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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-09-09 Community Planning and Development Commission MinutesRECEIVED IsRte° Town of Reading READING, IMA ;;.,,.?� Meeting Minutes'`L l`r° 2022 JUN -7 PH 3: 24 P'�KOPP�P Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Community Planning and Development Commission Date: 2020-09-09 Time: 7:30 PM Building: Location: Remote Meeting - Zoom Address: Session: Purpose: Meeting Version: Attendees: Members: John Weston, Chair; Nick Safina, Heather Clish, Pamela Adrian, Tony D'Arezzo-Associate Members - Not Present: Rachel Hitch Others Present: Community Development Director Julie Mercier, Staff Planner Andrew MacNichol, Cad McFadden, Jody Heyward, Joe Finigan, Bill Robichaud, Ron Ranere, Phil Rushworth, Kevin Vendt Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Andrew MacNichol Topics of Discussion: MEETING HELD REMOTELY VIA ZOOM John Weston called the meeting to order at 7:33 PM. Community Development Director Julie Mercier explained the protocols for tonight's meeting that is being held virtually as all hearings throughout summer have been. She presented the Zoom Meeting information to the public for those wishing to join. She explained the features of the Zoom program and how to provide comments for any given application. She added that RCN is broadcasting and recording the meeting. Public Hearing, Site Plan Review 1 (a.k.a 100) General Way. SNL -U, LLC Mr. D'Arezzo read the legal notice into record and opened the Public Hearing for a Site Plan Review at 1 (a.k.a 100) General Way. He then recused himself from the application as an abutter to the project. Mr. Weston requested the Applicant to provide a summary of the application. Mr. Carl McFadden of the application team started with a thank you to the Board and Staff members accommodating time for the application. He continued that the use proposed is much needed in Town as the ongoing pandemic forces remote learning to continue. He stated that SNL -LI who handles athletic programming and Alphabest who manages academic support programs are combining to bring both to one site. The use will allow parents to give their children a physical place to enhance their remote studying and learning while also allowing parents to get back to the workplace. Mr. McFadden stated the State is embracing developments such as this in order to provide relief. The Applicant team includes former Reading Principal Joe Finnegan and is working with Dr. Doherty of the Reading Public School Department. Mr. McFadden continued that the use will utilize the existing space at 100 General Way which was formerly Golds Gym. He stated that the site will use Wood End School as an I OrR AO e Town of Reading '� ...��= Meeting Minutes ^o'++nsu�P�Fu example for drop-off and pick-up procedures. He then deferred to architect Ron Ranere to present the plans. Mr. Ranere shared the plan set on the screen. He described the addition of cars being drawn In to the existing site plan in order to depict traffic flow. He stated that during town meetings there were concerns of a long queue length at one entrance so they have provided a second drop-off and pick-ep entrance to the site. The second entrance currently exists and includes a sidewalk and lighting. The team expects that parents will enter the site through the rear and that parents will be assigned to an entrance. Mr. McFadden added that one family can Include multiple children coming in one car as well. Mr. Weston asked how early the site will be accessed and how will drop-off be scheduled. Mr. McFadden replied that as early as 7:OOAM and through 7:45AM parents will be dropping their children off. He mentioned that school starts at 8:OOAM matching the Public -School start times. Parents will be required to answer a questionnaire prior to drop-off and three staff members will assist in the drop-off period. He opined that a car can finish the procedure in about 10 seconds. Mr. Ranere explained each rectangle on the plan Is 20' long to depict a car and space between each vehicle. If parents are to be entering the south entrance they will access the site through Gooddall Sanford Road and if they are required to go through the north entrance they can enter the site through General Way. Mr. McFadden stated the closest tenant to the right is Uquor Junction which is about 300 yards away. Mr. Safina asked if a pedestrian space is included at the south entrance. Mr. Ranere stated cones will be provided to keep cars off of the building. Mr. Safina expressed concerns that this could work well in the winter. He also expressed concerns of cars leaving out of order close to pedestrians. Mr. Ranere stated temporary plastic barriers can be provided. Mr. Safina asked if the loading zone to the west is utilized and if the queue area should be moved to the east. Mr. McFadden stated the tenant Is an awning production company and is not there that early in the morning. Ms. Jody Heyward of Danis Properties stated the tenant has been reached out to and that he has some deliveries before noon but it should not present any issues. Mr. Safina questioned if the queue length would block traffic flow coming from around the building corner. Mr. McFadden stated it will not reach the end of the building. Mr. Safina asked if signage would be provided. Mr. McFadden replied In the affirmative and that a speed bump may be installed. He continued that cones will depict the length of the queuing zone to maintain space. Mr. Safina opined markings on the pavement should be provided to ensure consistency. Mr. McFadden agreed and stated the Town can also approve the locations. Mr. Safina questioned why the south entrance drops kids out of the wrong side of the car. Mr. McFadden stated children will most likely be in the back seat of the car and it was designed to maximize the parking queue. Mr. Safina asked if the panting is to be removed Mr. Ranere stated the striping will remain but that the parking spaces will not be utilized. Mr. Safina asked how it will be managed if a parent is at the wrong entrance. Mr. Robichaud of SNL -U stated both entrances will maintain a complete list of students and can check in others as needed. Mr. McFadden stated tablets will be used for the process. Mr. Joe Finigan former principal stated parents want to feel safe as well. Ms. Clish asked how parents' expectations of both safe and quick will be managed. Mr. McFadden replied parents have been reached out to in order to gather concerns and help make the process better. O� OPHFq Town of Reading y Meeting Minutes 4410 ,...__ � Mr. Safina asked what the time length for the use Is. Mr. McFadden stated a lease agreement with Danis Properties is to keep the use maintained throughout the remote experience which could go through June 30, 2021. He added that a hybrid model of bi- weekly of in -school and using the remote site could also be managed. Ms. Heyward stated that retail tenants are the goal but the use is a major need and retail is tough during the pandemic. She continued that a long -tens tenant Is always a goal but right now the use fits. Ms. Cllsh asked If the queue area will be cleared of snow regularly. Ms. Heyward replied in the affirmative. Ms. Clish also asked If pick-up time will be based on parent schedule. Mr. McFadden also replied in the affirmative and that pick-up time will range from 3:OOPM- 6:OOPM. Mr. Weston questioned how fast a drop-off can be accommodated. Mr. McFadden replied that patterns will form over time which will help make it easier. He stated pick-up will be quicker due to different pick-up times of each parent and that no questionnaire will be required. Mr. Weston was curious as to if parents only can drop-off or pick-up and answer the questionnaire. Mr. McFadden stated an email can be sent with the form and guardian in charge that day or it can be a hard copy brought in. Mr. Weston suggested that a pull off area be provided for parents who have to deal with a quick emergency In the morning. Mr. Weston asked how high speeds will be mitigated. Ms. Heyward stated that a speed bump will be installed and that a sign board will be provided by the Police Department a week In advance to let residents know. Mr. Weston asked where the speed bump will be located. Mr. McFadden stated it would be about 20' Into the site entrance from Goodall Sanford Road. Mr. Weston opined that a speed bump be installed at the south corner of the queuing area so others coming around the corner are aware. Ms. Heyward stated two speed bumps will be installed. Mr. Weston asked If outside lighting is adequate. Mr. Ranere showed the exterior lighting locations and opined they would be sufficient. Mr. Safina stated the three wall packs are fairly large. Ms. Heyward agreed and stated that they are 400 watts each. Mr. Safina asked if the eave will be repaired as it is starting to degrade. Ms. Heyward replied she will look into it. Mr. Safina questioned the narrative and code summary. He asked if engineering studies have been done for the site and for backup concerns. Mr. Ranere stated though the use changed they are the same level of hazard and no changes are needed. Mr. Safina disagreed and stated this should be considered a Level Two change due to the changing of doors and windows. Ms. Heyward stated the door being Installed is for Liquor Junction on a separate permit. Mr. McFadden added that the Fire Department and the Facilities Director has toured the space for ventilation and other infrastructure concerns. Mr. Safina stated according to Code 105 a Building Permit is needed for a change of use. He asked if engineering studies have been done to confirm that everything meets the need of an educational use. Mr. Ranere replied In the negative. Ms. Heyward stated the Fire Department has inspected every alarm, fixtures and back-ups. Mr. McFadden agreed that the Fire Department has visited many times and has raised no concerns. Mr. Safina asked if the restrooms are ADA compliant. Mr. Ranere stated that grades 1-6 are treated as adult restrooms and are okay as is. Mr. Safina disagreed and stated the range is K -V grade which this would trip. He stated concerns that steps are being skipped in terms of compliance reports. Mr. McFadden replied that the building department is inspecting the site Thursday morning. Ms. Adrian asked if all restrooms are private to the site. Mr. Ranere Town of Reading Meeting Minutes stated they are private to the specific site only. Ms. Adrian asked if there are entrances to other tenant's spaces in the site. Mr. McFadden replied in the negative. Ms. Clish asked if there are enough electrical outlets in the site for 100 kids and their laptops that won't last all day. Mr. McFadden stated that is a concern of the Fire Department as well. He continued that there is an outlet every 5' in some areas due to the previous gym use and that they can sustain the load. Mr. Weston opened the hearing to public comment Mr. Safina stated some of the statements in the Code Summary are incorrect and It should be revised and resubmitted. Mr. Ranere agreed. Mr. Weston stated he would like to review the requested waivers. He added that a large number are included In the application. Mr. Salina expressed concern over waiving the Site Plan Review Fee. Mr. McFadden stated that can be removed from the Draft Decision. Mr. Safina moved to closed the Public Hearing for Site Plan Review at 1 General Way. Ms. Clish seconded the motion and approved with a 4-0-0 vote. Mr. Safina made a motion to approved the requested waivers for Site Plan Review at 1 General Way. Ms. Clish seconded the motion and was approved with a 4-0-0 vote. Mr. Safina made a motion to approve the Site Plan Review Decision for 1 General Way as amended. Ms. Clish seconded the motion and approved with a 4-0-0 vote. Minor Modification. Administrative Rule Discussion 30 New Crossino Road, COVID-19 Testing Tent Ms. Mercier explained that the Town received a request from Hallmark Health for an outside Covid-19 Testing tent at 30 New Crossing Road. She explained that there is not a clear procedure to allow for such. She shared the proposed plan on the screen. Ms. Mercier provided some background information on Covid-19 protocols within the Town. She stated that the Board of Health has suspended enforcement of parking requirements under zoning across Town in order to provide Flexibility when It comes to outdoor dining. She stated that the action did not Include other outdoor uses such as the proposed testing tent. Ms. Mercier questioned if the application could be reviewed administratively under Minor Modification due to the fact that the business would use their private lot and the application is directly related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ms. Mercier stated that the original Site Plan Review Decision has been reviewed and a number of minor conditions would be affected by the application. She opined that the application could be used as an example for future applications that are similar in nature and directly related to the ongoing pandemic. She added that an Internal review by Town Staff would be conducted before any approvals. Mr. Weston asked how a temporary commercial use, related to the business or not, could be approved. He used the Home Depot outdoor sales as an example. He stated that CPDC officially approved the Home Depot application for them to use outdoor parking areas for sales; site plans were presented and approved for specific locations. He opined that changes F orxFa 0 `� ° Town of Reading 17 Meeting Minutes to site uses and parking should allow for public Input. Mr. Weston felt that thresholds should be developed so that one site is not viewed as more favorable than another and that all are given a fair and open public process. Ms. Mercier agreed that Impacts could extend beyond the parking lot. Ms. Clish agreed that while the application before them is pretty clear others may not be as simple. She questioned If outdoor dining, required for today's restaurants, would be looked at as the same as a testing tent as both are related to the pandemic. She stated caution should be used when temporary changes to parking are expected. Mr. Saflna agreed that both examples are reacting to emergency needs but they are separate from a simple outdoor sales use. He continued that the application before them and outdoor dining do provide community benefit during these times. He stated that obvious commercial sales of goods should not be allowed via the same administrative process. He felt comfortable with Town Staff reviewing applications that do not directly abut residential uses. He stated that proximity to residential uses should be a threshold for determining the type of review an application will receive; Ms. Clish agreed. If a line cannot be distinguished between community benefits/emergency needs and commercial sales then all should go through a public process. Ms. Mercier stated that the Minor Site Plan Review process allows for some flexibility by staff due to lack of statutory requirements. She stated the Town performs notification of Site Plan Reviews In the same way they do for most applications (14 days, letter to abutters and print in local paper) but that is not technically required by the State and can be sped up If needed. Mr. Weston clarified that a two-week notice is not required but was of the opinion that specially scheduled meetings should be provided for applications such as the one before the Board tonight. Ms. Adrian agreed that a streamlined process would be a major benefit. Ms. Clish agreed that the Board should be flexible for'Covid Solution Projects'. Ms. Mercier agreed and stated that additional meetings would be scheduled for the future. Mr. Safina summarized the discussion for Mr. Weston who had excused himself from the meeting for a few minutes. Mr. Weston agreed that differentiating applications for commercial uses and ones for community benefit would be a helpful endeavor. Ms. Mercier stated that such determinations could be made on a case-by-case basis. Mr. D'Arezzo stated that the duration of use for certain applications can present problems. He stated that a weekend sale does not have as much impact as a four-month testing tent. Ms. Clish agreed that commercial uses expanding into outdoor areas would require a review Including those for health services outside of Covid related needs. Mr. Safina acknowledged the view and agreed the line between the two is difficult to define yet easy to see. Mr. Weston stated that the process must be predictable and fast. Mr. Weston opined that if an application Is public health related It should be reviewed administratively. He did not feel the same for commercial sales or outdoor dining. Ms. Clish suggested that the criteria be for public health services and not just need as outdoor dining is a need but not a direct public service. Mr. D'Arezzo asked if the State of Emergency is still in effect. Ms. Mercier replied that she was unsure but operating under the assumption that it is. Mr. D'Arezzo opined that such applications be reviewed by staff during state of emergencies as long as they are related to mitigating the Impacts of such whether It be a public health emergency, flooding, natural hazards or other. Ms. Clish asked if medical services Is too limiting of a term to use for criteria. Mr. Safina opined that it was and gave an example of food distribution during the pandemic. ° Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Ms. Mercier stated that she will work to draft zoning bylaw language based on the discussion. She noted that thought Is being given to many different outdoor uses as the town prepares for the spring and summer of 2021. 8/10/2020 Mr. Safina made a motion to approve the 8/10/2020 meeting minutes as amended. Ms. Clish seconded the motion and approved with a 5-0-0 vote. Adiournment Mr. Safina made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 PM. The motion was seconded by Ms. Clish and approved with a 5-0-0 vote. Documents reviewed at the meetinc: CPDC Agenda 91920 CPDC Minutes 811020 Hallmark Health COVID Testing Tent schematic, 30 New Crossing Road SNL U. 100 General Way: • Legal Ad for Site Plan Review Hearing • SNL Sports Academy Space Layout Plan • Code Summary • Reopening Protocols • Program Modifications • Alpha Academy Schedule • Dropoff Plan • Letter from Reading Police Department • Draft Decision, dated 9/920