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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin of planning brd 050907 ~ HECE\'(~O '.;\ :," i/_, r \(' \~' i (,..... Planning Board Minutes May 9,2007 M~~ 24 PM 3: 05 r- Present: Tom French, Chair; Fred Armstrong, Clerk; KQrl T6nn:an, John DeMassi, Mike McClanahan [,Ij p., H :) I IE L Ll Altemate(s): Beth Ashman Collins, Anthony Jodice HASS~,CHllSETTS Shaun P. Burke, Director of Planning and Development Mr. French appointed Ms. Collins and Mr. Jodice to participate in the meeting. 1. Minutes April 25, 2007 Motion: To approve as submitted (Torman-Armstrong) Five in favor. French, McClanahan abstained. PASSES 2. Copy of April 6, 2007 letter from Lawrence Gallo, Manager of Airport Engineering, Executive Office of Transportation to Valerie Moore, Nextel Communications- Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission will require a permit for the 30 Reservoir Street monopole 3. Public hearing notices - Norton, JTPG 4. The Beacon Mr. Burke presented revised elevations, plan view, landscaping, and vehicle turning movements of TO Banknorth at Mansfield Crossing. The tower has been widened, but is r the same height. The raised parapet has been removed. The mechanical equipment is below the roofline. The materials and colors are the same. The aisle width has been increased to 24 feet and the template shows a fire truck being able to make the turn. There is a retaining wall with a transformer on top. Parked cars will not stick out into the bypass lane. The landscape plan has been amended; the approved stock, styles and sizes of landscaping material are shown. Mr. Burke said the building looks much better, the parking lot has been widened and the turning movements will work. He suggested approving the elevations and plan revisions. Motion: To approve the TO Banknorth elevations dated March 28, 2007 and described in the May 8, 2007 letter from Scott R Towne, AlA, DRL Associates, Inc. to Ana Paulino, SR Weiner & Associates (McClanahan- Torman) Six in favor. French abstained. PASSES Maple Street - Annie L. Bauer - To create three lots from one. The ZBA has granted relief for lot width. Mr. Burke recommended endorsing the plan. Motion: To endorse the Form A (McClanahan-Armstrong) All in favor. PASSES Richard Peterson, Annino Inc., architects; Leonard Pinault, Nation's Heritage; George Morrison, Unique Services, general contractor ~ Planning Board 1 5/1112007 .~ Mr. Peterson explained the proposal is at the site of the former LaDonna Restaurant and will have 58 parking spaces with two handicapped spaces; 52 parking spaces are required. There will be a travel and stacking lane for the drive-through window. The ') drive-up will have a canopy and three lanes; one for A TM and night drop. Traffic from the drive-up will exit onto Paine Road; the front entrance driveway will have bollards across it. Besides the bank, there will be two tenants. There will be new parallel parking along Paine Road and a new planting bed along Paine Road. The existing fencing will be removed from around the transformer; bollards have been added. The radius exiting onto Paine Road has been increased. The former dining patio area will be removed and seeded. Existing lighting will remain; one pole will be relocated for a planting bed. The site will be re-lamped. Stop and directional signs will be added, including do not enter, stop and no left turn. The existing utility connections will remain. The signage will be redone according to the Zoning By-Law. The existing drainage will be cleaned. All the existing pavement will be resealed and restriped to show separation between travel and stacking lane, and to create a pedestrian walkway. New plantings will be added along the southern border. Department Head Comments The clerk read memos from the Water, Police and Electric Departments. Mr. Peterson explained they are proposing a generator pad. Mr. French asked if Paine Road would be repaved; Mr. Pinault said they are not proposing to repave it. Mr. Armstrong said the main building access is across the drive-through stacking lane. Mr. Pinault said typically the stacking lane is not full, but said they will add a crosswalk there. Mr. Morrison said there is a protective railing at the door so patrons will not be able to walk across the stacking lane. Ms. Collins asked if there will be signage on the back of the building; Mr. Pinault said there will be signage over the drive-up overhang. ') Mr. Jodice suggested a crosswalk to connect the sidewalks. Mr. DeMassi asked if there is a back entrance; Mr. Peterson said there will be tenant entrances at the back. Mr. DeMassi asked how the parking was calculated; Mr. Peterson said they used one space per 200 feet of floor area. Ms. Collins noted one of the handicapped parking spaces is on Paine Road. Mr. Peterson said that is an existing space and is not a handicapped space; the handicapped spaces are along the walkway at the front of the building. Dr. Torman asked about the three spaces on the south side of Paine Road and said Officer Lawson had asked that there be no parking on Paine Road. Mr. Burke said that concern was about on-street parking; Mr. Peterson said they are on the bank's property. Dr. Torman said Paine road is in terrible condition and the increased traffic from this business will make that situation worse. Mr. Peterson said Paine Road is a public way. """'" Planning Board 2 5/1112007 1 . r Dr. Torman asked where the elevator is. Mr. Pinault said there is no elevator; there will only be staff on the second floor; there is a meeting room on the frrst floor. Mr. Burke said as long as there is no public access to the second floor they do not need an elevator. Mr. DeMassi asked if the Fire Department can get a truck around this building. Mr. Pinault said they met with Lt. Boldrighini and he was comfortable they will be able to access the building from either Paine or Central Street. He said Lt. Boldrighini had requested a wider entrance onto Paine Road, which they have provided. Mr. DeMassi asked what will be installed between the bollards at the front of the building. Mr. Pinault said the existing asphalt will remain. He explained the bollards are for security, to prevent cars from driving to the front door. Mr. Pinault said they would clean up the loam and seed in the existing grassed area. Mr. DeMassi asked about the lighting; Mr. Peterson explained the fixtures would remain but they would replace bulbs. Mr. DeMassi asked if there would be signage indicating the Copeland Drive is not an exit. Mr. Pinault said there are no plans for signage, but they would be happy to do that. Mr. Burke said they can use pavement markings and/or put the sign toward the back of the building. Mr. Pinault said he wants to encourage a one-way traffic flow within the site and to have traffic enter from Copeland Drive. Mr. DeMassi asked if there is a grease trap from the restaurant; Mr. Pinault said it has been cleaned out and filled with sand. r- Mr. DeMassi asked if there will be signage other than directional and the bank's main sign. Mr. Pinault said the two tenants will attach their signs to the bank's sign; he said that has not been designed but will comply with the Zoning By-Law. Mr. Burke said it will have to be shown on the final plan. Mr. Jodice said Paine Road is in terrible shape, but it shouldn't be the applicant's responsibility to repair it. Mr. Jodice said the three drive-up lanes and a travel lane will cause traffic to stack up. Mr. Pinault said they have found the drive-up lane usage has dropped at their Attleboro branch. He said they will encourage staff to use Central Street and park against the back. Mr. Jodice said he would like to see the crosswalks shown. Mr. Burke asked what kind of paint the crosswalk would be striped with; Mr. Morrison said it will be thermoplastic. Mr. DeMassi asked why the drive-up lanes were located where they are; Mr. Pinault said that was because of where the teller area will be. r- Mr. Jodice said this is a tough site and he is concerned about public safety. Mr. Pinault said they are concerned about public safety as well, which was why the railing was added to prevent pedestrians from walking across the drive-up lanes. Planning Board 3 5/1112007 Ms. Collins said she agrees there are public safety concerns. Mr. McClanahan said the radius into the handicapped parking spaces looks tight. He suggested those could be parking spaces, but perhaps not handicapped. Mr. Pinault said the handicapped space on Paine Road could be redesigned to mirror the spaces on the other side of the building. ~ ..vl Mr. Peterson said they are reducing the impervious surface by about one percent. Dr. Torman said there could be a problem if a driver comes off Central Street into the site and cannot find a parking space. Mr. Pinault said they would have to back up. He said they could add a No Left Turn sign coming off Central Street. Mr. Jodice asked if the loss of four parking spaces would be critical. He suggested removing the four spaces near the drive-through would address Dr. T orman's issue. Mr. DeMassi suggested removing the parking spaces along Paine Road; Mr. Pinault said he could do that. Mr. French asked if there is curbing around edges of the parking lot. Mr. Pinault said there is a berm on the right side and one surrounding the grassed area in the front. Dr. Torman asked for the removal of the spaces Mr. Jodice suggested. Mr. Pinault said that would be a loss of seven spaces, so there would be 52. The Zoning By-Law requires 52 spaces for this use. Mr. Burke said he was concerned this would result in a fourth ') travel lane and would cause problems for pedestrians. Add crosswalks, two do not enter signs (no left from Central entrance, one so can't exit onto Copeland), handicapped parking reconfiguration for four handicapped spaces total, landscaping in the front instead of leaving it paved Motion: To send the Building Inspector a positive recommendation on this site plan with the following conditions: 1. All department head comments shall be fully and completely satisfied; 2. Crosswalks will be shown on the plan; 3. Two "Do Not Enter" signs will be added (one at the Central Street entrance and one so 4. Drivers cannot exit the site onto Copeland Drive); 5. The handicapped parking spaces will be reconfigured; 6. Landscaping will be added to the front of the site. 7. When the final plans are submitted to Building Inspector, a copy will be submitted to the Planning Department (Armstrong-Collins) Six in favor. DeMassi opposed. PASSES ~ Planning Board 4 511112007 r- The clerk read the public hearing notice. Attorney Edward Valanzola, representing the landowners, Mr. and Mrs. Gougen. The proposal is for a bank and one retail space on the 1.88-acre parcel. Mr. Valanzola said the plans have been revised following a meeting with department heads. He said a second revision will be needed because of the higher than expected water table. Ted Hoppe, Pinnacle Partners, explained the site is located across from Mansfield Crossing; this project's entrance is aligned with the Mansfield Crossing secondary entrance. The site is 1.88 acres and they propose an 8,250 square foot retail building. The plan calls for a bank, but he said they are in negotiations with several potential tenants and they may seek retail for the entire site. The elevations show a drive-through for the bank. The driveway has been widened to accommodate fire trucks. The building will have a false mansard roof, and materials will be hearty plank, architectural asphalt shingles, insulated glass, backlit towers, backlit signage and landscaping around the perimeter. Forty-one parking spaces are required; they have 72, including four handicapped spaces. When tenants are identified, the number of parking spaces may be reduced, which would allow for a wider sidewalk at the front of the site. The crosswalk will be of herringbone brick. There will be a self- contained dumpster and the building will use propane because there is no gas in the r- street. Mr. French asked if any variances would be needed; Mr. Hoppe said they are not seeking any variances. He said this is a tight sight, but their plan fits comfortably. Mr. DeMassi asked if there had been any thought given to an Old School Street entrance. Mr. Hoppe said no because they want their driveway aligned with the mall's secondary entrance. Mr. DeMassi asked if there is a traffic light at their driveway; Mr. Hoppe said there is not. Mr. DeMassi said it will be difficult for pedestrians or cars to cross School Street at that point. Timothy Williams, Allen & Major, explained they have frontage on both School and Old School Streets, so they are required to meet front yard setbacks on both sides. The point of access will be a two-way traffic pattern, but they have spoken with the town about a one-way traffic pattern. Mr. Williams explained the drainage had been proposed as an underground infiltration system made up of infiltration chambers. Borings have been done on site, and records from the existing septic system regarding the groundwater level were used to formulate the drainage plan, which had catch basins discharging to a water quality device. There are two existing catch basins on site. They had planned to convert the catch basins to drain manholes, with infiltration back into the drainage system. The roof will discharge r- into the infiltration system. Planning Board 5 5/1112007 Mr. Williams explained that yesterday, they dug two test pits and performed infiltration testing in two locations, and found the groundwater significantly higher than first anticipated. They had expected the groundwater to be at 158 in one place and 159 in another, but they found 155 and 157. Therefore, the system has to be raised to be out of the groundwater. They had planned to use a 34" system with minimal infiltration. Based on the test results, they will use a lower profile, 16" system, which results in larger drainage areas with no infiltration. They will still meet the requirements and be able to mitigate rainfall. They will have to relocate some light poles because of the larger size of the system. They will provide the revised calculations and plans to the Town Engineer. ~ .~' Mr. Williams explained there is town water in the street. The developers of Mansfield Crossing proposes to rebuild School Street and are proposing to leave three curb cuts for each lot along this side of School Street. They plan to pave in August; Mr. Williams said his client hopes to consolidate the curb cuts to one, save the mall developer some money and have them run a stub to this site. As part of the School Street reconstruction, Old School Street will be tied in at a 90-degree angle. Mr. Williams said they are proposing to bring sewer out the back of the site to Old School Street and tie into the dead-end manhole at the comer of School/Old School. The sewer will be a gravity system. They have looked at an on-site septic system and found favorable infiltration results in an area of lower groundwater. He said if sewer were not an option, they would be able to install a septic system. He said the bank and retail uses on site would generate about 600 gallons a day. Mr. French asked about the traffic pattern. Mr. Williams said the town has requested one-way internal movement, which is being discussed with Pinnacle's traffic consultant. ') Bob Michaud, MBM Traffic Consultants, explained his firm has looked at the site in relation to Mansfield Crossing, School Street and Route 140. They did a standard five- year build-out, including all development in the area, and developed weekday peak hour and Saturday peak hour numbers. He said the numbers are 10% higher than what exists today, which he said may be a result of having to estimate traffic due to the closed School Street bridge. He said his numbers are conservatively high. He said the estimate is that during the weekday peak, there would be 20 cars entering their site; he said there would be much more activity at the mall's main entrance. Mr. Michaud said they estimated about half this site's traffic flow would come out of the existing School Street traffic flow. He said this site will be helped by the Route 140 light, which will provide gaps in traffic. Mr. Michaud said the site layout estimates their site will be able to contain some queueing. He said there will be significant pedestrian infrastructure for this site. Mr. DeMassi asked if any traffic mitigation is proposed; Mr. Michaud said there is not. He said they have met with Mass Highway, which did not express any concerns. ~ Planning Board 6 5/11/2007 r Department Head Comments The clerk read comments from Engineering, Conservation, Electric and Planning Departments. Mr. Burke said he is concerned about cars turning right off School Street into this parking lot while there is a queue to come out. He said with two-way traffic, if there is a car leaving the site taking a left, the entrance travel lane could be blocked and queue cars onto School Street. If cars are not allowed to take a right out of the first bay and there is one-way traffic throughout, there would be fewer conflicting traffic movements. Mr. Hoppe said when the tenants are identified, they will have a better idea of the final parking space count, which may result in more room for traffic flow. Mr. French said the board has to give the applicant a permit on a specific plan, which may be amended at a later time. Board Comment Dr. Torman asked how much fill would be necessary; Mr. Williams said there would be about two feet. Mr. DeMassi asked how much of a slope that would leave; Mr. Williams said they are working on that. Ms. Collins asked if the whole site would be raised or just the drainage areas; Mr. Williams said they would raise the whole site. r- Mr. DeMassi asked how the catch basins work with respect to the infiltration system. Mr. Williams said they are abiding by DEP stormwater regulations. There are deep sump hooded catch basins, which will be routed to a water quality inlet and discharged into a header system with a level pipe. The sediment will be cleaned in one chamber, then the water will be tied into the town's system. Mr. DeMassi asked about the proposal to use propane. Mr. Williams said there is no gas service in the street. Mr. Michaud said the closest gas connection is 600-800 feet away from this site. Mr. DeMassi asked to see the enclosure for the propane shown on the plan. Mr. Williams said that would be shown. Mr. DeMassi asked if there is a sidewalk around the building. Mr. Williams said there is a five-foot wide concrete sidewalk and six-foot wide crosswalks leading back to the parking fields. Mr. DeMassi asked the applicants to look at the board's drive-up amendment, being proposed at Annual Town Meeting, and try to comply. Mr. DeMassi asked what the special permit for landscaping is about. Mr. Williams said they have amended the plans and meet zoning, so they no longer need a waiver for landscaping. Mr. DeMassi asked the height of the building; Mr. Hoppe said it is a single story with towers at 35 feet. The drive-through canopy is 12 feet, the top of the mansard roof is 20 feet. Mr. DeMassi said he would like to see details of the light poles and curb cut detail. ~ Planning Board 7 511112007 .~ Mr. Jodice said the existing septic system has had some problems and he hopes the site can be tied into sewer. Mr. Iodice asked about top of slab; Mr. Williams said it will be at about 161, with the curb cut at about 157. He said they are still working on those details. l .~. Mr. DeMassi asked if the street gradings shown on the plan are existing or proposed. Mr. Williams said they are existing. Mr. DeMassi asked if School Street would be raised with the mall construction. Mr. Williams said he would look into that. Mr. Jodice asked if neighboring properties would be effected if this site were to be raised. Mr. Williams said they have balanced the site and their stormwater system will capture everything on site. Ms. Collins asked if the dumpster would be seen from Route 495. Mr. Hoppe said Route 495 is much higher than this site and it will not be seen. Ms. Collins asked what other development would be happening on School Street. Mr. Burke said there will be another retail proposal to the east of this site, and there are a couple of other properties that might be developed. He said he would like to see this developer get together with as many of those other property owners to minimize the number of curb cuts on School Street. He said the 70-acre site across the street has two curb cuts, but on much smaller parcels across the street, there could be six curb cuts for tiny developments. Mr. DeMassi asked if there is a picture showing the abutting properties. Mr. Michaud showed the board an aerial photo. He explained there would be only one home on Old School Street after this development. Mr. DeMassi asked to see a plan showing that. ) Mr. Armstrong asked about the sewer line issue. Mr. Valanzola explained he has met with the Selectmen about this and said because the sewer line will be run up Old School Street, stop close to the house behind this site and abut this property, they have a right to connect to the sewer line. However, he said that is still an open issue. Mr. Armstrong asked where the sewer ends now; Mr. Burke said it ends on the other side of Route 140. Mr. Williams said it is about 85 feet away. Mr. Valanzola said the town's position is that the sewer will be capped and end partway up Old School Street and therefore the Gougen property cannot be connected. Mr. Armstrong said it would be a good idea to look at a one-way traffic pattern. Mr. Michaud said they could look at that option. Mr. McClanahan said he would like to see a one-way traffic pattern and the sewer line issue worked out, and suggested working with Bay State Gas to avoid using propane. Mr. Burke suggested continuing the public hearing and allowing the applicant to revise the plans at least one week prior to that date. He said the applicant did a good job responding to staff's comments. ~ Planning Board 8 511112007 , . r- Public Comment Allen Willis said it would be a shame for this development to not be tied to sewer and said. He said this development should be connected with the property across Old School Street and suggested the developer should work with the abutters. Motion: To continue the public hearing to June 6, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. (DeMassi-McClanahan) All in favor. PASSES [Mr. French left the meeting at this time] 6. Site Plan Review - 440 Forbes Boulevard - Toyota - AdditionlParking Lot Expansion Motion: To appoint Mr. Armstrong Acting Chair and Mr. McClanahan Acting Clerk (Torman-DeMassi) All in favor. PASSES Carlos Soria, Architect and Project Manager, Toyota Motor Sales, explained the site is a parts distribution center with an office component and a multi-purpose room used for training. They are proposing a 7,600 square foot addition for classrooms and training areas, primarily computer classes. They are also looking at expanding trailer parking to free up the area where trailers currently park, which can impede traffic flow. They want to separate the pedestrian and associate traffic from truck traffic, with a new parking area for cars and a separate trailer parking area He said they do not store trucks; they unload and load them, then send them off. r- They want to replace all the parking being displaced and add parking for the expansion. There are currently two entrances to the office area; the proposal is for a new entrance for the technical training area and additional parking. The addition will be 100% sustainable. Zachary Basinski, Cubellis Associates, explained the parking lot expansion. There is a small lot to the west of the training building and one to the east of the parts distribution center. On the east side, there are three existing dry wells. Mr. Basinski said they did soil testing and the dry wells do not work; they overtop and enter the town's system. The dry wells will be removed and the flow placed into a new detention basin. The flow will be controlled on site up to the 100-year storm event. There will be no infiltration. The system will tie into an existing catch basin to the Norfolk Street drainage system. Groundwater is at 148. The west side will have three detention ponds to intercept groundwater and keep the plantings alive. There will be a stormceptor unit to treat runoff. Currently, water flows to the northerly property line, then to the southwest corner of the site. The proposed design is to maintain the existing grades at the back of the building, so they propose two ponds, which will have stormceptors. They have provided a two-foot separation to groundwater. Mr. Sullivan has requested additional test pits, which are scheduled for next week. Mr. Bazinski said they have addressed all of Mr. Sullivan's other comments. r- Planning Board 9 5/1112007 Department Head Comments The clerk read a memo from the Engineering Department. Mr. Basinski said he has addressed Mr. Alves' comments. They have provided a I5-foot separation between the sewer and the berm and a 35-foot separation on the south side. They will be doing extra testing on site to confIrm the groundwater elevation in the ponds. Soil logs have been updated. 1 I~ The clerk read memos from the Board of Health, Electric, Fire and Planning Department. The clerk read the applicant's narrative response to the department head comments. Board Comment Mr. DeMassi asked how the parking was calculated. Mr. Soria said they determined the peak shift, the number of maximum trainees, the number of visitors, pool vehicles and dealer buyback cars. There are some double parking spaces, which are used only to store the training cars. Mr. DeMassi asked whether fire trucks would be able to get around the building. Mr. Soria said they would. Mr. DeMassi asked if the dumpster is existing; Mr. Soria said it is. Mr. DeMassi asked about landscaping; Mr. Basinski said there are existing trees along Norfolk Street. Mr. DeMassi asked if the lighting will matched the existing; Mr. Basinski said it would ) be. Mr. DeMassi asked if lighting was moved for the addition; Mr. Basinski said two poses were moved. Mr. Soria said their facilities provide minimum footcandles for safety while avoiding spillover. Mr. DeMassi said there seems to be more parking area and less landscaping; he said he hopes the site will be screened as much as possible from the street. Mr. Soria said it will be. Mr. Burke said he wanted to make sure the applicant gets together with Engineering to address their concerns. Mr. Soria said the addition will match the existing building. Motion: To send the Building Inspector a positive recommendation with the following conditions: I. All department head comments, specifically those of the Engineering Department, shall be fully and completely satisfied; 2. Additional soil testing shall be done as required by the Engineering Department and the results shall be submitted to the Planning Department (McClanahan-Iodice) All in favor. PASSES ') Planning Board 10 511112007 1 . r- [Mr. French returned at this time] Mr. Burke reminded the board that Town Meeting is next Tuesday, May 15. He said the slides he had intended to go along with the drive-through article did not transfer and were taken out. Mr. Burke said the board has two articles on the Special Town Meeting warrant; $65,000 for the Master Plan and $45,000 for the TOD traffic study. He said the Finance Committee has said the town cannot fund both and asked him for the top priority; he told them Master Plan was his priorty because it is more comprehensive. Dr. Torman said he would like to get TOD done. Mr. Burke said he thinks the Master Plan is more important and as a practical matter, the Commonwealth requires updated Master Plans for certain grant funding. Mr. Burke said he has done an amendment to the Cecil Group contract for the traffic study. The Cecil Group will try to get the TOD traffic study on the TIP for funding. Consensus of the board was to support funding of the Master Plan. Mr. DeMassi said he would like Town Meeting to decide what the support. Mr. French said he felt the same way, but has spoken with the Town Manager and understands there simply isn't money to do both. Mr. Burke said the board has three zoning articles: reconstruction, drive-throughs and site plan approval. Mr. Armstrong and Mr. DeMassi volunteered to present the site plan article; Mr. French said he and Mr. Burke would present the drive-through article. r- Mr. Burke said Ken Parsons has withdrawn his citizens' petition to allow 55 and Over in theRl. Motion: To adjourn at 10:45 p.m. (Torman-McClanahan) All in favor. PASSES y, May 23, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. J/2~ /07 Date elf Appfoval r Planning Board 11 5/1112007 1 . . . } J ......,