HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-01-05-40B-min.pdf 40B Review Committee
Minutes of Saturday, January 5, 2002 Meeting
Guard Room, Police Station
Those in attendance:
Committee Members: Harriet Cohen, Marshall Derby, John Frey, Tom Harden, Jeanne
Krieger, Sheila Marian, Bill Taylor, Ann Whitney
Other Boards and Committees: Karl Kastorf, Frank Smith, Judie Uhrig, Lynn Wilson
Staff: Ed Marchant, Maryann McCall-Taylor
Development Team: Dylan James, Josh Posner, Russ Tanner
Others: Stan Abkowitz, Marjorie Daggett, Jackie Davison, Tony Galaitsis, Kitty Galaitsis
Ms. Krieger called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and asked the developers to make
their presentation. Josh Posner of Rising Tide Development LLC did a quick review of
the plans for the development at 53-540 Lowell Street. He said it was 48-unit
development on 3.6 acres. Minor environmental issues include the removal of intact
underground oil tanks and some minor asbestos. The units will be duplexes and
quadraplexes of two and a half stories, with an approximate height of 34' to the peak.
Underground parking (garages) and surface parking will be provided, with two spaces per
unit. Each unit is shown with a patio. Interior circulation is a one-way interior drive with
a 12' travel way and a 9' parking strip.
In response to questions the following information was elicited:
• Units are generally two bedrooms with a few three bedrooms. Many units are two
bedrooms with a den. They range in size from 1,700 SF to 2,500 SF.
• The major exception sought from the Zoning By-law will be for the number of
dwelling units on a single lot and maximum site coverage. The density is 13.3
units/acres and site coverage is 27%while the Zoning By-Law allows 15%.
• The front, side and rear yard setbacks will be met. (There was some discussion about
this as the setback proposed is measured to the foundation, not to the furthest projection
of the building and does not include a decks and/or stairs. Also the developer is using
the 15' setback for a smaller single-family. The by-law requires a 25' setback for larger
houses.)
• The current use is non-conforming.
• A conventional subdivision would allow four house lots, a cluster 12 to 13 dwelling
units.
• These units will be a condominium development with a professional property
manager.
• The mailboxes will be clustered.
• A traffic study has been done by Abend Associates that shows less than a two percent
increase in traffic on Lowell Street.
• The affordable units will be interspersed but will tend to be the smaller units. They
will sell for approximately $125,000 for a two-bedroom and $145-150,000 for a three-
bedroom.
• All units are adaptable to handicapped use.
1/6/02 Meeting 2
Comments and suggestions were as follows:
• The storm water management will be based on impervious surface. The Town
generally requires storm water to be contained on site.
• Ed Marchant suggested a plan showing the adjoining house footprints on a 40-scale
plan along with the proposed development. He also suggested that the developer
produce a 3-D model to show the scale and massing of the site.
• The town can request peer review studies, to be funded by the developer.
• Tom Harden said that there seems to be a discrepancy between the architectural and
site plans, especially the duplexes.
• The design can affect the density and noise. For example, first floor master suites
require a larger floor plan.
The group than moved to the site where they walked the perimeter. Flags had been
staked at some boundary points and at proposed building locations. Neighbors joined in
as the group moved around the site.
The group disbanded at approximately 11:00 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Maryann McCall-Taylor