able to look at things in both plan and elevation when there have been major changes. Mr. Burke asked how far the arch comes off the front of the building; Mr. Curwick said the change will be about six feet. He said ) the sidewalk dimension will not change; the building was originally stepped out, and the proposal brings the front of the building back. Mr. Annino said the board cannot see the layers on the photographs. Mr. DeMassi said there were a lot of plantings under the sign; Mr. Masiello said those would remain. He noted the board had asked for the glass blocks to be removed prior to approval of the special permit. Mr. DeMassi asked what would be done to break up that long blank wall on either side of the new entrance. He said he thinks this proposal would be a better entrance than the one approved. Mr. Annino said the board has worked hard to get diversified facades, but said this appears to be much more modem than the rest of the center's architecture. He said the board had wanted this f~e broken up, and asked if that happens with the new entrance. Mr. Masiello said he doesn't feel this f~ade is that much out of step with the rest of the center, and said the question of whether the new entrance goes with the rest of the f~ade is subjective. He said Kohl's wants to build this new concept, but ifneed be, they will build the store as originally approved. Mr. Annino said he would rather go back to the original f~ade. Mr. Masiello asked if it would be possible to redesign the rest of that f~e to go along with the proposed entrance area. Mr. Annino said the whole f~ade would have to be consistent, either the old style or new. Mr. Annino asked if Kohl's would be willing to do a store like the one shown in the Florida photograph. Mr. Curwick said Kohl's would be pleased to do that. , Planning Board 4 1/4/2007 r Tim Tobin, ESS architect, said the building shown in the Florida photograph would create an interesting tension with the New England feel of the rest of the buildings in the center. Mr. DeMassi asked about the sides of the Kohl's building; Mr. Curwick said the side design hasn't changed, but the materials would be changed to incorporate the materials from the front of the building. Mr. Annino asked if the sides and rear of the building could be articulated in the same way, with the bold, split-face block. Mr. Curwick said it could be. Mr. Holmes asked how wide the sidewalks were as approved; Mr. Masiello said from the face of the building, they were about 25 feet wide. Mr. Masiello said the sidewalk dimensions have not changed as much as the elevation seems to show. Mr. DeMassi said the Florida plan shows a less than 25-foot sidewalk; Mr. Masiello said that is true. Mr. DeMassi asked if there would still be the originally approved 24-foot sidewalk. Mr. Masiello said there would. Mr. Curwick said they would not reduce the width of the sidewalk from the curbline. Mr. Masiello said he would provide hardscape plan of the front sidewalk and elevations of all four sides with the new building motif. Black Angus Mr. Masiello explained the proposed site plan change and proposed architecture. r Mr. Totovian explained the proposed Black Angus is to the left of the main entrance. The original building envelope is about 11,000 square feet; the original building was about 6,000 square feet. The proposal is to change the size of the building to 6,800 square feet, and to change the orientation of the building to take advantage of the pond. However, rotating the building puts one comer outside the building envelope. The north side of the building is about 12 feet over the original envelope line. The parking has been reworked to move the handicapped spaces to next to the building. The dumpsters have been relocated to the comer, away from the building, making service easier. The driveway geometry changes because of the building's new shape. Mr. Masiello said the side facing the pond would be used as a covered outdoor seating area. He said the number of spaces has not changed and the dumpster will still be screened per the original permit. Mr. DeMassi asked about a detail of the dumpster enclosures; Mr. fuller said they have one. Mr. Jenkins asked about the number of seats; Mr. Masiello said the site-wide number cannot and has not changed. He said the seating for this restaurant is still below its original seating estimate. He said TGIFriday's has low 200s seating, with Panera and Qdoba fewer than 100 seats. Mr. DeMassi asked the increased 800 square feet for this restaurant would come out of someplace else; Mr. Masiello said that 800 square feet could not be built elsewhere. Mr. .r- Fuller explained because of the stormceptor near the School Street entrance, that pad Planning Board 5 1/4/2007 would be reduced by 1,100-1,200 square feet. Mr. Masiello said there will be several smaller stores that will not take up the whole amount of square feet allowed. ') Mr. DeMassi asked if any building other than Kohl's will have second floors or mezzanines. Mr. Masiello said two tenants, Michael's and LL Bean, have requested that, but they have not yet granted permission to either. Mr. Holmes said he likes the site plan change, especially moving the dumpster away from the building and the handicapped parking closer. Mr. French asked about landscaping between the front of the building and the sidewalk. Mr. Fuller said Black Angus would like to have additional landscaping in that area. Mr. Masiello said with this type of outdoor seating and a liquor license, the tenant will have to have some sort of separation between the seating and public area Mr. Burke said if the building is being oriented toward the pond, more landscaping may not be desirable. Mr. French said he was concerned about a buffer between the eating and public areas. Mr. Annino said a fence or railing would work there. Mr. French asked if the building could be moved back 10 feet and add a landscape buffer. Mr. Masiello said they would lose four parking spaces; Mr. Annino said he wouldn't want to lose any parking. Mr. Holmes said there will be more parking than the Zoning By-Law requires, so they could afford to lose some spaces. Mr. Masiello said the sidewalk along that road is six feet wide. Mr. Burke said ADA requires 5-foot sidewalks, so there isn't much space to lose. Ms. McIntosh said they could add a wrought iron railing as a barrier, which would go with the building design. Mr. Masiello said he thinks ~ they can shift the building to add a wider landscape buffer, even with the loss of four spaces. Ms. McIntosh said she would look at that. Mr. French said he loves the design of the Black Angus building. Mr. Annino agreed. BuDding F Mr. Tobin explained the changes to the LL Bean building, including a stone base and metal roofing. The towers on Building F are standing seam metal roof. LL Bean plans to use some shakes and a natural wood siding, stained and urathaned. The sign band was originally going to be board and batten, but now will be insulated panel. The remainder of the elevation stays the same. The entry way will be recessed, and'there will be vertical landscape elements in the recess, such as a tree that will grow through the roof. Mr. Annino asked if there are overhead doors shown; Mr. Tobin said they are, and will be used for the bike shop. Mr. Fuller said the foundation for the LL Bean building was started this week. Mr. Fuller said LL Bean plans to use the pond for demonstrations. ') Planning Board 6 1/4/2007 Mr. Tobin said the way Borders is laid out, they have requested the elimination of one r- window. To make up for it, they have made the other glass elements larger. He said the approved plan did not show a projection at the front of that store; Borders has requested a projection. Mr. DeMassi suggested adding more landscaping to the area where the window is being removed. Mr. Masiello said he could do that. Mr. Feck suggested taking out two parking spaces and adding more landscaping, to balance that out. Mr. Tobin said he would look at that. Mr. Tobin explained he has labeled the major materials on the plans. Mr. French asked what Mr. Masiello would like from the board tonight. Mr. Masiello said he understands they will have to come back with Kohl's and the Black Angus site plan. He said it would be nice if the board took a vote on any building the board feels is complete, especially the LL Bean building. Building F - outstanding question about Border's vestibule and landscaping where window removed. Mr. Tobin noted the sidewalk in front of the vestibule would be six feet. Mr. Holmes said he would be concerned about whether there will be enough room for pedestrians when the doors to Border's are open. Mr. Tobin said those doors will be sliding. Mr. Masiello said they could ask the Fire Department for a different or smaller fire lane, or truncate the depth of the vestibule. Mr. Holmes said the board has been using eight feet for sidewalks on the rest of the site. I""" Motion: To approve Building F as drawn, provided an eight-foot sidewalk can be accomplished at the Border's vestibule. (Annino-DeMassi) All in favor. PASSES Motion: To approve the architecture only of the Black Angus building (Annino-DeMassi) All in favor. PASSES Building I Mr. Tobin explained the 'junior boxes" adjacent to Kohl's. One of the issues had been the loading dock at Sports Authority. That area will be heavily landscaped to block sight lines. Mr. McClanahan asked what would happen if there is eventually an exit out of the site onto Route 140; Mr. Masiello said the landscaped island in the middle of the drive aisle would have to be trimmed, the landscaping along the edge of that loading area would not be lost. There is also a 10-foot high screen wall in the loading area, and will be 14 feet high at the truck well. Mr. Fuller said the trucks should not be visible at all in that area. Mr. Tobin explained they have added false second story windows to that building. Mr. McClanahan asked if a truck in the Sports Authority loading area would be able to turn left. Mr. Tobin said the trucks would have to turn right. Mr. French asked if the right turn would be possible if there are cars parking in the spaces right there. Mr. Tobin said it would be. Mr. DeMassi asked if they really need the parking spaces at the back of r- the building; Mr. Masiello said he didn't remember. Mr. Fuller said he would love to Planning Board 7 1/4/2007 eliminate a couple of those parking spaces to . make room for transformers. Mr. Masiello said the board supported a parking variance to 4.5 per 1000, but the board later asked for a little more, which has been provided. He said if the board wants to eliminate a parking space here and there, they have that room as long as they don't go below 4.5. Mr. Fuller said the transformers would probably have to be closer to the building with an explosion wall. Mr. French said he wouldn't have a problem getting rid of a couple of spaces at the back of that building. ~ l~" Mr. Masiello said if the parking at the back of that building changes, the configuration of the building itself will not change. Motion: To approve Building I's design concept (Annino-Feck) All in favor. PASSES Building D Mr. Tobin explained Building D is the L-shaped building next to the pond. There is a small restaurant, Qdoba, at the end of that building that wants outdoor seating. There is a transformer and other electrical equipment at that end, so they have not resolved the shape and size of outdoor seating. The maximum outdoor area is shown on the plan, but he said that would change. The tower elements have been changed from asphalt shingle roof to metal roof. They have created some awnings and bumpouts along the f~ade. Mr. Tobin said one of the big discussion points was the rear of the building. The loading area will be screened with landscaping and there will be a stone wall along the back of the building. The cornice details from the front has been added to the back, and some of the roof elements from the front have been brought toward the back. Mr. Annino asked if the rooftop units would be screened. Mr. Tobin said the units will be partially screened by the mansard roof and the rest will not be screened. Mr. DeMassi asked why the roof elements couldn't be carried over to the back of the building to screen the mechanical equipment. Mr. Tobin said the units will be 4-5 feet tall. Mr. McClanahan suggested painting the units the same color as the roof. Mr. Fuller said he would like to get the actual buildings to the point where this issue could be revisited. Mr. Annino'said the units would either have to be painted or screened. Mr. Fuller said screening rooftop units is very costly and said it would be possible to add more mansard roof detail to screen the units. Mr. DeMassi said that would be a good way to screen. , Mr. Holmes said there is a network of walkways, and the pond will be a site feature, so the views of the roofs will not simply be from the outdoor seating areas. Mr. Fuller said he would adjust the mansard along the rear of the building to cover the units. Mr. Tobin said they are still working on the transformer at this building, so they do not have the final number of outdoor seating at Qdoba. Mr. Masiello said they would come back with a solution on the mechanical equipment screening and the Qdoba outdoor seating. ') Planning Board 8 1/4/2007 . Mr. Annino asked about benches at the buildings. Mr. Masiello said there will be r benches. Motion: To approve Building D's front and side elevations; the applicant will come back to address rooftop screening and outdoor seating for Qdoba (Annino-DeMassi) All in favor. PASSES Building J Mr. Tobin explained Building J, which includes Famous Dave's Barbeque. Mr. Annino said everything on that elevation, except Famous Dave's, looks great. Mr. Fuller said they have spoken with Famous Dave's, who will build their own building. He said they are trying to work with that tenant. Mr. Tobin explained Building J will have a mansard roofall the way across the building, except at Famous Dave's and at the other end of the building. Motion: To approve Building J except for Famous Dave's (Annino-Torman) All in favor. PASSES Mr. Fuller thanked the board for its cooperation and said 95% of the fill material is onsite. He said they have started the roadway work. r Mr. French read a letter from Mr. Jenkins indicating he will not be seeking reappointment to the Planning Board. The board thanked Mr. Jenkins for his years of service. Dr. Torman asked about the landscaping at Erin's Centre. Mr. Burke said it is his understanding they are in binding arbitration. Motion: To adjourn at 11: 15 p.m. (Torman-McClanahan) All in favor. PASSES Next meeting: Wednesday, January 10,2007 at 7:30 p.m. .~t ~teL-Cr/Jf.4'11rJ /4 Si ture of Clerk /() tJ/{()] l\pproval r Planning Board 9 1/4/2007 ) n f)