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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-11-03 Community Planning and Development Commission Minutes'y Town of • zF �. Meeting Minutes Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Community Planning and Development Commission Date: 2014 -11 -03 Time: 7:30 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: Nick Safina John Weston David Tuttle Jeff Hansen Members - Not Present: Others Present: rECEIVED OWN CLERK � DING. Mass. t6IS MAR 12 P 4: 00 Location: Selectmen Meeting Room Jessie Wilson, Community Development Administrator Jean Delios, Assistant Town Manager, Community Services Everett Blodgett - West Street Historic District Commission Kathy Greenfield - 01867 Neighborhood Preservation Virginia Adams - West Street Historic District Commission Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jessie Wilson Topics of Discussion: There being a quorum of the CPDC, Mr. Hansen called the meeting to order at 7:37 PM. The Chair took the agenda items out of order to begin with the Summer Avenue Historic District. Review Preliminary Report for Proposed Summer Avenue Local Historic District Ms. Delios provided a summary on the proposed district. She said that the Massachusetts Historical Commission has voted to recommend its adoption. This will also be on the Warrant for November Town Meeting. Mr. Everett Blodgett provided an overview of the proposed district noting that the new district would fall under the current requirements of the General Bylaw. The boundary of the proposed district is from Woburn Street to Glen Road and contains about 25 properties. He added that the Reading Historical Commission has imposed a demolition delay for the proposed project located at 186 -190 Summer Avenue. That delay will expire on January 24, 2015. If the Historic District were to be established and approved before the permit was issued, it seems that there would be some control over the proposed project. Most of the properties are from the 1840s and 1850s. Mr. Safina asked if there has been any legal review on this. Mr. Blodgett replied that Town Counsel has weighed in on the proposed district. In addition, the proposed use at 186 -190 Summer Avenue as an early childhood intervention program will be evaluated for applicability to the Dover Amendment. Page 1 1 Mr. Hansen asked if there was any consideration to expand the district. Mr. Blodgett replied that in the future there will likely be other districts, but that most districts are created by reaction. Ms. Kathy Greenfield, Co -Chair of the 186 Neighborhood Preservation Committee said that she has notes from prior discussions about which other areas in Town should be historic districts. She has previously served on several Town Boards and Committees including the Historic Commission and the CPDC. To that question about adding more districts, she said there has always been the desire to add more districts and be more proactive about it, but it can be difficult to get the work done. Mr. Blodgett reported that the public hearing for the proposed Historic District had over 100 people in attendance. The Committee had a presentation that was followed by a very productive question /answer session. In addition he said there are several signs within the West Street Historic District supporting the Summer Avenue District. Ms. Virginia Adams, member of the West Street Historic District Commission (WSHDC) said they would like a recommendation or supportive statement from the CPDC for the proposed preliminary report. They will then include it in their final report. Mr. Weston asked about Section 7.3 of the General Bylaw and how this district would then fit into that. Mr. Blodgett replied that the bylaw language would be amended to include reference to the district and inclusion of the map. Mr. Tuttle said that he is in favor of the proposal. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to applaud the Summer Avenue Local Historic District Report and recommend the adoption of the Summer Avenue Local Historic District to Subsequent Town Meeting in November, 2014. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Minor Modification to Site Plan Review, 87 Walkers Brook Drive, Liahtin Ms. Wilson provided a summary of the proposed modifications. She said that the owner of the service station would like to replace the existing lighting fixtures with new LED fixtures under the canopy. Mr. Weston expressed concern that the proposed lighting may hang down from the canopy and would create a glare. Mr. Safina said that the current fixtures rely on the bulb to do all the work so they hang down. When it comes to LED they use lens to help focus the illumination Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC approve the Minor Modification for the proposed lighting at 87 Walkers Brook Drive. Mr. Safina seconded and motion carried 4 -0 -0 Reading Woods Update on Occupancy Condition Reauirement for the Shuttle Ms. Delios provided a summary of the Reading Woods occupancy requirement. She reminded the board that the Site Plan Review Decision conditioned implementation of a Shuttle Service prior to the final occupancy of the Gateway Smart Growth District. Pulte Homes, developer of Reading Woods administered a survey of the current residences and it appears there is not much interest in a shuttle service, nor do many folks want to pay for it. Mr. Tuttle said that even though the condition is tied to the Smart Growth District, it seems to make more sense to have it be related to the age restricted housing units. He would suggest tying it to the occupancy of the 55 and older units. Ms. Wilson told the CPDC the developer had met with MassRides and that they hope to utilize that as much as they can. Mr. Weston said that he does not believe that a shuttle will ever be in demand for the development. He would prefer to have the Developer make a Page 1 2 commitment to ride sharing and continue to work with MassRides on that. He would also suggest and encourage they investigate Travel Demand Management (TDM) alternatives. Mr. Safina suggested they revisit this as the project continues to be built out. The data could change significantly. Mr. Weston also noted that the survey asked whether residents would be interested in a shuttle to the commuter rail. He felt it would have been more ideal to ask for interest in a shuttle service that also provides other service routes such as the Redstone shopping center in Stoneham, etc. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to amend Condition 7 of Occupancy for the Site Plan Review Decision for Reading Woods to allow for further refinement of the shuttle service program until the Certificate of Occupancy for the first building in Sub - District D. Mr. Weston seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Town Meeti_na Loaistics Ms. Delios updated the CPDC that the Draft Zoning Bylaw document did not include the changes from November 2013. However, there will be a motion drafted to account for those changes. She said that Articles 7 and 8 will be done on November 13th. All the other Articles will be taken up first on November 10th. As for other logistics, the Town Moderator may vote to dispense of the reading of the motions up front so that they do not need to be read for each Article. As for the Presentation, she has been working with VHB on that and will send the presentation around to the CPDC members. Mr. Hansen asked how the moderator will handle the comments /questions. Ms. Delios replied that it will be in order by Section. Ideally it will be done the same way as the budget; however, we need to ensure that amendments do not skew anything else in another section. Mr. Tuttle suggested reminding people that definitions should not include regulations. The regulations are found in the zoning. Mr. Safina said that it may be helpful to remind people that many Town Meeting members spent a good amount of time reviewing the document and participating. It would not be fair to those who put the work in to not have the document discussed and considered at Town Meeting. Also, we did add the severability section which does not invalidate the document, should one portion be determined to be invalid. He stressed that it is important to remind them of the challenges with voting it all down and to encourage them to approve it now. He said to make a point that the public input came from developers and those who use the code on a regular basis. Ms. Delios said there is a slide in the presentation on how the public comment shaped the proposed changes. Mr. Hansen added that for accessory apartments the language was based on Lexington's language and that is a community we admire. Ms. Delios said that she suggested having testimonials at Town Meeting. She said that the Moderator was not too thrilled with that idea and that it was allowed for the Smart Growth District because they were directly affected by the boundary changes. Ms. Delios said that we may have the CPDC and the ZAC sit at the tables up front so that they can discuss things as needed. Plannina Updates & Other Business Page 1 3 Ms. Delios reported that there is some interest in having another food business where the former Quizno's was located on Main Street. Macaroni Grill closed and she has met with the property owner as to what they are planning. Ms. Delios said that Criterion Child Enrichment will likely be in for Site Plan Review for the property at 186 -190 Summer Avenue. It is anticipated they will be before the CPDC on December 8 th Ms. Delios also mentioned that the Temporary Library Space is nearly complete and will be open soon. Approval of Minutes The CPDC Reviewed the minutes of October 6, 2014 and suggested minor edits. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the minutes of October 6, 2014 as amended. Mr. Weston seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. The CPDC Reviewed the minutes of October 20, 2014 and suggested minor edits. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the minutes of October 20, 2014 as amended. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Adjournment Mr. Tuttle moved to adjourn at 9:00112M. Mr. Weston seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Page 1 4