Lyme Planning Board Minutes
March 31, 2005
Board Members & Staff:
Present: Freda Swan, Dave Swanz, Dick Jones, Dan Brand, and Victoria Davis
Absent: Jeanie McIntyre and Jack Elliott.
Public: Greg Hemberger, Banwell Architects; Rod Finley & Scott Hazelton, Pathways Consulting; Phil Harrison, Crossroads Academy; Tony & Ellen Merlis, Joanne Foulk, Denis Keleman, Rob Titus, Hebe Quinton, Joan Goldburgh, and Mike Hinsley, Fire Chief.
Freda Swan called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.
Item 1: Approval of Minutes: The review of last meeting’s minutes was postponed until next meeting.
Item 2: Crossroads Academy Site Plan Review Application Review for Completeness: Freda Swan explained to the new attendees that Crossroads Academy had presented the Board with an application for Site Plan Review. At the last meeting, the Board realized they needed to determine if the Crossroads application was complete or not to meet the State’s 30 day requirement for this decision. They determined that it was incomplete due to several missing required elements. A notice of incompleteness was submitted to the applicant. Rod Finley gave a quick summary of the project as well as the existence of conservation districts. Phil Harrison stated Crossroads would like to develop the new campus in steps beginning with Phase I which would be construction of the multi-purpose
building and installation of about 90% of the infrastructure including site work, water, wastewater, and other utilities. The school classes would still be held in the current Crossroads Academy building. Phase II would be the completion of the buildings and infrastructure. He said it might take a year to three or four years for completion. After completion, they intend to sell the existing school which is owned as a condominium.
Rod Finley submitted 1.) responses to Freda Swan’s comments about the completion requirements for the application; 2.) lighting information which he said was noted on the plans; 3.) a federal flood plain map; 4.) a revised set of plans (several 11”x17” copies and three sets of 24”x36”); and 5.) a letter to Victoria Davis dated 03/31/05 providing “preliminary traffic analysis for NH Route 10 improvements.” For the file, he also submitted a NH DES temporary surface water discharge permit for well pumping test and a temporary driveway permit from Route 10 entering the Crossroads property at the snow machine trail parallel to Shoestrap Road.
Freda Swan pointed out that the Planning Board would need a site plan review for the bridge that was begun without a permit and then permitted without site plan review. Rod Finley responded that they would provide any necessary information. Freda Swan stated that all items listed as required in a Site Plan Review application within the regulations must be shown on the final plan to be recorded. She added that how ever many sheets it took to provide this information would have to be recorded at the Registry of Deeds.
Dave Swanz did the application review. It was clarified that the Board would only be reviewing for completeness and not if they agreed with the information provided.
9.1.2 A waiver was proposed since the Highway Department would have a difficult time commenting on the project when there is no substantial traffic data available for Shoestrap Road (the town road impacted by the project). Dick Jones stated there is only a count from last year. Freda Swan stated she had heard that there has been a definite increase in the traffic on this road over the years.
9.2 A waiver was requested from the 1”=20’ scale to allow the 1”=40’ scale.
9.2.1 Need to add the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) as a conservation easement holder on the perimeter survey.
9.2.2 Need to add UVLT and update the Village at 85 Dartmouth College Highway Owners’ Association members list on the plans.
9.2.7 Need to add the dimensions including height to the building drawings.
9.28 A waiver is needed from the requirement for 2’ contour lines west of the brook. The Board determined to accept the 200’ extension of topographic lines past the project area rather than the property lines.
9.2.10 Need to provide dimensional information for buildings and parking areas on plans; re-label “multi-purpose field” as “septic system.” Greg Hemberger stated the maximum building height will be 35’ though it was previously shown as about 39’ exceeding the maximum height limitation of the zoning ordinance. Dan Brand noted that there is limited area for field sports. Phil Harrison responded that an extensive sports program is not part of the school’s mission, and the proposed location is a “tight site” which does not provide the area needed for additional sports fields. Dan Brand agreed that it is a tight site. Greg Hemberger stated New Hampshire does not require a certain area for playing fields for schools, but rather offers
guidelines.
9.2.11.1 Need agreement allowing use of pond on east side of Route 10 for fire protection. The Board questioned the availability of water for fire fighting. Mike Hinsley stated the Town has a standing agreement with the owners of Pond View Apartments across Route 10 from the Crossroads site to use the pond for fire fighting purposes, and he would obtain a copy of the agreement. Freda Swan also stated that the Board needs the permit for Crossroads to drill under Route 10 to access the pond. Rod Finley responded that they will not obtain this permit until a contractor is hired to do the job and work with NH DOT to get the permit. Scott Hazelton stated DOT has given verbal approval of the work. There was discussion if the propane storage was
adequate. Greg Hemberger responded that it will be due to “high performance engineering.”
9.2.11.4 Dick Jones pointed out that the lumens are not provided for the lighting. It was also noted that there is no proposed lighting for the parking area or maintenance building off Shoestrap Road. Rod Finley responded they would not be putting electricity in the maintenance building as it would only be used for storage. Freda Swan strongly advised that they should bring power to the area to provide lighting for the parking lot and the building. She felt it was a safety issue to have proper lighting for people who attended the special events and needed to park here in the evening. It would also be useful if there was a night emergency and the equipment was needed. The lighting could be turned on as needed for the
parking.
9.2.11.7 Need to show the air conditioning compressors for the main building and library as well as any screening for the units.
9.2.12 Need to note that the natural vegetation will remain as a buffer between the development and Shoestrap Road. It was suggested to add this to Plans C-10 and LA-2.
9.2.13.4 Need to submit drainage calculations for the Board’s proposed engineer to review. Freda Swan stated the Board would be hiring an independent engineer to review the project at the applicant’s expense. She added the Board does not have the expertise to review without professional help.
9.2.15 Need to provide maximum capacity to determine parking needs. Although the applicant submitted traffic information, Dan Brand stated the Town should require a professional to review all aspects of the traffic including probability of queue length for random traffic (without traffic lights) and if the left turn lane coming north is long enough. He stated the additional traffic which will be created once the current Crossroads site is sold to another entity should be included in the review. Mike Hinsley asked if the Village at 85 DCH should have to submit a Site Plan Review application if their driveway would change to the existing Crossroads location. Freda Swan responded that the future owner of the current Crossroads building would need Site Plan Review for any commercial endeavor
anyway.
Further discussion indicated a need to consider combining the curb cuts for both the current and proposed Crossroads Academy for traffic safety. Scott Hazelton responded that the slopes may be prohibitive to connect the driveways. He also pointed out that the center road in use currently to access the proposed site will be removed. He stated they need to submit their traffic information to NH DOT soon for their evaluation. Dan Brand responded that the Town wants its own evaluation. Dick Jones expressed reservations about approving the curb cut for Crossroads when they own neighboring land with an existing curb cut.
When questioned about the change in the 299 capacity of the multi-purpose building, Phil Harrison stated they had tried to stay below a 300 person capacity to avoid a requirement to put in a sprinkling system. However, since they are going to install a sprinkler system anyway, they will allow a larger capacity. Mike Hinsley stated he would provide the maximum capacity number so the Board can determine the necessary parking.
Dan Brand inquired about the current parking capacity of Crossroads Academy. Phil Harrison responded that they have parking for 35 – 40 and if cars park up the driveway, about 50.
9.2.16 Need all state and federal permits. Several permits are currently in the evaluation stage.
9.3 Need to provide a more comprehensive summary of the project to include fuel and supplies delivery and garbage removal. Dick Jones pointed out the limited access to the proposed dumpster. Dan Brand agreed stating it is tight enough in that area just for parking. Scott Hazelton stated the waste would be transferred from the various buildings to the one dumpster by pick up truck. Freda Swan asked that this be noted on the plans.
9.4 Dick Jones pointed out that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood elevations should be provided. He also noted that where there are discrepancies between the FEMA elevations and the Pathways determined elevations, this should be noted. The Board requested that all the ski trails and be shown. Dick Jones felt the trail between the Shoestrap Road parking and the campus might be used by walkers attending Crossroads functions.
Freda Swan pointed out that the snow storage area shown is probably not adequate to meet the requirements of 10.1.J. She also noted that the parking spaces do not meet the requirements of 10.1 D. as they are only 18’ long rather than the required 20’ long. The minimal 24’ cross aisle is provided, but to increase the length of the spaces would either shrink the cross aisle below specifications or encroach further into the Wetland Conservation District. It was further noted that the slope of the parking lot edge is around 50%, and if the Board determined it should be a gentler slope, it would have to encroach further into the Wetland Conservation District. Freda Swan questioned where they would push the snow. She pointed out this should not be placed in or near the wetland. She also questioned if there would be guardrails. Rod Finley responded that the 2:1 slope is standard. The grade of the parking lots was also a question.
Joanne Foulk stated she represents The Village at 85 DCH. They feel there are many problems with the traffic now, and there is often traffic backed up from the school. Hebe Quinton stated there are only a few households on Shoestrap Road, but they are concerned as well. She said it is very difficult already to access Route 10 from Shoestrap Road due to traffic. She added that a number of students are transported to Crossroads Academy via Shoestrap Road. They often drive too fast and get stuck and a tow truck has to pull them out.
Joanne Foulk asked if Crossroads could use the current site for parking once the school was moved to the new site. Phil Harrison responded that the school wanted to move entirely to the new site, and they did not have the financial resources to maintain both properties. Hebe Quinton suggested they could put playing fields on the old site so they could have more parking on the new site. Denis Keleman asked if they could not lease the old site for parking from the future owner. Freda Swan responded the Planning Board would probably not approve this arrangement as it would not provide a definite resource for the future. Phil Harrison added that the school might like to annex some of the land to the new site, but the current site is in condominium ownership so the school only owns the building
outright, but not the land.
Dick Jones made a motion to approve the waivers. Dave Swanz seconded the motion, and unanimous agreement followed.
In response to a question from Dan Brand, Phil Harrison stated the maximum number of students would be 160 instead of the 180 mentioned at another time when they thought they might do pre-school. Freda Swan stated this should be included in the conditions if the project is approved.
Freda Swan pointed out that they would like to have a professional evaluate the site for the fringed gentian, listed as a threatened plant by the NH Natural Heritage Bureau and habitat for wood turtle, wildlife listed as having “very high importance” by the Bureau.
Scott Hazelton requested that the Planning Board consider allowing the well testing at the temporary well site which was installed recently without a permit and caused a cease and desist order to be levied against the property. At the prompting of Dick Jones, Rod Finley stated they would not access the well over the ski trail as done previously due to the thawing ground and crossing of wetlands. They would come in through the gravel pit. He stated they had to use the ski trail entry originally because of the size of the well truck used to drill the well. The Board determined that even if entry from the gravel pit would also require the crossing of a wetland, it was the better route. Dave Swanz stated that in any event, they need to do the well testing so they can proceed with the State
permitting process for the permanent water system. Mike Hinsley offered a track vehicle to Rod Finley to drive up to the well site to carry equipment.
Dave Swanz made a motion that the Planning Board recommend to the Select Board and the Planning & Zoning Administrator to lift the cease and desist order on the well access to allow the pump test as long as the access was done in the least environmentally harmful way. Dan Brand seconded the motion, and unanimous agreement followed. The Board determined that the application is still incomplete so there is no change in status. They scheduled Crossroads to come back and present the application again on April 14th between 8:00 and 8:30 PM.
Victoria Davis suggested that the Board determine what tasks the independent professionals would need to accomplish including if the engineer should perform construction oversight. Freda Swan suggested having a meeting with potential engineers to determine what might need to be done and determine whom to hire. Dan Brand suggested hiring Resource Systems Group in White River Junction for the traffic study. He offered to help develop a needs list and meet with the consultant. Dick Jones stated that the Town does not have to go out to bid for consulting services. Freda Swan stated that Ben Kilham had suggested someone to evaluate the site for wood turtle habitat. Dick Jones suggested getting an evaluation from Alice Schori again about the fringed gentian.
Item 3: Other Business: Victoria Davis distributed the latest information submitted for the Lyme Nursery School Site Plan Review application.
The meeting adjourned at 10:45 pm.
Submitted by,
Victoria Davis
Planning & Zoning Administrator
Tentative Meeting Agenda for April 14, 2005:
7:00 Kevin Purcell, Pond View Apartments, Informal Meeting
7:20 David & Karen Keane, Franklin Hill Road, Informal Meeting
7:40 Garry Thrasher, Congregational Church, Informal Meeting
8:00 Crossroads Academy Site Plan Review Application Review
8:30 Lyme Nursery School Lot Line Adjustment Hearing
Lyme Nursery School Site Plan Review Hearing
Tentative Meeting Agenda for April 28, 2005:
1) Subdivision Regulations Amendments
2) Curbcut Regulations Amendments
3) Site Plan Review Amendments
4) Excavation Regulations Amendments
Tentative Meeting Agenda for May 12, 2005:
7:40 Newton/Paolino Lot Line Adjustment Hearing
Newton/Dickey Lot Line Adjustment Hearing
Tentative Meeting Agenda for May 26, 2005:
7:40 Lois Huntington Informal Meeting
8:10 Curt Vinson One Lyme Common Informal Meeting (Is SPR required?)
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