HANSON PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of Continued
Public Hearing
StoneBridge Commons
September 15, 2003
I. CALL TO ORDER - 8:00 p.m.
Members Present: Philip Lindquist, Chairman
Gerard LeBlanc, Vice Chairman
David Nagle, Clerk
Joan DiLillo, Member
Gordon Coyle, Member
Others Present: Town Planner Noreen O’Toole
Administrative Assistant Barbara Ferguson
Applicant Mark Ridder told the Board that he had changed engineers for StoneBridge Commons and that the revised plans reflecting the concerns raised at the August 18, 2003 session were not ready. He said that the focus of this session would be the sewerage treatment plant for the development and the traffic study for the project. In attendance to assist with the presentation
were Joseph Harnois from Coneco of Bridgewater and Gary McNaughton of McMahon Associates of Boston.
Mr. Ridder advised the Board that the project has already been approved by the Conservation Commission and the appeal period has passed. He said that he would be meeting the following week with the Water Commission and the Commission’s attorney seeking a resolution to the water issue.
Mr. Harnois told the Board that any project that will discharge more than 10,000 gallons of sewerage per day is required by state law to obtain a groundwater discharge permit from the Department of Environmental Protection for a sewerage treatment plant. StoneBridge Commons, he said, will generate 22,000 gallons of wastewater per day. The wastewater will be collected by a gravity system for treatment at the plant and then piped to a disposal area. The level of treatment required, he said, will be determined by the DEP. Proposals, he said, will be requested from at least three vendors. Mr. Ridder said that of the three types of systems available he favors a below ground system.
The DEP, Mr. Harnois said, has already been on site to observe test pits and percolation tests. He said that his company had also been on site with well digging equipment. In both instances, he said, favorable soil conditions had been encountered. Once the system is in place, he said, there will be permanent monitoring wells and a certified operator will be employed to oversee the operation who will be required to regularly file reports with the DEP. Mr. Harnois told the Board that he has been the engineer for the installation of similar systems in Hanover and Falmouth.
Mr. McNaughton told the Board that the traffic impact study had been conducted during peak morning, afternoon and Saturday hours at the access to the site on both Winter and Liberty Streets, at the County Road and High Street intersection and at the signalized intersections at Liberty Street and County Road and Liberty and Winter Streets. The expected trip generations from the development were applied to the local roadways to assess the impact at each location, he said, and the results showed that none of the studied locations will experience a delay greater than one second in time.
Chairman Lindquist questioned whether the study adequately assessed the impact for residents age 55 and older as many residents could still be employed. Mr. McNaughton said that based on the concerns raised at the previous session he reran trip generation figures based on 121 single family homes rather than a retirement community which increased the delay impact by no more than two seconds. Chairman Lindquist asked about site distances on Winter Street and was told they meet all the minimum site distance requirements. Mr. Ridder said that existing trees would be trimmed back to improve the view of the roadway.
The capacity of the roadways was reviewed for the Board by Mr. McNaughton. Liberty Street currently is operating at 37 percent of capacity, he said, and is expected to operate at 39 percent of capacity when the development is completed. Winter Street is expected to increase from 24 percent of capacity to 26 percent.
The Board’s review engineer Peter Palmieri of Merrill Associates of Hanover said that he would have nothing further to report until he has seen the revised plans.
Chairman Lindquist asked Mr. Ridder if he believed that his proposed development met the purpose of the zoning bylaw and Mr. Ridder replied that it “fit to a T.” Mr. Lindquist said he thought it would be nice if everyone in the development could have access to the community center, and Mr. Ridder replied that those who planned to use the center would be buying units off Winter Street. David Nagle suggested that another amenity such as a tennis court be built on the Liberty Street side of the development to join the satellite area with the main area, and Mr. Ridder said that he would be willing to consider the idea but he did not want to price the units out of the market with amenities.
Liberty Street resident, Michael Horton, noted that the radius at the Liberty Street exit had been questioned at the August 18, 2003 hearing session and was told it would be reviewed by the engineers and addressed at the next session.
In conclusion, Mr. Ridder said that he would need at least a month for his new engineering firm to revise the existing plans. When advised of upcoming meeting dates, he opted for December 3, 2003.
Motion to continue the hearing for StoneBridge Commons to December 3, 2003
at 8:00 p.m.: David Nagle
Second: Joan DiLillo
Vote: 5-0
| 
