Town of Princeton, Mass. PLANNING BOARD Minutes --– Sept. 20, 2017
In Town Hall Annex; present were: John Mirick, Ian Catlow & Tom Sullivan. Rud Mason and Tom Daly were absent.
7:30 PM John M. opened meeting. Carl Soderburg, 141 Sterling Road, came in continuing discussion on a parcel adjacent to his lot near entrance to Pheasant Hollow Run. The lot in question Map 13 Lot 4-12 has some restrictions or covenants attached although the 30-year lifespan of covenants (unless renewed) recently passed. He has done some research of the deeds. Board decided that purchase of entire lot did not require action by Board. If less than entire lot was purchased, this would be a subdivision for which an ANR endorsement would be required.
Domenic Goulding on Hubbardston Road, who purchased “Lot D” from Audubon as part of the Fieldstone Farm project, came in, as he is considering utilizing a common driveway currently being shared by abutters Gardula and Crowley. First 300’ off road is in Rural Preservation District, which may need to be addressed if a temporary, construction driveway on Goulding’s land was cut into the hayfield to avoid running trucks on the paved, common driveway. John M. noted that Zoning Bylaw sect. XVI encourages fewer driveway cuts and the use of common driveways but use of existing common driveway for actual access to Goulding’s lot does not trigger section XVI review. . Unless there is work within the Rural Preservation’s 300’limit, the Planning Board need not get
involved. A temporary driveway may still need a driveway permit from DPW, and the group discussed drawbacks of carving a temporary roadway through the hayfields. Goulding surmised he will probably use the common drive for construction vehicles.
7:50 PM John Diethelm and Bruce Jacobson came in to discuss moving F&S Automotive from Holden to the 184 Worcester Road site, into Building #7 which does not front on Worcester Road. John D. has one employee and he will be installing two surface-mounted car-lifts in the building, with no changes to the building footprint. There is pavement all around Bldg. 7 providing ample parking, the impervious surface is not changing, and there is plenty of space inside for vehicles. John M. suggested that future needs be taken into consideration for space planning purposes.
Applicant John D. is having a public hearing on Oct. 19 with ZBA because a special permit is required for auto repair operations in the Business Zone. A special permit in this case requires site plan review by the Planning Board. The board outlined conditions that a site plan should include, and they would likely be covered in the special permit. This includes a plan showing parking and access/egress; limitation on number of vehicles being stored pending work; hours of operation; and, ensuring that any added outdoor lighting be downward-facing. Regulations from other agencies such as Fire Dept. and Board of Health which deal with materials storage; safety issues, etc. must be met also.
The board suggested that the applicant address these conditions in his special permit from ZBA and then present it to the Planning Board, as the ZBA conditions may be sufficient for site plan approval.
8:15 PM Chris Craigue, current president of the Nimrod League on Coal Kiln Road, came in to give the board a heads-up on his special permit—also with the ZBA on Oct. 19. The club is expanding the shooting-range structure, a roof over a cement pad, referred to as a pavilion, so as to spread out the stalls, not add new ones. They are also doing site work to separate and better define different areas of use, such as handguns, rifles, etc. to minimize noise and promote safety. Chris C. described the property and presented plans of the 100 acres which the club actually uses, surrounded by extensive acreage also owned by the club which isolates the area of active use from surrounding properties and roads. He explained various methods the club has used to mitigate noise, such as planting conifers and moving the
shooting range farther from the road. He noted that membership is capped at 400 with exemptions for active military and juniors. The board did not feel that the proposed plans raised any site plan issues, but notes that Section XII.2(4) will require Nimrod to get site plan approval.
The board suggested that he get the special permit from ZBA and the Planning Board will then consider if ZBA conditions are sufficient to meet requirements for site plan approval.
8:45 PM John M. distributed the latest version of Section XXII “Signs.” which deals with signs on town-owned land, by moving it from General Bylaws to the Zoning Bylaws. These will be discussed at a subsequent meeting.
Ian C. reported on a recent meeting at CMRPC that included a presentation on aging populations and housing. Topics included viability of age-restricted overlay districts. Of all the communities served by CMRPC, Princeton has the third-oldest average age, after Brookfield and Hardwick.
8:55 PM Group continued discussion on subdivision regulations and requirement to bury utilities in new construction. Proposed adding cable and fiber to “all utilities” in the wording, and may consider adding a requirement for conduit for such installations.
Board decided to table the topic of which newspaper to use for legal notices. The daily T&G delivers 229 households and 30 copies newsstand while the weekly Landmark delivers to 550 subscribers and 100 newsstand. Online subscribers were not considered.
9 PM Board voted to approve minutes of September 6, 2017.
9:05 PM Board voted all in favor to adjourn.
Respectfully Submitted: Marie Auger, Admin. Assistant
Referenced Documents: Working draft of signage bylaws
Upcoming meetings: Oct. 4 & 18, 2017
Marie Auger
Administrative Assistant
Planning Department
978-464-2100
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