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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-12-11 Conservation Commission Minutes rriATown of Reading fMeeting Minutes R � �� . r SIA. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 2620 tEfs -316- 3� 48Conservation Commission Date: 2019-12-11 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Select Board Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Open Session Purpose: Public Meeting Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Vice Chair Michael Flynn, Bob Hayes, David Pinette, Carl Saccone, Annika Scanlon; Chuck Tirone, Conservation Administrator Members - Not Present: None Others Present: Bill Sullivan, Connie Martin-Wilson, Dennis Moreno, Joann Morena, Hien Dong La, Robert Connolly, Leslie Connolly, Daniel Ford, Maham Ahmed, Sania Ahmed, Farrukh Najui, Theo Carmone, Cedric & Carolyn Colbert, Karen Pinette, Joe Wilson, Robert Strandberg, Matthew Moriarty, Richard Randazzo, Pete Misticawi, Andrew Street, Steve Eriksen, Nancy Docktor, Tom Gardner Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jacquelyn LaVerde and Chuck Tirone Topics of Discussion: Mr. Flynn called the meeting to order at 7:OOpm. NOI 270-0714, 135, 139 & 149R Howard Street, Map 10 Lots 75, 76 & 77, Infrastructure Holdings LLC. Update. Continued at the applicant's request until January 8'h, 2020. Andrew Street of Civil Design Consultants provided a brief update following a comment letter from Horsley Witten. They made a similar presentation to the Community Planning and Development Commission this past Monday and will be meeting with Town departments for a Design Review meeting next Wednesday. Motion to continue NOI 270-0714 by Mr. Pinette, seconded by Mr. Hayes. Vote 4- 0-0. Mr. Saccone arrived at 7:02pm. NOI 270-0675, 364 Lowell Street, Map 26 Lot 157, Jamison Properties, LLC Continued at the applicant's request until January 8th, 2020. Mr. Flynn opened the Public Hearing. Mr. Tirone stated that he spoke with Steve Dodge regarding an egress from the basement that was not on the original Order of Conditions. Per the building code, there needs to either be a doorway or emergency exit window. The Commission is scheduled to visit the site on January 7'h where they will be able to go inside the basement. Following the site visit, Mr. Dodge will attend the next meeting and try to explain to the Commission why a doorway is needed. Motion to continue NOI 270-0675 by Mr. Pinette, seconded by Mr. Saccone. Vote 5-0-0. Page 1 1 NOI 270-0727, 259 & 267 Main Street, Map 12 Lot 39 & 40, Stonegate Construction Continued at the applicant's request until January 8°M1, 2020. Mr. Flynn reopened the Public Hearing. Mr. Tirone stated that he met with Dave Cowell and Joe Peznola of Hancock Associates at the site to look at the easement over which the applicants are proposing a walking path. While there, they looked at the bank of the stream and noticed that it was severely undercut. The applicants are looking to improve the bank by cleaning out some loose material without doing any cutting, and planting approximately 100 trees and shrubs. They need a little more time for some additional survey work and will appear before the Commission at the next meeting with updated plans and next steps. Motion to continue NOI 270-0727 by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Pinette. Vote 5-0-0. NOI 270-, 0 Haverhill Street, Map 29 Lot 94 & 95, Hall Mr. Flynn opened the Public Hearing. Steve Eriksen of Norse Environmental was present to propose development of two single family homes on two existing lots on Haverhill Street. They are requesting a waiver to the 25-foot no disturb zone and 35-foot no structure zone. As mitigation, 4,400 square feet will remain undisturbed. Erosion control will be used and all roof runoff will be infiltrated toward the front. For additional mitigation, a 3-foot gravel path is proposed to access the rear of the property and a conservation restriction would be put on part of the land. That portion of restricted land could be donated to the Town and would tie in with the adjacent Timberneck Swamp open space parcels. Ms. Scanlon asked how much of the back area would be conservation restricted and how much of it is wetland. Mr. Eriksen stated that the area has not yet been flagged, but there is some upland in the area. Ms. Scanlon stated that she would be disinclined to grant a variance as financial motivation is not a good reason to encroach in the buffer zones under the wetlands protection act. She also noted that the Deerfield series soil map in the NOI indicated that the seasonal high water table is 18-36 inches and asked how buildable the lot could be with such a high water table. Mr. Flynn stated that he does not feel that avoiding disturbance of an area qualifies as mitigation. Dennis Moreno of 114 Haverhill Street expressed concern about the proposed path. He asked who would use the path, where people would park their cars, and expressed concern about the safety of kids in the neighborhood. Robert Connolly of 5 Varney Circle also expressed concerns about parking and who accesses the path. He asked if it would go behind existing houses and how far into the wetlands the path would go. He noted existing issues on Varney Circle with people parking and turning around. He expressed concern about homeless people using the path, and kids using it to party and do drugs. Mr. Tirone noted that parking is an issue to be taken up with the Select Board and if anyone sees a tent to call the Police. Connie Martin-Wilson of 12 Varney Circle noted that when she bought her house in 1994, the Conservation Commission advised her what she could and could not do with her land in order to preserve nature. She noted that she would like to continue to preserve the nature scape and expressed concern about what effect a new structure in close proximity may do to the landscape. Pete Misticawi of 15 Varney Circle stated that he is worried about the path and security for his two kids. He also noted issues with people parking on Varney Circle, seeing people pull onto the street to deal drugs, and seeing homeless people in the woods already and asked the Commission not to add to the problem. The Commission scheduled a site visit for Monday, December 16'^ at 12:OOpm. Page 1 2 Theo Carmone of 16 Varney Circle stated that he had a list of issues signed by the area residents that he wanted to add to the record. Mr. Flynn instructed Mr. Carmone to email the document to Mr. Tirone and it would be added to the public record. Maham Ahmed of 105 Haverhill Street expressed concern for construction parking, as there is no on-street parking allowed on Haverhill Street and there are already a lot of accidents. Mr. Tirone reiterated that the parking issues are not under the Conservation Commission's purview. He acknowledged the concerns of everyone in attendance, but clarified that the conservation restriction is enticing to the Commission. However, this is just the first step in the process and there will be a review period. The Commission will decide how important the restriction is to this part of the project. Motion to continue by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Saccone. Vote 5-0-0. RDA-2019-15 Off Strout Avenue, Map 43, 44, (50) Lot 43, 117, (3, 4, 20, 22) Town DPW Bill Sullivan and members of the Town Forest Committee were present to explain the selective thinning of the Town Forest. There are two areas that will be addressed in the pilot project including the area around the council ring, and a separate area south of the council ring. The Town forest was planted in the 1930s as a plantation. Trees would be removed and replanted, however, that has not been done for many decades. This has led to a monoculture of very old mature trees which may lead to vulnerability to drought and disease. The majority of trees are red pine, which really belong in a more northern climate, and there is a lot of invasive buckthorn. Out of 300 total acres, the pilot program will thin out approximately 4.5 acres. The idea is to thin out the canopy to allow sunlight to reach the ground which will promote the growth of saplings. The work will be done in February or March when the ground is frozen and damage by machinery would be minimized. The next steps for the Town Forest Committee are to host a public meeting to brief the public, finalize the bid documents, put the project out to bid, then award the contract and get the work completed. A boy scout project in the spring will remove the buckthorn. Ms. Scanlon noted that there are two vernal pools identified on either side of the causeway. Due to the timing of migration for vernal pool activity, she expressed concern with the timing of the work. She also referred to stand 45 on the plan, expressed concern with its proximity to the wetland line, and asked that erosion control be added. Mr. Tirone noted that because it is a rare habitat, the applicant needs to make sure that the project is exempt from MESA review. If not exempt, the Town Forest Committee will need to apply for a project review. Motion to continue by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Saccone. Following discussion of whether to continue or provide a contingent decision, the Commission voted 0-5-0 with all members opposed to a continuance. Motion to issue negative determination positive 2B by Mr. Pinette with the following conditions: 1) that it be issued if MESA review is not required; 2) that the project is completed by March 6, 2020; 3) with erosion control subject to review by the Commission; and 4) that if an extension is needed to complete the work, that the Town Forest Committee appear before the Conservation Commission at the February 26, 2020 meeting. Motion seconded by Ms. Scanlon. Vote 5-0-0. 270-0723 Minor Plan Change, Austin Prep The applicant presented a minor plan change to modify the footing for the scoreboard. The original plan showed a typical 20-feet long x 3-feet wide x 6-feet deep foundation footing. However, based on the soils, the structural engineer recommended the foundation be 19- feet long x 6-feet wide x 3-feet deep. After working with the engineer, the decision was made to rotate the footings slightly, and pull the foundation forward up to the walkway to minimize the extension on the back side. The impact is reduced by 15.7 square feet within the replication area. Other minor changes include: a reduced distance between tennis Page 1 3 courts shortening the tennis court area by 60 feet; removal of lights from the tennis courts; and switching the location of the bullpen and the walkway. Motion to approve Minor Plan Change 270-0723 by Mr. Pinette, seconded by Mr. Hayes. Vote 5-0-0. Old/New Business: 30 Ashley Place Mr. Tirone reviewed the project of an addition to the existing house. Per the order of conditions, a patio setup in the stream was to be removed and granite bounds installed. Pictures of the property showed grass established, erosion control still setup, and granite bounds put in. Motion to issue Certificate of Compliance for 30 Ashley Place by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Saccone. Vote 5-0-0. ORAD ANRAD 270-0726, 0 Annette Lane, Map 38 Lot 139, Seibold Mr. Tirone reviewed the site visit that he, Mr. Flynn, and Ms. Longley took back in October to review the wetland delineation. Three Flags were moved as indicated with an "R": 19R, 24R, and 5R. The plans were revised to include the modified wetland delineation line. Motion to issue ORAD and accept flags 1-28 as shown on the revised plans dated October 22, 2019 by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Pinette. Vote 5-0-0. Administrator's Report: 161 Belmont Street Mr. Tirone stated that he spoke with Erik Burkhart, the property owner. Mr. Burkhart would like to install a fence in his yard right up to the wetland with a gate in the back and a gate in the side. The wood piles have been removed and Mr. Tirone will remind the property owner that dumping of yard waste is not permitted beyond the fence. Motion to add fence and removal of wood pile as part of negative RDA by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Pinette. Vote 5-0-0. Blll@: MACC Dues Mr. Tirone reviewed the annual dues in the amount of $777 Motion to approve payment for MACC dues by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Saccone. Vote 5-0-0. Water/Sewer Bill Mr. Tirone reviewed the standard bill received for Pearl Street in the amount of $19.71. Motion to approve payment of water/sewer bill by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Pinette. Vote 5-0-0. Horsley Witten Invoice Mr. Tirone reviewed the invoice received from Horsley Witten for the site inspection, review of NOI, written analysis, working session, hearing attendance and peer review in the amount of $1,475. He is going to call Horsley Witten to ask whether review of NOI was included on a previous invoice. Motion to approve payment of Horsley Witten invoice pending Mr. Tirone's review by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Pinette. Vote 5-0-0. Minutes: 26 Mile Post Road At Ms. Scanlon's request, Mr. Tirone provided an update on 26 Mile Post Road. He visited the site and noted that the no disturb zone was supposed to remain unmowed, but the applicant had a different opinion about mowing around the trees. A trampoline had been removed per the Order of Conditions. Once the weather improves, the Commission will need to decide whether mowing will be allowed around the trees in the zone of natural vegetation. Page 14 Motion to approve the meeting minutes from November 13, 2019 by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Pinette. Vote 5-0-0. Last Minute Updates: Parking at Perfecto's, 285 Main Street Mr. Flynn stated that there continues to be a Mercedes observed parking between the dumpster and the building. On the other side of the dumpster, there has also been as many as four cars being parked there regularly, when there is only three cars allowed to park there. In previous meetings, it was clear that the owner understood the parking conditions. Numerous notices have been sent, and attempts have been made to stop the parking from happening where it is not allowed. The Commission discussed possible courses of action and decided to send an enforcement order saying that parking is to cease effective the date the owner receives the letter. Failure to comply will result in a $300 fine until the owner complies. Mr. Saccone left the meeting at 10:03pm. Departure of Rebecca Longley Mr. Flynn stated that Chair Rebecca Longley officially resigned from the Commission. Motion by Ms. Scanlon to nominate Mr. Flynn as Chair, seconded by Mr. Hayes. Vote 4-0-0. With Mr. Flynn now Chair, he welcomed nominations to replace him as Vice Chair. Motion by Mr. Hayes to nominate Ms. Scanlon as Vice Chair, seconded by Mr. Flynn. Vote 4-0-0. Mr. Pinette thanked Ms. Longley for all of her service to the Commission and noted that he would miss her, her guidance, and her knowledge. The Commission echoed Mr. Pinette's sentiments and expressed appreciation for her dedication as well. Motion to adjourn by Ms. Scanlon, seconded by Mr. Pinette. Vote 4-0-0. Meeting adjourned at 10:29pm. Page 1 5