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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-08-02 Zoning Board of Appeals Minutes'I OA~ CLCRK 'QED Town of Reading TOWN 1 CLERK ZONING BOARD OF APPS D ' S' Minutes of August 2, 2007 1001 AUG 21 P 3: 29 Members present: Members absent: Robert Redfern, Chairman Susan Miller John Jarema Clark Petschek Peter Tedesco Paul Dustin Michael Conway A meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts, at 7:00 P.M. Also in attendance was Carol Kowalski, Director of Community Services/Town Planner. ' Reorganization: It was decided by the Board to defer the reorganization until the next meeting when all seven members would be present. Case # 07-11 A Public Hearing to hear the submitted Local Initiative Program (LIP) application for property addressed at a portion of 49+ Pleasant Street (Assessors Map 0065, Lot 0007) and 75 Pleasant Street (Assessors Map 0065, Lot 0006). The application proposes to place 4 units of rental housing at said location, of which 100% of the units will be made affordable as per the Board of Selectmen LIP Regulations. The applicant is The Reading Housing Authority of 22 Frank Tanner Drive, Reading, MA. The drawings were prepared by Brown Linquist Fenuccio & Raber, 203 Willow Street, Suite A, Yarmouthport, MA. Attorney Brad Latham represented the Reading Housing Authority. Timothy Kelley, Karen Flammia and John Coote from the RHA were also present as well as the architect on the project, Rick Fenuccio. The Director of the RHA, Lyn Whyte, could not be present but will attend any future hearings. Attorney Latham asked if the application could be classified as an exhibit. He also distributed a copy of the Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) letter that was sent to him. He also referenced additional information that was included in the original gym' °4 application. Attorney Latham also distributed a list of the affordable housing units in Reading V ZBA Meeting, August 2, 2007 and other towns in the state. He read a letter from the. Town Manager stating Reading's current affordable housing status and distributed a request from the Applicant for waivers and exceptions. Attorney Latham reviewed the site plan that was submitted showing what is presently on the properties as well as the proposed site plan. He explained how parts of the lots would be merged and thus will create the lot where the four units of housing would be built as well as the parking for these units. Rick Fenuccio, the architect, said this would be a modular project. This means it would be pre- built off-site although it is a custom design. The project involves a sub-division of land but their engineer could not attend this meeting. The project will contain four townhouse-style dwelling units. Mr. Fenuccio explained they designed the building to fit in well with the other buildings on Pleasant Street. They will re-design the parking area to resolve the drainage problems that have existed in the past. He said they would re-grade the land around the new building to make a smooth transition to the parking area in the rear of the building for the eight parking spaces that will be designated for the four units. The State would like the building to have sprinklers if it is economically feasible although with the firewall in the middle of the building it is not required. The Chairman asked if there was access on Pleasant Street and Attorney Latham said there was but this access would not be practical unless someone was parking on Pleasant Street. They anticipate the most used access will be on Parker Street where the cuts are located. Timothy Kelley explained the situation regarding the two affordable units of housing contained in the building to the front left of the proposed building and how they may not be able to continue to rent these units as affordable due to State regulations that these units do not meet. They might sell these units to gain money to pay for the new building and that means the Town might only be gaining two more affordable units. A decision has not yet been made. Mr. Kelley said they will be meeting with the Town Engineer soon to go over the issues he had raised. The Chairman questioned the proposed parking diagram and said he thought there was an area that was encroaching on the lot line as well as a discrepancy in the number of spaces. The proposed parking plan is not in line with the submitted written summary and he thought it should be corrected. John Jarema said he knew the LIP had already gone before the Selectmen and in his opinion it was a good plan but he wanted to know why the present two lots had to be divided into three lots and was it because of the possibility of having to spin off the two-unit dwelling already there. Attorney Latham said this was a consideration. Mr. Jarema wanted to know how much the Senior Center was used during the day as well as during the evening. He also wanted to know who would enforce the four parking spaces designated for use by the Town during the day and the unit dwellers during the evening. Attorney Latham said the RHA has the right to enforce as well as the Police Department but there is yet to be a formal agreement between the RHA and the Town. The parking lot will be redone but there is not yet any decision as to whose responsibility it will be. Attorney Latham said this issue would be worked out with the Selectmen. They do not expect this area to be a high-use parking area. 2 ZBA Meeting, August 2, 2007 The Town Planner questioned the rear elevation and wanted to know if everyone understood the gable design in the rear of the building. Mr. Fenuccio explained how it was designed and why. She mentioned that one of the CPDC members had suggested an alternative design to avoid the long roofline and submitted it to Mr. Fenuccio. Bill Bogart, abutter at 75 Pleasant Street, said he thought the CPDC proposed roofline would be an improvement. He said the sharing of parking spaces has been a tradition in this area and it has not been an issue. There are often empty spaces and then some nights during a large meeting there are not enough spaces. He did not think permanent lighting in this area would be an asset and in fact could be a nuisance. He had some concern about the drainage. The Chairman said the DRT was concerned about the trash removal and whether it would be town removal or commercial removal. Attorney Latham said there would be a dumpster for these four units. Bernadette Cassetta, 16 Parker Street, said her house is located behind the empty building and the RHA does not care for it properly. She had added bushes as a buffer zone with the permission of the Town Manager and now it appears that they will move the bushes two' onto her property. She said the dumpster removal has been a problem in the past. She said snow removal has been a continual problem with piles of snow in the lot that in turn causes additional drainage problems. She also said the previous children who lived in that empty house were foul- mouthed and this restricted Ms. Cassetta's family's enjoyment of their own backyard. Mr. Jarema asked if they had addressed construction situations that will arise during the course of the building of these four units. He also asked if they could provide a landscaping overlay for the proposed site. Attorney Latham discussed the landscaping that was presently shown and said the construction issues would be considered as the process evolves. Mr. Jarema said the dimensional control issues are critical and asked would the Engineer on this project be present at a future hearing and Attorney Latham said he would be present at future meetings. Mr. Jarema also requested a sign-off letter from the Fire Chief and the Police Chief regarding issues relative to their departments. Peter Tedesco questioned the solvency of the RHA and asked for a cash flow statement that would guarantee they had funds to maintain this property. Mr. Bogart questioned the setbacks so Attorney Latham explained the existing setbacks and the proposed setbacks. Mr. Bogart wanted to know what would happen to the parking lot behind 75 Pleasant Street if that property were to be sold. Attorney Latham said it would revert to the Town. Mr. Bogart also requested that the dumpster be located closer to the Senior Center. The Chairman said the hearing should be continued in order for the Town and the RHA to continue discussions. There were scheduling problems for a future hearing with Board members as well as members of the RHA team. Mr. Kelley said the longer this process continues the greater the financial hardship to the RHA from loss of rents from 75 Pleasant Street. 3 ZBA Meeting, August 2, 2007 On a motion by John Jarema, seconded by Peter Tedesco, the Zoning Board of Appeals moved to continue the hearing to September 20, 2007. The vote was 5-0-0 (Redfern, Miller, Jarema, Tedesco, Petschek). Minutes On a motion by Susan Miller, seconded by John Jarema,'the Zoning Board of Appeals moved to accept the minutes of June 7, 2007. The vote was 5-0-0 (Redfern, Miller, Jarema, Tedesco, Petschek). On a motion by John Jarema, seconded by Clark Petschek, the Zoning Board of Appeals moved to accept the minutes of June 7, 2007. The vote was 5-0-0 (Redfern, Miller, Jarema, Tedesco, Petschek). Adjournment On a motion by Susan Miller, seconded by John Jarema, the Zoning Board of Appeals moved to adjourn the meeting. The vote was 5-0-0 (Redfern, Miller, Jarema, Tedesco, Petschek). Respectfully subm' ted, Maureen igh Recordin Secretar 4 ZBA Meeting, August 2, 2007