HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-07-21 Planning Board Minutes ,u Sean Kevlahan, Chair
%% ' John Simons, Vice Chair
"' TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER Peter Boynton
PLANNING BOARD Kate Kelly
Denevan O'Connell
Bral Spight,Associate
Tuesday July 21, 2026 (an, 7 p.m., 120 Main Street—Town Hall, North Andover, MA 01845
Present/Planning Board: J. Simons,P.Boynton, S.Kevlahan,K.Kelly,D. O'Connell,B. Spight
Absent:None
Staff Present: J.Enright
S.Kevlahan: The Planning Board meeting for July 21,2026,was called to order at 7 p.m.
CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING
520 Great Pond Road,North Andover Country Club: Continued until August 11,2026. Application for a
Watershed Protection District Special Permit Article 4 Part 5 Watershed Protection District and 195-10.7 of the
10 zoning bylaws to authorize tree removal within high water limits of Lake Cochichewick and parking lot reclamation
11 within Non-Disturbance Zone and the Non-Discharge Zone of the Watershed Protection District. The property is
12 located in the Residential 1 zoning district.
13 J. Enright: Stated the applicant has requested a continuance to allow for time to re-evaluate the scope of work
14 detailed in the Watershed Special Permit application.
15
16 NEW PUBLIC HEARING
17 492 Sutton Street(a/k/a/64 Terminal Road),City of Lawrence Municipal Airport Commission: Application
18 for a Site Plan Review,Article 8 Supplementary Regulations,Part 1 Off-Street Parking and Loading,Part 3 Site Plan
19 Review,Part 4 Screening and Landscaping of Off-Street Parking Areas,and Article 10 Administration 195-10.7 of
20 the North Andover Zoning Bylaw. The applicant proposes the construction of a new Airport Administration facility
21 to replace the existing 1950's era building. The new building will include airport administration space,tenant office
22 space,and space for a future restaurant. The project is located within the Industrial 2 Zoning District.
23 J. Enright: Explained that the improvements will allow the airport to continue providing essential services including
24 emergency medical care,law enforcement operations,flight training,and general aviation needs of the region. The
25 subject property is 400+acres.The property and campus are substantially developed with numerous existing
26 buildings, structures,and infrastructure improvements,and is home to a variety of existing mixed commercial uses
27 and addition to the airport operations. The site is currently served by municipal water and sewer. The project
28 consists of a complete demolition of the existing Administration Building and construction of a new one-story 7,069
29 SF Administration Building on substantially the same footprint. The parking space requirement for the proposed
30 restaurant space is 39 spaces. The office/business space requires 14 spaces. Stated that the applicant has applied for
31 parking reduction relief of 7 spaces for the office use based on airport operational characteristics,yielding a required
32 total of 46 spaces with the relief.Forty-six spaces are proposed. Stormwater management consists of low-impact
33 improvements including a small stormwater basin to manage peak flows resulting from offsite runoff over the
34 project site,vegetated detention areas within the main parking island,and pollutant removals achieved by a
35 manufactured cartridge filtration system prior to discharge into the existing downstream drainage system.All new
36 catch basins have 4-foot sumps and outlet hoods. The application has been sent to our stormwater peer review
37 consultant. The first peer review letter is included in the meeting packet. The applicant's response letter,revised
38 plans, and revised stormwater report are also included in the meeting packet. The Conservation Department and
39 NAPD have confirmed they do not have any concerns with the project. The applicant has requested a waiver from
40 the Traffic Study requirement. The project replaces an existing building of identical uses with a marginally larger
41 facility.No new uses are introduced and no meaningful change in trip generation is anticipated.In addition,a waiver
42 for strict conformance with landscaping requirements is requested due to the sensitivity of wildlife inhabiting areas
43 under FAA regulations.Landscaping is limited to the requirements for the stormwater management system to
44 function as designed.The parking lot is a retrofit of an existing parking facility and landscaping has been proposed
45 where feasible within an existing reconstructed landscape island.The Landscape Plan specifies native-species for
1
,u Sean Kevlahan, Chair
%% ' John Simons, Vice Chair
"' TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER Peter Boynton
PLANNING BOARD Kate Kelly
Denevan O'Connell
Bral Spight,Associate
Tuesday July 21, 2026 (an, 7 p.m., 120 Main Street—Town Hall, North Andover, MA 01845
46 the vegetated stormwater detention area.Loam and seed are proposed in all disturbed areas.Finally,the applicant
47 also requests waivers for both the Fiscal Impact Analysis and Community Impact Analysis requirements.
48 Lindsey DiTonno(McClure Engineering): Introduced herself as the team leader and engineer representing McClure
49 Engineering. She noted that she had a brief presentation prepared and introduced the rest of the design team:Philip
50 Cox from Cox Aviation and Katie Ferrier from Fennick McCredie Architecture. She then guided the Board through
51 a presentation of the airport and site,details of the project that includes stormwater management and utility plans,
52 the specific zoning regulation requirements,and the requested waivers.
53 P.Boynton: Inquired whether the proposed project would feature an outdoor seating area and provide access to the
54 administration building for individuals parking their aircraft.
55 Lindsey DiTonno: Confirmed that an outdoor seating area featuring fencing and appropriate safety measures would
56 be provided,along with a security-gated entryway for individuals who have parked their aircraft.
57 K.Kelly: Questioned if there will be installation of rooftop solar panels on the building.
58 Katie Ferrier(Fennick McCredie Architect): Said that solar installation is not currently proposed but the building is
59 designed to be solar-ready for the future.
60 Philip Cox(Cox Aviation): Adhering to the budget is a primary focus of the project. Stated that should surplus funds
61 remain after the construction and project are completed,the team will explore adding solar panels using the
62 remaining balance,executing this as a change order.
63 K.Kelly Inquired whether the project receives funding from state or federal sources.
64 Philip Cox: Confirmed that the financing is sourced from the state.
65 K.Kelly Questioned whether any incentives are available for the installation of solar panels.
66 Philip Cox: Stated there is currently no incentives for solar installation in Massachusetts.
67 S.Kevlahan: Inquired about whether the project's plans include repaving the parking area.
68 Lindsey DiTonno: Confirmed the area shown in grey on the site plan will be repaved and restriped.
69 Board: Raised concerns regarding parking lot illumination and the availability of parking spaces,noting the impact
70 of visitors attending the Homegrown lacrosse facility.
71 Philip Cox: Said that signage will be implemented to prevent parking by patrons from neighboring facilities,adding
72 that since this building will likely operate during different hours than the Homegrown Lacrosse facility,overflow
73 parking should not pose a problem.Additionally,it was explained that tall parking lot illumination presents a safety
74 hazard for the air traffic control tower. The glare generated by high lighting can restrict the tower staffs visibility of
75 ground control and the FBOs where aircraft depart.
76 P.Boynton:Requested information regarding the proj ect's construction schedule.
77 Philip Cox:He indicated that the bidding process will conclude in early September,with contract issuance slated for
78 the end of the month. The total timeline for project completion is projected at 18 months.
79 J. Enright: She expects that the final stormwater peer review will be finalized during the current week.However,
80 feedback from the fire department's internal review is still outstanding.Upon receipt and completion of both
81 reviews,she intends to prepare a draft decision for the subsequent meeting.Furthermore, she recommended
82 incorporating a condition within the decision that mandates a follow-up discussion regarding operational hours and
83 possible additional parking lot lighting once a specific tenant has been secured for the restaurant venue.
84 Board:Announced that this public hearing will be carried over to the August 11,2026 meeting.
85
86 DISCUSSION ITEM
87 894 Great Pond Road,Tom Childs on behalf of Patricia and Michael Savgdis: Request for Waiver of Watershed
88 Special Permit requirements in accordance with§195-4.24 of the zoning bylaw. Applicant proposes construction of
89 a new driveway section,reclaim of existing driveway and reconstruction of existing driveway in the same footprint.
90 The proposed disturbance is within the Non-Discharge buffer zone.
91 J. Enright: Explained that the applicant originally requested a Watershed Special Permit waiver to allow for the
92 construction of a driveway extension,reclamation of the existing driveway and reconstruction in the same footprint.
2
,u Sean Kevlahan, Chair
%% ' John Simons, Vice Chair
"' TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER Peter Boynton
PLANNING BOARD Kate Kelly
Denevan O'Connell
Bral Spight,Associate
Tuesday July 21, 2026 (an, 7 p.m., 120 Main Street—Town Hall, North Andover, MA 01845
93 All work is proposed within the 325'Non-Discharge buffer zone. She sent the plan to John Borgesi,Town Engineer,
94 for his review and comment regarding the proposed stormwater management. Stated that the homeowner has
95 decided to withdraw the waiver request based on J.Borgesi's review comments.
96
97 Potential permitted uses zoning bylaw amendment:Housekeeping edits to bylaw text and Table 1: Summary of
98 Use Regulations.
99 J. Enright:Mentioned in the past that a number of discrepancies have been identified between the bylaw text and
100 Table 1: Summary of Use Regulations. Stated that there are also terminology differences and definition conflicts.
101 Staff Planner, Samantha Carr,has categorized the bylaw uses and will present her findings for Residential Uses.
102 S. Carr: Serving as the Staff Planner for North Andover, she introduced herself and noted that she prepared a
103 presentation on the North Andover Zoning Permitted Uses Updates and Residential Uses,which is included in the
104 meeting packet.Noted a disparity between text regulations and the summary table of uses,where the table may state
105 "no"but the text states"yes".Language discrepancies exist between the official text verbiage and the table;the
106 table's abbreviated,standardized version is proposed as the official language,with differences being highlighted.For
107 permitted use recommendations,currently blank areas in the table are highlighted as recommended to eliminate
108 ambiguity regarding whether a blank signifies a rejection or allows for Planning Board flexibility.Finally,regarding
109 glossary definitions for residential uses,most proposed terms already exist in other bylaw sections;moving them to
110 the general glossary will improve readability so users do not have to search through 20 articles. The proposal also
ill includes discussing glossary additions or addendums and rectifying conflicting definitions for specific terms to
112 ensure clarity.
113 J. Simons: Inquired whether these categories are explicitly defined within a particular section of the bylaws.
114 J. Enright: Explained that Article 2 contains all of the definitions within the bylaw.
115 S. Carr: Highlighted to the Board and Jean that in some instances,the bylaw text does not mention the use,making it
116 difficult to discern if the summary table provides direction on that specific item.Discussed an example of how the
117 text lacks any reference to a two-family use within the R5 district,despite the table indicating that it is permitted by
118 right.
119 J. Simons:Recommended re-evaluating the designated uses for each individual district to explore potential
120 adjustments that could better align with each use.
121 S. Carr: Presented sections of the text and table that require review and revision to ensure consistency. Stated that
122 currently, context is either limited or missing for categories such as assisted living facilities,congregate housing,
123 continuing care retirement centers,independent elderly housing,nursing and convalescent homes,and rooming
124 houses. Shared that many definitions,including Accessory Dwelling Units,are confined to a specific section rather
125 than the general glossary; centralizing these terms would significantly aid users navigating the bylaws.Pointed out
126 that certain terms,such as a Continuing Care Retirement Center,completely lack definitions within the bylaws.
127 Pointed out that there are definitions,such as Assisted Living Unit,that lack sufficient context and suggested
128 expanding their descriptions. Will review past warrant article.
129 Board: Expressed appreciation to Samantha for her dedication and hard work on this presentation.
130
131 Housing Units Summary
132 J. Enright:P.Boynton requested this information be placed on the agenda.The summary report yields similar results
133 to the data last presented in 2023.
134 P.Boynton: Suggested the Board should periodically receive updates regarding various housing types in town,
135 tracking potential shifts in their distribution across different sectors over time.
136 Board: It was recommended that a tracking table be established and maintained to document periodic changes in
137 housing volumes.
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,u Sean Kevlahan, Chair
%% ' John Simons, Vice Chair
"' TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER Peter Boynton
PLANNING BOARD Kate Kelly
Denevan O'Connell
Bral Spight,Associate
Tuesday July 21, 2026 (an, 7 p.m., 120 Main Street—Town Hall, North Andover, MA 01845
138 Board: Stated an email was received by a resident regarding housing in North Andover. The email was reviewed by
139 each board member and filed in the agenda meeting packet.
140
141 Development Update
142 J. Enright:As requested,a status update has been provided,which is linked to the agenda.It was noted that although
143 Royal Crest was purchased near the end of 2025,no formal applications have been submitted to any Board or
144 Commission that she is aware of. Stated that the Zoning Board approved the special permit for 0 Prescott Street after
145 the applicant reduced the total number of units and shifted the building farther away from the nearest abutter.
146 Because 0 Prescott Street is a rental project, 100%of the 280 units will be added to North Andover's Subsidized
147 Housing Inventory(SHI)numerator. This addition increases the town-wide inventory from 8.07%(958 units)to
148 10.43% SHI based on the frozen 2020 Census denominator, successfully pushing North Andover over the 40B
149 threshold. Explained that at the June 15th Select Board meeting,Princeton Properties presented a conceptual
150 development plan and proposed a Local Initiative Program(LIP),which serves as a friendly 40B.Explained that
151 discussions with the Select Board are ongoing and if a LIP were to proceed the Select Board would ultimately have
152 to agree that an application would aim to address the town's housing needs and express support of the application.
153 J. Simons: Inquired whether the Select Board possesses the authority to reject the friendly 40B project,regardless of
154 whether the 10%threshold has been exceeded.
155 J. Enright: Indicated that the Select Board's support signifies approval for the project to proceed to an application to
156 the State for Project Eligibility and ultimately to the ZBA for evaluation. The ZBA maintains final authority over the
157 approval of an LIP application.
158 Board: Questioned the introduction of a new 40B proposal,given that North Andover has entered a safe harbor
159 period and is set to surpass its required threshold following the approval of the 0 Prescott project.
160 J. Enright: Elaborated that the friendly 40B nature of this project stems from the town's desire to maintain its 10%
161 threshold going forward.Public feedback is desired by the Select Board,most likely through the administration of a
162 community survey. She presented a spreadsheet from Andrew Shapiro detailing the subsidized housing inventory
163 and its projected future outlook based on an estimated 2030 Census estimate.
164 S.Kevlahan: Expressed apprehensions regarding the feasibility of a 40B project intended to be entirely residential,
165 given the inclusion of a restaurant.
166 J. Enright: Clarified that 40B developments can incorporate a small amount of commercial space. Suggested that the
167 Board track the Select Board's upcoming meetings and agendas for this project to observe the progression and
168 eventual results.
169 Board: Thanked Jean for compiling and presenting the progress report on these developments.
170
171 MEETING MINUTES: July 7,2026 meeting minutes.
172 MOTION:P.Boynton made a motion to approve the meeting minutes for July 7,2026. The motion was seconded
173 by D. O'Connell. The vote was 5-0,unanimous in favor.
174
175 MEETING ADJOURNMENT:
176 MOTION: J. Simons made a motion to adjourn the July 21,2026 Planning Board meeting.The motion was
177 seconded by D. O'Connell. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. The vote was 5-0,unanimous in favor.
178
179 MEETING MATERIALS: July 21,2026 Planning Board Agenda.docx,July 21,2026 Planning Board Agenda.pdf,
180 492 Sutton Street-LMA Admin Bldg:Department Review: 260617 NAPD Comment.pdf,260622 Conservation
181 Comment.pdf,Presentation: 260721 PB Presentation.pdf,Rev Plans: 260710 AdminBldg-Plans.pdf, SP Parking
182 Reduction-Landscaping Mod:Parking Reduction-Landscape Mod Special Permit Application.pdf, SPR
183 Application: 06/16/2026-Memorandum.pdf,06/16/2026-Operation&Maintenance Plan.pdf,06/16/2026-
4
,u Sean Kevlahan, Chair
%% ' John Simons, Vice Chair
"' TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER Peter Boynton
PLANNING BOARD Kate Kelly
Denevan O'Connell
Bral Spight,Associate
Tuesday July 21, 2026 (an, 7 p.m., 120 Main Street—Town Hall, North Andover, MA 01845
184 Preliminary Permit Plans.pdf,06/16/2026- Stormwater Management Report.pdf, SPR Application.pdf,Stormwater
185 Peer Review: 260706_1 stHW_SWPeerReview_492SuttonSt.pdf,Resp to IstHW_SWPeerReview: 260710
186 AdminBldg-Plans.pdf,260710 Resp Letter.pdf,260710 SW Rept.pdf,520 Great Pond Road: Continuance Request
187 to 8.11.2026.pdf, 894 Great Pond Road:WSP Waiver Request: 894 Great Pond Site Plan.pdf,260714 Request for
188 WSP Waiver.pdf,Driveway Image.png,Department Review: 260717 Town Engineering Comment.pdf,
189 Withdrawal:260720 Email Withdrawal.pdf,Development Update: Development Status Update.docx,
190 Development Status Update.pdf,North Andover CH40B Subsidized Housing Inventory.xlsx;Housing Units
191 Summary 07/21/2026-Melinda Perrone(65 Meadowood Rd)Email.pdf,Living Units Report Summary
192 Report_6.11.2026.xlsx;Meeting Minutes: DRAFT-July 7,2026 Planning Board Meeting Minutes.docx,DRAFT-
193 July 7,2026 Planning Board Meeting Minutes.pdf,Potential Permitted Uses Bylaw Amendment: Permitted Uses
194 -Zoning Update-Residential Uses.pptx,Table 1 Summary of Use Regulations-Page 1 (No Overlays).pdf,Table 1
195 Summary of Use Regulations-Page 2 (Overlay Districts).pdf, Staff Report: 260721 Staff Report.pdf
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