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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 04/10/2019Planning Board Minutes April 10, 2019 Present: Donald Cleary, Chair; Richard LeBlanc, Clerk; H. Thomas French, Beth Ashman - Collins, Ralph Penney, Michael Feck Alternates Sharon Friedman and Joe Cerretani Shaun P. Burke, Director of Planning and Development; Jennifer Davis, Admin. Secretary 27, 2019 p. 1 Self -storage on "Route" 140 p. 4 — looked at that and would "add a catch basin in the gutter line site plan will be continued to April 24 Motion: To approve as amended (Feck-Friedman) All in favor. PASSES 2. March 29, 2019 letter to Police Chief Ron Sellon re: parking on sidewalks 3. Public Hearing Notices — Attleboro, Easton, North Attleboro Mr. Burke distributed a breakdown of rental units in Mansfield and four adjacent communities. Cottage Street — The plan proposes to divide the existing lot into two, and to convey a sliver of land, labeled 2B, from Lot 2A to Lot 3. The existing home on Lot 3 will be razed. Lots 3 and 4 will be conforming. Mr. Burke recommended endorsing the plan. Motion: To endorse the ANR (French -Ashman -Collins) Six in favor. One abstained. PASSES The clerk read a request to continue the site plan to May 29, 2019. Motion: To continue the site plan to May 29, 2019 at 7:15 p.m. (French-Cerretani) All in favor. PASSES [Mr. Penney arrived at 7:15 p.m.] Mr. Cleary explained how the public hearing will be conducted. Article 34 Marquee Sign 230-1.5 Definitions Marquee Sign — Marquee signs are permitted in the Downtown Business Zones and the Reservoir District only and are defined as follows: a structure projecting over the entrance, or from the fagade of a theatrical entertainment center, art gallery or museum, commonly containing signage stating the name of the establishment and may also display the event or performance and cast currently appearing or soon to appear at that location. Events must be held on the premises. Signs may be permitted to overhang a sidewalk or project from the front face of a building, provided they do not exceed twelve (12) square feet per side in area. Such signs shall not project more than two feet Planning Board 4/10/19 (2') from the front face of the building wall and shall be at least eight feet (8') above the ground. A marquee sign may be internally illuminated, bulb lit or ground lit. Flashing, animated, moving or otherwise distracting marquee signs are not permitted. While the preceding paragraph defines the maximum dimensions of a marquee sign in Mansfield's Downtown Business Zones, it is the specific intent of the following paragraph to allow for larger marquee signs in the Reservoir District. Marquee signs in the Reservoir District may not be allowed to overhang a public sidewalk by more than two feet (2'), but may be allowed to project from the face of the building up to six feet (6') and may contain up to thirty two (32) square feet per side. The lowest point of the marquee sign shall be no less than eight feet (8') above the ground. Explanation: This proposed amendment would allow a traditional theater Type marquee sign to once again be used in Mansfield at a museum, art gallery or performing arts center such as the to be constructed Mansfield Music and Arts Society building on South Main Street. Attorney Fred Armstrong, representing MMAS, explained this change to allow marquee signs in the Reservoir District would be helpful for MMAS's visibility on South Main Street. Mr. Burke said while the board approved the marquee sign on the site plan, the Zoning By -Law does not currently allow that type of sign. Mr. Cleary suggested preparing a slide for Town Meeting with an example of a marquee sign. Mr. Armstrong explained the MMAS sign would be electronic, but would not be flashing or moving. He said it would advertise shows and art gallery events, not commercial ads. Steve Schoonveld asked if this would allow other properties to install marquee signs and asked about the level of brightness. Mr. Cleary said the sign would have to be part of a theatrical or performing arts building and can only be done in the RD. He noted the Xftnity Center is in the Industrial 1 district. Motion: To support Article 34 at Annual Town Meeting (French -Friedman) All in favor. PASSES Article 35 Amusement Family Entertainment Center — 65,000 square foot or smaller, indoor facility or facilities that provides a variety of amusement opportunities. These uses may include, but are not limited to, a skating rink, theater, cinema, bowling alley, arcade, indoor golf or other sports simulation, art studio -like enrichment activities or other uses, as well as food and beverage offerings. Adult bookstore, adult motion picture theater, adult paraphernalia store, adult video store and adult cabaret are specifically excluded from this definition. Residential RD Business Industrial A TOD 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 Amusement N N N S Y Y S S N N 8 N S S S N Explanation: The purpose of this proposed amendment is two -fold. First, to bring our Amusement definition in line with what is being built in the market today. And second, to allow local business owners to attract tenants to currently vacant spaces that will provide the type of family entertainment that Mansfield does not have today. Planning Board 4/10/19 Mr. Burke said the article is intended to bring the amusement definition in line with what is being built in the market today, to allow owners to attract tenants to vacant spaces and to provide a type of family entertainment currently not in town. Mr. Penney asked if "or other uses" should be in the definition. Mr. Feck pointed out the definition also says "but not limited to." Consensus was to strike "or other uses" from the proposed definition. Victoria Maguire, WS Development, said this would provide the opportunity for good uses to come to town. Mr. Penney asked why the use would not be allowed in I3; Mr. Burke said 13 is where the TOD will be focused, so he thinks it would be more appropriate to allow amusement in the TOD than I3. Mr. Penney asked if this is something the Chocolate Factory development would be able to take advantage of; Mr. Burke said the developers are still hoping for a restaurant tenant. Motion: To support Article 35 as amended (Cerretani-LeBlanc) All in favor. PASSES Article 33 Off -Street Parking in B1 and 132 230-4.4 Off -Street Parking and Loading Land Use Minimum Number of Off -Street Parking Spaces General Business, or commercial, 1 per 200 square feet of gross floor area. In B 1 and personal services (barber, hair dresser, B2, I per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area. and tailor), department stores, drug stores, variety stores, medical centers, and outpatient clinics; banks, bowling alleys, and business, professional and other offices less than 25,000 square feet. Restaurant 1 per 4 seats; in B 1 and B2, 1 space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area. In the B 1 and B2 zones, off-street parking is not required where valet parking is provided. Only for conversion to restaurant use in the El and B2 zones, the Planning Board may waive the off-street parking requirement as part of site plan or special permit approval based upon alternate parking solutions. ADA-compliant parking must still be provided. Explanation: The intent of the proposed amendment to restaurant parking in the BI and B2 zones, the traditional downtown, is two -fold. First, to have parity with parking for commercial/retail space; and second, to allow the Planning Board the opportunity to examine the existing parking situation in light of input on downtown parking by Nelson-Nygaard's, the Town's parking consultant, regarding when a building or a portion thereof is proposed to be converted to a restaurant. Mr. Burke explained the idea behind this is to bring parity to restaurant and commercial spaces downtown, and to give the board discretion in its ability to waive the parking requirement in downtown restaurant conversions, or where there is alternate parking available. He said it would provide flexibility, as well as make provisions for ADA requirements. Planning Board 4/10/19 Mr. Penney said this is limited to B 1 and B2, which have unique parking situations, and would give the board the ability to consider individual properties. Motion: To support Article 33 (Feck-LeBlanc) All in favor. PASSES Article 36 North Main Street Business Overlay District Map Amendment To see if the Town will vote to amend the North Main Street Business Overlay District map as follows: February 21, 2019 North Main Street Business Overlay District Map here Explanation: The intent of the reduction in size of the North Main Street Business Overlay District is to better focus new development and redevelopment near the train station in the traditional core of downtown. North Main Street is developed less densely south of Villa Street and just east of North Main Street. Therefore, we are asking Town Meeting to amend the overlay district map to significantly reduce the size of the district in order to reduce development impacts on adjacent, less densely developed neighborhoods. Mr. Burke explained the proposed map amendment is intended to reduce the size of the overlay district to help focus development and redevelopment in the downtown and train station areas. Mr. Burke said there has been concern about the overlay spilling into adjacent downtown neighborhoods and the board has talked about focusing the district on the traditional downtown core. He said the board has discussed other issues like density, but agreed to hold off on making any of those changes until the Master Plan process. The map amendment would not include any changes will be made to the underlying Bl and B2 zones. Mr. Burke explained the overlay district was intended to focus on the traditional "Mansfield Center" and noted there would be no changes to the B 1 and B2 zones. Mr. Feck said the overlay district allows density bonuses. Mr. Cerretani said this amendment will allow a "step down" in height and density along the bordering existing residential neighborhoods. Mr. Feck said the area of Park Street on the other side of Old Colony Way is already primarily multi -family and said he doesn't think that should be removed from the overlay district. Ms. Friedman said it is worth waiting until the Master Plan is done and to find out what the town's sentiment is about how downtown should be developed. She said the intent was to protect the existing residential communities. Mr. Feck said the public parking lot is an asset, which will continue to be underutilized without development at that end of North Main Street. He said on the North Main Street side of the bike path, there is only one single-family house. Ms. Ashman -Collins said Mr. Burke has noted the character of North Main Street changes at Villa Street, and the map change was intended to keep development in the center of North Main Street. Mr. Feck said he is concerned about losing mixed -use in places where the density bonus is removed because of parking issues. Mr. Burke said the idea was to protect the neighborhood and said downtown changes significantly south of Villa Street, and changes drastically one or two buildings to the east of North Main Street. He said he understands Mr. Feck's concern, but he is concerned about density. Mr. LeBlanc said he would prefer to wait for the Master Plan before making this change. Planning Board 4/10/19 Mr. French said he thinks it would be a good idea to change the map now and agreed with Mr. Burke that North Main Street south of Villa Street has a different character; he said he thinks shortening the area would help protect the residential neighborhoods. Mr. Penney asked about Crocker Street; Mr. Burke said there are some small businesses along North Main Street, but not behind it, so this change could support business in that area. Mr. Penney said that used to be a thriving business area. He said downtown Mansfield is somewhat unique because it is long and narrow; Mr. Burke said this would shorten the overlay district around the train station. He noted the article would not change the underlying B 1 and B2 zones. Mr. Cleary said he is concerned about this change blurring the line between B1 and the overlay district. Ms. Ashman -Collins said the overlay district includes significant bonuses. Ms. Friedman said the downtown doesn't really have a retail plan, but that the Downtown Association has been working on one. She said it would be good to have a plan to bring into the Master Plan discussions. Mr. LeBlanc said these are all great questions and said they should be discussed during the Master Plan process. Motion: To support Article 36 (French -Ashman -Collins) Five in favor. Four opposed. PASSES Motion: To withdraw Article 36 with the understanding the issue will be taken up during the Master Plan process (Ashman -Penney) Mr. French said he thinks the southern portion of North Main Street is different than the northern portion, and said he doesn't think that will change. Ms. Friedman said she has talked to a lot of residents of streets adjacent to North Main Street, who are concerned about the scale and density of development. Mr. Penney said he understands the concerns of residents in the downtown area, but said the area is going to change. Five in favor. Three opposed. PASSES Motion: To close the public hearing (French -Penney) All in favor. PASSES Community Opportunities Group Peter Sanborn, president and Roberta Cameron, Community Opportunities Group; Courtney Starling, Senior Planner; Casey Uy, Transportation Planner, Howard Stein Hudson; Adrian Schaefer Borrego, Civic Space Mr. Sanborn explained COG does a variety of planning and community development work in New England and assists towns in implementing grants. He said they worked with Mansfield in Planning Board 4/10/19 the mid 2000s on a Community Block Grant program for a housing rehabilitation and downtown facade grant. COG also worked on Mansfield's Housing Production Plan in 2009. Ms. Uy explained HSH, which recently worked on the Randolph Master plan, would be responsible for the Master Plan's Transportation element and would evaluate the town's existing and future access issues. HSH has worked on parking evaluations and Complete Streets programs, and their experience helps them plan actions that are both fundable and practical. She said they would work collaboratively with COG and Civic Space on transportation issues. She said the town has done a lot of work to improve and act on transportation issues, with its Complete Streets program, sidewalk program and shared -use path. In the Circulation portion of the plan, HSH would evaluate existing town assets and continue the town's work. Ms. Borrego, co-founder of Civic Space, explained her firm has three planners and an architect with a diverse skill set in cultural planning, design, outside the box engagement and creative visioning. She said the firm's principals have worked on cultural placemaking, TOD planning and neighborhood identity, parks planning and open space and engaging the public in design process. Ms. Cameron explained the characteristic that most defines COG is its ability e to create plans that are inclusive, comprehensive and effective. They try to involve a wide range of participants in the project, including the public, community leaders and other stakeholders. They help interaction throughout the process to generate awareness of the planning process and help build connections among stakeholders. She explained they have expertise in the analysis of Master Plan areas, including in-depth analysis of each element. COG will build on the town's prior and ongoing planning efforts. She said it is important to collect data and make it relevant, and to understanding how it relates to action steps needed to develop a useful Master Plan. Ms. Cameron explained COG's three -stage process: background analysis; visioning/goal setting and strategies; bringing it all together. She said they try to work with clients to meet scheduling needs while understanding there is time involved in organizing meetings. Ms. Cameron asked about the board's timeline; Mr. Burke said the RFP was released later than anticipated, so the timeframe was compressed. He said the contract will be awarded before the end of the fiscal year, so the funding is available. He said he thinks the board will be flexible about the timeline. Mr. Sanborn said if the board wants to hold to the original schedule, COG can do that. Mr. Burke said he would rather spend time meeting with the public than working on drafts. Ms. Cameron said they have worked out a general outline for the work, but will collaborate with the board on details. Ms. Starling explained their plan for the public participation process. She said they try to write practical, substantive plans and run an inclusive public participation process, including forming working groups for each element. They conduct public workshops and work with the board to determine the schedule. They conduct small events per element, like bike rides through town during the Recreation element. They try to meet with and get input from people who don't usually come to public meetings and use online engagement tools. Planning Board 4/10/19 Board Comment Mr. Penney asked if any of the team has read the 2008 Master Plan; Ms. Cameron said she has. Mr. Penney asked if the team has worked in other commuter rail communities. Ms. Cameron said they just finished working with Ayer and are currently working with Newburyport. Mr. Penney asked about their involvement with implementing the findings of a Master Plan. Ms. Starling said they are working on Housing Production Plan in Medfield. Mr. Sanborn said they have continued working with Ayer on post -Master Plan projects. Mr. Penney said some have said when the town produces a Master Plan, it just sits on a shelf, but he said Mansfield has worked hard to implement Master Plan recommendations. He asked what the team thinks are the hardest things to implement; Mr. Sanborn said the density of multi -family housing is challenging. Mr. Penney asked why a Master Plan recommends density increases. Ms. Cameron said she thinks Mansfield is to be applauded for not being as out of balance with single vs. multi -family as some other towns, noting different family types want different types of housing. She said a Master Plan may recommend diversifying housing types. Ms. Starling said she has been working on design standards, including recommending zoning changes based on what is actually on the ground in a town. She said they talk a lot with towns about visioning, materials, massing, building siting, open space, housing and architectural diversity. Ms. Ashman -Collins said Mansfield has been struggling with TOD and downtown development; she said she is interested in a consultant who will provide guidance on those issues and helps work toward the density and character Mansfield wants. Ms. Starling said a Master Plan is useful as part of a public education campaign in advance of zoning changes. Ms. Friedman said the Scope of Services doesn't seem to be aligned with the Deliverables. Ms. Cameron said they melded the two, which overlap. She said there would be three interim reports: existing conditions for each element; goals and strategies for each element; and an implementation plan and executive summary. Mr. French said the board has struggled with downtown issues and asked if Ayer and Newburyport had TOD issues. Ms. Starling said the Newburyport train station is in the industrial park, and they did a 40R plan. She said what they do in each town depends on what the state is funding at that time, and said they try to be sure the policy will match up with what is fundable. Mr. French said the board has been discussing changes to the North Main Street Overlay District, which was originally designed to encourage redevelopment of underused downtown properties. He asked about form -based code; Courtney explained that is about things like design standards, materials, windows, signage, regulating bulk, mass and design. She said form -based can be successful in downtown design and can encourage the design of an actual streetscape. Mr. French said the Cabot Business Park is a phenomenal asset to the town, and Town Meeting has amended zoning to increase building height and to allow BioTech uses and green initiatives like rooftop gardens. However, he said the businesses in the park have not really taken advantage of those changes. Ms. Starling said she thinks a certain degree of retail and restaurant 7 Planning Board 4/10/19 is necessary today in business parks. Mr. Sanborn said the change from warehouse to office and biotech may not have reached this far outside the city yet. Mr. Cerretani asked about business in Newburyport, which has competition from New Hampshire. Ms. Starling said that industrial park is largely built out, and they are doing things like raising building height, reducing parking requirements, providing connectivity to the train station and building multi -family housing to provide employees with places to live. She said Newburyport has not been successful with a downtown Historic District, but have adopted other historical preservation measures. Mr. LeBlanc asked about what lessons the team has learned and things that didn't go well. Ms. Cameron said one of the challenging situations was in Newbury, where the town was doing some of the Master Plan elements themselves, but had trouble meeting the timeline they set out for themselves. Ms. Friedman said Mansfield has been looking at developing a Cultural District and how that would be brought into a Master Plan. Ms. Starling said they would have to factor in all the constituents' priorities and try to zero in on feasibility. Mr. Sanborn said they would be asking the town to think about implementation throughout the whole process. Ms. Cameron said they will identify opportunities, look at past planning and talk with board and committees, staff and stakeholders. Ms. Starling said the same ideas tend to be carried forward from plan to plan, so they like to ask why those items are important and if they haven't happened, why that is the case. Mr. French asked who the project manager would be; the answer was Ms. Cameron. Ms. Cameron said they work as a team, so some may attend different meetings. Mr. Sanborn said they may pull in other staff to facilitate at large public meetings. JM Goldson Jennifer Goldson, founder and managing director of JM Goldson; Jeff Maxtutis, transportation planner and Arek Galle, planner and landscape architect, BETA Group; Eric Halvorson, economic development, RKG Associates Ms. Goldson explained three firms have teamed up for this proposal; her firm would design the public engagement process and be the primary contact, and would focus on the land use element and housing and historic preservation. BETA would focus on transportation and circulation, services and facilities. RKG would focus on economic development. Ms. Goldson said a Master Plan will help with an understanding of the town's baseline; what are the issues and how do people view them? They will come up with a long-range plan to help the town think broadly and help the community figure out its identity. She said the plan will also help local officials make decisions, figure out where to focus funding, efforts and regulatory changes; help shape the physical evolution of the town's facilities and include social aspects of the community. Planning Board 4/10/19 Ms. Goldson said the team would study the town's existing planning documents, including what has been implemented from the 2008 Master Plan, as well as issues that plan did not address but which have since become important. Ms. Goldson said she takes an iterative approach to planning, which she hopes will be a creative process to help the town figure out what it wants and what is possible. She said the community engagement process can be fun and she tries to include activities that will be engaging. She said she would like to propose the public meetings be non-traditional and could be designed to be interactive, like mini-charrettes. She said the plan will be grounded in the community's values, and will build consensus around those values. It will identify existing conditions and issues and figure out what the town is aiming toward and come up with strategies to shape the goals. Ms. Goldson showed the board a rough schedule for deliverables, key meetings and laying out the process. She said communication is important, and she likes to establish a strong line of communication with regular phone calls in between the public meetings to a small group to discuss the process and next steps. Ms. Goldson said the team and town will work on the elements of the Master Plan together and will collaborate throughout the process. She said they may set up smaller focus groups for certain elements, but she said she also likes the members of those groups to interact during work on other parts of the plan. She said during the process, issues with things other than the standard elements of a Master Plan may emerge, which her team will help prioritize and match up with whole plan. Ms. Goldson said they want to work within the budget and provide the best engagement possible; she said the idea is to create an outreach plan for both people who regularly participate and those who do not. She said they use tools like interactive polling and cell phone apps. Ms. Goldson said outreach to people beyond those who regularly participate is not easy. She said it would be important to get the Master Plan committee on board and to help encourage participation. She said she has a checklist of ideas she uses to collaboratively work on who does what and as a way to get organized. She said the outreach plan will use the Master Plan committee as project ambassadors to go out into the community and encourage participation. She said she will provide the committee with a do-it-yourself meeting kit to hold discussions with small groups. She said she would like to set up an online platform outside the town's website to allow participation from people who cannot attend meetings or want to remain anonymous. Ms. Goldson said they will use graphics to try to make data and concepts more understandable. Ms. Goldson said her team has experience with Master Plans and community visioning work, are organized, keep things moving and on schedule and value communication and creative thinking. The team has expertise in land use initiatives, OR districts, housing planning, mixed -use zoning by-laws, historic preservation and cultural elements and development feasibility studies. Planning Board 4/10/19 Mr. Halvorson said his firm will focus on economic development. RKG has worked on economic development strategies in Southbridge, Framingham, Haverhill, and did a TOD study in Framingham, which included economic development, marketing and zoning. They have also worked on a 30-acre industrial area in Haverhill with the city and a private owner. He said he would like to look town -wide, dive in to figure out what isn't working and come up with strategies. Mr. Cerretani asked about the business park in Framingham; Mr. Halvorson said they have done phase 1 of an economic development plan to look at attracting more biotech and to integrate housing and zoning. Mr. Galle said BETA has been working with Mansfield since 2013 and said it is important the TOD project fits in with the rest of the town. He said BETA has been working with the Town Manager's Strategic Development Committee on town -owned land to the north, which has a lot of unrecognized open space. He said in the Master Plan, BETA would be looking at better connectivity and enhanced use of open space, active recreation areas and future opportunities. He said BETA has experience looking at systems, infrastructure, working with DPW on existing conditions, future needs and modeling. He said an analysis of what the town has is important to work on planning to move forward. Mr. Maxtutis said BETA has been looking at connectivity between the TOD site and downtown, and at traffic, parking and turning movements around train station. He said he has experience with pedestrian and bicycle activity and has been involved with Safe Routes to School programs and road safety audits. Ms. Goldson asked the board to think about the most challenging issues and what the greatest untapped opportunities. Ms. Friedman asked about the traffic calming program in Cambridge; Mr. Maxtutis said he managed that program, which was intended to increase pedestrian safety, and which resulted in things like raised intersections, curb extensions and raised crosswalks. Mr. Penney asked about the 2008 Master Plan; Ms. Goldson said she has reviewed the plan. Mr. Penney asked about Master Plans for similar towns with commuter rail and highways. Ms. Goldson said she has worked in Bridgewater, which has a commuter rail. Mr. Maxtutis said BETA has worked with Rockport on an MBTA parking issue. Mr. Penney asked about the most difficult Master Plan zoning or planning changes to get approved by a community; Ms. Goldson said density changes, particularly in downtown areas, are challenging. She said she is working with Sharon, which wants more downtown development. Winchester has rezoned its downtown, based on planning work done over the years, to encourage mixed -use development and lower parking requirements. Mr. Penney asked how best to promote commercial development and create jobs. Mr. Halvorson said in industrial parks, development can be incentivized by providing infrastructure, making the 10 Planning Board 4/10/19 permitting process easy and transportation access. Mr. Penney said the town voted to increase building height in the business park several years ago, but it has not brought new development. Mr. Galle said the Master Plan process may be a good time to get out the message that the town is open to new development in the business park. Mr. LeBlanc asked for an example of something that did not work well in another town. Ms. Goldson said what can hold up a Master Plan is communication; when there is poor communication or the consultant is not talking to the right people, there can be a disconnect. Mr. Halvorson said he worked on a project where they assumed that because the market had not been tested in many years, someone local would have to be the first to take a risk, but the first movers turned out to be regional developers. Ms. Goldson said in Bridgewater, one of their recommendations was a 40R, but when the town planner left, the town's focus shifted to the industrial area. Mr. LeBlanc asked how to measure success. Mr. Maxtutis said implementation is a good measure. He said he worked on the Milton Master Plan team, which is still working on implementing actions. Ms. Goldson agreed and said they like to integrate the elements; she said she likes to bring the department heads together to help identify issues early on, and again at the end to test the strategy ideas. Mr. Maxtutis said they can achieve some of the short-term issues during the process. Mr. Halvorson said in the past, they have provided towns with too many options and have been asked for ways to pare them down and help prioritize. Ms. Goldson said she is working on a Strategic Plan for Eastham, which is working on achievable five-year priorities. Mr. LeBlanc asked if the team has worked together before; Ms. Goldson said they have worked together in various capacities. Ms. Ashman -Collins asked Mr. Galle how he sees the Master Plan helping move forward the work BETA has already done. Mr. Galle said there is a great opportunity for synergy, as well as a lot of challenges to consider, with the downtown parking study, TOD, Route 106 improvements and the Master Plan. He said they will look at what is important to Mansfield, including downtown buildings, architecture and building scale, and what those things mean in terms of economic development. He said he thinks they will be able to take a lot of the things coming out of the TOD discussion and look at those issues town -wide. Mr. Cleary asked about additional costs; Ms. Goldson said online platforms would have monthly subscription fees. Ms. Friedman asked about the North Andover and Natick Master Plans; Mr. Halvorson said they have both been approved. Mr. Cerretani asked how many proposals were submitted; Mr. Burke said three were submitted, but one was disqualified because it was incomplete. Mr. Feck said he would like to have the Master Plan completed by the 2020 Annual Town Meeting. Mr. Burke said if the board is not 11 Planning Board 4/10/19 comfortable with the choice of consultants, they can reissue the RFP. Mr. Penney said he thinks the timeline can be met. Mr. French said he felt very comfortable with the Goldson team and its presentation, and said BETA has done a lot of work with the town. He said he felt very comfortable with the fact that Goldson has an economic development subconsultant. Ms. Friedman said she graded and weighted each consultant. She said she did not feel the COG proposal was concise, had some errors and did not seem specific to Mansfield. She said she gave COG 66 points and Goldson 86 points. Mr. Feck said he liked both presentations; he said he liked COG's zoning and community outreach ideas. He said he liked Goldson's familiarity with the town and the inclusion of BETA and the economic development subconsultant. He said the TOD study, which has already been funded and is being worked on, should be part of the Master Plan, so the need for TOD work should be somewhat limited during the Master Plan. He said he thinks the board would work well with either consultant. Mr. Penney said he liked Mr. Halvorson's experience with Framingham's TOD. Mr. Burke said he likes the fact that Goldson has an economic development subconsultant. Mr. Penney said he likes Goldson's idea of building on the town's knowledge and past planning studies. He said he thought the team was open and easy to talk with, and it was refreshing to hear them admit some mistakes. Mr. LeBlanc said both groups had pros and cons, but he thought the Goldson group was more concise and had a stronger presentation. He said the economic development subconsultant is very important. Ms. Ashman -Collins said there were strengths in both groups, but said she was impressed with Goldson's visual presentation and organization. She said both groups spoke very well about community outreach. Mr. Cerretani said the first team was good and he thinks they would put out a good product. He said the second team seemed like veterans who have done this before and seem to work well together. He said Ms. Starling from COG had great energy and good ideas. He said the Goldson response to the RFP was concise and nicely laid out. Mr. Cleary said he liked both presentations but said he is concerned BETA may just rehash the traffic work they have already done. He said sometimes new eyes on a problem can help. However, he said it would also be strange to have COG doing similar work to what BETA is already doing. Mr. Feck said BETA's familiarity with the town made for a good presentation. Mr. LeBlanc said he appreciated Mr. Galle's attendance at the last parking meeting, which he did not have to do. 12 Planning Board 4/10/19 Mr. Burke said he thought the Goldson group did a good presentation, were comfortable working together and answered questions clearly and thoughtfully. Motion: To recommend hiring JM Goldson, LLC and their team as the 2019 Master Plan consultant (French-Cerretani) Ms. Friedman asked if BETA can work with the Master Plan team on TOD issues; the answer was yes. All in favor. PASSES Stanley Poon, 135 Central Street, told the board about his concerns about the train station and parking. He said traffic headed into Boston increases throughout the morning, and Mansfield is on the fourth busiest commuter line. The train trip from Mansfield could be as short as 30 minutes, but after -peak trains are not used as much because the parking lot is full. He said he would like to make sure there is enough parking for the rail and suggested the empty lot south of Route 106 (former Graphic Printers) could become train station parking, the turning movements reconfigured and the detail officer at Highland Avenue could be eliminated. He said more parking would allow people to use the later trains. He suggested the APR lot could also be used for commuter parking. He said he is concerned about building apartment buildings on potential parking areas. Mr. French explained BETA is currently looking at changes to the Route 106 entrance to the train station area, as well as a new back entrance. Motion: To adjourn at l l:10 p.m. (Cerretani- ) All in favor. PASSES Next Planning Board Meeting: April 24, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Signature of Clerk / Date of AI roval 13 Planning Board 4/10/19