PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
May 04, 2016
Call to Order: 6:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL: Tim Moore, Chair
Gennifer Silva, Vice Chair, Absent
Charlie Lanza
Laurie Milette
Steve Ranlett, Selectman Ex-Officio
Geoffrey Adams, Alternate
Also present: Greg Jones, Town Planner and P. Michael Dorman, Chief Building Official
G. Adams was appointed as a voting member in place of G. Silva.
Agenda Item 2: Minutes of April 20, 2016 Meeting
S. Ranlett moved, second by C. Lanza to approve the minutes of the April 20, 2016 meeting.
C. Lanza noted that he was still listed as vice chair, instead of G. Silva in the minutes.
The motion was amended for the correction to the minutes. The vote was 4-0-1 (Ranlett abstaining).
Agenda Item 3: PUBLIC HEARING – Site Plan Revocation – Office space at 71 Plaistow Rd, Tax Map 27, Lot 36, the owner of record I Joseph C. Davey, IV
T. Moore noted that there had been a request to continue the public hearing to June 1 so that additional information could be obtained.
S. Ranlett asked if there was a letter of request from Mr. Davey to continue the hearing.
M. Dorman offered that the request to continue the public hearing came from him. He added that the issues with the site may be property maintenance and/or zoning ordinance violations and not site plan/revocation issues. M. Dorman noted that he needed clarification on the definition of substantial completion. He added that there is a foundation, the paving is complete and the drainage is in.
G. Jones noted there is record of an extension granted in 2007. It was noted that there was no deadline given in the extension. G. Jones informed that the RSAs allow five (5) years for vesting.
S. Ranlett suggested that the project may not be vested as the building was never erected.
M. Dorman responded that putting up the building wasn’t part of the site work and wasn’t required as part of the site plan. He noted that the existing building on the site could be occupied tomorrow as an office.
There was discussion as to whether or not a legal opinion should be sought on the matter. It was noted that NHMA (New Hampshire Municipal Association) will not give an opinion on a specific matter. Some members expressed they didn’t see the need for a legal opinion in this matter.
T. Moore offered that there wasn’t really a reason to revoke a site plan unless the underlying zoning had changed. He added that it didn’t mean that the Board couldn’t revoke a site plan to clean up the books.
M. Dorman reiterated that he now thought the issues with the site were more enforcement than site plan related.
S. Ranlett asked to be provided with all the past minutes where this site plan was discussed by the Planning Board. He recalled that there were extenuating circumstances at the time that were the reason the Board extended the site plan approval. S. Ranlett added that he would like to review the commitment that Mr. Davey made to the Board at the time of that extension.
T. Moore recalled that one of those circumstances was the work being done on Route 125 at the time. That work has since been completed.
G. Adams questioned the condition of the existing foundation and whether or not there would be issues building on it now.
M. Dorman noted that he would require the foundation to be certified by a structural engineer before he would issue a building permit to build on it.
C. Lanza offered that he felt the burden of substantial completion had been met.
M. Dorman added that if the Planning Board does revoke this site plan then he would have nothing to enforce activities on the site.
T. Moore asked for a consensus from the Board whether or not to continue the public hearing in this matter, all were in agreement.
T. Moore announced that the public hearing on the site plan revocation for 71 Plaistow Road would be continued to June 1, 2016.
Agenda Item 4: 2016 Master Plan Update Schedule - Discussion
G. Jones noted that the second draft of the Master Plan Housing Chapter has been received and will be sent out electronically for feedback and discussion at the next meeting. He added that he felt the rest of the work on this chapter can be done in house.
G. Jones explained that the Renewable Energy Committee (REC) is working on a draft outline and introduction for the Master Plan Energy Chapter.
T. Moore offered that it’s important for the CIP (Capital Improvement Program) and Master Plan to be tightly tied together. He noted that there may be suggestions for the Master Plan that will come out of the next update to the CIP.
Agenda Item 5: Communications and Updates
G. Jones gave the following updates:
- Annual MS4 Report has been completed and submitted, which fulfills the 2015 reporting
- ConCom will be meeting with a consultant regarding a management plan for the Town Forest. This interview is with one of two respondents to the ConCom’s request for services. The other will be interviewed at a future meeting
- The local concerns meeting for the Safe Routes To Schools (SRTS) project was held at the May 2nd Board of Selectmen meeting
- Hoyle and Tanner are working on the second amendment to the Westville Road Bridge project plans. They are working on compliance regarding historic and cultural preservation as well as updating potential roadway layouts. It was noted that this project is currently scheduled for construction in 2017
- The town website is being updated and hopefully will go live in July.
Other Business:
There were no additional matters before the Board and the meeting was adjourned at 7:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dee Voss
Recording Secretary
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