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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-01-06January 6, 1987 Board of Appeals held a Special Meeting on January 6, 1987 at 7:30 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room for the purpose of further discussion on the grant- ing of the Special Permit and to decide on definite conditions for this granting. The following members were present and voting: Augustine Nick- erson, Clerk, Alfred Frizelle, Esq., Vice-chairman, William Sullivan, Walter Soule and Anna O'Connor. Decision of December 12, 1986 meeting read by Mr. Frizelle regarding the Edgewood Life Care, Inc., Inc. petition. Motion made by Ms. O'Connor and seconded by Mr. Soule to carry on by discussion of conditions subject to granting this petition. Vote: In favor - Mr. Frizelle, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Soule, & Ms. O'Connor Opposed - Mr. Nickerson Letter from Mr. Frizelle to Ms. Karen Nelson read and also reply from Ms. Nelson to the Board read and entered into the file. After a lengthy discussion by the Board, a motion was made by Mrs. O'Connor and seconded by Mr. Soule, the Board voted four in favor with Mr. Nickerson opposed, to GRANT a Special Permit under the provisions of the Zoning By- Law to SAMUEL S. ROGERS AND EDGEWOOD LIFE CARE, INC. to permit construction and use on the site of a nursing home/convalescent home in the form of a life care community with 245 living units, as requested and described in the application and the Membrandum of Law and Facts submitted by the petitioners. The Special Permit is granted subject to the following con- ditions, which are imposed pursuant to the Board's authority contained in Section 10.3(2) of the Zoning By-Law, subject to the following conditions: Please see next page. '~age 2 Edgewood Life Care, Inc. - cont. ??'2 1. SEWER Petitioner in accordance with its offer shall tie into the town sewer. The Special. Permit is subject to: Town of North Andover Public Works certification and approval to tie into the Town sewer line provided said sewer line is adequate to handle 26,500 gallons of sanitary sewage per day. Failure to obtain said approval shall nullify this Special Permit. Said sewer connection shall be made at the town sewer line on Osgood Street near the Town Building. Petitioner shall lay the sewer line down Osgood Street and shall make con- nections available to abutters on Osgood Street. If approved by the Public Works, then the sewer line shall be installed with pipe and material approved by the Public Works prior to the issuance of a building permit for con- struction of the Life Care Facility. The petitioner shall obtain all permits necessary to perform installation of the sewer line on Os§ood Street and shall res;'ore the road to good condition using materials approved by the Highway'Department and approved by the Highway Superintendent. The petitioner shall give adequate notice to all abutters of any closing of the Road. and shall coordinate with the North Andover School Department regarding construction during school operating-hours. Plans setting forth construction of the 'sewer line shall be submitted to the Public Works and the Board of Appeals for approval prior to construction. The petitioner shall post a bond if required by the Public Works and/or Highway Department in an amount satisfactory to cover the performance of the sewer line construction. 2. WATER Prior to the issuance of a building permit for the life care facility, the petitioner shall obtain approval from the Town of North Andover Public Works and a certificate that the town water source is adequate to provide 26,300 gallons of water per day. Failure to obtain said approval. and certificate shall nullify this Special Permit. Edgewood Life Care, Inc. cont. Page 3 Petitioner shall at its own expense install any necessary water pipe to the site; the size, materials 'and location shall be determined by the Public Works. The petitioner shall obtain all permits necessary to perform installation of the water line on Osgood Street and shall restore the road to good condition using materials approved by the High~ay Department and approved by the Highway Superintendent. The petitioner shall give adequate notice to all abutters of any closing of the road and shall coordinate with-the North Andover School Department regarding construction during school operating hours. Plans setting forth construction of the water line shall be submitted to the Public Works and the Board of Appeals for approval prior to construction. The petitioner shall post a bond if required by the Public Works and/or Highway Department in an amount satisfactory to cover the performance of the water line construction. 3. SOLID WASTE The Special Permit is subject to the condition that the estimated 50 cubic yards of solid waste per week shall be removed by a contract disposal service with no impact financial or otherwise upon the Town of North Andover. 4. TRAFFIC The Special Permit is conditioned upon the following relating to traffic: During construction, all construction vehicles shall enter and exit the site usg.nv the north portion of Osgood Street, with entry on said Osgood Street from either Prescott Street or at the intersection of Routes 125/133 (Chickering Rd. ~ Osgood St.). At no time during construction shall vehicles use Stevens Street or the southern portion of Osgood Street beginning at the intersection of Stevens Street. The petitioners shall post a sign on the property and shall require any general contractor and subcontractor to observe said conditions. The petitioners in accepting the Special Permit agree to such conditions. Edgewood LiEe Care, Inc. - cont. Page 4 After completion of construction the following cohditions shall be observed: All delivery vehicles shall, use the northern portion of Osgood Street with entry and exit at either Prescott Street or at the intersection of Routes 125/133 (Chicke-ring Road and Osgood Street). A sign shall be posted at the entrance/exit road indicating a right turn only; A stop sign shall also be posted. A traffic island shall be installed at the entrance/-exit road onto Osgood Street in such a manner requiring traffic to make a right turn only. Plans for such traffic island shall be approved by the Board of Appeals. Plans for the entrance/exit road shall be approved by the Board of Appeals. WATERSHED CONSERVATION - DRAINAGE The petitioner shall not construct any building within 50' from the watershed district. Ail plans shall'.be submitted to the Board of Appeals for approval. Prior to the issuance of a building permit for construc- tion, the petitioner shall have the watershed boundary, as set forth in the Zoning By-Law and as shown on the plans submitted to the Board, delineated by erecting a barrier of such material approved by the Conservation Commission. Said boundary shall be certified by a registered engineer and approved by the Building Inspector. At no time shall earth be moved nor heavy equipment be used within 10' from said watershed boundary.. The Special Permit is conditioned upon the petitioner obtaining approval from the Conservation Commission. The Special Permit is conditioned upon the requirement that ali surface drainage shall flow toward the Merrimack River, away from Lake Cochichewick. Surface drains shall be installed on the entrance/exit road and the petitioner shall agree to provide at its expense drainage on Osgood Street and Stevens Street necessary as determined by the Highway Department. Plans for said drainage on site, entrance/exit road and off site shall be submitted to the Board of Appeals for approval prior to construction. At no time during construction shall run off enter any Public way. Edgewood Life Care, Inc. cont. Page 5 6. CONSERVATION EASEMENT In accordance with the offer of the petitioner, the petitioner shall of£er to the Trustees of the Reservations, some other agency or the Town of North Andover, a conservation easement. Said easement shall among other things provide that no construction shall occur at any time within the Watershed District (between the Lake and Watershed boundary shown on the plans) as defined in Section 4.135 (3) of the Zoning By-Law ~n effectat the issuance of this Special Permit and as defined on the plans submitted to this Board. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Special Permit is conditioned upon the condition that no construction shall occur at any time within the Watershed District (between the Lake and the Watershed boundary shown on the plan) as set forth in Section 4.155 (5) of the Zoning By-Law in effect at the issuance of this Special Permit, and as defined on the plans submitted to this Board. The existing dwelling on the northeast portion of the property abutting the lake shall be subject to the provisions of Section 9 Non-Conforming Uses of the Zoning.By-Law. 7. MISCELLANEOUS The abut driv. The to t cent )etitioner shall at all times provide access by :ers and persons having a right to use the existing ~way access to their property during construction. PLANS )etitioner shall prepare site plans ahd present same ~e Board of Appeals for approval. Said plans to ~in: ~rainage calculation, run off control, detention areas (specifically storm water, salts and pollutants); Extent of excavation activity such as earth removal permits and percent of disturbed land; Erosion control program; Tree cutting plan and detailed landscaping plan; Road profiles, detailing grades, and area of cuts and fills; Phasing of development; Watershed modifications, if any; Monitoring review process for compliance with plans, conditions and regulations; Dedication of open space. Said plans shall provide for minimal cutting 'of trees and Edgewood Life Care, Inc. - cont. Page 6 shrubs along the access and on the site, All earth removed shall be limited to the construction site of the building and entrance/exit road. The facility shall be constructed an! operated in conformance with all State and Town statutes, codes, by-laws, rules and regulations. No future expansion of the facility beyond the submitted proposal shall be permitted on this site. The facility shall be constructed in a manner so as to allow access to fire vehicles on all sides of the building. The petitioner.shall be required to plow the entrance/exit road and remove snow if necessary and shall limit the use of chemicals and salt for road maintenance and snow/ice control. The threshold question to be determined is whether the proposal is a nursing or convalescence home as set forth in the Zoning By-Law. The Board finds that the proposed facility is a Nursing and Convalescent home aslset forth in Sec. 4.121 (14} of the~Zoning By-Law which allows nursing homes and convalescent homes in an R-2 District by Special Permit. In making this determination the Board finds that Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111 Section ?l is applicable as follows: "...a convalescent or nursing home is defined as any institution, however named, whether conducted for charity or profit, which is advertised, announced or maintained for the express or implied purpose of caring for four or more persons.admitted thereto for the purpose of nursing or convalescent care." Further the Board finds that Massachusetts Department of Public Health Regulations 10S CaR 1S0.001 is also applicable as follows: "...any institution, however named, whether conducted for charity or profit, which is advertised, announced or maintained with long-term resident nursing, convalescent or rehabilitation care; supervision and care incident to old age for ambulatory persons; or retirement home for elderly persons. Long-term care facility shall include convalescent or nursing homes, rest homes, infirmaries maintained in towns and charitable homes for the aged." The Board finds that the life care community proposed is a nursing and convalescent home because it will have a Health Edgewood Life Care, Inc. - cont. Page 7 Center with a skilled nursing facility provid'ing nursing convalescence and long term care (as further set forth in the Memorandum which was received in evidence by the Board); and 245 living units of one two bedroom unY,ts designed for elderly residents. The building(s) containing these living units will also contain a central dining room where each resident is charged for one meal each day and may choose to eat 3 meals each day. All utilities, weekly housekeeping and Elat laundry service will be included. A variety of support services are also included such as personal care including bathing, dressing, medication mopitoring as well as psychosocial support. Transportation service will also be included. Lounge and activity areas will be located throughout the complex for use by residents as further defined in the Memorandum received in evidence by the Board. Based on the information submitted by the petitioners contained in the application, the Memorandum, the Traffic Impact Analysis, the Environmental Notification Form and the testimony at the public hearing, the Board finds the following facts: This project will be a nursing home/convalescent home in the form of a life care community with living units consisting of a broad spectrum of facilities for the elderly. The residents will be offered living area, health care support services and long-term care. The site is located in a Residence 2 (R-Z) zoning district. Section 4.121 (14) of the Zoning By-Law allows nursing homes and convalescent homes in an R-2 district by Special Permit. The proposed facility is a nursing home complex offering nursing and convalescent care to the elderly. The elderly population of North Andover and surrounding areas is in need of such a facility which offers a wide range of living, health and social services. Edgewood Life Care, Inc., which will own and operate the facility, is a subsidiary of Life Care Services Corp. (LCS). LCS has been developing and managing life care communities for more than 25 years and has developed more than 50 such communities across the country. There will be 245 living units in the facility. A central dining room will provide food service to the residents. A broad range of social services will be available, as well as residential health care services involving wellness programs and assistance-in-living services. The on-site Health Center will provide for the :health -needs of the residents with a 4S-bed, long-term care Edgewood Life Care, Inc. - cont. Page 8 facility and ambulatory health care services. A resident needing nursing care will be accommodated without the necessity o~ being transferred eEl-site. The nursing facility will be licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The total investment in the project will be substantial. Since this is a private project, the Town will benefit from the real estate taxes generated. The taxes will be considerably more than those generated from a subdivision of private houses. These taxes would be available to the Town without the necessity of the Town's providing many of the services required for residences, such as plowing, tree service, road maintenance and schooling for children. It is expected that most of the employees will be residents of this area. In granting the Special Permit, the Board makes the following findings and conclusions: The Board has the power to grant the Special Permit under the provisions of the Zoning By-'Law, Sections 4.121 (14), 10.22, 10.3 and 10.31. 2. All conditions set out in Section 10.31 are found to .be met. The site is a 59-acre parcel and,-therefore, has more than sufficient area to accommodate the project. 0nly a small portion will be used for the specific use, leaving the rest as open space. The project is far more desirable for the location and the Town of North Andover than a traditional housing subdivision. The site will provide a good setting for the project which will be architectur- ally appropriate. It will be protective of the watershed and will cover far less area than a traditional housing subdivision. The site is appropriate for the use and buildings. Since only a small portion will be dedicated to the specific use, the neighborhood will not be adversely affected. The building and ancillary facilities will be sited well back from the public road. The siting and architecture will be such as to allow the facility to blend in with the location and the neighborhood. There will be some increase in traffic, as would be expected with any development of the site. The increase can be characterized as light to moderate, particularly when compared with the flow of traffic in a residential Page 9 Edgewood Life Care, Inc. - cont. development. The public will not have general access to''~'., ~ "" the site. There will be no small children in the area as'' a result of the proposed use. 6. An investment in the amount set out requires that adequate and appropriate facilities will be provided for the proper operation of the proposed use. The Health Center com- ponent must be built to satisfy the requirements of the Department of Public Health and all state fire, safety, and building codes. Municipal water supply is available to the site and at the expense of the petitioner if necessary. The Eacility will be tied into the public sewer system at the expense of the petitioner and, therefore, at no cost to the town. . 7. The use is in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the Zoning By-Law. The proposed use is a permitted use under the BM-Law bM Special Permit. Meeting adjourned at 9550 p.m. Next regular meeting on January 13, 1987 Taylor ~Clerk Al~f r~E~Fr ~l rman