HomeMy WebLinkAbout1982-05-19 Planning Board MinutesMinutes of the Meeting of May 19, 1982.
K. Messina called the meeting to order in Room 19, 52 Sanborn
Street (the Community Center) with Board members A. Burne and
M. Rich present. .
As a courtesy to Attorney Ben Barsanti, the Board moved to
take agenda item C out of order for discussion. Mr. Mitchel
arrived at 7:45 P.M. and continued disuussion on the agenda.
Mr. Barsanti is representing the Buonarosas, owners of P&S
Variety store at the corner of Grove and Lowell Streets. The
petition before the Board of Appeals has 3 parts, according
to the attorney: 1)-expand the present facility to include
an apartment above the store; 2)-erection of alighted sign
on the perimeter of the property; and 3)-expansion of floor
plan of store.
Mr. Barsanti stated that the present use for the second story
of this building is as an office, lavatory and storage. They
are seeking to include an apartment here to help defray costs
of the building and also to provide on-site security for the
building. The Board questioned Mr. Barsanti regarding how
much area would be needed and also the cease and desist order
from Conservation Commission regarding the filling of the back
swampy area of their land. Mr. Barsanti, said that the pe.ti-
P tioners owned enough area behind the building and would be
seeking Conservation Commission's approval to continue to fill
the rear portion of the lot and then this area would be grassed
over.
The free-standing` sign will,be simple and not detrimental to
the neighborhood. The_A.tt-6tc- ey also stated that the store is
a clean store.with current stock. They are seeking to enclose
the breezeway area of the. store for cold storage and to use
the front entranceway, presently closed off, for the main
access and egress.
After Mr. Barsanti left, the Board expressed the following
concerns regarding the request for a Special Permit:
1) - the proposed sign, which would be lighted from below,
would be larger than the existing sign and would be
placed in a position that could interfere with the
"visibility of the traffic at the intersection of
Lowell and Grove Streets. This could create a safety
hazard to an already densely-trafficked roadway.
2) - the expanded size of the store can contribute to
increasing the traffic density and the turnings in
and out, which would create an additional traffic
hazard. It seems that the intent of the revisions
to this store is to address intratown marketing needs
and services, which is not in keeping with the
neighborhood store concept. This increase in size
would also create a higher density of a non-conforming use.
Page 2
5/19/82
3) - Although the request to add an apartment above the
store would return a portion of the property to its
underlying zoning, we feel the increase in floor area,
parking area, access and egress ways would only be
increasing an overall density of use and therefore
object to this increase.
The secretary will be requested to forward all the above
concerns to the Board of Appeals before the hearing tomorrow
night.
At 8:15 P.M., Mr. Donald Stroeble from the Industrial Develop-
ment Commission appeared before the Board to discuss the plans
for the development of the Dump Site. The IDC, in his opinion,;.
has expressed the following problems relating to the dump
site for potential future development:
1) - methane gas can accummulate with landfill - although
this can be solved with proper engineering;
2),- unstable soil conditions (refuse is not as stable as
dirt) and the high concentration of peat in the area;
3) -.any future developments would have to be constructed
with piles driven into bedrock for any multi-story
building;
4) - leachate leakage - numerous test holes will be dug to
determine if any contamination is leaking into the
Saugus River and to what extent, if any.
The benefits to the Town from a development in this area, as
Mr. Stroeble expressed them, are;
1) - tax benefit - with multi-story commercial development
the tax base to the Town would be greatly enhanced;
Mr. Stroeble stated that condominium units would most likely
not be feasible in this area because of the methane gas prob
lem, but if a developer wanted to explore this, IDC would
consider such a development,
The MAPC study stated that at least 10 years for this site to
settle is the guideline. In the meantime, the site could be
used as a passive recreation site.
Article 28 requests a figure of $28,000 for engineering studies
to determine the feasability of developing the Dump site. The
study will include actual borings, testings and water samples
as well as engineering studies. Upon a motion duly made and
seconded, the Board unanimously (4-0) voted to support Article
28 on the 1982 Annual Town Meeting Warrant.
t
Page 3
5/19/82
Town Meeting Issues
The Board reviewed the graph for presentation to Town Meeting
on the various articles. Final assignments will be made at
a subsequent meeting.
`The Secretary will prepare a draft of the Report on Article
27 for Town Meeting by the Planning Board. Mr. Mitchel will
review it and make final changes.
Mr. Mitchel noted that the Board of Public Works, according
to tonight's Chronicle, plan to make changes to the downtown
area, Depot area and also construct a parking lot on Union
Street to help ease and/or solve traffic problems in these
areas. Many of the studies were performed by the Planning
Board to identify problems and solutions to some of these
areas. t` The Board had not been notified in. advance°~-of' any
of the,-ed changes -nor hasany ,=format:ion or support
been sought from--this Boa,rd'by 'the BPW x
Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted to
adjourn at 9:59 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Kenneth G. Messina, Clerk