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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-01-12 Community Planning and Development Commission MinutesTown of Reading RECEIVED 16 Lowell Street TOWN C CLERK Reading, MA 01867-2683 READING, MASS. Phone: 781-942-6612 Fax: 781-942-9071 2010 JAN 21 A n 'i4' Email: ckowalski@ci.reading.ma.us Community Planning and Development Commission CPDC MINUTES Meeting Dated: Janua 12, 2009 Location: Selectmen's Meeti g Roor'a, Town Hall Time: 7 30 PM Members Present: David. Tutt e (DT)Chairman;°"Nicholas S'afina {IVY) ,-Secretary; J hn Weston (JW), and Joseph Patterson Also Present: Carol Kowalski (CK), Town Planner; Abigail McCabe (AM), Staff Planner; and. Michael Schloth, Recording Secretary. Ms. Patti Ciavarra, REI, 6750 South 228117 Street, Kent, WA Mr. Scott Cunningham, REI, 6750 South 228th Street, Kent, WA Mr. Jeff Goldberg of Cumberland Farms, 777 Dedham Street, Canton, MA Mr. Dean Kruger of Robert F. Vanney Architects, 360 North Robert Street, St. Paul, MN Attorney Michael Larkin, Jr., 2500 Main St., Tewksbury, MA 01876 Attorney Josh Latham of Latham, Latham & Lamond, P.C., 643 Main Street Mr. Manny Paiva of Cumberland Farms, 777 Dedham Street, Canton MA Mr. Rick Schaffer, 67 Woburn Street Mr. Jack Sullivan, P.E., Boxford, MA Mr. Dave Talbot, 75 Linden Street Mr. Bill Thompson, 36 Woburn Street Ms. Julie Thurlow, 180 Haven Street There being a quorum the Chair called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. Site Plan Review (continued) 279 Salem Street, REI Interior and exterior renovations Ms. Patti Ciavarra and Mr. Scott Cunningham appeared for REI. Also present was their architect, Mr. Dean Kruger. The draft decision was reviewed_ • Handicapped Spaces: REI will add three handicapped spaces for a total of five. The architectural access consultant's report specified a total of six but the sixth would be the responsibility of the future tenant of the unused building on the site. Page 1 of 6 CPDC Minutes of 1/12/09 • Signage: REI will be back to present a signage plan at a later date. • Bike Racks: Two bike racks will be placed against the building's front wall one at either end as per the Board's request. • Blocked Window: REI will use a film to block the window to the left of the entrance and just above the wall only. No other windows will be blocked. The film will be of a frosted, translucent color and not blacked out. There would be no logo on the film. The consensus of the Board was they had no issue with REI's plans to block the window. The Board noted the method, amount, and location of blocked window at this site did not raise the same concerns as windows blocked in the downtown. The Board directed the decision's language be changed to note the blocking film will be frosted and translucent, and on the window's interior surface. NS moved the Board close the Public Hearing. JW seconded. By a vote of 4:0:0, the Public Hearing was closed. NS moved the Board approve the Site Plan Review Decision as amended. JP seconded. By a vote of 4:0:0; the Site Plan Review Decision for 279 Salem Street, REI, was approved.. Request for Waiver from Site Plan Review 83 Main Street, Cumberland Farms/Gulf Gas .S'tadon Installation of colored band to canopy and building. Representing the applicant was Mr. Manny Paiva of Cumberland Farm's Planning Department and Mr. Jeffery Goldberg manager of the site. History: Early in 2008, an application was submitted to change all signage to reflect the change in ownership from Exxon to Gulf. The Building Inspector ruled the freestanding sign and one wall sign could be changed by right but to add more wall signs would require a variance from the ZBA. The applicant decided to remove all other signage from their plans but requested they be allowed to add a striped band in Gulf's colors to the perimeter of the canopy and upper edge of the North, West, and South sides of the building. The Building Inspector ruled this band would not be signage but as it would constitute a change of over 300 gross square feet to the exterior it would require CPDC approval. Mr. Paiva said there would be no new illumination or change to the existing illumination (building and canopy). He noted the front edge of the canopy extends no closer than approx 21 feet to the front boundary (Rte. 28) and therefore meets the setback requirement of 20 feet. The Town Planner said there were no outstanding zoning issues with the site. JW moved to grant the applicant's request for a waiver from Site Plan Review for the work described in plans dated 12/15/2008. NS seconded. By a vote of 4:0:0, applicant's request for a waiver from Site Plan Review was approved. NS moved the Board approve the Site Plan Review Waiver as submitted in plans dated 12/15/2008. Page 2 of 6 JW seconded. By a vote of 4:0:0, the Site Plan Review Waiver was approved. Site Plan Review CPDC Minutes of 1/12/09 36 Woburn Street The Chair opened the Public Hearing at 8:15 PM. NS read the legal notice. The applicant, Mr. Bill Thompson, was present. No draft decision had been prepared. The Town Planner provided background: The site has a non-conforming use in a residential zone. It is a Medical Building with parking lot. The location of the Reading Co-op Bank's new parking lot at 16 Sanborn Street is the adjacent site to the North (rear). The applicant expanded the 36 Woburn Street's rear parking lot into the landscape strip between the two sites and widened the egress onto Sanborn Street removing trees in the process. The expansion was done over one year ago without permits or Site Plan Review. The applicant did go before the Zoning Board. of Appeals to extend the non-conforming use (parking lot) and the ZBA granted the extended use in May 2008. The issue is the expanded use should have triggered a Site Plan Review and. as part of that review the Board would have discussed, the removal of buffering vegetation especially six-inch caliper or greater trees. Mr. Rick Schaffer of 67 Woburn Street asked the Board to defer discussion until a later meeting. He reminded the Board that the Site Plan Review of the bank's parking lot at 16 Sanborn Street had attracted many neighbors and residents concerned by the creation of a parking lot in a residential area. As something similar had been done at 36 Woburn without proper permitting or review, Mr. Schaffer said would be in the best interests of the neighbors to postpone the review until more neighbors could be contacted. The Staff Planner said tonight's Site Plan Review had been properly noticed. Mr. Dave Talbot of 75 Linden Street asked to be allowed to present the Board with pictures showing 36 Woburn Street before and after the work was done and the trees removed. The Chair so allowed. Mr. Talbot said the trees removed were supposed to have provided buffering for the bank's parking lot. He asked the Board to direct the applicant to provide some kind. of restoration of the buffering. Ms. Julie Thuriow, president of Reading Co-operative bank, said she had no objection to the work performed at 36 Woburn Street. She said the trees Mr. Thompson removed were five gangly trees growing from the same root and after they were removed the bank had additional trees added to the landscape strip between the bank's parking lot and 36 Woburn Street. The Town Planner emphasized that the ZBA ruled on the site's use only and not on construction on the site. Relief from dimensional constraints was not sought from the ZBA. The Board noted the only reason this was brought before them was because the non-conforming use was extended. If all the applicant had done was cut down trees on his property, the town would not have any say in the matter. The consensus of the Board was to continue the Site Plan Review to the next meeting. Page 3 of 6 CPDC Minutes of 1/12/09 In preparation for the next meeting, the Board directed: Each Board member should try to visit the site informally before the next meeting to have abetter idea of where vegetative buffer might be added. The Town Planner should: • Determine if lot coverage is an issue for the site. • Ask the Town Engineer to investigate if the increased impervious cover raises stormwater issues. • Consider whether the Conservation Administrators suggestion in a memo dated 1/5/2009 of adding a dry-well system would be feasible. • Research if 36 Woburn Street had ever been the subject of a prior. Site Plan Review and if so did the decision require landscape buffers. NS moved. the Board. continue the Site Plan Review for 36 Woburn Street to 1/26/2009 at 7:30 PM. JW seconded. By a vote of 4:0:0, the Site Plan Review was continued to the 1/26/2009 at 7:30PM. Request for Minor Modification to Site Plan Review Decision 1349 Main Street Attorney Michael Larkin represented the applicant. Also appearing for the applicant was Mr. Jack Sullivan the site engineer. Mr. Sullivan summarized the changes. • The two dumpsters would. not be placed together at the Southeast corner of the property because doing so would require cutting into the retaining wall and removing trees. Instead, they would rather place one dumpster at the Southeast corner and the other at the Northeast corner of the property. They hoped to avoid having to build. a second enclosure for the Northeast dumpster by screening it with new evergreens. • Instead of replacing the stockade fence they proposed repairing it as much as feasible. He explained trees have grown around and through the fence so replacing it would require removing those trees. • Mass. Highway requires they place a "Stop" and "No Left Turn" sign at the exit. Abutters from Gavin Circle expressed concern that trees would be removed. Mr. Sullivan said no trees would be removed. NS moved the Board determine the proposed. changes to the Site Plan Review Decision as shown in plans dated 12/16/2008 are a Minor Modification. DT seconded. By a vote of 4:0:0, the Board determined. the proposed changes as shown in plans dated 12/16/2009 to be a Minor Modification. JW inoved the Board approve the Minor Modification to the Site Plan Review Decision for 1349 Main Street with the following conditions. Page 4 of 6 CPDC Minutes of 1/12/09 1. Repair as much as possible the existing stockade fence along the Eastern boundary and remove the note on the plans stating the fence will be replaced. 2. Plant a minimum of two (2) evergreens on the Western side of the dumpster located at the Northern boundary of the site. 3. Erect two directional signs: At the entrance to the site, a sign stating "Entrance" on one side and "One Way" on the other; and at the exit from the site, a sign stating "Do Not Enter" on one side and "No Left Turn" on the other. 4. Preserve existing three (3) inch or greater caliper evergreen and deciduous trees along East and South boundaries. JP seconded. By a vote of 4:0:0, the Minor Modification was approved with conditions. Two copies of the plans were stamped and signed by the Board. The Town Planner took one set and the applicant took the other. Request for Waiver from Site Plan Review 545, 553-557 Main Street, formerly Fabric Town Attorney Josh Latham represented the owner of the property. Mr. Latham said RCTV is leasing a portion of the property. Before RCTV can move into the building, it must be brought to code through the constriction of a common area between the two tenants. The common area will contain a unisex restroom and provide an additional egress to the adjacent tenant. RCTV's construction will constitute a change of use but this construction - the conunon area - does not. The consensus of the Board. was the work was exempt from site plan review since it was neither interior work of greater than 1000 square feet nor a change of use. NS moved the Board. determine the proposed work is exempt from Site Plan Review. JW seconded_ By a vote of 4:0:0, the Board. determined the proposed. work was exempt from Site Plan Review. Planning Workshops Downtown 40R Smart Growth District The Chair and GK reported on the previous week's meeting of the Board of Selectmen they attended: • The Selectmen are leaning towards reducing the size of the proposed 40R district. • A question was raised if the existing Mixed-Use overlay could be better implemented to provide features similar to a 40R The Board discussed. both points in some detail. They would rather the 40R boundary remain unchanged but agreed a smaller district may be more palatable to Town Meeting and easier to implement. The Mixed-Use overlay could be revisited but what makes it unpalatable to developers is it requires them to go through a Special Permit process whereas a 40R use is by-right. Page 5 of 6 CPDC Minutes of 1/12/09 The Town Planner cautioned against working on the Mixed-Use overlay at the expense of the 40R overlay. In her opinion the consultant's 40R guidelines were close to being ready for a public hearing and she would create a timeline. She suggested the Board review the guidelines with the graphics added send. her their comments by the next meeting (1/26/2009). JW said. what was still missing was why Reading needs the guidelines and what would they create in Reading. The Board agreed. The Town Planner suggested selecting actual properties and working up illustrations showing what could be done with them under the 40R guidelines. The Board liked this suggestion. South Main Street Design Guidelines There was little discussion on this item and no action taken. ZBA Case Review 285 Main Street, facture site of Perfectos Cafe The consensus of the Board. was they had no advice to give to the ZBA on this matter. Other Business GK informed the Board he had been appointed to the North Suburban Planning Council (NSPC) which next meets 1/14/2009. He invited the Board to attend.. On 2/3/2009, a "Conflict of Interest workshop will be held at the Police Conununity Service Room. Minutes The Board deferred review of the minutes until the next meeting. NS moved to adjourn. DT seconded. By a vote of 4:0:0, the Board adjourned the meeting at 11:05 PM. These minutes were prepared by Michael Schloth and submitted to the CPDC on February 9, 2009; these minutes were approved as amended by the CPDC on February 9, 2009. Signed as approved, Nicholas J5 Date Page 6 of 6