HANSON PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of the StoneBridge Commons
Continued Public Hearing of
December 17, 2003
I. CALL TO ORDER - 8:30 p.m.
Members Present: Philip Lindquist, Chairman
Gerard LeBlanc, Vice Chairman
David Nagle, Clerk
Joan DiLillo, Member
Gordon Coyle, Member
Others Present: Administrative Assistant Barbara Ferguson
The continued hearing for StoneBridge Commons opened with a report from the Board’s review engineer, Peter Palmieri from Merrill Associates, Inc. of Hanover. Mr. Palmieri told the Board that a number of comments from his prior report have been addressed as indicated in his December 3, 2003 letter to the Board.
There are still a few remaining issues to be addressed, he said, including soil testing information which was received too late to review for the meeting. Mr. Ridder noted that he had changed engineers and his original engineer had not provided all of the information requested. Mr. Palmieri said that he would need to meet with Mr. Ridder’s current engineer, Samiotes Consultants, at the site to determine the location where soil testing was done.
Chairman Lindquist expressed concern with existing drainage on Winter Street at the entrance to the project. He asked Mr. Ridder if he would consider installing a catch basin. Mr. Ridder said that there is a drain further down on Winter Street. He said he would meet with Highway Surveyor Richard Harris to discuss the issue.
Chairman Lindquist said that he would also like to see a paved all season road connecting the two sections of the project rather than having the connector road exclusively for the use of the Fire Department. Mr. Ridder said he would be willing to lay concrete blocks that would not impede plowing. Mr. Ridder said the prime purpose of the road would still be public safety.
Mr. Ridder said that he was planning a five-year buildout on the project with 24 units constructed a year. He will start with the Winter Street section including the community building after the 25th building is occupied. The community building will have a exercise room, a living room, a meeting room, a kitchen, bathrooms, offices, and a game room. The package on the sewer system, he said, will be sent to the Department of Environmental Protection after the first of the year. Gordon Coyle asked the distance from the property line of the septic system for the Hanson Middle School and Mr. Ridder estimated that it was at least 500 feet.
David Nagle questioned the reverse curves and was told by Mr. Palmieri that he did not believe they would be a safety problem in a development of this sort. Mr. Nagle asked about the appearance of the entrance from Liberty Street if that section will be the last to be built and Mr. Ridder said that the entrance would be landscaped with a locked gate to prevent its use by anyone other than the Fire Department until work commences.
The Board reviewed a November 20, 2003 letter from Samiotes Consultants, Inc. of Framingham with attached November 18, 2003 Post-Development Drainage Areas Plans, November 18, 2003 Water Main Layout, and November 21, 2003 Revised Driveway Layout and also a November 25, 2003 letter from Mr. Ridder’s landscape architect, Ryan Associates of Cambridge. The two letters addressed comments from prior sessions.
Chairman Lindquist read a December 10, 2003 memo from the Board of Appeals addressing distance requirements, antennas and air conditioners, on-site storage, signage, dumpsters, basements, lighting and condominium rules and regulations. Mr. Ridder noted that he was seeking waivers on distance requirements. He said that his project will comply with the zoning bylaw relative to antennas and air conditioners, that storage will be in garages, that there will be signage at the entrances, that there will be a dumpster at the community building with private weekly pickup for the dwelling units, that all units will have basements, that there will be significant lighting, and that condo rules are not currently available but will be submitted to the Board as soon as they are completed.
Chairman Lindquist also read a December 15, 2003 memo from Building Inspector Michael Kennedy advising that the distances between buildings are not notated on the plans, a December 11, 2003 memo from Conservation Agent Tricia Cassady indicating that the plans should reflect that the access road is not wetland, a November 24, 2003 memo from Fire Chief Allen Hoyt indicating that he had met with Mr. Ridder and that he had agreed to relocate the gates to the service road to prevent residents from parking there, and a December 1, 2003 memo from Water Superintendent Glen Doherty indicating that the revised plans address water utility issues.
The Board noted a December 15, 2003 letter from Mr. Ridder requesting a waiver from the Hanson Planning Board Rules and Regulations relative to the setback requirement from the roadway layout. Mr. Ridder previously requested waivers relative to the set back from perimeter lot lines, design standards relative to reverse curves, a radius less than 25 feet from the street sidelines, and the length of a dead-end road.
Mr. Ridder said that he would be coming before the Board seeking approval of a Form A plan for a retreat lot that is not part of the property.
Chairman Lindquist asked about the design of the basins, the maximum height of water in a 100 year storm, and the drainage time. Mr. Palmieri said that he would check the calculations.
Board members indicated their desire to have the additional information requested before closing the public hearing and rendering a decision. The issues to be clarified include the potential for a catch basin on Winter Street, the connector road, the heights of the basins, the need for a waiver request on the storage buildings, and the location of the treatment plant.
Motion to continue the public hearing for StoneBridge Commons to January 7, 2003 at 8 p.m.: David Nagle
Second: Joan DiLillo
Vote: 5-0
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