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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMPIC Minutes 1-4-21 MASTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE: January 4,2021 In Attendance (via Google Meet and telephone): Members Kelly Cormier(Chair), Stan Limpert (Vice- Chair), Chris Nobile, Meredith Barnes-Cook, Sean McDonough,Jon Strauss, Hollie Williams, and Jay Dowd, and George Koehler Absent: Staff: Andrew Shapiro (Director of Community and Economic Development),Jean Enright (Planning Director), and Dan Beckley(Staff Planner) Immediately prior to calling the meeting to order at 6:00pm, Kelly Cormier read aloud the following statement: Pursuant to Governor Baker's March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §18, and the Governor's March 15, 2020 Order imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place, this meeting of the Master Plan Implementation Committee will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the Town's website, at .n rth n rm . . ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................For this meeting, members of the public who wish to watch the meeting may do so on their televisions by tuning to Comcast Channel 99 or Verizon Channel 28 or online at .n rth n rc m. r . No in- person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time,via technological means. In the event that we are unable to do so, despite best efforts, we will post on the Town of North Andover website an audio or video recording,transcript, or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting. If the public would like to participate in public hearings please email your question/comment prior to or during the meeting to..:........... ..............sha..........r................... ........ .............. . ............. ................................................!. ...............®.............................The question/comment will be read during the proceedings and responded to accordingly. Public Comment Ms. Cormier asked Andrew Shapiro if he had received any comments from the public. Mr. Shapiro said that no comments had been submitted yet. Approval of minutes from the December 8, 2020 meeting Motion: Mr. Limpert made a motion to approve the minutes of December 8, 2020, seconded by Mr. Dowd. Motion approved by a vote of 9-0. Discussion regarding prioritization of strategies Ms. Cormier explained that this discussion would revolve partially around the issue of how the Committee should decide if a strategy is complete, partially complete, or another status. Mr. Limpert noted that he believes that subcommittees should report out to the larger Committee, provide a recommendation as to whether certain strategies are complete, and the Committee could vote on them. Other members expressed agreement. Ms. Enright suggested that the quarterly reports will contain status updates on the strategies and that the Committee will be voting to approve sending these reports to the Select Board and Planning Board; thereby voting to agree on the status of strategies. Report out on element groups' strategy prioritization discussions Mr. McDonough noted that he and Ms. Williams met with Rick Gorman, Director of Youth and Recreation Services to discuss strategies related to fields and the Youth Center expansion. Mr. Strauss noted that he and others met with DPW leadership to discuss transportation strategies. Ms. Cormier explained that Mr. Limpert was tracking status of strategies and that Members should provide him with any updates. Ms. Cormier provided an update on strategies related to land use, noting that she had discussed them with Mr. Shapiro, Ms. Enright, and Mr. Beckley. Review the Osgood Smart Growth Overlay District and update the Zoning Bylaw to ensure the district encourages the types of uses that are attractive in today's market and consistent with the direction of this Master Plan. —Ms. Cormier noted that this strategy is complete. • In May 2019,Annual Town Meeting voted to rescind the Osgood Smart Growth Overlay District (OSGOD). • In June 2019, Special Town Meeting approved several zoning bylaw amendments; including,to allow for a waiver of maximum building height in 1-2 by special permit, waiver of maximum floor area ratio by special permit, and waiver of setbacks and other dimensional requirements for large scale ground mounted solar energy systems by special permit. • Since then, a project to bring a 3.8M sf Amazon distribution and warehouse facility to the property was approved by local land use boards. • Hillwood (Amazon's future landlord) has since closed on the property and will begin demolition and other construction activities this winter. • Annual Town Meeting 2020 approved a sign master plan within 1-2 by special permit. • In December 2020,The Town was awarded $50,000 by MassDevelopment from its Real Estate Technical Assistance program to produce a corridor study of Route 125, between Sutton Street and the Haverhill line, which will examine, among other things, current land uses and zoning, and it will provide recommended actions to update zoning and best position the corridor. Ongoing strategies include: Create a new base zoning district for Downtown North Andover that is consistent with the goals of the Master Plan and encourages and incentivizes reinvestment. • The Town is currently in the midst of its Downtown Improvement Master Planning process (DIMP),which should be complete in the first half of 2021. • Recommendations for zoning bylaw amendments will be one result of this process. • The Town will take up this process once the DIMP is complete. Review the current Zoning Bylaw and compare the current regulations to the desired vision and goals of the Master Plan. Ensure recommendations that can be tied back to zoning changes are identified, prioritized, and completed. Ms. Enright spoke to how the Planning Board and Town in general is constantly in a process of trying to do this. She provided an example of an issue that is currently coming before the Planning Board,whereas a property owner on Andover Street, across from Burger King, is requesting to have certain uses added to the B4 zone, in an effort to help reuse potential for her property. This would affect several parcels along Andover Street, which are also zoned 84;therefore, the Planning Board will need to look at this issue holistically and determine if it's in line with the Master Plan. Meredith Barnes-Cook then spoke to a conversation that she and Mr. Limpert had with Deanna Lima, the Town's Community Support Coordinator, about the Town's response mental health and substance abuse issues. More resources are certainly needed, but in particular, she could use more capacity to collect data and perform other functions, so that she is freed up to do more outreach and response. Mr. Limpert said that the Committee should consider its role as an advocate for these departments and functions to ensure that they get the resources they need from the Town. Mr. Limpert added, separately,that he and Ms. Barnes-Cook wanted to place emphasis on the Town's technological efforts related to cell service coverage in particular, and that perhaps it could be discussed in the near future with the Town's new IT Director. Sean McDonough discussed a conversation he and Ms. Barnes-Cook had with Rick Gorman, Director of Youth and Recreation Services. The proposed rec plex project is in litigation,the fields at Osgood Landing are no longer available for Town use, and the High School's baseball fields need repair. There is confidence that the rec plex is going to happen—will be used for soccer and lacrosse, among other sports. Other opportunities to expand field access—large property owners could potentially be engaged to add to field capacity. Regarding the Youth Center, Mr. McDonough noted that the Youth Center is pursuing an expansion, which could potentially be met via an addition to the existing building or by acquiring another property on which a structure could be built or rehabbed for the Center's purposes. Ms. Barnes-Cook noted that an architect has been engaged by the Youth Center to further examine these opportunities. Mr. McDonough explained that he reached out to certain Conservation Commission Members about the idea of expanding the rail trail. They were very receptive about wanting the Town to prioritize that project. Mr. Strauss explained that he and Ms. Barnes-Cook, and Mr. Dowd had a conversation with Jim Stanford and John Borgesi of the DPW. They discussed strategies relating to creating better multi-modal connectivity through town, as well as securing funding to implement those types of projects. Many projects are in process. The Town is looking at adopting a Complete Streets policy. Projects to create better connectivity are more so focused on areas around schools and downtown. The Town is working with a regional entity to ensure funding of large transportation projects that will have regional significance. Mr. Dowd added that he came away from the meeting feeling as though sidewalks—new connectivity—is very much on the Town's radar and several projects to increase sidewalk capacity are underway. Ms. Enright endorsed the notion of the Committee prioritizing the Town adopting a Complete Streets Policy, in that it covers many goals, all related to connectivity. Ms. Cormier noted that Housing, Economic Development, and Historical elements still need to be addressed by the Committee. Mr. Shapiro suggested that the Committee may want to engage either or both the Affordable Housing Trust and Community Preservation Committee on the Housing element strategies. Mr. Koehler noted that these strategies should certainly be discussed by the Trust, as they have not yet been addressed. With respect to historical resources, Mr. Limpert suggested that the Committee might want to engage outside groups that focus on those issues, such as the Historical Society. Ms. Cormier asked Members of the Committee to send updates on strategies to Mr. Limpert so that he can compile the information. Formulation of a quarterly report could include status updates on prioritized strategies and a recommendation for the Select Board to adopt a Complete Streets policy. New Business No new business was discussed. Adjournment Motion: Mr. Limpert made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Dowd. Motion approved by a vote of 7-0. Meeting adjourned at 6:41pm.