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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-03-09 Community Planning and Development Commission MinutesTown of Reading tECEIVED 40 -- Meeting Minutes i (WN CLERK D(NG, m,�SS. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 1If APR 2 I P 26 Community Planning and Development Commission Date: 2015 -03 -09 Time: 7:30 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Selectmen Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: David Tuttle Nick Safina John Weston Jeff Hansen Members - Not Present: Others Present: Jean Delios - Assistant Town Manager Jessie Willson - Community Development Administrator George Katsoufis- Associate CPDC Member Angela Kungulus - Representative for 30 Haven Street Steve Schultz - Walpole Outdoor Matthew Busnach - Jordan's Furniture Sidney Tildsley - Walpole Outdoors Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jessie Wilson Topics of Discussion: Mr. Hansen called the meeting to order at 7:30PM. Request for Minor Modification to Site Plan Review — 30 Haven Street Ms. Angela Kungulus told the CPDC that the owners of 30 Haven Street would like to request removal of the stamped concrete from the center of the parking lot. She believes it is not a necessary element and that it would cost less from a maintenance standpoint. Ms. Wilson summarized the history with the project in that it was originally approved as a stamped concrete. At that time, the CPDC was approached for a modification to change it to stamped asphalt. The CPDC approved the change to stamped asphalt. However, in October of 2012 the Applicant requested to eliminate the requirement for stamped asphalt and the CPDC denied the request. Mr. Weston expressed frustration with the request as it has been a few years since the parking lot was completed and the owner still has not installed this item. He felt that each request was a reduction in their obligations to Site Plan Review. The CPDC discussed the design and recalled that the original Site Plan Submission included a landscaped island in the parking lot. No other comments were received. Page 1 1 Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to determine that the change requested for the elimination of the stamped asphalt inlay in the Brande Court Parking Lot at 30 Haven Street is a Minor Modification. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the Minor Modification to the stamped asphalt inlay in the Brande Court Parking Lot. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. 50 Walkers Brook Drive Preliminary Review of Proposed Signaae Change Ms. Delios summarized the proposed sign changes for 50 Walkers Brook Drive. The owners are proposing changes to the primary free - standing sign as well as to the wall sign. She said this is in part due to the change in tenants at this location. Mr. Matt Bushnach, representative from Jordan's Furniture, said that Sunbrella and BeanStalk are new tenants replacing Bose and the trapeze tenant. He said the new graphics had to be organized differently on the fee - standing sign. Currently they are in a stacked position. The Jordan's Furniture sign is currently channel lettering and they are proposing to replace it with new channel letters. The logo has changed slightly for Jordan's Furniture so the new sign will incorporate the new logo. The bottom portion of the free standing sign does not consist of channel lettering and will be a flex face material with graphics designed into the flex face. The entire free - standing sign will be illuminated by LED fixtures which will replace the existing neon blubs. The entire sign background will be opaque and Mr. Bushnach told the CPDC they performed a lumen calculation for the new sign and LED fixtures. Mr. Hansen asked about the placement of the businesses on the sign and whether there was preference given to any tenant. Mr. Bushnach replied that there really was not a priority given, but that the placement of the graphic was more based on how it looked graphically. Mr. Safina asked what would happen if a new tenant came in. Mr. Bushnach replied that the whole panel would have to be replaced as they could not just change one graphic alone and make it look consistent. Mr. Bushnach also clarified that the Paul's TV logo is a bit different as they have undergone some re- branding. Ms. Delios told the CPDC that she wanted to show the Board these changes because the last decision did allow for administrative approval for some changes. However, she felt these changes were substantially different than what they saw last so she wanted to have the Board review the changes. Mr. Bushnach further described the changes to the wall sign. He said that the Jordan's Furniture graphic will be channel letters and so will the Sunbrella and IMAX signs. The bottom portion of the sign is two panels which will consist of flex faces similar style of the pylon. He also reported that they have installed the Sunbrella signs previously approved by the CPDC approved back in 2014. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to authorize administrative approval for the Jordan's Furniture sign alterations located at 50 Walkers Brook Drive. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Public Hearing for Outdoor Storage Special Permit — 50 Walkers Brook Drive. Walpole Outdoor LLC Mr. Safina read the public hearing notice. Ms. Delios provided a summary of the Special Permit request. She said that Applicant is proposing to use an existing outdoor area for display of three sheds for Walpole Outdoor Page 1 2 LLC. Patrons of Walpole Outdoors would be escorted by staff to view the structures if they were interested in purchasing a unit. Mr. Sid Tildsley, representative of Walpole Outdoor, said that they opened about 2 years ago at this location and at that time it was agreed they could use the outdoor space for the display of their sheds. They do currently have a small mock -up of one of the sheds inside, but it is not a full display. They will escort customers to view the units. Mr. Tuttle asked if there is currently access to the outdoor space. Mr. Tildsley replied yes. He also clarified there is a railing on the patio which was evaluated by the Building Inspector to ensure it meets code. Mr. Steve Shultz, also representing Walpole Outdoor, said that they would escort patrons out to the area and that it would not just be open to the public to access. Mr. Hansen asked about snow removal. It was clarified that Jordan's does take care of snow removal in the outdoor patio area. Mr. Weston asked if the patio area could be viewed from the highway. It was clarified that yes, but that it was not meant to be a display from the highway. Mr. Weston expressed concern about the plan identifying a specific shed or unit and recommended that it be more generic to accommodate future plan if the shed units change. The CPDC reviewed the draft decision and changes were made to Finding number 2 and 3 to be more flexible in shed placement. No comments were received from the public. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to close the public hearing for Special Permit Request at 50 Walkers Brook Drive, Walpole Outdoors LLC. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the Special Permit for Outdoor Storage at 50 Walkers Brook Drive, Walpole Outdoors LLC as amended. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Update: 1090 -1100 Main Street - Artis Senior Living Mr. William Bergeron, Project Engineer with Hayes Engineering, summarized the changes to the site plan since last approved by the CPDC. Due to the final architectural design of the building, the overall size of the building has decreased. However, there is a larger rear patio area and the front porch is slightly larger. In addition to those changes, the Applicant provided a more detailed landscape plan. Mr. Bergeron said the plan calls for installation of a putting green and raised planter. The landscape plan also further detailed the outdoor walkways, seating and patio area. Due to the increase in impervious area from the sidewalk design, the plan now proposes to use porous pavers for the entire fire lane. The previous plan only called for a portion of the fire lane to be constructed with porous pavers. In addition, the 5 parking spaces nearest the site entrance will be constructed of porous pavement. Mr. Bergeron also said that changes were made to the design of the retaining wall at the rear of the site. The original plan called for versa block, however, the new proposal calls for a gravity wall design. This new design will help save additional trees. Some other minor changes include updates to the lighting plan based on the updated landscape plan and the addition of a drain manhole in the parking lot. Mr. Bergeron said they are obtaining bids for the utility and site work and have contractor for the wall in place. They anticipate a 12 month construction timeline. Mr. Safina expressed concern over the rear of the site and how much more luminous the site really is from the additional walkway lights. He said that it could be a big change to the Page 1 3 abutters looking down. Mr. Bergeron clarified that the majority of the lights are the small walkway lights, not bollards. Mr. Hansen expressed concern over the porous pavement and the maintenance associated with it. Mr. Bergeron clarified that they will be doing vacuuming anyways and the Town Engineer did not express any concerns. Ms. Wilson told the CPDC she spoke with the Fire Chief regarding the fire lane. She recommended a condition be included to ensure the porous pavers installed for the fire lane are done in accordance with the specifications for the material. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to determine the proposed changes qualify as a Minor Modification and subject to administrative approval. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Finalize Next Phase of Zonina Updates Mr. Ray Miyares, Town Counsel, reported that the Attorney General (AG) has approved the November Zoning changes with only one caution about Consultant Fees. He said that Article 7 also passed. The AG did have some comments about Article 7 mostly that they did not want to opine on our procedures for approvals. He said it was strange, but regardless both articles passed. Ms. Wilson reminded the CPDC that they sought input from other BCCs. She said a few comments were received related to maintaining the Aquifer Protection District. Also, Ms. Young - Tafoya of the EDC provided a comment letter as well. Ms. Wilson also said that the Conservation Administrator wanted to be involved in the re -write of the Planned Residential Development bylaw. She said that Town Counsel was invited to this meeting to provide any insight on other priorities he may see as more prudent to address sooner rather than later. Mr. Miyares said that he would recommend to the CPDC to hold off on any changes made to the sign bylaw at this time. This is because there is a Supreme Court case currently being looked at in regards to signs and it may cause some changes to what would be allowed in the future. He said that currently, Reading's bylaw does not differentiate between the function of the sign. The case may come back with a decision that could impact how we deal with functions of signs. Mr. Tuttle suggested informing the business community that changes to the sign bylaw will happen in the future. His other recommendation would be to move ahead with the Cell Tower Bylaw, which is currently called the Commercial Communication Structures bylaw. He said it does seem quite old and is in need of updating. The current language does assign cell towers to particular parts of town, but the federal law states that communities must allow these structures anywhere if there is a need demonstrated. He would recommend that be taken up in November. Mr. Tuttle asked if there are any templates bylaw. Mr. Miyares said there are and he would be happy to start a first draft. Mr. Miyares reminded the CPDC that in regards to Commercial Communication Structures language cannot discuss health impacts. The CPDC expressed concern over writing a zoning bylaw in which they would likely have no control over. Mr. Miyares replied that some communities have prevented undesirable structures based on demonstrating need. He told the CPDC that they should think about how desirable these facilities are in Reading, because in some communities towers are highly desirable to provide service. But in other communities they have great service and would not want it. Mr. Katsoufis suggested including language for a peer review option. Mr. Tuttle suggested including the ground equipment that goes along with it. Page 1 4 Mr. Hansen asked about inclusionary housing. Ms. Wilson said that inclusionary housing is a challenging topic and may need further discussion. Mr. Weston expressed concern about the proposed CPDC schedule as it relates to the zoning changes. He feels it is already a tough schedule. The CPDC discussed prioritization and there was some concern over moving forward with the Planned Unit Development (PUD). The Planned Residential Development (PRD) seemed a little more manageable. Mr. Miyares said that the Aquifer Protection District should be relatively easy since the changes seem minimal. Ms. Wilson said that MassDEP had a concern over the Lots in the Two Districts and Boundary Disputes. Mr. Weston did express concern over having the Town Engineer being the deciding factor in boundary disputes. Mr. Katsoufis said that the Town Engineer may also not have the ability to get to the level of detail needed to make the determination. The CPDC continued to discuss the comments from MassDEP and Mr. Miyares recommended removing the Lots in Two Districts altogether to avoid any issues. It was agreed further discussion review is needed for the provision regarding boundary disputes, but that the Lots in Two Districts provision could be deleted. Mr. Katsoufis said there were a few other things in the list of tabled items from the Zoning Advisory Committee (ZAC) that do need to get addressed. Mr. Hansen said at the last ZAC meeting they talked about the Purpose Section and would recommend that they consider using Lexington as a template. The CPDC discussed the PUD. Mr. Katsoufis said he could take a stab at re- writing it. Mr. Weston said that he felt the language could be more general and not so specific to a single project. Mr. Miyares reminded the CPDC that a consolidation with the definitions will be needed in the future. Ms. Wilson said that they may find additional problems and want to address it in the future. It was agreed to have Mr. Miyares review the Aquifer Protection District Regulations for the meeting of April 6th. The CPDC would then review the PRD and Purpose section for the March 23`d meeting. It was also agreed to have Mr. Miyares provide a template for Commercial Communications for April 6 th It was agreed to have Town Counsel at the meeting of April 6 th Minor Modification to Landscape Plan, Reading Woods Ms. Wilson summarized the proposed changes. The issue is that several evergreen trees located around building 5 are not surviving due to the heavy existing canopy. The landscape architect has submitted a proposal to swap out the evergreen trees for several rhododendron. Mr. Safina expressed concern over the plan and felt that it would not provide the screening they had hoped for. The CPDC reviewed the request and believed that they should come up with a variety of plantings that blended to accommodate the buffering in that area. Site Plan Review Guidelines Regulations and Standards Ms. Wilson told the CPDC that the Guidelines, Regulations and Standards are based on what the ZAC and Consultant had developed based on the last update in November. Mr. Weston asked about whether would really need to submit all this information. Mr. Katsoufis said that a form should be prepared to fill out as needed. Mr. Weston said that the current application form does include a checklist of various items. Page 1 5 Mr. Tuttle suggested making this into a checklist. He feels it may be more user friendly Mr. Weston suggested looking at the Checklist for Special Exception for Louden County Virginia. It was agreed that Staff will work on this and provide a draft to the CPDC for the next meeting. Modular Classroom Proposal for Readina Public Schools Ms. Delios reported that Town Meeting approved the funding for modular classrooms in February of this year. A preliminary locus plan has been prepared for the schools in which these classrooms are proposed and we wanted to get some initial thoughts from the CPDC. Mr. Weston expressed concern about how children will get to the classrooms as well as the security. Mr. Safina expressed concern about having children walk along area in which snow could potentially fall. There are not snow roof guards at all the schools. Mr. Hansen said that at Barrows, the blacktop area is use for pick -up and drop -off and the location of a modular classroom at this location could that pose a challenge. There was also concern about having kindergarteners using the classrooms and not the older children. Mr. Katsoufis said that students in the older grades move around and it could be more challenging, whereas the kindergarteners stay in one room generally all day. Mr. Weston asked why they cannot put the classrooms where they were previously. Ms. Delios said that the building code has changed. She said that Staff did recommend the School Department submit to the CPDC for Site Plan Review. Mr. Katsoufis said that the Early Childhood Need Group has become more forma. The purpose of that group is to start looking at the long term needs including the high school. This group will develop a needs statement. He said that as part of that group, he was charged with reporting back to the CPDC on their behalf and will be coming to the CPDC to report on various matters on this topic. The CPDC felt that it would be good for Mr. Katousfis to bring his CPDC perspective back to that group and vice versa so there is a good line of communication between the two groups. Reading Climate Action Committee — Recycling Bin in Public Lot Behind CVS Ms. Delios said that this committee has been working with the Town Manager on finding a location for container to recycle cardboard in the rear of the public parking lot behind CVS. At first glance, the Committee has recommended the southeast corner of the lot, but that there would likely be a loss of one parking space. The Committee surveyed the business owners about this idea and received positive responses. One of Ms. Delios' concerns about the proposal the management of the bin. The Committee has volunteered and JRM has offered to haul. Mr. Safina expressed concern about others dumping into the bin for other trash. Mr. Weston felt there was no difference between this bin and the bin in the Town Hall parking lot. Mr. Tuttle expressed concern about restricting it to strictly cardboard. Ms. Delios recommended that someone really truly manage it, like one of the businesses. Mr. Weston believed there was already an incentive for the business to recycle and does not understand why the Town would be involved. Mr. Tuttle felt that it is not an unreasonable use of the space, but the management is the key. Mr. Weston said that most of the businesses included in the survey, likely came before CPDC for some form of Site Plan Review. It is very likely we already asked about their recycling plans. Page 1 6 Other Updates Ms. Delios said that the Appointment Subcommittee recommended a fifth CPDC member and that person would need to be appointed by the Board of Selectmen on the 24tH Buratty Tavern - we are still working with them to get open. The inspectors found a few things which deviated from the approved plan, so we are working to get those issues addressed. Fuddruckers - The owner of Fuddruckers came in today to talk about adding more seats. Due to the new Beanstalk ropes course, they have seen a huge increase in business. They plan on renovating the space regardless, but that they will likely try to add more seats at the same time. Chucks Deli - Mr. Hansen noticed they are open. Ms. Delios was surprised to see them open as well. Approval of Minutes The CPDC reviewed the minutes of November 3, 2014 and suggested minor edits. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the minutes of November 3, 2014 as amended. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. The CPDC reviewed the minutes of December 8, 2014, 2014 and suggested minor edits. Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to approve the minutes of December 8, 2014 as amended. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Adiournment Mr. Tuttle moved the CPDC to adjourn at 11:00112M. Mr. Safina seconded and the motion carried 4 -0 -0. Page 1 7