8:00 PM Joint Meeting with the Selectmen Regarding the Beal Street Corridor Study
Location: Selectmen's Meeting Town Hall - 3rd Floor
9:00 PM Continuation of Site Plan review Hearing for 7, 9, 11 Cranberry Lane, Richard Matthews
Location: Planning Board Office - 2nd Floor
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Present: Planning Board Members, Susan Murphy, Chair, Paul Healey, Clerk, Sarah Corey,
and Judy Sneath. Also present was Planner Katharine Lacy.
RE: Joint Meeting with the Selectmen Regarding the Beal Street Corridor Study
Planning Board Members joined the Selectmen at the regularly scheduled Selectmen's Meeting for a presentation by Jeffery Dirk of Vanasse and Associates on the preliminary findings of the Corridor Study for Beal/West and Fort Hill. This study was an outcome of one of the Selectmen's goal's for 2005, which was to address the issue of traffic on Beal Street in light of the current problem with speeding, and the large amount of growth proposed for this area, including the pending development of the Hingham Shipyard, the opening of the Greenbush Station on Fort Hill Street, and the other residential developments on Beal Street.
Mr. Dirk provided an overview of existing traffic conditions, and the potential impacts of future development on area traffic. He also identified a variety of short and long term traffic calming measures.
The full text of this study is in the files of the Selectmen and the Planning Board.
RE: Continuation of Site Plan Review Hearing for 7, 9, 11 Cranberry
Ms. Murphy, Ms. Corey, and Ms. Sneath were in attendance for this hearing, along with Mr. Harlow and Mr. Martin of Cranberry Lane. Mr. Healey did not attend.
The members present completed their Site Plan Review hearing and identified proposed conditions relative to the application of R.D. Matthews Construction for a Special Permit A2 for Earth Removal per Section V-C of the Zoning By-Law. The permit is required for the removal of approximately 7200 cubic yards of fill at Lots 7, 9 and 11 within the Cranberry Lane Subdivision.
Ms. Murphy stated that the lots in question (7, 9 and 11) are the final three lots to be developed in the eleven-lot Cranberry Lane/Rosewood Drive Subdivision, which was approved by the Planning Board in 1994. The purpose of the proposed grading is to create more level lots on which to build houses. The applicant initiated earth removal operations last spring, and actually submitted a building permit application at that time, but was requested to obtain the earth removal permit by the Building Commissioner before proceeding.
At the initial hearing on 9/11/06, Planning Board members pointed out that the subdivision was approved nearly a decade ago, and inquired as to why it had taken so long to develop the lots. Mr. Mathews responded that as originally created, these lots were shaped and graded in such a way that would be very difficult to develop. In recent years, however, he had been able to acquire some abutting land through a land swap with the developer of Ridgewood Crossing. The additional area added to Lots 7, 9 and 11 afforded the opportunity to level off the lots through grading.
Abutters present at the hearing expressed concern about the potential effects of the proposed grading on site drainage and groundwater levels in the area. Specifically, several neighbors on Cranberry Lane had experienced flooding during the heavy rains in the spring of 2006. Abutters also complained that the undeveloped lots were unsightly, and expressed a desire for the developer to either complete the houses or neaten up the lots through grading, loaming and seeding. They expressed concern that the track machines used to perform the earth removal to date had resulted in significant gouging and damage to the roadway. They further mentioned their suspicion that the developer was using this area to dump fill and construction debris from other areas in the site, and possibly from off-site locations.
In response to these concerns, the Board forwarded the proposed grading plans to the Planning Board's consulting engineer, Nick Lanney, to review. Mr. Lanney determined that the proposed grading would have little impact on groundwater levels. He did, however, recommend that the applicant complete ALL proposed site grading, and secure and clean up the site as soon as possible.
Based on Mr. Lanney's letter, as well as continued input from abutters, the Planning Board recommended approval of the applicant's request for a Special Permit A-2, and identified proposed conditions relative to the grading and clean-up of the site. These were as follows:
The applicant shall, as soon as possible:
1. Complete all proposed fill removal and grading as shown on the plan submitted by the applicant;
2. Loam and seed all affected areas, or, in the alternative, develop an erosion control plan that meets the satisfaction of the Town's engineer;
3. Clean up the site to the satisfaction of the Town 's consulting Engineer;
4. Prior to the issuance of the final building permit, repair the roadway to the satisfaction of the Planning Board and DPW.
Board members and abutters expressed concern as to how to ensure that these measures would be implemented in a timely manner. Abutters reiterated their concern that the current unsightly conditions had been left unresolved for several years. Further, the risk of erosion would increase with the pending fall rains. That said, the proposed deadlines for the implementation of these conditions would completely depend on the timing of the issuance of the Special Permit by the ZBA, and possibly, the issuance of the final Building Permit. Therefore, while the Planning Board initially discussed designating specific dates this October for work to be completed, at the end of the meeting, they determined that the most logical course of action would be for Ms. Lacy to attend the ZBA meeting to explain the situation, and work with the Zoning Board to develop appropriate deadlines for the implementation of proposed conditions.
The meeting was adjourned at 10: 05 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Katharine Lacy
Town Planner