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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-10-15Planning Board Minutes Senior Center October 15, 1996 Members Present: Joseph V. Mahoney, Chairman, Alberto Angles, Associate Member, Alison Lescarbeau arrived at 7:07 p.m., John Simons arrived at 7:20 p.m. Richard Nardella and John Simons were absent. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. The two members present at 7:00 p.m. met as a committee of the whole. Minutes On a motion by Mr. Angles, seconded by Mr. Mahoney, the minutes of October 1, 1996 were approved as amended. Discussion Top of the Scales - site plan review waiver Nancy Breen, owner of the property, is proposing to build a 450 sq ft addition above an existing garage. The site will require 5 or more additional parking spaces, therefore the applicant applied to the ZBA and has received approval to use the municipal parking lot. Ms. Breen stated that she has letters of support from the Historical Society and the Congregational Church. The addition will match the existing building. Ms. Colwell stated that she recommends site plan review waiver. On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Angles, the Board voted unanimously for site plan review waiver. Street Acceptances: Brewster Street Ms. Colwell stated that the Town Manager sent a letter to all of the residents on the street requesting that they sign a consent form allowing the Town to take the roadway by eminent domain. This action will allow the Town to take all of the easements and ownership of the right-of-way. DPW has stated that the roadway meets Town standards. Ms. Colwell recommends taking the street by eminent domain pending receipt of all consents and a layout plan. The Board members gave favorable approval pending receipt of a layout plan and release forms. Lancaster Street Blue Ridge Road from Salem Street to station 42+0 So. Bradford Street from Blue Ridge Rd to Coventry Lane The Board members gave favorable approval pending receipt of a layout plan and release forms. Hawthorne Place There is no recommendation at this time. Approximately 18 acres of land adjacent to the Shawsheen River was to be transferred to the Town at the time of street acceptance as a condition of the extension of this subdivision approval. The land owners (Bailey Family) are reneging on their promise and the transfer has not taken place. This land is part of the Shawsheen River Trail project that is a joint venture between Andover, Lawrence and North Andover. The Bailey's have placed the land under Chapter 6lB protection, which does provide for public use, however the designation is not permanent. Mr. Mahoney asked the developer (John McGarry) to try to obtain an easement for the trail. The Planning Board will discuss this in two weeks prior to Town Meeting. 340 Johnson Street - watershed special permit extension Almost two years ago the Planning Board granted a watershed special permit for the construction of a pool within 39' of a wetland resource area in the watershed. As the permit expires on October 17, 1996 the applicant (David Minicucci) has requested an extension. Ms. Colwell recommends granting a one year extension of the permit. On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Simons, the Board voted unanimously to grant a one year extension. Coventry I - bond update Ms. Colwell stated to the Board that they may be asked to vote on accepting a series of pump stations. Master Plan Committee - update Ms. Colwell stated that the committee did not meet this past week as they are working on drafting the baseline reports and needed additional time. Public Hearings (New): Settlers Ridge - subdivision/PRD Ms. Lescarbeau read the legal notices to open the public hearings. Tom Zahoruiko was present with the plans for an 11 lot subdivision/PRD. The property is located off of Bradford Street about 1/3 of a mile from the water tower. It is a 12 1/2 acre parcel of land to contain 11 homes with 40% of the land designated as open space. The property will be on Town water and sewer. David Ghikas, 186 Bradford Street, asked what is the distance from the first house to Bradford Street and Mr. Zahoruiko replied 400'. George Chopas, 210 Bradford Street, asked if there was only one entrance to the development and Mr. Zahoruiko replied ~yes, we are only going in 1,000 feet." Steve Daly, 162 Bradford Street, stated that there is much more traffic on Bradford Street now than 5 years ago. Mr. Daly's concern is that there won't be good visibility as cars try to enter Bradford Street from the proposed subdivision. Mr. Zahoruiko replied that the terrain is rather flat in that area so there should be no problem. Ms. Colwell stated that the drainage was reviewed by Coler & Colantonio and there are only small issues to be resolved. The site distance on Bradford Street must be measured. Mr. Simons asked Mr. Zahoruiko to expand on the detention pond and its location. Mr. Zahoruiko stated that it is usually placed near the infrastructure and the detention pond must be 25' from the wetlands. Mr. Mahoney asked if it was necessary for the pond to be at the beginning of the subdivision? Mr. Zahoruiko stated that he will review the location with the engineer. Mr. Zahoruiko stated that the sewer line will gravity feed through the back of the subdivision via an easement from the Barkers. Mr. Mahoney asked what will happen to the open space and Ms. Colwell replied that there is a 10 acre parcel between this open space and the open space at White Birch and possibly they could be linked up. Mr. Mahoney stated that he was more concerned about who would own the open space and Ms. Colwell stated that she assumed the Town would own it. Ms. Lescarbeau read into the record a letter from Elizabeth Barker asking if the 50' buffer zone restriction could be waived. Mr. Mahoney asked ~why" and Ms. Barker stated that someday she may want to build a home on lot 6 and if there were no buffer zone restriction she could have better house placement. Mr. Simons asked about landscaping and Mr. Zahoruiko replied he doesn't have a plan yet, but will provide one to the Board. Discussion continued until November 19, 1996. Brookview Estates - subdivision/PRD Ms. Lescarbeau read the legal notices to open the public hearings. Mike Rosati, Marchionda Associates, was present to present the plans. A preliminary plan was filed in February, but denied by the Planning Board due to incomplete soil testing. The proposed definitive plan is for a 16 lot PRD off of Boxford Street containing 43 acres. Mr. Rosati stated that the access across 2 narrow strips of wetland has been approved by Con Com. The lot sizes will be approximately 40,000 sq ft with 50% of the land being left as open space. The property will have septic systems and will be on Town water. Mr. Rosati stated that at a TRC meeting it was mentioned that a trail system be incorporated into the plan showing a footbridge over the wetlands. Mr. Simons stated that the proposed plan is predicated upon the preliminary plan the Board did not approve and he does not believe 16 lots are likely. Ms. Colwell stated that if the Planning Board allowed the road to be built, then Con Com would be forced to approve the plan. Ms. Colwell read a letter from the Health Department stating that in the conventional plan all the lots perked. The septic testing has not been completed for a PRD plan. Ms. Lescarbeau asked about a detention pond and Mr. Rosati replied that there is a very large watershed from Mosquito Brook running through the site. There is also a huge detention area on Boxford Street that eliminates the need for a detention pond. Mr. Angles asked how long is the cul-de-sac and Mr. Rosati replied 1500'. There will be an island in the cul-de-sac. Elsie Pouliot, an abutter, asked when the applicant will be before Con Com and Mr. Rosati replied 2 or 3 weeks. The Board discussed access to lots 2 and 6 which would require a span bridge. Buzz Seeley, Duncan Drive, is concerned about the water level and flooding in his basement. A water pipe passes very close by his well and he is concerned about contamination. Mr. Rosati stated that a pipe will be dug 5 h feet in the right-of-way in the road, not on private property. Mr. Rosati further stated that if your well is typical there should be no impact on your property. Continued until November 19, 1996. 56 Meadowview Road - watershed special permit Ms. Lescarbeau read the legal notice to open the public hearing. Atty. peter Caruso was present with the plans for a one room addition to an existing home within 325' of a watershed wetland. The property is in the R-1 zoning district and has recently been connected up to sewer. The Planning Office received a letter from Steve Durso, a wetland biologist, stating that this work in the watershed district will not have a negative impact on the Lake. Mr. Mahoney directed Atty. Caruso to have Mr. Durso send a letter expanding on what he bases his decision on. On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Simons, the Board voted unanimously to close the public hearing. Ms. Colwell had a draft decision ready for the Board to review. On a motion by Mr. Simons, seconded by Mr. Angles, the Board voted unanimously to approve the draft decision as amended. Continued: 315 Turnpike Street (Merrimack College) site plan review Richard Kaminski was present for the continued discussion of this project. A site walk was held and the building was staked out relative to the Alcott Condos. Mr. Kaminski stated that he will be able to reduce the tree cutting by running the utility lines along the building and connecting to Alcott Village in an area where a natural clearing exists. Additional trees will be planted to create more density to shield Alcott Village. A wooden fence generic in nature will be installed. The Alcott Village side of the fence will be attached with pine to make it more attractive. Mr. Kaminski stated that the college has retained an acoustical engineer and they will install noise sensors on site in order to calculate the noise level. This, however, will take some time. Mr. Mahoney asked about the style and structure of the building and Mr. Kaminski replied he will stay with masonry veneered with clapboard. The present building has a flat roof, and maybe that could be gabled. The Board agreed that the fence should be installed as soon as possible. On a motion by Mr. Angles, seconded by Ms. Lescarbeau, the Board voted unanimously to close the public hearing. Ms. Colwell had a draft decision prepared for the Board's review. 5 On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Angles, the Board voted unanimously to approve the draft decision as amended tonight. Windkist Farms - Subdivision Phil Christiansen was present for the continued discussion of this subdivision. Ms. Colwell stated she received a letter from the Board of Health stating that the following lots are ok: lot 9 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 10. Lot #'s 4,5,8,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 and 18 need additional testing. Mr. Simons is concerned about a lot "slipping through the cracks." Ms. Colwell stated that Town staff is looking into the idea of outside help for septic testing. Ms. Lescarbeau read into the record a letter from David Hart, an abutter to lot stating his support of the subdivision. On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Angles, the Board voted unanimously to close the public hearing. Ms. Colwell had a draft decision ready for the Board's review. On a motion by Ms. Le$carbeau, seconded by Mr. Simons, the Board voted as follows to approve the draft decision as amended: Mr. Mahoney Ms. Lescarbeau Mr. Simons Mr. Angles yes yes yes not authorized to vote as an associate member Salem Forest IV - Subdivision/PRD Joseph Serwatka was present for the continuation of the public hearing. At the last meeting the Planning Board directed Mr. Serwatka to present the Board with house designs and elevations. To that end Mr. Serwatka brought David O'Sullivan with the MZO Group to the meeting and he displayed the plans showing the home designs, their placement on the lots and the elevations. There are four different house designs for the six lots and the square footage will be in the 2100' to 2500' range. The homes will be constructed of wood clapboard with asphalt shingles. Mr. Mahoney asked with the garages under are we to assume the homes fit the contour? Mr. Serwatka replied ~yes." The homes have been sited so as to be ~tangent to the curb or cul-de-sac." Mr. Angles asked Mr. Serwatka to elaborate on why a PRD is preferable to a conventional subdivision. Mr. Serwatka stated that there is a total of 35 acres, 30 acres will be left as open space to connect up to the Commonwealth of Mass state forest. Mr. Simons asked if there will be a tree buffer area between lots 1 and 2 and Mr. Serwatka replied in the affirmative. The Board asked that the tree clearing on the lots be limited to the area necessary for the septic system. An abutter was present and is concerned that her septic system is very near the subdivision. Mr. Simons stated that this is a less compelling case for a PRD than other proposed plans. On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Ms. Angles, the Board voted unanimously to close the public hearing and directed staff to draft a decision for the next meeting. 701 Salem Street - site plan review The applicant requested, in writing, a continuance until November 19, 1996. Decisions: 56 Meadowview Road - watershed special permit On a motion by Mr. Simons, seconded by Mr. Angles, the Board voted unanimously to approve the draft decision as amended. 315 Turnpike Street (Merrimack College) site plan review On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Angles, the Board voted unanimously to approve the draft decision as amended. Windkist Farms - subdivision On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Simons, the Board voted as follows to approve the draft decision as amended: Mr. Simons yes Ms. Lescarbeau yes Mr. Mahoney yes Mr. Angles not authorized to vote as an associate member Endorse Plans 12 Massachusetts Avenue (Mobil Oil) Site Plan Review The Planning Board approved the site plan review for this project on September 19, 1996 and the 20 day appeal period has passed. Ms. Colwell recommends endorsing the plan. The Planning Board endorsed the plans for 12 Massachusetts Avenue - Mobil Oil Site Plan Review. Gray Street - Form A This is the creation of one lot on Gray Street. The lot has sufficient frontage and area on a public way. The Planning Board signed the Form A plan for Gray Street. Lots 1 - 6 Rosemont Street - Form A There was a question at the last meeting of whether or not the 50' buffer zone is affected. Ms. Colwell reviewed the plans and stated that she thinks the 50' buffer zone does affect them. The Board directed Ms. Colwell to sign the plan with a note on the plan regarding the 50' buffer zone. Meadowood Modification - subdivision/R-6 The Board endorsed the plans for Meadowood Modification - subdivision/R-6. Lot Releases/Bonds Lot 2 Brentwood Circle - watershed special permit Ms. Colwell stated that she reviewed the site and she has received a copy of the deed. Ms. Colwell recommends releasing the $2,000 bond being held by the Town. On a motion by Ms. Lescarbeau, seconded by Mr. Simons, the Board voted unanimously to release the $2,000 bond. Executive Session On a roll call vote, the Board agreed to move into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the Heritage Estates subdivision. The Board will reconvene in open session. The vote took place at 10:15 p.m. Roll call vote: Mr. Mahoney yes Mr. Simons yes Ms. Lescarbeau yes Mr. Angles yes On a roll call vote, the Board agreed to move out of Executive Session and reconvene in open session. The vote took place at 10:20 p.m.