Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-07-14 Community Planning and Development Commission MinutesQ''� Town of Reading 1' Meeting Minutes Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Community Planning and Development Commission Date: 2014 -07 -14 Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: Charlie Adams John Weston Nick Safina David Tuttle Jeff Hansen Members - Not Present: Others Present: Time: 7:30 PM RECEIVED TOWN CLERK "EADING. MASS. 1014 AUG I9 A II: 35 Location: Selectmen Meeting Room lean Delios - Assistant Town Manager, Community Services Jessie Wilson - Community Development Administrator Greg Avenia - Garofalo Associates Ken Flint - Cumberland Farms Larry Oppenheimer - Sola Salon Heather Monticup - 181 Ballardvale Street Paul Wilson - Cumberland Farms John Smolak - Smolak and Vaughan Adam Heard - Sola Salon Tony D'Arezzo - 130 John Street Jamie Shaw - Danis Properties George Katsoufls - Associate CPDC Member Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jessie Wilson, Community Development Administrator Topics of Discussion: There being a quorum the Chair called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM Public Nearing for Site Plan Review. 303 Salem StreeL Cumberb Mr. Safina read the public hearing notice. Ms. Delios reported that the Cumberland Farms station located at 303 Salem Street, near the REI is before the CPDC for Site Plan Review. She noted that the Applicant was before the CPDC a few years ago for some improvements to the building and is before the CPDC this evening to seek approval for some site improvements. Mr. John Smolak, Attorney representing Cumberland Farms, described the proposed project. He said that this proposal is a follow up to the site plan approval the CPDC issued a few years ago. He said that Cumberland Farms leases the land at 303 Salem Street, as well as 8 Page 1 1 Torre Street that was recently acquired by a subsidiary of Cumberland Farms. He noted that 303 Salem Street is entirely within the Business B zoning district, however, 8 Torre Street is split between the 5 -15 and Business B zoning districts. Therefore the Applicant will be utilizing the 30 -ft extension allowed under zoning for lots in two districts in accordance with Section 3.4.1 of the Zoning Bylaw. Mr. Smolak continued the presentation. He said the proposal calls for the expansion of the site onto the 8 Torre Street lot to construct 9 parking spaces and a new dumpster /recycling area and loading area. The project also proposes to widen the fire lane around the building, new lighting and drainage. The project has received an Order of Conditions from the Conservation Commission. Mr. Gregory Avenia, Engineer with Garofalo Associates went into detail on the proposed site plan. He stated that the existing house at 8 Torre Street will be razed and the parking lot extended to construct the new 9 parking spaces. The project will remain outside of the 100 - foot buffer zone to the wetland, but they are within the 200 -foot Riverfront Area. As such, the project proposes to restore the area at the rear of the site with native species. In addition, a new fence will be constructed to connect to the existing fence at the rear of the site. The entire rear of the site will be fenced. To be compliant with stormwater management standards, a new sand filter will be constructed for the drainage system and the existing water quality unit will be replaced with a new structure that performs better. The fire access around the building will be widened and a loading area is delineated in front of the dumpster area. A crosswalk is proposed from the building near the loading area that will lead to the new parking spaces. Ms. Heather Monticup, Traffic Engineer with GPI described the proposed impacts to site circulation as a result of the project. She reported that the site currently contains 13 parking spaces and the proposal calls for a total of 22 parking spaces. The Torre Street curb cut will be modified and the dumpster area will be relocated. A new loading zone will be delineated in front of the dumpster area. She said that the site is currently very constrained and creates challenges for site circulation. With the expansion of the lot and additional parking spaces, vehicles will be able to maneuver on the site much easier. She also noted that the dedicated loading areas will enable proper deliveries. She presented the truck turning movements. She told the CPDC that there are no changes to the gas pumps and they do not expect an increase in use or traffic. Mr. Tuttle asked for the impervious area coverage and asked about the rear setback. Ms. Wilson explained that in the previous site plan from the 1998 indicates the lot line adjacent to the Torre Street lot was used as the rear setback. Mr. Safina asked for proof of ownership for the Torre Street lot. Mr. Smolak said that a subsidiary of Cumberland Farms, Inc. owns the lot and he would be willing to produce those documents. Mr. Smolak added that he would also be required to show the lot as a single lot as required by the Building Inspector. Mr. Hansen asked about snow removal. Mr. Avenia replied that currently all snow is removed off site as there is not enough space to store it on -site. He said that it should not be stored in the sand filter as it could cause operational issues with the drainage system. Mr. Hansen said that the Engineering Division was concerned with the spillover of light to the southwestern property line. Mr. Avenia said that they are changing over to LEDs and they could be shielded. Mr. Hansen opened the public hearing up to the public for comment. No comments were received. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to close the Public Hearing for the proposed Site Plan at 303 and 8 Torre Street. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Page 12 The CPDC reviewed the draft decision. It was agreed to include a condition for the Applicant to revise the photometric plan. The CPDC also modified the language related to the condition to provide a revised site plan depicting one lot. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the Site Plan Review Decision for 303 Salem Street and 8 Torre Street as amended. Mr. Weston seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. lication. 1 General Wav — Sola Salon Ms. Delios reported to the CPDC that Sola Salon is proposed to go in at 1 General Way. The idea behind the concept is to have individual suites within the space that each stylist could then "rent" for his /her own salon. A total of 34 suites and 37 chairs (two spaces will have two chairs each) would be located in the space. Mr. tarry Oppenheimer said that this will be the first Sola Salon in Massachusetts and that the franchise will have several more in Middlesex County. Mr. Adam Heard added that the concept allows stylists to go into business for themselves. They rent the space and would not be required to give a percentage of their earnings back to Sola. The peak occupancy for the space is about 90% which would be around 25 -28 stylists. Mr. Tuttle asked about the hours of operation and access to the space. Mr. Heard replied that each suite is separately controlled by a key system and the fire department would have access. The exterior of the space would be accessed via keyless entry (FOB). The space will be open during working hours that coincide with the shopping center and then stylists could have clients outside of those hours if they desired. Mr. Weston asked about on -site personnel and how the issues with parking and trash are dealt with. Mr. Heard replied that they have hired an on -site manager, who will not be there all the time, but will be making regular daily visits to the site to monitor issues related to that. Mr. Oppenheimer said that the hours are listed as 9AM -9PM but if a stylist wanted to have a client at 8:30AM they could buzz someone in. Mr. Weston expressed concern with that noting there are specific times retailers are allowed to operate in Town. They are not allowed to operate midnight to 6AM. Mr. Jamie Shaw, representative from Danis Properties (owner) said currently there is no designated employee parking, but they will encourage them to use the spaces that will be created at the back of the site once that portion of the building is demolished. They hope to have that complete by late fall, and in the meantime they will park along the brook at the far end of the parking area. Mr. Hansen asked how the operation at Snap Fitness is going which operates similarly with management often offsite. Ms. Cellos has not heard of any issues. Mr. Safina said that Snap Fitness is located in a more visible and a different setting than 1 General Way. He expressed concern with the safety of 1 General Way and said the visibility is very limited. He also expressed concern with the site design and was unhappy with the lack of windows. It was clarified there is no signage for Sola Salon before the CPDC as part of this application. Mr. Weston expressed concern about the employee parking. He said that the stylists, being in business for themselves, have no incentive to park away from the storefront. He would recommend that they require employees to not park In front of the storefront, and not just encourage them. Page 13 There was additional discussion regarding the employee parking. Mr. Heard said that part of his and Mr. Oppenheimer's responsibility as the franchise owners is to continue to address the on -going operational issues such as this. Mr. Oppenheimer asked about temporary signage. Ms. Delios replied temporary signage is allowed by a permit from the Building Inspector. The CPDC reviewed the draft decision. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the Minor Site Plan Review decision for Sola Salon located at 1 General Way, as amended. Mr. Salina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. rehensive Uodate to Zonin Ms. Delios reported that the ZAC has met about 30 times which includes 4 public forums. In addition, the ZAC and Staff has done a lot of outreach in the community including meetings with the Chamber, the Lions, the Rotary and even the Reading Co -Op Bank who hosted an aRerhours meeting for the community. The ZAC has posted the draft sections on the website and continues to work through the remaining draft sections. She said that there is an update to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) on July 15th. There are many great updates proposed for the bylaw including adding more definitions and re- working all of Section 4. Many of the overall requirements within that Section are staying the same, but will be streamlined and made simpler to understand. The ZAC will also be focusing on Section 6, which Includes parking, signs and nonconforming. In regards to the Nonconforming Section the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) reviews many of the same requests and that It may be possible to have Staff handle those approvals in house - if they are being "rubber - stamped" by the ZBA anyways. Ms. Delios reported there may be a Special Town Meeting In September in which the ZAC may put forward Medical Marijuana. If so, the remainder of the bylaw will be put before November Town Meeting. She said a September Town Meeting would also be a great time to update Town Meeting Members about the Zoning Project. Ms. Delios noted that there is a lot of concern over the accessory apartment language and currently, the draft language would allow for by -right apartments if it is within the existing structure. However, there has been a lot of concern about this based on a current case before the ZBA, so the draft language may change. Mr. Tuttle provided an update on the Medical Marijuana language. He said the ZAC has taken a minimalist approach to the language, as the state regulations cover a lot of the concerns related to site plan review. The ZAC agreed to zone the use in the industrial district with a 500 -foot buffer from areas In which children may commonly congregate. Mr. Safina asked what would happen if one of those uses in which children congregate, locate within this buffer after the Medical Marijuana facility has already been up and running. He also expressed concern with this use being a cash business. Ms. Dellos showed the CPDC the 500 -foot buffer zones. Mr. Weston expressed concern with the little amount of non - residential areas for this use. Mr. Safina asked why the Business A location was also not selected. Ms. Delios said that the Police Chief preferred to have the use in the industrial district. Mr. Tony D'Arezzo pointed out that the temporary library space will be going into 1 General Way which is in the industrial district. Mr. Safina said that the buffers would evolve over time as schools and uses change. Mr. Weston asked what the buffer line is generated from - the site or the building? Ms. Delios said that it depends on the type of use. For example a park would likely have a buffer line that follows the parcel boundary but that a facility like the trapeze school within the Jordan's building would likely have the buffer line from the building. Page 14 Mr. Safina asked if the Town could deviate from the state regulations to modify the buffers like the trapeze school. Ms. Delios replied yes, we could be more stringent but it would need to be approved by the Attorney General's Office. The CPDC reviewed the draft language for Nonconforming. Mr. Safina expressed concern with the first clause. Mr. Weston agreed and said it should be deleted. Ms. Delios said that VHB is looking at those provisions to determine whether it could be eliminated. Mr. Safina also said the language for 6.3.7 needs to be clarified so that it is clear that those lots are protected from future zoning changes. Mr. Weston expressed concern as the bylaw should not be written for changes that do not exist. As it relates to 6.3.2 "Nonconforming Use ", Mr. Weston said that the "extension of the use" can be confusing. He said that when someone constructs an addition that complies with the dimensional controls, he feels it does not "extend the use ". Mr. Tuttle said that in some cases the use could be increased in intensity. Mr. Weston agreed that if more units were added to a multi- family structure, than yes, the use would be increasing in Intensity, but if it is just a deck or mudroom than no. Mr. Weston also mentioned P & S Convenience Store and that if that property owner wanted to add an addition on the residential portion of his property which fits within the dimensional controls than he should not have to apply for a Special Permit to do so. Mr. Weston would suggest modifying the language to reflect the "increased intensity". Mr. D'Arezzo said that the provision of 6.3.5 is referencing a state law. Mr. Safina asked about Section 6.3.9 "Reconstruction After Catastrophe" and how that would apply for cases that get tied up in litigation. Ms. Delios said that could be remedied by applying for the demolition permit within the 2 -year limit. Mr. Weston asked about Section 6.3.8 "Change, Extension or Alteration of Pre - Existing Nonconforming Lot" and what would happen if the project did not fall into the listed criteria. Mr. Tuttle replied that the applicant would then need to get a special permit under Section 6.3.6. He said that the idea behind this provision is to allow changes to the lot that make it into total conformance. Mr. Weston said that if it does not meet the requirements for by- right there should be language informing them of the process. It was suggested to copy the language for 6.3.6 but revise it for "lots ". Mr. Katsoufis said that the criterion for "substantially more detrimental" to the neighborhood is very important because neighborhoods can vary on a micro level. He expressed concern that it is not enough criteria for the ZBA. Mr. Weston did not agree and said that neighborhood itself is a term that can be defined based on its exact location. Mr. Katsoufis asked about Low Impact Development or green practices and why they should not be allowed to employ those practices under nonconforming. Mr. D'Arezzo expressed concern with Section 6.3. 10 and feels that provision B would allow the ZBA to allow an applicant to reconstruct a structure into any setback or without concern for the dimensional controls. Mr. Katsoufis said that this would be a great place to Include some preservation practices. He also expressed concern of the term "substantially more detrimental" in this provision. Mr. Hansen suggested to bring this back to the ZAC. Mr. D'Arezzo said that the term "substantially more detrimental" gives the ZBA more latitude and it does not state any requirements for variances that may be needed to build a new, more nonconforming structure. Plannina Updates & Other Business Ms. Delios said Economic Development Self- Assessment Tool (EDSAT) results will be presented by the Professor from Northeastern University at the BOS meeting. The ZAC will page 15 be providing an update on the Zoning Project and that will be at 7:50PM and then the EDSAT presentation will be at 8:30PM. July 29" BOS agenda includes the proposed adoption of the Complete Streets Policy, an update on the Main Street Roadway Diet and proposed adoption of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. New businesses - The Pilates Studio on Woburn Street is moving to MF Charles Building at the rear space. Bunratty Tavern had a construction issue related back to the original construction for the building. However, the Architect will be providing an affidavit on how to address that issue. The Hitching Post will be moving to current Sense of Wonder Space at 2 Haven Street. The Community Services Department has also received several grants including: Cultural Grant for Downtown; Funding for Economic Development Plan; Civil War Veterans Grant to repair some of the headstones in the cemetery. Ms. Delios also reported that Staff is still working with employing a Regional Housing Services Office. The Johnson Woods Project is moving along and the Developer is seeking occupancy permits for 39 Taylor Drive. Ms. Wilson asked the CPDC about the sign for the Pilates studio. She mentioned the owner would like to move it to the MF Charles Building but that it does not comply with the Master Signage Plan. The CPDC expressed concern that the existing sign does not fit within the character of approved Master Signage Plan and would recommend she submit something more in line with the Master Signage Plan. iemporary uurary apace Ms. Delios said that the temporary library space will be at 1 General Way. Back when CPDC discussed the remaining tenant spaces at 1 General Way, the CPDC agreed that the uses to occupy the larger spaces would need to go back to CPDC - likely under Minor Site Plan Review. Ms. Delios said that this would fall under Minor Site Plan Review and it will be before the Board likely at the next meeting. Mr. Weston pointed out that he recalled a requirement for a parking evaluation upon the certain amount of occupation of retail space. Ms. Wilson said that would likely be triggered with the library space. The CPDC reviewed the draft minutes from June 23, 2014 and suggested minor edits. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC approve the minutes from June 23, 2014 as amended. Mr. Weston seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Adiournment On a motion by Mr. Tuttle, seconded by Mr. Weston, the CPDC voted to adjourn at 10:3013M PM by a vote of 4 -0 -0. Page 1 4