HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 07/12/2017Planning Board Minutes [ski ENED
July 12,2017 Vit?;; GL' -I)'-(- OFFICE
Present: Tom French, Chair; Beth Ashman -Collins, Acting Clerk, Don C ary, r h 1
McClanahan, Ralph Penney ���� hu a
Alternates Joe Cerretani and Sharon FriedmanEL F
Jennifer Davis, Administrative SecretaryTS
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Motion: To appoint Ms. Ashman -Collins Acting
(McClanahan -Penney) All in favor. PASSES
1. Minutes June 21, 2017 [table until the August 16, 2017 meeting]
2. Public Hearing notices — Attleboro, Easton, North Attleboro, Norton
[Mr. Cleary arrived at this time]
Ms. Friedman told the board about her visit to Abbey Road in Sherborn, a 55 and over residential
development reusing several historic buildings and including outdoor community space. She
noted the town does not require affordable units in 55 and over developments. She said the
development uses pervious pavers similar to those proposed in the redevelopment of the former
Methodist Church at 11 North Main St.; the developer told her they have to be vacuumed yearly.
3 T or,ti A 1Ai�1.I2) Y'lans` 3
Mr. Clemmey explained his Zoning Board of Appeals application for a mixed use building.
Architect Axel Soberg, Harrison and French, explained there was a preliminary plan on a smaller
portion of this site a few years ago; the landowner has purchased additional property to add to
the site. He said they feel the design would be best served with an exterior parking lot where the
residential buildings are currently located and structured parking inside the building. He said
they have incorporated an outdoor patio at the West Church/Old Colony corner near the Middle
Common. He said they have designed the building using traditional New England style
materials, including brick, a mansard roof, pre -fabricated cornice moldings, stone veneer and
clapboard siding.
Mr. Soberg explained the building would be mixed-use with retail on the first floor and
structured parking behind the retail area. He said the building will be stepped back from the
edge of the street.
Mr. Clemmey explained there will be a terraced balcony on the second floor, the building will be
eight feet back from the sidewalk on the High Street side. There will be 5,000 square feet of
retail in the building, with a 1,300 square foot outside patio and two entrances to the
Planning Board 7/12/2017
underground garage, which will have full-size parking spaces. He said the allowed FAR is 2.0;
they are proposing 1.85 FAR.
Mr. Clemmey explained they have requested variances for building design issues, not density.
He said there will be 44 residential units between 950-1,200 square feet each, with a 60/40 two-
bedroom to one -bedroom ratio. The building will have one to three retail spaces. Mr. Clemmey
said there are 11 existing two-hour parking spaces on Old Colony Way; the building will have
34 parking spaces under and 32 parking spaces out back. There will be an elevator in the lobby,
dedicated dumpsters and transformers.
Mr. Penney asked if the Middle Common could be shown more accurately on the rendering,
including the crosswalk in that area. He said there has been a problem with the height of the
vegetation on the common. Mr. Clemmey said they will integrate landscape planters at the front
of their building, as well as a bike rack and chairs.
Mr. Clemmey said the Zoning By -Law requires structured parking in B 1 to have a rear entrance;
he said this site abuts four roadways with existing curb cuts, which would allow better
circulation. He explained his request for a variance to allow side access. He noted High Street
and Old Colony are both one-way streets heading away from this site.
Mr. Clemmey said the Zoning By -Law requires 100% of the frontage of the building to be retail;
he said they are proposing 1,300 square feet of outside patio area at the front of the building.
Mr. Clemmey said the 'Zoning By -Law requires 50% of the depth of the front of the building to
be retail; he said the proposed design meets that requirement at one end, but the depth of retail
decreases toward the other end of the building. He said the hardship is the shape of the lot.
Mr. McClanahan asked if the second floor balcony would be for the residents or retail. Mr.
Clemmey said they have not decided, but said it would be primarily for the residents but said it
may be available for events.
Mr. Clemmey said the design would provide 6,300 square feet of retail, including the patio, on
the first floor. Mr. Penney said he thinks the proposal meets the intent of the by-law.
Mr. Clemmey said the Zoning By -Law requires a 50 -foot setback from the corner for visibility
and pedestrian and vehicle safety. Mr. Clemmey said the Old Colony access would not impact
visibility; he explained the existing curb cut is at 48 feet, but they are requesting a variance to
make that 28 feet.
Mr. Clemmey said the Zoning By -Law requires a 25 -foot setback from the corner; he said the
old building had a three-foot setback, so it was pre-existing, non -conforming; the proposed
setback would be six feet from the corner.
Mr. McClanahan asked if Mr. Clemmey would be willing to work with the town to lower the
landscape bed on the Middle Common. Mr. Clemmey said he would be willing to do that.
2 Planning Board 7/12/2017
Ms. Ashman -Collins asked if there would be a garage door; Mr. French said there should be one
to prevent trash from blowing around. Mr. Clemmey said the indoor parking would be for
residents, who would have garage door openers. Mr. McClanahan said the streets with side
entrances are one-way, so drivers waiting for the garage doors to open will not impede traffic.
Mr. Clemmey said the units would probably be rentals.
Mr. Clemmey said this will be a $15 million project and will bring in $200-300,000 a year in
taxes.
Mr. McClanahan said he thinks this is one of the best designs he has seen in a long time.
Ms. Friedman said there is a lot of vacant retail space downtown and a lot of new retail space
coming, and asked how the retail space in this building will be filled. Mr. Clemmey said
downtown is a tough sell, but said he works with a lot of brokers and has talked to a lot of
different people about coming here. He said with the second -floor balcony, there will not be a
residence above the retail space, so that may be a good place for a restaurant. Mr. McClanahan
asked about a restaurant like Panera; Mr. Clemmey said that would be difficult because those
national chains want drive-throughs.
Mr. Penney asked the maximum height of the building; Mr. Soberg said it is 45 feet to the
mansard roof. Mr. Clemmey said he has spoken with the building inspector, who said that would
be fine. Mr. Soberg said there would be about nine additional feet to the peak of the mansard,
and the heights of individual gables may differ. Mr. Clemmey said the top of the mansard roof is
the top of the building, but the Zoning By -Law allows architectural details above that. He said
the HVAC systems will be hidden in the roofing.
Ms. Friedman asked the cost per square foot; Mr. Clemmey said the going rate is $140-150 per
square foot, but they have not put the building out to bid at this time.
Mr. Soberg said the elevator will be located off the central lobby, along with a mailroom and
reception office, with parking on the first level.
Ms. Friedman asked about sound barriers between units; Mr. Axel said the best method is to
have two insulated walls separated by an air gap, but that may change depending on the framing
system and the type of insulation.
Mr. Clemmey said the abutters have been notified of the Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing
on July 18, 2017. He said he would like to meet with the abutters prior to coming to the
Planning Board. Mr. Penney said the design seems to fit with the neighborhood, but he would
like to hear from the abutters.
Mr. Clemmey said mixed-use in this zone is a site plan use.
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Mr. Cleary asked about exhaust fans for a restaurant use; Mr. Soberg said part of the second
floor balcony would overhang the building footprint, so the exhaust could be stacked and
concealed behind the mansard roof.
Mr. French said this is a key area in the middle of downtown and said he likes the outdoor patio
area and commercial spaces, which are critical to a downtown.
Mr. Penney said the town would require a grease trap for a restaurant use and suggested that be
installed at the beginning of the project. Mr. Clemmey said they plan to connect to sewer on
High Street and will talk to the Water Department about where to connect the water service.
Motion: To send the Zoning Board of Appeals a positive recommendation on the variances
because the design appears to meet the intent of the Zoning By -Law and the Planning Board's
vision of the development of North Main Street (McClanahan -Penney) All in favor. PASSES
Continued to August 16, 2017 at 7:45 p.m.
Rob Turner, Mansfield Parking LLC, explained their request to modify the 1996 site plan to
allow the storage of cars for the Jeep dealer on a portion of the site. Mr. Turner said the Board of
Selectmen have granted them approximately 60 temporary commuter rail parking spaces on
another portion of their site during the MBTA's construction, which is expected to take around
two years.
Mr. French asked about fencing around the proposed storage area; Mr. Turner showed the board
the location of an existing fence. Mr. Turner explained there is a gate system for their MBTA
parking lot and said the access to the proposed storage portion of the site has a separate access.
Mr. French asked why the road has been blocked off. Mr. Turner said it has been blocked during
construction and he hopes to have it open at the end of this week or next; he noted the road is for
private customers.
Public Comment
The clerk read a letter from William Clemmey.
Department Head Comments
The clerk read a letter from Robert Blackman, Inspector of Buildings/Zoning Enforcement
Officer. Mr. French said the building inspector felt the 1996 site plan could be modified. Mr.
Turner said the site is not being used as retail sales of cars, it is only storage.
Mr. Penney asked if the 1996 site plan incorporated the whole parcel. The board reviewed the
1996 plan, which shows the site when the Cleveland Twist building was still standing; the area
now being proposed for storage is where the building was.
Ms. Ashman -Collins asked if there will be any site work done; Mr. Turner said there will not be.
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Ms. Ashman -Collins said she thinks this is a compatible accessory use for this area. Mr. Penney
said he thinks the intent is good, but said it may require a full site plan submission. Mr. French
said one of the issues is whether a modification is the correct way to address this submission; he
said the building inspector's opinion is that it is. Mr. Penney said a portion of the site was
approved for commuter parking in 1996, and the modification request is for a different portion of
the site. Mr. French said the area where the storage is proposed was a building at the time of the
original site plan approval.
Mr. Penney asked if other issues like drainage have been addressed. Mr. Turner said they are
talking with the company doing the drainage work at the train station to coordinate drainage
work on their site. Mr. Penney asked if they have talked to Mr. Alves; Mr. Turner said they
have, and are trying to work out the best way to address the drainage issues. Mr. McClanahan
asked if they will come back with that; Mr. Turner said they may have to come back to the
Planning Board when that plan is worked out.
Mr. French said based on the building inspector's opinion, he thinks the Planning Board can
consider this as a minor modification to the site plan. Mr. Penney said the original plan
approved a portion of the plan as commuter parking; this plan seeks to use a different portion of
the site for storage. Mr. Penney asked if the storage use would be temporary; Mr. Turner said it
probably would be, and they plan to develop the site. However, he said they do not plan to
develop the site until there is a second access to the train station. Mr. McClanahan said
Representative Barrows has a meeting scheduled next week with the state about the second
accessissue.
Ms. Friedman suggested allowing the temporary storage use for two years, having the owner
return at the end of that to review the issue, and having them update the drainage issue in one
year. Mr. McClanahan asked to have the Town Engineer include the board on any
correspondence regarding the drainage issue. Mr. Turner said ideally, they would like to tie into
the MBTA work; other options include tying into town drainage or expanding their existing
drainage.
Mr. Penney asked if the drainage issue impacts the area of the property under discussion now;
Mr. Turner said it does not.
Ms. Ashman -Collins said she doesn't think the proposed use would impact commuter traffic.
Mr. McClanahan said he is concerned about the drainage in this area. Mr. Penney said he
doesn't think this landowner can be held responsible for that issue, which has existed for years.
Public Comment
Mr. William Clemmey said he agrees with Mr. Blackman that storage is an allowed by -right use
in the I3 zone; however, he said when they developed their storage lot on Foundry Street, they
had to do a full site plan application because it was a different use.
Mr. French asked if the town has asked the Turners to work with it on access to the commuter
parking; Mr. Turner said it has not.
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Mr. French asked the number of vehicles proposed to be stored on this site. Mr. Turner said they
have a lease to store 100 cars on the site, but noted his application is for "storage," which could
change. Ms. Friedman said she would be concerned about allowing a blanket "storage"
modification. Mr. Turner suggested specifically allowing "vehicle storage" and if that were to
change, they would come back. Ms. Ashman -Collins said cars come in different sizes, so the
number could be more or less than 100.
Motion: To grant a minor modification of the 1996 site plan for vehicle storage only, not sales,
within the area indicated as "vehicle storage area" on Sheet Cl. I of the plan titled "Expanded
Parking Plan Mansfield, Massachusetts," dated June 1, 2017, prepared by Beals + Thomas, for a
period of three years. The conditions of the 1996 site plan decision remain in force.
(Cleary -Ashman -Collins) Six in favor. Penney abstained. PASSES
Mr. Karl Clemmey said he is disappointed with the board's
Mr. William Clemmey suggested the board members watch tonight's Board of Selectmen's
meeting to hear the public comments about the train station.
Ms. Ashman -Collins suggested the town hold informational meetings with the public about train
station issues. She said a lot of people have been concerned in the last few weeks because of
confusion over property lines and ownership around the train station.
Mr. French asked the members who did not attend the first I 1 North Main Street public hearing
to review the minutes prior to the August 16, 2017 meeting. He said he would like to see the
easement documents prior to that meeting.
Motion: To adjourn at 9:05 p.m.
All in favor. PASSES
Next Planning Board Meeting: August 16, 2017 at 7:00 p.m., Meeting Room 2 a/b
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