Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-08-05 Planning Board Minutes Planning Board Minutes DPW Conference Room August 5,1997 Members Present: Joseph V. Mahoney,Richard Rowen, Chairman, Alison Lescarbeau, Vice Chairman, 3 and Alberto Angles. John Simons arrived at 7:20 PM. Richard Nardella was absent. Staff Present: William Scott,Director CD &S substituting for Kathleen Bradley Colwell who is on maternity leave,and Karen Fitzgibbons substituting for Amy Chongris who is enjoying a vacation. Minutes: July 15, 1997 July 15, 1997 executive session On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Mahoney,the Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of July 15, 1997 as written. Endorse Plans: 757 Turnpike Street(Stop&Shop)site plan review On a motion by Mr. Mahoney, seconded by Ms.Lescarbeau,the Planning Board voted unanimously to endorse the plans for 757 Turnpike Street(Stop&Shop). Discussion: Building 422 North Andover Mills Michael Strahm Architects,Inc. was present representing Dr. Steven Halem, owner of The Dentists Collaborative and future tenant of building#22 North Andover Mills. The applicant is requesting a waiver from the site plan review requirements. The proposal will convert the single story brick building into a dental practice. The addition is planned for the west side of the building. Mr. Strahm stated the addition will be 900 sq. ft to be located on the rear of building#22 on High Street. The building will follow the roof lines of the existing building and will be handicap accessible. There are no setback issues. There was some discussion of the parking, and the applicant stated they need 14 parking spaces for employees and 10 for patients,they have already spoken to Bob Mcetta regarding the parking and they have his approval. The sign will be very small and located in front of the building. A light in the parking lot may be moved. On a motion by Mr. Mahoney,seconded by Ms. Lescarbeau,the Planning Board voted unanimously to grant the Site Plan Review Waiver subject to the Building Inspector's approval regarding the parking. Rezoning Turnpike Street Mr,Lenny Annaloro,property owner at the corner of Turnpike Street and Willow Street,was present and stated he would like his parcel of land to be rezoned. It is presently zone residential and Mr. Annaloro would like it changed to enable him to construct an office building at the location. Mr.Rowen stated the Master Plan Committee is working on a plan for Route 114 and we will have to wait for their recommendations. Mr.Rowen asked Mr. Scott how far along is the Master Plan Committee from giving e their recommendations and Mr. Scott replied they should be ready to present at the fall Town Meeting. Mr. Simons stated that the overall total picture of Route 114 needs to be looked at and that is what the Master Plan Committee is doing,for example, how much of abutting land is wet? We don't know that 1 yet. Mr. Rowen stated the Master Plan Committee has decided to rezone systematically on Route 114. Mr. Scott verified this. Mr, Annaloro was told to try and resolve the issues with the Master Plan Committee and have them give their recommendations to the Planning Board. Towards that end Mr. Scott will schedule a meeting with Mr. Annaloro and the Master Plan Committee. The discussion of Heritage Estates will be held further along in the meeting. Public Hearings (7:30 p.m.) continued: Red Gate Pasture Ben Osgood,Jr. was present and stated he has just received the drainage report and needs to forward it to Coler&Colantonio. To enable Coler&Colantonio to review, more time is needed,therefore,Mr. Osgood will submit a letter of extension to the Planning Board Office, On a motion by Mr. Simons, seconded by Mr.Mahoney,the Planning Board voted unanimously to grant the extension until the September 16°i mecting7 New: 315 Turnpike Street(Iylerrimack_College)site plan review Mr. Simons read the legal notice to open the public hearing. The proposed project is for two residence halls to be constructed on the grounds of Merrimack College. John Hollywood,architect,was present and stated the structures will house 300 students and 2 resident advisors. The proposed plan shows one building facing north and one west,located somewhat over the existing parking area which will result in a loss of 70 parking spaces. The campus presently has 1,551 spaces,which is adequate,but 70 will be eliminated, A new parking policy stating that freshmen cannot have vehicles on campus is being instituted for fall of 1998. The College is seriously thinking of prohibiting sophomores from having vehicles on campus. There is a shuttle bus program available now. The proposed building and walkways frame out a quad or courtyard. Utility and sewer lines will be relocated. Merrimack College has been working with the Town of Andover in an effort to resolve the broader drainage issues that are caused by water from the College impacting Andover properties. The applicant was told by the Board they will need to provide a letter from an appropriate Andover official indicating this. The applicant has supplied drainage information to Coler&Colantonio for review. The College receives its water supply from the Town of Andover. A gentleman from the College stated that during the fall a general agreement should be reached with Andover regarding the drainage, and construction should begin in the spring of'98. The Board is looking for assurance that the College is working with the Town of Andover on the drainage and once again the applicant was told to provide a letter stating such and also stating that the Town of Andover is in favor of the Town of North Andover proceeding with the Site Plan Review process. The applicant has an application before ZBA for a variance regarding the height of the buildings. Mr. Simons asked if the roof is pitched and was told"yes" and it will be made of asphalt shingles. A site walk is scheduled for Wednesday, August 13, 1997 at 6:00 PM, Everyone will meet on the Ash Residence area of the College, Discussion continued until the 8/19197 meeting. 1211 Osgood Street-site plan review Mr. Simons read the legal notice to open the public hearing. Patrick O'Leary is present representing the applicant,Frank Terranova of McLay's Florist. The proposed project is for a retail flower shop(McLay's) to relocate at the intersection of Barker Street and Osgood Street(Route 125)where there once was a retail pool establishment, This is an existing site with no changes to the size of the structure,existing utilities will be used. The road is a paved surface,hard packed for parking. Mr. O'Leary stated that i 2 y u 14,000 to 20,000 cars a day pass by on Osgood Street(a state road). With 100 cars a day estimated to visit the flower shop,the traffic increase would be negligible, The Planning Office is in receipt of a letter from Chief Stanley indicating his acceptance of the plan. As catch basins are already present, the applicant feels there is no need for a drainage plan, in fact, the applicant feels they will actually be improving the drainage. Mr. Mahoney asked where is the access coming from and was told Osgood Street. Mr. O'Leary expects a curb cut transfer to be made with the sale of the property. Mr. Simons asked what is the likelihood of a curb cut transfer being granted and Mr. O'Leary replied it should be granted by the state,but if not, a new one will be asked for which should take 90 days to receive. Mr. Scott asked it is an historical access to the property, correct and Mr. O'Leary replied yes,people have been using it for years. Mr. O'Leary stated the plans for the rear of the property call for clearing and upgrading it. That area could potentially be used for delivery of floral supplies, Mr.Rowen asked if there was a fence in the back and was told yes. Most of the fence will be removed except for what is on the state property. The entire site calls for a 6' chain link fence to be installed. The fencing is necessary because an area may be used for flower display and the applicant is concerned about theft. Mr. Rowen asked if there are any plans to move from the proposed scale to something larger and Mr. Terranova replied we plan no greenhouses for now. Dan Forgetta, an abutter on Osgood Street, is concerned about the concentration of similar businesses in the area: presently there is Forgetta's, and Barker's with Holland's and now McLay's coming! He feels that is too much in one area! Mr. Forgetta presented an ad from the Eagle-Tribune depicting the new McLay's and he is concerned they might expand. Mr. Forgetta also concerned about how an existing non-conforming property can meet frontage setbacks, and was told that with the acquisition of State property that is taken care of. Mr. Rowen stated the applicant is not obligated to correct the problem. State zoning extends to the highway so it would include the area. Frank Alteri, a Barker Street resident for 11 years,feels that, esthetically speaking,McLay's would be an improvement to the property, Hammond Barner, French Farm Road, concerned about traffic and a school bus stop nearby. Mr. O'Leary stated that at peak hours during peak season, only 10 cars an hour are expected, only 7 cars an hour off peak. As for the bus stop, it is one high school bus stop. Mr. O'Leary stated that only one entrance and exit together on Barker,Street is proposed. It was suggested that the Board members take a site walk on their own before the next public hearing. Mr, Rowen asked the applicant if at all possible could you get away from the chain link fence in the front? Jack McLay stated that a chain link fence is necessary due to possible theft. Ms. Lescarbeau pointed out that the plan calls for every other fence post to have plantings of crawling bushes or vines. The Planning Board collectively stated they are not happy with the proposed display of flowers and chain link fence in the parking lot. They feel the applicant is creating an eyesore! Mr. Rowen would like to see a better sketch of the entrance, Mr. Simons asked about a sign and was told a temporary one would be in place for the first 60 days, after that Mr. Terranova will come in with a final proposal for a sign. On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Mahoney, the Planning Board voted unanimously to continue the public hearing until August 19, 1997. Decisions: 386 Great Pond Road-.watershed special permit Mr. Scott had a draft decision prepared for the Board to review. On a motion by Mr. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Simons, the Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the draft decision as amended. Lot 1_Saile Way-watershed special permit Mr. Scott had a draft decision prepared for the Board to review. The applicant asked the Board if the Building Inspector could"hold up"the occupancy permit in lieu of posting a$5,000 bond for as-built plans. The Planning Board was not in favor of this,however, they were amenable to lowering the bond amount. On a motion by Mr. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Simons,the Board unanimously approved the draft decision as amended to reflect that a$2,000 bond be established. /�} 3 Heritage Estates: � Paul Donahue was present for this discussion. The Board,Mr. Scott and Mr.Donahue reviewed,item by item,the document titled"Memorandum of Understanding" dated July 30, 1997. By mutual agreement, several changes were made to the document. Lot/Bond Releases: Lots 1-8 Long Pasture-lot releases Stephen Crowley was present. On a motion by Mr. Simons, seconded by Mr. Mahoney,the Planning Board voted unanimously to release lots 1 -8 Long Pasture. Meadowood II-bond release The Planning Office received a letter from DPW recommending the release of$6700 in bond money. On a motion by Mr. Simons,seconded by Ms.Lescarbeau,the Planning Board voted unanimously to release $6700 in bond money the Town is holding for this project. Meadowood III-bond release The Planning Office received a letter from DPW recommending the release of$41,184 in bond money. On a motion by Mr. Simons,seconded by Ms.Lescarbeau,the Planning Board voted unanimously to release$41,184 in bond money the Town is holding for this project. Evergreen Estates-bond release The Planning Office received a letter from DPW recommending the release of$25,000 in bond money. On a motion by Mr. Simons,seconded by Ms. Lescarbeau,the Planning Board voted unanimously to release$25,000 in bond money the Town is holding for this project. East Pasture Estates-bond release The Planning Office received a letter from DPW recommending the release of$7900 in bond money. On a motion by Mr. Simons, seconded by Ms.Lescarbeau,the Planning Board voted unanimously to release $7900 in bond money the Town is holding for this project: Adjournment: On a motion by Mr. Simons, seconded by Ms.Lescarbeau,the Planning Board voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting. Stephen Rowen, our guest for the evening,sat in the Chairman's seat and loudly banged the gavel to adjourn the meeting! 4f