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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-12-12 Community Planning and Development Commission Minutes� FN �O Town of Reading HEtitIVtU Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK ow�. v Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 2623 MAY 17 AM 8:53 Community Planning and Development Commission Date: 2022-12-12 Time: 7:30 PM Building: Town Hall Location: Hybrid Meeting - Zoom and Select Board Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Open Session Purpose: Hybrid Meeting Version: Final Attendees: Members: Heather Clish, Chair; Catrina Meyer, Pamela Adrian, John Weston, Tony D'Arezzo - Associate Members - Not Present: Others Present: Community Development Director Andrew MacNichol, Colin Young, Chuck Tirone, Josh Latham, Karen Herrick, Hayes Engineering, Jack, Jonathan Barnes, Stephen Crisafulli Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Mary Benedetto Topics of Discussion: MEETING HELD IN THE SELECT BOARD ROOM AND REMOTELY VIA ZOOM Ms. Clish called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. Mr. MacNichol gave an overview of the hybrid meeting set up and procedures. Sian Permit Application, 605 Main Street Love Struck Mr. Colin Young—the awning maker—attended in person, the project proponent attended via Zoom. Mr. Young explained that the project is to re-cover the existing frame. Their plan is to replace the awning with the same material which is the same color as the nearby awnings. The only changes are to the logo which will be 14" high with letters and a lightning bolt. It was discussed if the awning will be the exact same color as nearby ones, and confirmed that it will be burgundy. The nature of the business was briefly discussed and confirmed that they sell apparel. The Chair asked for public comment and there was none. Ms. Meyer made a motion to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for the sign at 605 Main Street. Ms. Adrian seconded and it was approved 5-0-0. Sion Permit Application, 721 Pearl Street Bare Meadow Conservation Land Mr. Chuck Tirone attended virtually to discuss the application. Mr. Weston noted there was a courtesy notice for this application and Mr. MacNichol stated no public comments were received. Mr. Tirone explained that the Town will be placing the sign at the entrance to an underutilized parking lot to try to encourage better use of the lot for the meadow and community garden. The sign is identical in design (font and colors) to the Mattera cabin 046,Town of Reading Meeting Minutes though it is different from the other town signs as they chose not to spend money on gold leaf. Ms. Adrian pointed out that on the Mattera cabin sign the heading is right justified while on the Bare Meadow it is left justified. Mr. Tirone indicated the justification choice simply has to do with the size of the sign and the specific name. Mr. Weston brought up the point that the sign uses two fonts but these are different than the ones the town uses and he believes the town should use the same font on all signs. He asked about the black border on the sign and it was confirmed by Mr. MacNlchol that the sign will have a black border around the sign and the letters, the same as other signs in town. Ms. Clish pointed out that on the sign or at the trailhead it doesn't note that it is owned and managed by the Town. Mr. D'Arezzo suggested adding the town logo to the right side of the sign or affixing the seal on either side of the location name and retroactively adding it to the Mattera cabin sign. It was discussed that the sign will be attached with two posts, one on either side that frame out the sign and that the final location will be confirmed with Engineering and the site plan so as to not block sight lines. Staff confirmed that the only comment from the Commission is to add the Town seal or Town signage onto it. Mr. Tirone confirmed acceptance of the comment. Continued Public Hearing, 40R Plan Review 25 Haven Street, 25 Haven Street LLC Mr. Josh Latham attended virtually on behalf of the applicant. He stated his client asked for a continuance until the next available public hearing, which is in January. Ms. Clish and Mr. Weston stated that they hoped the applicant would come back with guidance from the Historical Commission as it is required for the site. Ms. Meyer made a motion to continue the public hearing for the 40R pian review for 25 Haven Street to January 9t^, 2023 at Bpm, Ms, Adrian seconded and it was approved 5-0-0. With extra time before the next agenda item the Commission elected to review Meeting Minutes The Commission reviewed the minutes for August 8, 2022, and made changes. Ms. Meyer made a motion to approve the minutes of 8/8/22 as amended. Ms. Adrian seconded the motion and it was approved 4-1-0 with Mr. Weston abstaining because he did not attend the meeting. Minor Site Plan Review Birch Meadow Ms. Clish noted that a courtesy notice had gone out about the project and no comments were received. Mr. Stephen Crisafulli a landscape architect from Activitas—a design firm out of Dedham—attended in person to present on the project as he is the project manager. He has worked with the Town on the Birch Meadow master plan and was presenting on the Phase One for the parking lot, the walkway with signage "Imagination Station", and the central walkway. The improvements Include updating the entrance to the park, cleaning up the area with updated landscape Improvements, electric vehicle charging, and adding a O� PR Town of Reading (0, Meeting Minutes '3: N[oP�NPPt second curb cut from the road to help alleviate road issues. They anticipate 55 spaces of parking. Mr. Weston pointed out the low elevation of the entire area and asked about the grade of the parking lot in relation to the softball field and the road as they finalize their plans. He also brought up concerns about the new curb cut and how it functions in relation to the school drop-off and the cross walk and the desire to make sure the Principal and Police department are aware of these potential changes and comment on them. Mr. Weston asked about larger vehicle access to the site. Mr. Crisafulli indicated that at this time there are two bollards and DPW has keys that can be removed specifically for emergency vehicle and maintenance vehicle access and that the curb has been specifically designed to be mountable by an emergency or maintenance vehicle. Mr. D'Arezzo inquired and it was confirmed that the new curb cut is required for bus drop- offs. Ms. Clish inquired as to when busses are being used and Mr. Crisafulli said for high school games. He explained that currently visiting teams park and leave busses on Bancroft or on Birch Meadow and there have been complaints in surveys about the busses being left on the street. Mr. Weston indicated that overall that the Phase One plan is a big improvement over the existing gravel parking lot. Mr. Crisafulli stated the issues with school pickup can be looked at and the final decisions over the driveway open times can be discussed and finalized with the relevant parties. Ms. Clish asked about the duality of a handicap spot also being an EV spot and the new standards for EV spots vs. handicap parking and the treatment of the spaces on the lot. There was a general discussion of the new standards and the need to meet them. Ms. Clish asked for an overview of the stormwater management for the parking lot and Mr. Crisafulli indicated that the site is mimicking existing grades with sheet now into the middle island and several other areas. Mr. Crisafulli presented on the new accessible paved walkway connecting the high school to Birch Meadow. There are some benches, landscape improvements, and lighting. And then the replacement of an existing maintenance building with a new building that will include bathrooms, more storage, and a covered picnic area. Mr. Weston asked about the location of electric and lighting poles that are directly adjacent to the new walkway. Mr. Crisafulli stated that updating the electrical connections, removing those poles, and updating the stadium lighting will take place in the next phase of the project. Mr. Weston indicated he would really like the poles that are in the softball field to be removed now in this project phase. The lights on the pathway were discussed and it was indicated they would be pedestrian scale but are tall, not bollard height. Mr. Crisafulli stated that for lower bollard level height lights you would need many more lights on the pathway to achieve the same level of lighting. Mr. Crisafulli stated there is no light spillover into the wetland. Ms. Clish asked about some other areas near the soccer field and clarification about what will be built up to eliminate areas of muddiness. Mr. Weston asked if the athletic department is okay with areas that have access and are built up and Mr. Crisafulli confirmed that Athletics has reviewed the plans and referred to the plans to clarify for Ms. Clish. Town of Reading 00F.�U6 Meeting Minutes Ms. Clish stated her surprise at the location of the bathrooms and Mr. Weston agreed. Mr. Crisafulli stated that the location was chosen based on centrality and on all phases of work; Improvements in Phases 2 and 3 will make the location clearer. He also indicated there will be cameras. Ms. Meyer asked If Phases 2 & 3 would change sight lines to the bathrooms from other public areas. Mr. Crisafulli indicated that sight lines won't necessarily change, but that In later phases the locations of various other courts will be changing. Ms. Clish stated that though it is clear many members have contributed to this plan, it seems like an Issue to site the bathrooms where there is no clear view from the roads and therefore could be a place for teenagers to congregate out of sight. Mr. Weston stated it was a Title 9 issue to not remove the poles from the girls' softball field and the comparison between it and the boys' facility is clearly unequal to the girls. There was public comment from Karen Herrick. She asked if the restoration of the wetlands near the parking lot will be really wet and unusable or if could there be park benches or an enjoyable garden? Mr. Weston and Ms. Clish agreed that they would prefer having that area configured with a bench near the stream and other things in that area. Ms. Herrick was interested in putting in a memorial. She requested to know if the pathways would be pervious or impervious and Mr. Crisfaulli stated they would be impervious because of both maintenance and construction costs and explained a bit of the detail around construction differences. There was a discussion by several members of sheet runoff impacts from the paved pathways. Ms. Meyer made a motion to continue the public hearing for the Birch Meadow Minor Site Plan Review to January 9«, 2023 at 7:30pm. Ms. Adrian seconded and it was approved 5-0-0. Other Business MBTA Communities Update Mr. MacNichol summarized the local expectations and that the Town is in interim compliance. There was a brief discussion by members about how the focus of the entire mandate is really on the zoning, not on what is currently on the lot. Ms. Meyer asked if we created a new boundary area in downtown if that would mean we would lose the existing 4011 zone and Mr. MacNichol stated he would look into it. Mr. MacNichol gave details on the total area requirements and total unit requirements including the 1,493 total number of multi -family (3+) units that need to be zoned for by -right, and 600 units that need to be zoned for near the station area. The Town expects to submit the Action Plan by January 31 to remain in Interim compliance, which Includes a proposed schedule. There was a discussion by members of the desire to remain in compliance, the necessary information needed to move forward, and the future plans. Ms. Meyer asked for some possible scenarios to be presented to the CPDC in future meetings so they could better understand the options. Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Mr. MacNichol stated the process will be taking place throughout 2023 and take place primarily in internal town working groups. It is a plan that has to be updated every 5 years and is required by the state and FEMA for compliance. Net Zero Plan Mr. MacNichol stated that in 2023 the Town plans to work on a Municipal Net Zero plan to reduce emissions and generate better renewable energy sources. MVP Grant Award for Maillet Proiect �, orx� '� + Town of Reading „� „� Meeting Minutes a.�N(OPYo>P As an update to this project Mr. MacNichol indicated that work is expected to ensue in early 2023. They had a public engagement event with a walkthrough and got great feedback and community engagement. Meeting Minutes The Commission reviewed the minutes for September 12, 2022, and made changes. Ms. Meyer made a motion to approve the minutes of 9/12/22 as amended. Ms. Adrian seconded the motion and it was approved 5-0-0. Adiournment Ms. Adrian made a motion to adjourn at 10:12 PM. Ms. Meyer seconded and it was approved 5-0-0. Documents Reviewed at the Meeting: • CPDC Agenda 12/12/22 • CPDC Meeting Minutes of 8/8/22 and 9/12/22 • Sign Permit Application, 605 Main Street o Proposed Sign Rendering and Specifications o Draft Certificate of Appropriateness, dated 12/12/22 • Sign Permit Application, 721 Pearl Street o Proposed Sign Rendering and Specifications • Minor Site Plan Review Birch Meadow o Project Design Narrative, dated 11/30/22 o Application o Site Renderings, dated 11/30/22 o Architectural Plan Set, dated 11/30/22 o Photos of proposed building materials