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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-26-CONCOM-minTOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS CONSERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES Tuesday February 23, 2016 6:30 P.M. Parker Room, Town Office Building 1625 Massachusetts Ave Chair Phil Hamilton opened the meeting at 6:36 pm in the Parker Room of the Town Office Building Commissioners Present: Alex Dohan, Kevin Beuttell, Dick Wolk, Phil Hamilton, Joyce Miller, Duke Bitsko Others Present: Karen Mullins, Conservation Administrator and Casey Hagerty, Conservation Department Assistant 6:37 Reports- Community Garden Mr. Hamilton restated the recommendations of the committee, reported at the February 9 meeting: An alternative garden location is to be ready for the 2017 growing season. Dunback Meadow gardeners who choose to move in 2017 will have their choice of plots in the new location. Dunback Meadow gardeners who do not choose to move will be able to garden in the Dunback Meadow location for the 2017 growing season. Those gardeners will be guaranteed a plot in the new location in 2018, but will be treated as new applicants and will be assigned a plot, rather than choosing one. The Dunback Meadow gardens will be closed permanently at the end of the 2017 growing season. Comments and questions from the commissioners: Mrs. Miller explained that she felt strongly that gardens should be moved out of Dunback Meadow. Mrs. Dohan stated that she felt that there should be no new gardeners allowed into Dunback Meadow Garden, but the gardeners who are there should continue to remain there. Mr. Bitsko stated he felt gardening was more of an active use than a passive use. A motion was made by Mr. Wolk to adopt the committee's recommendations and go ahead with opening a new garden and closing the Dunback Meadow Garden. It was seconded by Mr. Beuttell. Vote: 5 -1 with Mrs. Dohan voting against. 6:46 Update on Enforcement at 55 and 31 Allen Street William Dailey, the attorney for John Carroll, stated that he and his client are interested in continuing the hearing on the enforcement order to the second Conservation Commission meeting in April. In that time, he hopes that a mutually satisfactory resolution can be reached. During that time, Bina Farm would not use the parking area, but would continue to use the indoor riding ring. The commission asked which parts of the parking area would not be used. Mr. Dailey clarified that they are offering to not have any parking on the right side of the barn. The commission stated that this does not address the wetland on the left side of the barn. Mr. Dailey told the commission that his client would undertake to prove that that area is not a wetland, but that in the interim he is willing to agree not to allow parking in areas which the commission considers sensitive. The commission asked if the erosion controls were in place. Frank Potsma, from EA Engineering, stated that wattles were in place and hay bales were placed at the stream outfall. Ms. Mullins explained that hay bales were needed at the upstream opening also. The commission asked for a timeline as to what would be happening in the next two months. Mr. Dailey stated that they will start working with the conservation office next week to address the erosion controls issue. Mr. Potsma stated that he will be looking at historical data and maps to see how the property will fit into the Wetlands Protection Act. He stated there may be some confusion over the wetlands that some of the GIS maps are showing. They agreed to come back at the commission's next meeting to report on their progress. Questions and comments from the audience: Jay Parsons, 65 Allen Street, stated that he would rather have people park in the lot to keep Allen Street clear. He also added that on other parts of the site, there is room for parking. Marie Tulin, 56 Allen Street also agreed that she did not want parking on Allen Street. She stated that they should look elsewhere on the site for parking. Peter Kreisky. 3 Clematis Road, stated that he was concerned about parking on the street. He also stated that he was concerned with flooding and whether the new riding arena would affect run off. Ricky Pappo, 16 Blossomcrest Street, stated that she was concerned over whether the town stormwater system could handle the increased runoff from the new arena. After hearing from the neighbors, the commission specified that until further notice from the commission, the six parking spots furthest from the wetland could be used. Motion to continue the hearing to March 7, 2016 made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Beuttell. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. New Hearings 7:20pm 758 Marrett Road Kathy Herbel- Gale Associates, Sean Lannon- project engineer, Matt McClean- facilities director Documents: RDA package 2/2/2016, Plans 2/2/2016 Ms. Herbel explained that this project is to repair the access road leading to the Minuteman Regional Technical High School. She stated that the existing road runs right through the wetland. Erosion controls would be put in place and the work would be done according to MassDOT standards. Mr. Lannon explained that the guardrail would be replaced and manholes would be reset as needed. Questions and comments from the commissioners: The commission asked why the applicant was not doing more repaving. Ms. Herbel explained that they are just focusing on the worst areas for now because of cost. The commission stated that on their site visits, they saw that snow was being dumped into the wetlands in at least three separate locations. They asked that a snow removal plan be created. The commission asked if curbs were being put in. Mr. Lannon explained that new curbs were being put in place. The commission requested that erosion controls go behind the guardrail construction. The commission asked that they clean out existing catch basins. Motion to issue a negative determination with conditions made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mrs. Dohan. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Continued Hearings 7:33pm DEP File No. 201 -1013, BL 970 NOI, 99 Hancock Street, Diamond School Owner /Applicant: Town of Lexington Project: School addition and associated site appurtenances Fred King- Project engineer, Ken DiNisco- architect Mr. King explained that they were able to accommodate the one year storm in some areas. He stated they were able to find a spot for the recharge basin that will mitigate for the new parking area. He also said that they tipped the service driveway slightly and were able to create a depression to catch runoff in that area. Mr. King went on to explain that they spoke with the fire chief and were able to narrow the road on the side of the school to 18 ft. and pull it 4 feet away from the 25 -foot buffer to the wetland. Mr. King told the commission that they have added an impermeable barrier along the outside of the Sedge Road that will keep the wetland from dewatering. Mr. DiNisco stated that the school department and facilities department wanted to include a ten foot wide sidewalk along Sedge Road to safely accommodate students who were both walking and riding bicycles. In order to properly infiltrate the ten foot wide sidewalk, the entire road would have to be raised two feet. Mr. King added that pervious pavement is not an option in this situation because of the high ground water level. They added that they are removing 8 previously proposed parking spots to bring the area closer to compliance, but the only way they will fully achieve compliance is to limit the size of the sidewalk. The commission discussed this situation. They agreed that removing the eight parking spots and putting in a curb to stop people from parking on the lawn would be sufficient. They felt that having the ten foot wide side walk was important for safety. The commission requested an 0 and M plan for the two new stormwater systems. The applicant agreed to provide one. Motion to close the hearing made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Wolk. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. 8:02pm DEP File No. 201 -1021, BL 978 NOI, 10 Churchill Lane Applicant /Owner: Dan Moeller, Metrowest Builders LLC Project: Raze and rebuild Single Family home Mary Trudeau- wetlands scientist, Dan Moeller- Builder /applicant Documents: Updated Site plan 2/23/2016 Ms. Trudeau explained that this project would be a raze and rebuild of a single family home. There are no wetlands on the property and no work would be done within the 50 ft. buffer to the offsite wetland. She explained that some fill would be required in the back yard for the infiltration systems. She explained that the machines would use the existing driveway and that catch basin liners will be added. Ms. Trudeau stated that there will be seven feet of separation between the drain line and the existing sewer line. Questions and comments from the commission: Ms. Mullins explained that the town does not want the drain line crossing the sewer line. Mr. Moeller stated they could move the line. The commission discussed the type of trees that they would like to see as replacement trees. The applicant stated that they could plant four, eight foot tall trees along the back and side of the house. They stated that they are limited as to where they could plant them because of the infiltration systems. The commission requested that the contour lines be shown around the deck and patio. Motion to close the hearing made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Beuttell. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. 8:21 pm DEP File No. 201 -1015, BL 972 NOI, 435 and 439 Lincoln Street Owner: Leo P. and Margaret M. McSweeney, John R. Dailey Applicant: North Shore Residential Development Inc. Project: Balanced House residential development Jack Sullivan- Sullivan Engineering, Brian Lopez, Gary Larson - landscape architect Documents: Engineering Report 2/26/2016, Supplemental NOI information 2/23/2016 Mr. Sullivan explained that they have updated the plans since the last time they came before the commission with the changes recommended by the planning department and the conservation commission. He explained that Rich Kirby redid the delineation along the Cambridge Reservoir and that the buffer zone line did move slightly closer to the project although there will still be no building within the 100 -ft. buffer zone. Mr. Sullivan stated that he has added catch basins with underground storage tanks. Two up gradient manholes have also been added. This will lead to a reduction in the one year storm runoff. They will also have to file for a NPDES permit. He explained that they will file another NOI in the future when they want to extend the proposed trail into an area within 100 feet of a wetland. Mr. Larson stated that most of the lot is outside of the 100 ft. buffer. There will be some screening plants between lots and plantings to increase character. He stated that they will create a plan to remove invasives as well as remove anything that has been dumped on the site. Questions and comments from the commission: The commission stated that they would want to review any invasive species removal plan. The commission questioned how the applicant would be able to prevent units from extending their activities into the 25 -ft. do- not - disturb zone, and requested more information on how this would be achieved. The commission asked who would maintain the proposed trails on the property. The commission requested an 0 and M plan for all of the storm water systems. They also requested that an emergency overflow be added to downspouts that the geotextile fabric be removed from the bottom of the systems and that "washed" stone be specified. The commission stated that they want to see a more specific planting plan, showing which native plantings would be used. The commission requested detail for the porous pavement system. The commission requested detail for the downspout overflow. The commission requested a copy of the HOA rules to review the language regarding dumping. The commission requested a snow storage plan. Motion to continue the hearing to March 7, 2016 at the applicant's request made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Wolk. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Pending Continued Site visits were scheduled for Sunday March 7, 2016 at noon. Reports Mr. Bitsko reported that he has seen large salt piles and machines stored alongside the wetlands along Hartwell Ave. Update on enforcement at 139 Wood Street Ms. Mullins reported that the work has stopped and there is no update. Minutes The commission will approve the minutes from 2/9/16 at the following meeting. Motion to approve the minutes from the 1/19/16 Joint Stewards meeting made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Beuttell. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Permit Extension Motion to approve the permit extension for one year for 18 Constitution Road, DEP 201 -884, BL 843 made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Wolk. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Motion to approve the permit for three years for Whipple Hill Trail Improvements, DEP 201- 899, BL 858 made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Wolk. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Approve Spending for Whipple Hill Wayfinding System Motion to approve funding for the Whipple Hill Wayfinding system made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Wolk. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Issue Order of Conditions Motion to issue an Order of Conditions for 17 Stedman Road, Clark School, DEP 201 -1014, BL 971 made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Wolk. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Motion to issue an Order of Conditions for 92 Grant Street, DEP 201 -1008, BL 965 made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mr. Wolk. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Motion to issue an Order of Conditions for 139 Wood Street, DEP 201 -1017, BL 974 made by Mr. Wolk and seconded by Mrs. Miller. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Conservation Restriction for Grant Street/ Glen Road South Motion to accept the Conservation Restriction at Grant Street/ Glen Road South made by Mr. Wolk and seconded by Mrs. Miller. Vote: 6 -0 in favor. Tree Regulation Discussion The commission discussed adapting a tree policy to include trees within the 100 ft. buffer zone. Some issues that the commission discussed were what would happen if there was not enough space on the lot to do a 1:1 replication, should we have a tree fee, what height and width should we require, and what about trees that are invasive. The commission agreed that they would do some more research into creating a list of invasive trees as well as a list of accepted species. 9:58pm Motion to adjourn made by Mrs. Miller and seconded by Mrs. Dohan. Vote: 6 -0 in favor.