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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-04-14 Conservation Commission MinutesMinutes, Reading Conservation Commission, April 14, 2004 DECEIVED Minutes of the Reading Conservation Commission OW I -N CLERK Selectman's Meeting Room, Town Hall F r 0 I G MASS April 14, 2004 10 014 JUL 20 P 4: 0 I Present: Doug Greene, Kelley Meier, Will Finch, Bill Hecht, Jamie Maughan, and Rebecca Longley, Commissioners; Fran Fink, Administrator The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Old/New Business 15 Timothy Place, Order of Conditions, DEP 270-398, RGB 2003-16 Nick Diranian, applicant, and Brian Beecher, contractor, were present and requested approval for a revised site plan. Mr. Beecher stated that Dig Safe would be contacted prior to work. A temporary propane tank will be used to avoid problems with the existing pipeline. The retaining walls will be at the same height as proposed. The proposed spa will meet the 35-foot setback. Mr. Hecht moved to accept the revised plan as an insignificant plan change under the Order Conditions, provided that the lower retaining wall remains 5 feet high and the upper wall remains 3 feet high. Ms. Longley seconded. Voted 5-0 in favor. Walkers Brook Crossing, Order of Conditions, DEP 270-352, RGB 2001-14 The Commission postponed action on the request for an Extension Permit until the request for Amendment of the Order of Conditions is acted upon. 248 Main Street, Order of Conditions, DEP 270-296, RGB 1997-35 The Enforcement Order had not yet been drafted, and will be placed on the agenda for April 28. Public Hearings and Meetings 40 Beaver Road, RDA, RGB 2004-8 Mrs. Perry, applicant, was present and described the proposed addition to the house. Ms. Fink reported that she had completed a StreamStats analysis and determined that the stream in the back yard is intermittent. Mr. Hecht reported on the site visit and noted that a mulch pile is located too close to the stream. The Commission reviewed and amended draft Findings and Conditions. Mr. Finch moved to issue a negative Determination with the Findings and Conditions as amended. Ms. Longley seconded. Voted 5-0 in favor. Jamie Maughan, Commissioner, arrived. 175 Franklin, ANRAD, RGB 2004-8 The Chairman opened the hearing. Libby Wallis of Hayes Engineering presented the site plan showing two ponds with BVW delineations to the north of the site and Buffer Zone within the. site. The eastern Minutes, Reading Conservation Commission, April 14, 2004 pond is a detention area for runoff from the adjacent Home Goods parking lot. The western pond is natural and is a Certified Vernal Pool. Ms. Fink distributed a memorandum concerning the history of the site and the resource areas. Mr. Finch questioned whether the eastern pond had developed as a vernal pool also. He moved to continue the hearing to April 28, 2004 at 7:30 PM and to collect further information about the eastern pond. Ms. Longley seconded. Voted 6-0 in favor. 1 General Avenue, ANRAD, DEP 270-421, RGB 2004-6 The Chairman opened the hearing. Libby Wallis of Hayes Engineering, Mark Favaloro, attorney, and Paul Caggionao and George Danis of Danis Properties were present for the applicant. A number of abutters were present. Ms. Wallis presented a revised site plan showing additional BVW and Bank delineations as reviewed by the Commission during the April 4 site visit. Mr. Greene asked that the wetland and Buffer Zone south of the train tracks be added also. Ms. Wallis agreed to add it. Mr. Maughan asked about snow plowing and mowing practices in the Zone of Natural Vegetation. Ms. Fink distributed a memorandum and reviewed the main points. Ms. Wallis agreed to find out the source of the contours on the site plan and to address the other concerns in the memorandum. Mr. Greene explained to the abutters that the ANRAD was only to delineate resource areas and that the plans did not show any proposed work. Such work would require a NOI, and a second public hearing notice would be posted. He invited the public to comment. An abutter from 235 Washington Street asked when the NOI would be filed. No date had been set, but the Commission said abutters would receive mailed notices. An abutter stated that yards and basements in the area do flood periodically. Mr. Finch responded that any proposed work would require drainage improvements. An abutter asked what the BVW and Buffer Zone lines meant. The Commission explained. An abutter reported that the stream does dry up in summer. Mr. Maughan said the size of the watershed indicated that the stream was intermittent. There were no further comments. 2 Minutes, Reading Conservation Commission, April 14, 2004 Mr. Finch moved to continue the hearing to April 28 at 7:40 PM. Mr. Maughan seconded. Voted 6-0 in favor. 43 Latham Lane, RDA, RGB 2004-9 The applicants, Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy were present, along with Chester Redmond. Mr. Redmond presented the plan for an addition to the house. The Commission reviewed observations made during the site inspections of soils and vegetation and concluded that part of the back lawn and swingset pad were located in BVW. The Commission asked the applicants to restore wetlands vegetation in the BVW and to remove the swingset pad when their children have outgrown it. They agreed to do these things. The Commission reviewed and amended draft Findings and Conditions. Ms. Longley moved to issue a negative Determination with the Findings and Conditions as amended. Ms. Meier seconded. Voted 6-0 in favor. 468 West Street, 6 Kelch Street, and 11 Longwood Road, NOI, RGB 2004-10 The Chairman opened the hearing. Ted Moore, applicant, Bill Bergeron of Hayes Engineering, and Brad Latham, attorney were present, along with some abutters. Mr. Bergeron presented plans for a condominium development on approximately 27.7 acres of land. He reported that the Community Planning and Development Commission had approved the Preliminary PUD-R proposal but had not yet reviewed the new proposed work on the Peterson property at 11 Longwood Road. Most of the wetlands resources had been confirmed in a previous ORAD, but a new BVW delineation has been added to the plans near Longwood Road. The Commission asked about the possibility of saving a large pine tree near the proposed Savarino house. Mr. Bergeron thought this would be possible. Mr. Maughan asked about recreational facilities. Mr. Bergeron said there would be a tot lot, location yet to be determined, and walking trails. The proposed trail in the E-series wetland will be relocated. Trail surface will be natural leaf litter. Trails would connect to Longwood Road, to the ROLT Boyd property and to Inwood Drive. Mr. Bergeron described emergency access roads and said they want to use the meadow near Inwood Drive for staging and a nursery. This work would be outside the Buffer Zone and vernal pool habitat. He reviewed the drainage design, based on 3 subwatersheds. Proposed plants over the infiltration beds would be shrubs or herbaceous plants whose roots would not damage the infiltration beds.. Town Engineer has raised some questions about grades over the infiltration bed near the E-series wetland. No change is proposed in the outlet of the E-series wetland, where flooding occasionally occurs on the paved driveway. Mr. Bergeron noted that the file number notification sent by DEP had questioned the - - location of the detention basin in the Riverfront Area. They will relocate the basin. DEP Minutes, Reading Conservation Commission, April 14, 2004 also questioned the TSS removal rates of Stormceptors. They will provide larger units. They will apply for the NPDES Permit and file an ENF with MEPA after receiving the Order of Conditions and other approvals. They propose to construct the project in three separate phases. Some off-site work will be required for traffic, water and sewer improvements. They will help to pay for this work, but the Town will carry it out. Ms. Fink distributed and reviewed two memoranda, one from her and one from the Town Engineer. Mr. Moore agreed to a minor revision in the new BVW delineation. He said that the owners of the proposed Peterson and Savarino houses would be responsible for maintenance within their respective "exclusive use" areas, and that each owner wanted a separate driveway from the extension off Longwood Road. Driveways would have stone surfaces, not pavement. Ms. Longley asked for construction controls such as wheel-wash areas and dust controls. Mr. Hecht moved to continue the hearing to April 28 at 8:00 PM. Mr. Maughan seconded. Voted 6-0 in favor. Walkers Brook Crossing, Request to Amend Order of Conditions, DEP 270-352, RGB 2001-14 The Chairman opened the hearing. Mark Nogueira, Dave Pickard, Bill O'Brien,and brad Latham were present for the `applicant. Mr. Nogueira presented revised plans for the western portion of the site. The plans for a hotel, office building, and parking garage were replaced with a plan for one-story retail buildings, an open parking lot, and associated roadways, utilities, retaining walls, and landscaping. Drainage detention is proposed in a concrete chamber under part of the retail building. The market for hotel and office space is not favorable at present. Also, the contractor experienced difficulties with pile-driving for the Home Depot/Jordan's building, increasing construction costs. By using additional retaining walls along the northern and western perimeter of the site, more solid waste can be accommodated under the cap behind Jordan's and the proposed "Phase 2" buildings can be set on normal foundations over clean fill. The proposed work. will result in more impervious cover than the previous plan and the drainage system design has been modified to provide additional detention, equal to the previous approved plan. Mr. Pickard described the revisions in wetland mitigation. The area of impact will be the same as before, due to the extent of solid waste on the site from the beginning. The additional retaining wall will provide more area and better grades for restoration purposes at the foot of the wall. Woody plants can be included in the restoration areas because the cap will now end behind the wall. Over 1000 square feet of additional BVW will be restored. 4 Minutes, Reading Conservation Commission, April 14, 2004 The Commission asked about guardrails and fencing, particularly how trash would be prevented from blowing out into the wetlands. Mr. Pickard said there would be 6-foot chain-link fences around the perimeter and the maintenance plan requires monthly trash collections. The Commission asked for a revised construction sequence plan for the remainder of Phase 1 and all work in Phase 2. They also asked that a site visit be scheduled. Mr. Hecht moved to continue the hearing to April 28 at 8:20 PM. Ms. Longley seconded. Voted 6-0 in favor. Ms. Meier left the meeting. 201/275 Salem Street, NOI, RGB 2004-13 The Chairman opened the hearing and reported on the site visit. Rich Stuart, John Cullin, and Peter Gammie were present for the applicant. Mr. Gammie presented the plans for a 36-unit condominium development including 7 buildings, parking lots, driveways, landscaped areas, open meadows, walkways, an upaved hiking path, and associated drainage and utilities. He noted that hazardous materials were recently removed from the site under a previous Order of Conditions and the wetlands were confirmed under an GRAD. He described the proposed drainage system and proposed erosion controls. Proposed structures are located to meet the 35- foot setback standard and the RFA standards. Some filling of floodplain is proposed and compensatory flood storage is provided. Piles of rubble near the stream will be removed, left from previous dumping on site. Mr. Maughan asked whether surface detention basins could be used instead of infiltration chambers. Mr. Gammie said this was considered but would have limited surface space available for recreation. Ms. Fink distributed and reviewed a memorandum. An abutter from Johanna Drive reported that her back yard had flooded during a recent heavy rain storm and that the BVW had held flood water all the way to the orange fence at the hazardous waste cleanup area. Mr. Hecht moved to continue.the hearing to May 12 at 7:30 PM. Ms. Longley seconded. Voted 5-0 in favor. 25 Baker Road, RDA, RGB 2004-12 Mr. Greene reported that the Commissioners present during the site visit had questioned the BVW delineation. Based on soils, vegetation, and topography, he recommended moving the boundary 38 feet north from Flag #4 up to the multi-trunked red maple tree in the back yard. He noted that there were barberry bushes on site that are considered invasive plants and could be removed. Minutes, Reading Conservation Commission, April 14, 2004 The Commission reviewed and amended draft Findings and Conditions. Mr. Finch moved to issue the Order of Conditions with the Findings and Conditions as amended this evening. Mr. Maughan seconded. Voted 5-0 in favor. Old/New Business 908/912 Main Street The Commission reviewed a Grant of Conservation Restriction that had been signed by all three property owners. Mr. Hecht moved to accept the Grant. Ms. Longley seconded. Voted 5-0 in favor. Lot 7 Pondview Lane The Commission reviewed a revised site plan and found it not acceptable. A letter will be sent. Town Meeting The Cormnission discussed Article concerning use of bow and arrow. Mr. Finch moved to oppose the Article at Town Meeting. Mr. Maughan seconded. Voted 5-0 in favor. 80 New Crossing Road, Order of Conditions, DEP 270-298, RGB 1998-1 The Commission reviewed the site visit report. No work had ever commence under this Order. Mr. Hecht moved to issue a Certificate of Compliance with a finding that work had never commenced and the Order had expired. Mr. Finch seconded. Voted 5-0 in favor. 16 Bolton Street, Notice of Violation Ms. Fink reported that the citation had been paid and a Notice of Intent was expected soo. Weed Wrench Mr. Hecht moved to purchase a weed wrench from the Conservation Fund for use in clearing invasive shrubs and saplings from the Town Conservation Areas. Mr. Maughan seconded. Voted 5-0 in favor. Meeting adjourned at 12:00 PM.