Meeting Minutes
Planning Board
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Newbury Town Hall
Members Present: Kathleen Pearson, Chair; Linda McCamic; John O’Connell; David Powell; John Weis
Members Absent: Arthur Costonis (Associate Member)
Staff Present: Martha Taylor, Town Planner
Chairman Pearson called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.
A. Election of Officers and Representatives:
Motion: A motion was made by D. Powell and seconded by J. O’Connell to re-elect Kathleen Pearson as Chair of the Planning Board and to elect John Weis as Vice-Chair. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: A motion was made by J. O’Connell and seconded by J. Weis to elect Linda McCamic as Clerk of the Planning Board. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: A motion was made by J. Weis and seconded by L. McCamic to recommend that the Selectmen re-appoint John O’Connell as the Planning Board member of the Conservation Commission. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: A motion was made by J. O’Connell and seconded by J. Weis to re-appoint David Powell as Commissioner to the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: A motion was made by L. McCamic and seconded by J. Weis to recommend to that the Selectmen re-appoint Martha Taylor as the Alternate MVPC Commissioner. The motion passed unanimously.
In addition, the Board reconfirmed Linda McCamic as the Board’s representative to the Zoning Board of Appeals and designated Kathleen Pearson and John Weis as liaisons to the Board of Selectmen.
B. Meeting Minutes:
Motion: A motion was made by J. O’Connell and seconded by J. Weis to approve the minutes of May 16, 2012, as written. The motion passed with four in favor (Pearson, McCamic, O’Connell, and Weis) and one abstention (Powell, who was not present at the May 16, 2012, meeting).
C. Proposed Subdivision at 245 High Road:
At the request of the applicant’s attorney, discussion of this item was postponed to a later date, pending review of the proposed roadway design with the Board of Fire Engineers. K. Pearson noted that the Fire Engineers should be made aware that this is an informal, preliminary review only and that nothing has been submitted formally to the Planning Board yet.
D. Wilshire Road (24-28 Rolfes Lane) Subdivision:
Steve Sawyer of DCI Consultants appeared before the Board to discuss changes to the approved Definitive Plan, in particular removal of the stone wall running along the street edge of the property. He explained that the developer determined during demolition that the wall was not made of good material and decided to remove it, rather than retaining it and infilling missing portions as shown on the approved Definitive Plan. Instead of the wall, he is proposing a heavily planted bank with granite cobbles at the edge of the sidewalk and a wood fence 7’ back from the edge of the sidewalk.
The Planning Board expressed serious disappointment that the wall had been removed and noted that this was a significant change which should have been discussed with the Board prior to any action being taken. The members discussed the importance of maintaining the Rolfes Lane streetscape and of keeping the subdivision from becoming an enclave. The Board requested that the landscape architect prepare perspectives of what was proposed initially and what is being proposed now for review at the next meeting.
Other changes that were discussed included removal of one tree that had been designated to be retained, addition of a sewer line and manhole serving an abutter’s property, and redesign of the rain garden.
J. O’Connell asked if the water lines had been tested and if the sewer lines had been lamped to make sure that there are no low points.
The Board directed S. Sawyer to inform the developer that he cannot do any work along the front edge of the property, including installation of the fence, until the issue of the stone wall is resolved.
E. Subdivision Rules and Regulations Update:
J. O’Connell distributed a list of recommendations regarding the Subdivision regulations for stormwater management for the Board’s review and comment.
F. Colby Village:
The Board discussed how best to address the concerns raised by a resident at Town Meeting regarding the Warrant article on the acceptance of Colby Lane as a public way. The Board also discussed the funds remaining in the engineering review account and agreed that they should be held until all issues with Colby Lane have been resolved.
G. Zoning Amendments for Fall Special Town Meeting:
The Board discussed two items to be addressed at the Fall Special Town Meeting: 1) designation of the Special Permit Granting Authority for uses allowed by special permit; 2) minor revisions to the use regulations for the Light Industrial Byfield District. M. Taylor presented a schedule of critical dates that need to be met in order to get proposed zoning amendments on the Warrant for the Special Town Meeting.
H. July Meeting Schedule:
Motion: A motion was made by J. Weis and seconded by J. O’Connell to hold the next Planning Board meeting on June 27, 2012, instead of the first Wednesday in July, since July 4 is a holiday. The motion passed unanimously.
On a motion made by J. Weis and seconded by L. McCamic, the meeting was adjourned at 10:26 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Martha Taylor
Town Planner
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