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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-03-14 Master Plan Implementation Committee Minutes Master Plan Implementation Committee Meeting Minutes March 14, 2022 Attending: (via Google Meet): Members - Jon Strauss (chair), Jay Dowd, George Koehler, Stan Limpert, Sean McDonough, and Chris Nobile. Absent: Meredith Barnes-Cook(vice chair), Hollie Williams, and Eitan Goldberg Staff: Andrew Shapiro (Director of Community and Economic Development), Jean Enright (Planning Director) and Dan Beckley (Staff Planner) Call To Order Immediately prior to calling the meeting to order at 5:04 PM, Jon Strauss read aloud a statement regarding the conduct of virtual meetings and public access. Mr. Strauss then noted that the Committee would take the New Business items on the agenda out of order first. Public Comment No public comments were received by either Jon Strauss or Andrew Shapiro prior to the start of the meeting or during it. Approval of minutes for the meeting held on February 7, 2021 Stan Limpert moved to approve the minutes as presented. Jay Dowd seconded. The vote was 6-0 in favor, motion passed. New Business Community Preservation Committee Agenda Item -potential acquisition of 00 Great Fond Road and impact on Land Use Strategy #8 Staff Planner Dan Beckley provided an overview of where the subject project currently stands. The subject property is right on the Lake. It takes on water when the Lake level rises. It's currently on the market. The Town got an appraisal for the property and requested about$650,000 from the CPC to go towards acquisition. The appraisal was for$1.7M, so that is the total price the Town is looking to pay if it is able to acquire the property. The CPC rejected the application. The Town is looking at other funding sources. A portion of the property is already protected and the house is a historic structure; this complicates the proposed project. Mr. Strauss noted that the Watershed Plan update calls out the property as one the Town should target for acquisition as it would allow the Town to better control the height of the water in the Lake. Mr. Dowd asked whether the Town's intent was to demolish the house. Mr. Beckley noted that the Town had not yet determined a best option to proceed after a potential acquisition of the property, but demolition would be a possibility. Mr. Limpert asked whether there would be other warrant articles that address this issue. Mr. Beckley was not certain how the Town would proceed, because some of the funding for instance would have come from the Water Enterprise Fund, which would be on the Town Warrant—but that funding would have been a match to a CPC funded project, which doesn't appear will happen. Mr. Shapiro noted that the development agreement terms between the Town and Trinity Financial for the Royal Crest property calls for the developer to provide $550,000 for the acquisition of the property. Potential MPIC Framework Applications: Sidewalk Crap Analysis and Prr� ose Cr�nnec tivity Plan Co Mete Streets Prioritization Plan Mr. Beckley then provided an overview of the Sidewalk Connectivity Plan. He noted that he worked with Ms. Enright and the DPW on this project. They used data provided by the regional planning agency and the state—an algorithm that scores streets by their location proximate to schools, parks, and other public assets. Using this algorithm to score streets that did not already have sidewalk connections, they were able to come up with areas that the Town should target for new sidewalks. There is funding that the DPW has for sidewalks. Mr. Beckley then discussed the Complete Streets Prioritization Plan, which contains priorities for not just new sidewalks,but also streets, and new intersections, among other improvements. The Town can gain access to $400,000 in funding every four years for these projects. The Plan will be submitted to the State, the State will either approve the Plan or send it back for comments. The Town will have until May 1st to submit an application for the highest priority project identified. That project, is the realignment of Sutton, High, and Chadwick Street, and other general safety improvements to that intersection. Mr. Nobile expressed that the Plan calls for better connectivity and provides more information to the general public about how and why these projects are prioritized. Mr. Strauss queried the Committee as to whether they felt that either of these projects should have the Committee's framework applied to it. Mr. Dowd noted that he felt the Complete Streets Prioritization Plan should because it is a stated strategy in the Master Plan. Mr. Limpert disagreed, noting all of these projects are sufficiently detailed and advanced, and that further review by the Committee would not necessarily be that helpful. Ms. Enright pointed out that the Committee had previously recommended to the Select Board that it take up Complete Streets as a priority, and the fact that they passed a Policy and that a Plan was coming into place shows that there has been follow through. Mr. Dowd noted that he thinks reporting that this project is being completed and accomplished could be worth while. Mr. Strauss said that progress on these projects should be added to the website. Town Meeting Proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment Articles Mixed-use Overly-Zonin and Zonings Mafl lncluslonary Zonln Ms. Enright then updated the Committee on the three Town Meeting Warrant articles being put forth by the Planning Board for Town Meeting. Two of them are related to the proposed redevelopment of the Royal Crest property. The proposed Zoning Bylaw amendment proposes a new Master Planned Zoning Overlay, and a separate Warrant Article amends the Zoning Map with the Master Plan that would be associated with the new Overlay District. The other article is an inclusionary zoning bylaw, which lays out what types of new developments would be subject to providing affordable housing. A proposed development of eight or more units would require 15% of them to be deed restricted affordable units to 80%people making 80% of the area median income. The Planning Board is currently in the midst of public hearings for these warrant articles. The Planning Board makes a recommendation(either favorable or unfavorable action) to Town Meeting. Mr. Strauss asked whether the new proposed zoning for Royal Crest, if it were to be approved by Town Meeting, whether it would satisfy the new requirements regarding MBTA Communities under the Zoning Act, requiring new by-right multi-family zoning. Ms. Enright said that it remains to be seen. Public comment is still being taken by the State on that issue and final guidance has not yet been issued. Continued discussion of updates to the draft MPIC imnlernentation A eh pa e Mr. Beckley noted that the webpage has not changed much since the last meeting. Mr. Strauss asked when the page could be released and launched. Mr. Shapiro explained that the Committee had debated the issue of content in the introduction area of each Master Plan priority. Right now, those sections resemble exactly the language that is in the Master Plan. At some point, the Committee could approve having the page link posted to the Master Plan Implementation Committee Town page, and at some point in the near future, the Town could publicize the presence of the page. Mr. Beckley encouraged Committee Members to provide staff with any updates to the page, in terms of the narratives, that they see fit, and they could be incorporated. Mr. Dowd noted that he believes that the Committee may still be stuck on the issue of whether the MPIC members should be writing the narratives so as to provide a"citizen's perspective" on the Master Plan priorities. Mr. Limpert expressed that the Committee may want to focus more on editing content brought forward by staff, as opposed to generating the content on the website itself. Mr. Shapiro noted that he agrees with Mr. Limpert and that he welcomes input from the Committee on content. He also reminded the Committee that the website is not written in stone and can be updated/changed as necessary. Mr. Nobile said that it behooves the Committee to get the site out to the public now, especially ahead of Town Meeting. Motion by George Koehler to make the draft website public by posting it to the Town website. Seconded by Chris Nobile. Discussion: Mr. Dowd reminded the Committee that it is advisory in nature. Mr. Strauss said the Committee could revisit this issue on an ongoing basis. Mr. Dowd asked if the Town wanted to make the site public. Mr. Shapiro said that he thinks the site is ready to be put on the Town website,but that he would want to wait a little longer before publicizing it so that more content could be added. Vote: 6-0 in favor—the motion carries. Next Meeting: Monday, April 11, 2022 at 5pm Adjournment: Stan Limpert moved to adjourn, and Meredith Barnes-Cook seconded. The vote was 7-0 in favor. The meeting adjourned at 6:10 pm.