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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin of planning brd 062007 r , ;~TC[I ~!ED r~ ,# f~'" [.... ~,'~ ~_~c.. ... Planning Board Minutes . -, ,:, ti, J r F ! ('r June 20, 2007 07 JUL I 9 e. Present: Tom French, Chair; Fred Armstrong, Clerk; Ken Torman, John DeMassi, Db6g 02 Annin ~.,.q ~~, ,. I, _'. o IIHl(-'~i'-L Alternate(s): Beth Ashman Collins, Anthony Jodice MA SS A EHUSt~TS Shaun P. Burke, Director of Planning and Development 1. Minutes May 23, 2007 Motion: To approve as submitted (Torman-Annino) All in favor. PASSES 2. ZBA decision - 26 County Street - Granted 3. ZBA decision - 2 Prince Street - Granted (negative recommendation) 4. ZBA decision - 35 Pilgrim Road - Granted (negative recommendation) 5. ZBA decision - 875 South Main Street - Granted (insufficient information) 6. ZBA decision - 25 Summer Street - Granted 7. May building permit summary 8. Meeting notices - Attleboro, Foxboro, Norton, North Attleboro, Plainville, SRPEDD 9. SRPEDD 2007 Annual Report r Mr. Burke distributed a memo regarding the possible make-up of the Master Plan committee. Mr. DeMassi asked why the Planning Director and Town Manager are non- voting members of the committee. Mr. Burke said they do not vote because they serve as staff. Mr. French said ads would have to be run for the citizens-at-Iarge, and representatives from other boards and committees would have to be recruited. Mr. Annino asked what the maximum size should be. Mr. French said there should be adequate representation without having too many people. He said the Planning Board would choose the citizens-at-Iarge. Ms. Collins said it would be hard to have a sub-committee and suggested the whole Planning Board be involved. Dr. Torman asked about a Board of Selectmen representative. Mr. Burke said that would be a problem because the Selectmen appoint the members of the other boards and committees. Mr. Burke explained the Planning Board ultimately votes to accept or reject the Master Plan, although the board has brought the plan to Town Meeting in the past. Dr. Torman asked if someone from the Finance Committee should be involved in the Master Plan committee. Mr. Burke noted the IDC had a representative during the last revision. - Planning Board I 6/21/2007 rrT If ,.._.... Dr. Torman suggested someone from the downtown business association; Ms. Collins ~ said that could be one of the citizens-at-Iarge. Mr. Burke said during the last revision, invitations for certain meetings were sent to specific boards and committees, depending on the section being worked on. Mr. DeMassi suggested five citizens-at-Iarge, rather than three. He said the more input we can get from people independent of boards and committees, the better the plan would be. Mr. Burke said the meetings would all be public, so all residents would have a chance to participate. Tim Williams, Allen & Major; Attorney Ed Valanzola; Ted Hoppe, Pinnacle Partners Mr. Williams explained the revisions to the plans, including the incorporation of the board's comments about one-way circulation. Traffic will go counter-clockwise around the building to access the parking field. Mr. Williams explained the drive-through requirements adopted at the 2007 Annual Town Meeting have also been incorporated. Four cars can be stacked at the drive-through. r Mr. Williams said the drainage concerns have been addressed by grading the site; a retaining wall has been added at the front of the site to get a 5% grade. The sidewalk has been extended across the front of the building, making pedestrian access safer. The site has been raised and the size of the infiltration storage areas increased. Mr. Williams said they have worked with Bay State Gas to bring service to this site, eliminating the propane tanks. Mr. Williams said they are still negotiating the sewer connection. He said they can tie into the proposed sewer manhole 3-3, which would shorten the run and eliminate a manhole. He said the site will still flow by gravity to School Street. ,--. Mr. Valanzola said they have met several times with the Board of Selectmen, Town Manager and Town Engineer about connecting to the proposed sewer manhole 3-3. He said they feel that have done everything town has asked them to do, but the town may not be able to get sewer manhole 3-3 constructed in time. Mr. Valanzola said as an alternative, they will propose to add, and connect into, a new manhole where Mansfield Crossing's work ends, 170 feet from sewer manhole 3-2. He said the distance from sewer manhole 3-2 to the proposed 3-3 is 300 feet. The difference, therefore, will be about 130 feet. He said Old School Street may be discontinued by the town in the future, and the parcel behind Old School may be acquired by this developer. He said the developer would make a payment to the town, which would not be the full amount for the sewer extension, and the town would have to pay the rest. Mr. Annino Planning Board 2 6/22/2007 asked why the town would be paying anything. Mr. Valanzola said they feel they have ~ the legal right to connect because the sewer line abuts their property; he said Pinnacle is willing to pay the amount the town has requested. Mr. DeMassi said with the special permit, the board has more leeway with the developer. Mr. Valanzola said that is true as far as the site plan goes, but said the Board of Selectmen is responsible for the sewer connection permit. He said he is confident they will connect at either sewer manhole 3-3 or at 170 feet from sewer manhole 3-2. He said if they cannot connect at either point, they would have to go to court for an injunction to allow the connection. Department Head Comments The clerk read a memo from Mr. Sullivan indicating his concerns have been addressed and only the sewer connection issue remains. Board Comment Ms. Collins said she is concerned about issuing a number of special permits on small parcels in this industrial zone, especially from a traffic point-of-view. Mr. French said the town has the right to expect each developer mitigate his impacts. Ms. Collins said she is in favor of allowing the area to be developed at it highest and best use, while ensuring it functions properly. Daniel Mills, transportation engineer with MOM Associates, explained the proposal for a r bank and retail development. He said they have done a traffic study based on industry standard trip rates for traffic generated by the two types of uses. He said the retail peak will be from 4-6 pm, while the bank will be busy at lunchtime and during the same evening peak hours. He said they looked at evening peak and Satruday times. He said there will be significant roadway improvements on School Street with the Mansfield Crossing development. He said the improvements are being done for higher traffic volumes than what MOM counted, so there is some additional capacity built in. Mr. DeMassi noted traffic patterns have changed because of the Mansfield Crossing COnstruction work and said he said he doesn't think the current traffic using School Street is realistic. Mr. Mills said the Mansfield Crossing study he used was done before the mall construction began. He said his traffic counts were done the first week in March; Mr. Burke said that was after the School Street bridge was reopened, but before School Street was dug up for the mall construction. He noted there was material being hauled off the mall site at that time. Mr. DeMassi said each new special permit for this area should have to have its own traffic study. Mr. Armstrong noted the mall's traffic study was done for a larger development than was actually permitted. Mr. Annino said the same standard the mall used should be used for this and every other development. Mr. Hoppe said they are not changing the standard, they are simply noting that the mall's traffic counts were conservative because they were developed for a larger project. Mr. Mills said his traffic counts took into consideration the mall's counts and the use of ,--. School Street. Planning Board 3 6/21/2007 m I 11._11 r Mr. Mills said the current weekday evening counts, with Mansfield Crossing, is 700 vehicles on School Street to the west and 500 to east. He there would be 600 cars going out of the Mansfield Crossing site and 500 going in. Mr. Mills said the post-development weekday evening counts, with Mansfield Crossing, will be an additional 80-90 vehicles entering and exiting this site. Mr. DeMassi said there is no signalization at that driveway, and the additional traffic from this site will cause traffic problems beyond what was anticipated with the mall. He said there will be a natural slow-down in traffic, causing more of a safety issue. Mr. Mills said this intersection wouldn't warrant a traffic light. He said with the light at the Mansfield Crossing main entrance, there will be gaps in traffic, allowing drivers to enter and leave this site. Ms. Collins noted this is an industrial zone; she said an industrial use would have a different kind ofpeak traffic pattern than the proposed retail/bank use. Mr. Burke said that is true, but noted that retail attracts retail, so there is not much chance the lots across School Street will be developed as offices or industrial uses. Mr. Burke said there are several more undeveloped lots in this area, so there is the possibility of another 30,000 square feet of retail around there. He said School Street can probably handle the traffic volume, but said he isn't sure it can handle the increased r traffic flow. He said the parcels directly across from the Mansfield Crossing main entrance will be at the mall's traffic signal, so those turning movements will be controlled. He noted the mall's originally projected traffic counts would probably accommodate the additional 30,000 square feet of retail that could be added in this area. Mr. DeMassi said the types of stores would affect the number of cars going in and out. Mr. Hoppe noted the site as proposed is over parked, so they could increase the size of the building and still have adequate parking. Mr. Armstrong said he doesn't think the board can make this special permit contingent upon the abandonment of Old School Street because that is an issue for Town Meeting. He said the goal of trying to minimize the number of curb cuts along School Street is a good one. Mr. DeMassi said he was happy to see the propane tanks eliminated. He said he is concerned about the building being an island, so every pedestrian will have to cross traffic. Mr. Williams said the setbacks drive the placement of the building. He said they will provide crossing areas to avoid the pedestrian-vehicular conflict. Mr. DeMassi said the layout could have been different if the applicant had applied for setback relief from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Mr. Jodice said the mall development has changed the School Street area, but said the ,,- benefits in taxes and jobs will be a good thing. He asked about the board's role in the Planning Board 4 6/21/2007 n! 'T ~__.. sewer connection; Mr. Burke said it is the Board ofSelecmen's decision as Sewer r Commissioners. He said the Planning Board doesn't have the ability to allow or prohibit the developer to tie in at a certain location. Mr. Valanzola suggested the special permit condition be to allow the connection at sewer manhole 3-3, or failing that, connecting at 170 feet west of manhole 3-2. Mr. OeMassi asked if the board's permit goes beyond the site itself. Mr. Burke said it does not. Mr. French asked about on-site septic. Mr. Valazola said that is an option, but they would prefer to connect to sewer. He said an on-site septic system would preclude connecting the property behind Old School Street. Mr. Jodice asked about the sewer connection and the developer's payment. Mr. Valazola said the developer and the town are trying to achieve the same goal, but said there has been no agreement and there is an outstanding question about where the money is coming from. Mr. Jodice noted there is also a timing issue because the road is open now; Mr. Burke noted School Street is going to be left at binder for one year. Mr. Hoppe said he is confident they will be able to work out the connection with the town. Mr. Burke said he hopes that is successful, but the developer will have to satisfy the Board of Health' s requirements with either septic or sewer, and the Planning Board does not want to get in the middle of that. Mr. Annino asked to see building elevations. Mr. Annino asked for a note on the plan that the existing curb cuts will be eliminated ofT. r Mr. Annino asked if there will be a pylon sign. Mr. Hoppe said there is no pylon sign under this application. He said if they have a tenant that requires one they would come back. Mr. Annino said he doesn't like the three-foot high concrete light pole bases. He asked if the light poles would be the same height as those used at Mansfield Crossing; Mr. Burke said he believes they are. Mr. Annino asked to see the color and material be shown on the plans, as well as the fmal positions of the light poles. Mr. Annino asked about the new pavement tie-in with School Street. Mr. Williams said he would generate a profile of that section. Mr. Annino said he is concerned about cars in the drive-through blocking parked cars. Mr. Annnio said he would like to see a detail of the decorative retaining wall. Mr. Annino asked if the rooftop equipment would be screened; Mr. Hoppe said there will be a false mansard with the equipment below it. Mr. Burke asked about the landscaping and said any relief would have to come from the Zoning Board of Appeals. He noted a requirement of the Zoning By-Law that all points r of public access have a 10-foot landscape strip. Mr. Williams said there is one point of Planning Board 5 6/21/2007 I"T' r ___.T public access. He said the board had requested wider sidewalks, which pushed the r building back. Mr. Burke said the IO-foot strip is going to be required, so either the building will have to be moved or shrunk to allow that, or a variance would be required. Mr. Valanzola said they would look at the plan to see if the building can be changed to avoid the need for relief. Mr. Burke said he likes the changes that have been made. He said the materials proposed for the crosswalk will help to clearly identify the pedestrian areas. He said the elimination of the propone tanks will be a benefit. Mr. DeMassi asked why traffic wouldn't be forced all the way to the right of the site. Mr. Burke said that would probably cause more problems, especially for patrons using the drive-through. Mr. French asked about the directional signs. Mr. Williams said they will add the one- way and way finding signs to the plans. Mr. French asked about the drive-through lane and the 13 parking spaces at the back of the building; he suggested angling those spaces might help. Mr. Williams said he would do that. Dr. Torman asked if a speed bump would be helpful at the site entrance. Mr. Williams said that would cause plowing problems. Dr. Torman said he is concerned about the f' pedestrian crossings. Mr. Burke said the different material used in the crosswalk will help to slow drivers down. Mr. Armstrong noted the placement of the building would cause drivers to slow down upon entering. Mr. Annino asked about roof drainage. Mr. Williams said it will go into the infiltration system. Mr. Hoppe said he would submit a set of color building elevations. Mr. Williams said he would resubmit the plans with a comment letter addressing each of the board's concerns. Mr. Burke said if the applicant provides l1x17 plans of the revisions, he would get them out to the board for comment prior to the next meeting. Mr. French said the traffic discussion was a good one because it is going to come up with future developments in this area, and the board will have to determine the impacts and mitigation of each site. Motion: To continue the public hearing to July 18,2007 at 8:30 p.m. (Torman-Armstrong) All in favor. PASSES ~ Planning Board 6 6/21/2007 "n r-- I ' The board continued its discussion about the Master Plan. Mr. French said the most important outcome from the Master Plan is the zoning changes that go to Town Meeting. Mr. Burke said the board seemed to prefer a committee made up of the entire Planning Board, board and commission representatives, and a certain number of citizens-at-Iarge. He said he has worked with Master Plan committees as large as 20, which was too many members. Mr. DeMassi suggested rotating citizens-at-Iarge, depending on the section. Mr. French said the membership should be consistent, and people who are interested in certain sections will be invited to meetings depending on the section. Mr. French said he prefers Mr. Burke's second option, with the full Planning Board, representatives from boards and committees, and three citizens-at-Iarge. He noted the committee could ask staff to come in as needed. Mr. Burke said he would put together a memo to invite board and committee members to serve on the committee and an ad to run on cable access. Motion: To have the Master Plan Committee made up of the nine members of the Planning Board, one representative each from the Zoning Board of Appeals, Conservation Commission and School Committee; three Citizens-at-Large; and the Town Manager and Planning Director as non-voting members (Armstrong-Annino) r Dr. Tonnan suggested adding a Finance Committee member. Mr. DeMassi said he didn't think a Finance Committee member would be as valuable in the process as an IDC member. Mr. Burke said the Finance Committee is going to be busy in the next year with charter and budget changes. All in favor. PASSES Motion: To adjourn at 9:45 p.m. (Torman-Armstrong) All in favor. PASSES ,~ Next meeting: Wednesday, July 18,2007 at 7:00 p.m. 9 c~ J.v. !!, 22D1 Date 0 ppro r-. I Planning Board 7 6/21/2007 ,11 T _aII_.., ~ ,