Planning Board Meeting Minutes
February 23, 2010
Memorial Town Hall
Members Present: D. Lindberg, A. Bonofiglio, O. Lies, M. Wronski, Jeffrey Head
Members Absent: W. Ritter
Others Present: P. Harding, Town Planner, D. Sciascia, Recording Secretary
7:00 PM the Planning Board meeting was called to order.
REVIEW OF SUBDIVISION STATUS: Review of status of open subdivisions, number of homes constructed etc. P. Harding distributed a list of open subdivisions with expiration dates.
• Mill Pond Place: At a standstill
• Winterberry Hollow: Decision was appealed by DEP. In the Spring they will observe the vegetation.
• Stanjoy Estates - Phase 2: Has filed with ConCom.
O. Lies suggested following up at each meeting regarding the expiration dates of the subdivisions. P. Harding does send out reminder letters for the subdivisions.
A. Bonofiglio asked if there were any complaints or problems since Walgreens went in. P. Harding said there was a complaint about lighting.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS RECOMMENDATION: The applicants Locke/Hale, 81 Winter Hill Road are applying for a Variance from the lot area requirements to allow two (2) 20,000 square foot lots in an R-1 zoning district, which requires 40,000 square feet. There is one house located on the property. The accurate area of the lots is not clear from the application. The owners had five (5) years from when zoning was changed from 20,000 SF to 40,000 SF.
O. Lies motioned no planning significance. A. Bonofiglio seconded. Vote 5-0, all in favor.
ETHICS TEST: The State Ethics Commission is requiring all Town employees, including all boards and commission members to take the Conflict of Interest Test. The test must be completed by April 12, 2010. The test can be taken on line at www.ma.gov/ethics. After taking the test, a receipt will be issued. The receipt can either be printed or sent to P. Harding via email.
OPEN SPACE/CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT BY-LAW: P. Harding has been working on amending the open space by-law, which is down to 8 pages, and reviewed the changes with the Board. Dimension requirements were discussed. P. Harding will be reviewing some issues that W. Ritter has. At the last meeting, W. Ritter stated that he wanted time to thoroughly review the draft.
The Board discussed that the parcel should be 10 acres. P. Harding suggested eliminating a bonus for preserving agricultural suitable soils but maintaining the bonus for preserving active farmland because Holden is not really a farming community.
There is to be a 50' buffer around the parcels. The Board discussed if this should be included in the count for 'open space'. It was decided that it should.
P. Harding suggested the 'density bonuses' be up to 20% for meeting any of the # 1-6 incentives, and just to list them. J. Head questioned the 20%, asking for an explanation regarding configuring the 20% density bonus criteria.
The Board also discussed the benefits of a 'Green Community'.
P. Harding asked for recommendations on the number of units per building. The Board decided on six (6), matching the Affordable Housing By-law.
OTHER BUSINESS:
• Windmill By-Law: M. Wronski wanted verification that an applicant would have to go before zoning for relief from height requirements, under the current by-laws they would.
• Master Plan Implementation Committee: M. Wronski informed the Board that the Master Plan Committee is meeting this Thursday.
Next Meeting:
• March 9, 2010 at 7PM
O. Lies motioned to adjourn. A. Bonofiglio seconded. All in favor.
Adjourned 8:10 PM.
February 23, 2010 minutes approved: March 23, 2010
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