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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-05-29 Community Planning and Development Commission MinutesTown of Reading !t �I Meeting Minutes �r Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Community Planning and Development Commission Date: 2014 -05 -29 Time: 7:30 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: Charlie Adams - Chair John Weston Nick Safina David Tuttle Jeff Hansen Members - Not Present: Others Present: Location: Selectmen Meeting Room Jean Delios - Assistant Town Manager, Community Services Jessie Wilson - Community Development Administrator Brad Latham - 643 main Street Dr. Fred Ravens - 202 Ash Street Jack Sullivan - Boxboro Nancy Twomey - 23 California Road Al Couillard Heather Wright Craig Bosworth Scott and Jean Ferris- 183 Woburn Street Pat Lippit - 11 Temple Tony D'Arezzo - John Street Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jessie Wilson, Community Development Administrator Topics of Discussion: There being a quorum the Chair called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM. Mr. Adams reminded the public to sign in. Approval Not Required Plan (ANR) Plan 198 -202 Ash Street RECEIVED OWN CLERK ',DING. I INSS. A JUN 25 A 10- 55 Ms. Delio's introduced the project. She noted that the property is owned by Dr. Ravens and he previously improved the site by purchasing the adjacent site and demolishing the former structure. The current proposal is to combine that property by ANR which will allow for him to expand his existing building. Mr. Latham agreed, stating that the ANR is to combine the two to parcels in advance of the site plan review for the improvements Dr. Ravens is proposing. Page 1 1 Ms. Wilson said the Town Engineer has prepared a memo recommending endorsement of the ANR. Mr. Safina moved the CPDC endorse the ANR Plan for 198 -202 Ash Street. Mr. Hansen seconded and the motion carried 5 -0 -0. Approval Not Required (ANR) Plan for 423 South Stree Ms. Wilson explained that the owner of 423 South Street is selling some land to Mr. Kikka at 427 South Street by the ANR Plan. Mr. Weston noted that Lot 20 currently meets the lot requirements for size and is over 15,000 square feet, but the selling of 2,000 square feet would reduce it to under the requirement. However, there is a notation that it is not a building lot. Mr. Sullivan, Project Engineer replied that he added that notation and also added the same notation to the new Parcel A and Parcel B. Both Parcel A and Parcel B would remain separate lots, because some land is registered and some land is recorded. Ms. Wilson said that she also talked to the Town Engineer about the same question regarding non - buildable lots and he agreed the plan is still endorsable as an ANR. Mr. Safina moved the CPDC endorse the ANR Plan for 423 South Street. Mr. Weston seconded and the motion carried 5 -0 -0. Public Hearing for Site Plan Review 198 -202 Ash Street Mr. Hansen read the public hearing notice. Mr. Adams described the public hearing procedures for the attendees. Ms. Delios introduced the project. She said the project involves the construction of a new addition as well as a new parking area. There will be a total of 22 parking spaces between the two parking areas. There are two large trees that will be removed as part of the project. Mr. Sullivan, Project Engineer, described the tree removal. Due to the existing conditions, the trees need to be removed to facilitate the construction of the new parking area. If the trees were saved, they would lose about 5 parking spaces. Ms. Delios said Staff did recommend some additional landscaping including considering a larger caliper tree to replace the ones being removed. She noted that the caliper for trees at the adjacent shopping plaza was larger and she would recommend they do something similar. Nancy Twomey, Architect described the project. In 2009, Dr. Ravens purchased the property and completed some renovations. His practice is expanding and he is proposing two new operating rooms and more business space. The new addition will have the same exterior features and a low profile roof. The building is non - conforming so they will be seeking a Special Permit for the property. Mr. Sullivan described the existing conditions of the site. Currently there are four existing curb cuts between the two parcels addressed as 198 -202 Ash Street. The proposal eliminates two of the curb cuts. The new parking area will be paved and new drainage directed to the rear of the property. Vertical granite curbing is proposed throughout the lot and a rain garden is proposed for the drainage system. Mr. Sullivan noted that groundwater is very high in this location and a typical infiltration system would not work. Therefore they went with a rain garden approach that is a low impact development technique. A rain garden is a shallow depression sized to handle the 100 -year storm. There is an emergency spillover that would allow overflow near the drain to RMLD. The rain garden also serves as a planting feature. All the sediment will be filtered through the level spreader before it enters the rain garden. The snow storage area is located at the rear of the site. In addition, there is a new sidewalk area that will connect to the existing handicap ramp to the rear entrance. The handicap space that is currently in the existing parking area will be shifted to the new parking area with an 8 -foot wide van access aisle. Page 1 2 Mr. Sullivan added that on the southern side of the site there is an existing chain link fence. The proposal calls for landscaping to help buffer between the site and RMLD. There will be lighting improvements including two spot lights on the building. No other lighting is proposed. There are no new utility connections needed to service the building. The new roof area drainage will be collected and discharged to the rain garden. The dumpster is proposed on a concrete pad that will be enclosed with stockade fence. The stockade enclosure will be stained to match the color of the building. The dumpsters are emptied around 7 -8AM. Mr. Adams asked for clarification for the drainage. Mr. Sullivan said that the parking lot will slope towards the rain garden and runoff will not enter Ash Street. Mr. Safina asked if any water from Ash Street would enter his system. Mr. Sullivan said no because of the topography. Mr. Adams expressed concern that it seems like a long way for the stormwater to travel before it gets to the drainage system. Mr. Sullivan said he could not put a drain in the middle of the parking area because of the high water table. Mr. Adams asked about the snow storage area and whether or not it would impact the rain garden. Mr. Sullivan said that it could be signed to not dump snow there. Mr. Adams asked about the Operation and Maintenance Plan for the rain garden. Mr. Sullivan replied that he provided one, but noted they are very low maintenance. It was asked whether it raingarden would be wet. Mr. Sullivan said it should be mostly dry because it is about 2 -feet above the water table. Mr. Safina asked about the parking. Dr. Ravens said that patients will be on the left side (existing) lot and Staff will park on right (new lot). Ms. Twomey said that the building entrance and ramp is on the left side of the building. It just makes more sense to have the patients on the left side. Mr. Adams asked when the peak time for Staff is. Dr. Ravens said on Wednesday he has 11 staff scheduled. The proposal calls for two new operatory rooms. Mr. Safina asked how the patients would know where to park. Dr. Ravens said the patients are accustomed to the current arrangement and have been parking that way for a while. He expects them to continue using the site the same way. Mr. Hansen asked if the lot would be striped. Dr. Ravens replied yes. Mr. Adams opened the hearing to public comment. No comments were received. Ms. Wilson said the Town Engineer provided a memo this afternoon. Mr. Safina noted that the Town Engineer had requested more calculations. Mr. Sullivan replied that the Town Engineer would prefer a different method of calculation for the stormwater system that is more conservative approach. However, Mr. Sullivan was not concerned about the system's capacity. Ms. Delios said that one of the main comments raised by Staff is related to more landscaping because the site is so heavily developed with asphalt. In addition, there were no wheel stops for the parking spaces facing the building as well as bollards for the dumpster. Mr. Sullivan said that they are proposing vertical granite curbing which should prevent a car from going up the walkway. Mr. Safina pointed out that the finished floor is several feet higher and should provide some protection to building occupants. Mr. Safina would like to see more landscaping on the site. He suggesting plantings in front of the ramp, but realized it is the walkway for people to access the front entrance from the new lot. Mr. Adams suggested adding some more landscaping at the new entrance driveway. Mr. Sullivan said he is planting two new trees up front and then plantings along the fencing. In addition, perennials are proposed along the new walkways. Page 1 3 Ms. Delios said the tree plantings at the plaza were about 4 -in in caliper. It was recommended the trees calipers be increased comparatively. Mr. Weston pointed out that there is an area between the ramp and the roadway that does not need to be paved. They do need to maintain some walkway for access, but it seems that some of the pavement could be eliminated. He suggested a tree lawn or something that provides some greenery. Mr. Adams said planter boxes are also an option. The CPDC reviewed the Planning Staff memo. In regards to the permeable pavers, Mr. Sullivan said his stormwater system is sized to accommodate the stormwater. In addition, the pavers are difficult to maintain and do not last over time. Ms. Wilson noted that having a different surface type for the walkway to break up the material textures may help reduce the appearance of the asphalt. Mr. Sullivan said there is a cost associated with that and would prefer not to. In regards to the relocation of the driveway as recommended by the Town Engineer, Mr. Sullivan is okay with moving the driveway as per his recommendation. Ms. Delios said that this project did not go through a Development Review Team (DRT) Meeting and therefore some of these comments are still outstanding. In regards to the "enter" and "exit" signage suggested by Staff, Mr. Weston feels less signage is better. There is not a big concern over having patients parking in the new area or staff parking in the existing spaces. In regards to the landscaping, Mr. Weston would like to see some of the pavement removed in between the walkway area and where the excess pavement is. He would suggest loam and seeding or more plantings. Dr. Ravens suggested putting the landscaping right along the ramp and leaving the walkway adjacent to the sidewalk because he is concerned about plowing. Mr. Sullivan said the walkway would be in the public right of way. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to close the public hearing 198 -202 Ash Street, Ravens Family Dental. Mr. Safina seconded and motion carried 5 -0 -0. The CPDC reviewed the draft decision. It was agreed to include a condition to address the Town Engineer's concerns, add a condition to revise the landscaping plan, reduce the bond amount, include bollards in the dumpster area and add a sign for employee spaces at the front of the new driveway entrance. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC approve the Site Plan Decision for 198 -202 Ash Street as amended. Mr. Weston seconded and motion carried 5 -0 -0. Public Hearing for Definitive Subdivision Plan: 92 Sanborn Lane, Proposed Mariano Drive Ms. Wilson said that Mr. Couillard is working on addressing the outstanding items as it relates to the issue of access. He would like to continue to the June 9th meeting to address this. Mr. Couillard, Developer, added that the Conservation Commission closed the public hearings on the road and then two lots. The CPDC agreed to review the decision at the June 91h meeting. 10 Pierce Street — Final Bond Release Page 1 4 Ms. Wilson told the CPDC that the development is complete and the Town Engineer is satisfied. He issued a memo to recommend final release. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to release the bond held for the completion of improvements at 10 Piece Street. Mr. Hansen seconded and motion carried 5 -0 -0. Certificate of ADDroariateness for Sianage at 34 Gould Street. Pure Fit Ms. Wilson said that the project received funding under the Building Fagade and Signage Improvement Program for the blade sign. She added that the proposed signage, including the blade sign and wall sign meet the requirements under zoning. Mr. Safina said they do have window signage and pointed out that even for this business, there is a lot of signage. Mr. Tuttle asked if the awning sign counted as a sign. Ms. Wilson clarified that so long as the text is less than 4" in height it does not count towards the sign area. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for the signs located at 34 Gould Street, Pure Fit. Mr. Hansen seconded and the motion carried 5 -0 -0. Certificate of Ai)Dropriateness for Sicinage at 75 Haven Street, Real Nail Sho Mr. Adams asked where the blade sign would be located. Ms. Heather Wight, business owner, said it would be located at the brick pier and the same height as the other signs on the building along Haven Street. She also added that she would have two decals in the window that mimic the blade sign. It was clarified that the bracket would be just above the height of the existing sign. Ms. Wilson added a condition to the draft decision regarding the height of sign. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed blade sign at 75 Haven Street, Real Nail Shop. Mr. Weston seconded and the motion carried 5 -0 -0. Draft Bike and Pedestrian Plan Ms. Wilson explained the status of the plan. She said that the draft has been circulated internally and reviewed by staff. In addition, stakeholders at a Working Session with Walkable Reading have reviewed the plan. The goal behind the plan is to identify areas for short -term, low cost improvements that could be implemented without adjusting the curblines of the road. These include painting of cross - walks, construction of handicap ramps, construction of sidewalks where feasible, installing "share the road" signage, and then where feasible restriping roadways to create bike lanes. Mr. Weston suggested that the CPDC look at the plan and then develop some policies based on these concepts; for example, the high priority locations and how they tie into snow plowing routes. Also if there is a site that is developed along a bike route, it should be the CPDC's policy to have the developer install bike racks. Ms. Wilson said that the Board of Selectmen would be considering the Complete Streets Policy. Mr. Weston said that would be good, but that the CPDC should develop something specifically to address issues CPDC reviews. Ms. Delios said today she mentioned to Staff the idea of "parklets" where on- street parking is cordoned off and used for outdoor dining or sitting. Mr. Safina said he is familiar with the concept and feels it would be beneficial for businesses that may not have the space for outdoor dining. Ms. Delios said maybe at some time it would be good to try. Mr. Tuttle said that in regards to the draft plan, he feels it is well written, but hopes that it could call for creating access across the interstates. For example he said the Joshua Eaton Loop that does not go to Sturges Park or to the edge of Town. He pointed out that the Page 1 5 southern part of town experiences barriers and they should figure out how to create more connections. Ms. Wilson said that the next public outreach would be on the Jun 91h prior to the CPDC. Discussion for Johnson Woods Special Permit Amendment for Affordable Units Ms. Delios said that the Owner of Johnson Woods would like to amend the Special Permit to relocate some of the affordable units to a new 40B project proposal located at 186 Woburn Street which he is calling the St. Agnes Commons. In order to relocate the 6 units from Johnson Woods, the Owner is required to provide 2 bonus units as stipulated in the Planned Unit Development - Residential (PUD -R) Zoning. Therefore, the proposal is for 8 units located at 186 Woburn Street. The proponent held neighborhood meeting a few weeks ago and Staff received a number of calls with concerns for the project at 186 Woburn Street. Mr. Latham stated the PUD -R Language does allow a number of the units to be provided off - site, but for every three that are moved, one must provide an additional bonus unit. They are proposing 6 units be moved from Johnson Woods and therefore 2 bonus units would be added. In regards to the St. Agnes Commons proposal at 186 Woburn Street, the developer is under contract to propose a 40B project. The developer, Mr. Ted Moore is out of the country so Mr. Latham represented him. Mr. Latham summarized the proposed changes in regards to bedrooms as a result of the proposed relocation. The Town would benefit from two additional bonus units. In addition, the affordable units at 186 Woburn Street would come online sooner than would the Johnson Woods units. Mr. Latham added that Mr. Moore would not be able to do the project if he does not receive approval to relocate the units from Johnson Woods. Mr. Latham provided a revised copy of the site plan that depicts the traffic circulation. The plan identifies the middle driveway to be an exit for both the church and the building at 186 Woburn Street. The outer driveways would then serve each building as their separate entrance. He said this configuration would also aid in addressing the neighbors concerns regarding headlights. Mr. Latham summarized the square footage differences between the unit sizes at each project. He added that the hope is to see that the CPDC would consider amending the Special Permit for Johnson Woods to allow the units to be relocated to the building at 186 Woburn Street that would then create two additional bonus units. It was clarified that there will be 6 units generated from the 40B requirements and then 8 units generated from the relocation from Johnson Woods. Mr. Craig Bosworth, Architect with Grazado Velleco Architects presented the architectural drawings for the St. Agnes Commons. The existing brick building was formerly used as a school building. The primary entry is off of Woburn Street and will be eliminated. The new entrance will be at the rear of the building at the parking lot. They are proposing an addition that will contain the trash and mail rooms as well as the elevator and staircase. The existing windows are large and provide for a lot of light so they will be retained. They will be increasing the size of windows where the former gym was located. The second means of egress for the building will be located on the eastern side of the building. Mr. Bosworth described the architectural drawings. The exterior elevation plans were depicted. The fagade facing Woburn Street will receive new windows and the green space will be turned into a park area. As for the addition, the materials will include hardi -plank siding and Page 1 6 asphalt shingles. As for lighting, they will be eliminating the existing spot lights and replacing them with a more residential style light such as the lights at Johnson Woods. It was clarified that there will be window wells for the windows on the ground floor nearest Woburn Street. Mr. Adams and Mr. Tuttle said that the building fagade facing Woburn Street seems bare and that there should be a door located there. Mr. Bosworth replied that if an egress were provided on Woburn Street, they would lose unit space. In addition, there is a grade issue to deal with. Mr. Weston agreed and feels that the design does not interact with the street. Mr. Safina also agreed and feels that the new addition is below average design from what he has seen in the past from this proponent. He also pointed out that there is a different feel from the Johnson Woods development from this project. Mr. Adams agreed that there are some differences between the two and feels it is lowering the quality and style of units. He said they do not compare. He also added that Mr. Moore is saying he needs to shift these units to make the project financially viable, but the CPDC does not have the financial information to back up that statement. Mr. Tuttle pointed out that it is a good reuse of the building and feels that the proponent should propose a standard 40B and let Johnson Woods move forward as approved. Mr. Adams asked why Mr. Moore needed to move the units. Mr. Latham replied that selling the Johnson Woods units at market helps close the financial gap at this project. Mr. Tuttle added that he would be capped at a 20% profit. Mr. Latham said that DHCD wants to see a 10 -12% profit because they do not want to see the project fail. Mr. Adams feels there are other ways to plug the gap and does not believe the units should be shifted from Johnson Woods. He said there are other financing opportunities he could look into. Mr. Safina asked whether this development would protect the neighbors from some other developer /development. He asked whether a different project would be more negative. He added that they would likely not expand the building and the site circulation would remain the same. Mr. Adams pointed out that affordable ownership projects could be challenging. He assumed the project would be rental. Mr. Adams provided the opportunity for the audience to comment. Scott Ferris, 183 Woburn Street said he feels that 60% affordable would have an impact on the value of the project. He feels that it is too much in term of affordability. He said he believes 40B is good but feels the 25% requirement should be used, and that 60% seems too high. Would prefer to see the units spread out and units kept at Johnson Woods. He knows there are back up offers for the property and feels it could be developed to a better use that would also not contribute to school children count. Pat Lippit, 11 Temple expressed concern with the difference in affordable units between the two projects. In addition, she is concerned with the quality of the project and lack of green space. She feels it would be difficult to buy there because of the lack of amenities and the increase of affordable units. Tony D'Arezzo expressed concern with concentrating the units and feels it is somewhat like a slum. He thought the goal for Reading as it pertains to affordable housing was to spread it out throughout the community. He would not be in favor of moving the units from Johnson Woods. Jean Ferris, 183 Woburn Street asked for clarification on traffic. Mr. Bosworth clarified and showed her the plan. Mr. Tuttle wanted clarification regarding the parking. He understands that some spaces will be left for the church. Mr. Bosworth said there is a total of 131 spaces on the site. At 186 Page 1 7 Woburn Street, (proposed St. Agnes Commons) there are 67 spaces and on the Church site there are 64 parking spaces. As part of the purchase and sale agreement, the St. Agnes Commons site would leave 25 spaces for use by the Church. That would leave 42 parking spaces for exclusive use by St. Agnes Commons. Mr. Adams asked about how that would be enforced. Mr. Latham said that there would be designation or striping in the parking lot area and then the Condo Association could enforce and issue fines. Mr. Latham said he will report back to Mr. Moore based on the comments from the Board and then it will be up to Mr. Moore how to move forward. Mr. Adams said that although it is not required, he would like to see the project go through Site Plan Review and then consider some of the issues talked about tonight, especially as it relates to the design points. Plannina Updates and Other Business Ms. Delios said that the library is supposed to return to the CPDC on June 9, 2014, however there was a lot of discussion with Staff that might result in pushing that date back. She requested information no later than the 4th at noon. Mr. Weston expressed concern with providing information last minute. He said that when there was a high point in development activity they would refuse to take materials last minute. He said since then, the CPDC has been more relaxed on that and it puts the CPDC in a tough position. He would like to have Staff remind applicants to submit materials in advance. Ms. Delios reported that D'Amicci's and Orange Leaf have been approved for outdoor dining and she will be following up with them on some final details. Orange Leaf will have a bench and D'Amiccis will have a table and chairs. Mr. Weston said the other day he saw a delivery truck for Dunkin Donuts parked on Main Street making the deliveries from the street. She said that the Bunratty Tavern build -out is moving slowly but sees some progress. She added that a ribbon cutting was held for the businesses at the MF Charles Building. In addition, Pure Fit had their ribbon cutting and the space looks great. Table of Uses Ms. Wilson said that the ZAC would like the CPDC re -look at the Table of Uses for residential uses in the downtown. Mr. Weston said that the overlay district requires residential on the second floor and that is the type of development the CPDC wants to see. Plus, if residential uses were allowed in the base zoning, it could eliminate the option for commercial development where there is already limited commercial area. Mr. Tuttle said that one thing the ZAC would like to ease is the requirements for non- conforming. Ms. Delios said that the ZAC would be looking into that. Mr. Tuttle said that the CPDC /ZAC should look into the agricultural uses and ensure we are allowing what is allowed under the state exemption. Mr. Adams tabled the minutes to next meeting. Adiournment On a motion by Mr. Tuttle, seconded by Mr. Hansen, the CPDC voted to adjourn at 10:40PM PM by a vote of 5 -0 -0. Page 1 8