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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-04-11-PB-min PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF APRIL 11, 2019 A meeting of the Lexington Planning Board, held in the Estabrook Hall, in the Cary Memorial Building was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by Chair Ginna Johnson with members Richard Canale, Charles Hornig, Robert Peters, Bob Creech, and planning staff Julie Mercier and Lori Kaufman present. **********************DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION*********************** Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School (RVTHS), 758 Marrett Road, Pubic Hearing Major Site Plan Review: Chair, Ms. Johnson, opened the public hearing at 7:01 p.m. with approximately 6 people in the audience. Present were Kevin Mahoney, Assistant Superintendent of Finance for the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Eric Roise, landscape architect, from Kaestle Boos Associates, and Stephan Garvin, civil engineer, of Samiotes Consultants. Mr. Roise explained the review is about the athletic complex. Mr. Garvin explained that while this is the first time they are meeting with the Planning Board, they have been in meetings with staff and the Lexington Conservation Commission. Mr. Roise presented an overview of the following changes since meeting with staff:  There will be six tennis courts to replace the five existing courts;  There will be additional fixed bleachers with a press box and storage underneath;  A 5,700 square foot masonry building with a concession area and restrooms, team rooms and utility room will be added. The building is what is being considered under this site plan review; the highest point is 18 feet and the rest is 13 feet; architectural renderings were presented;  The fields to the east and south will have new artificial turf;  Part of the site is in Lincoln and the other part is in Lexington;  There is a looped road;  All fields will have new athletic lighting which will be shielded and be focused on the fields;  The planting plan is trying to save as many trees as possible with the only clearing on the south edge; the plants will be low maintenance;  The utility plan for lighting, sewer, and gas was reviewed; Page 2 Minutes for the Meeting of April 11, 2019  The stormwater management plan was reviewed: the fields are very permeable and demonstrate a significant reduction in runoff from the site at peak times; and  They have met with conservation and made changes the commission requested. Individual Board Member Comments:  What are the other changes from what currently exists on the site? The number of fields are the same, the existing turf is going from natural to synthetic, - an additional tennis court will be built, the fields will be lighted, there will be fixed bleachers, a press box, a concession area, restrooms and a field house with storage.  It appears that residential abutters are on the Lincoln side of the site. Would like to see the Lincoln side of the plan and where handicapped parking is in relation to the bleachers. Mr. Roise said the handicapped spaces are near the loop road.  The configuration has changed a few times. Do we have a copy of the RFP for potential th uses? Mr. Mahoney said the responses are due on the 20. He agreed to send the RFP to staff.  Will this be for the schools or rented out and how often they will be used? We want to do the right thing and see how these uses are tied to educational/Dover Amendment uses. Mr. Mahoney said the fields will fully support the physical education and sports programs at the school, as well as events in the area by the MIAA. In addition, many of the member towns will use and view this as a regional asset. Stakeholder input has led to this design. Soccer, cricket, pickle ball will be some of the uses where rent will be charged. If professional teams want to use the fields they will pay like any other user of the facilities.  Tell us about the public outreach. Mr. Mahoney said they reached out and concerns were expressed about traffic, the synthetic turf on the northern border, and the lights being used. Mr. Garvin said they will respond to those concerns.  The parking is only in Lincoln; none is in Lexington. Do you plan to meet with the Lincoln Planning Board and does it make sense to have a joint meeting? We met with their staff and are meeting with Conservation and then with the Lincoln Planning Board.  What is the RFP for? It is for solicitation of a developer/ operator of the athletic fields.  The tennis courts will be lighted; who will be using them at night? The community and school, and potentially others.  You are removing a lot of trees. How many? We are not sure. Mr. Roise said they are trying to save the weeping cherry tree and are struggling to save the trees on the edge, Minutes for the Meeting of April 11, 2019 Page 3 but it is difficult because the development is sandwiched into the site to avoid the100 foot buffer to the vernal pool.  This seems like a large complex for 500 students; who will use this facility? All the fields address the school system’s existing needs.  How will the grease trap be emptied? It will be pumped every couple of months.  We recognize that our review and we appreciate your responding to our questions. I hope we can finish this tonight.  Have solar panels been considered for the top of the concession area? We are considering putting solar panels above the parking lot.  Is the parking adequate for full use of the fields with many games going on at one time? Yes, it will be able to accommodate the parking needs with 300+ spaces. There are also additional spaces in the back. Audience Comments:  What will be the average lighting level on the fields? Mr. Roise said that baseball has the highest requirement because of the small ball, but that they are aiming for 50 foot- candles on all fields.  Do you plan on being able to accommodate all throwing events? Yes, the only concern is the javelin, but rubber tips can be used on synthetic turf.  If a developer/operator finances the field construction, will the fields be used commercially? Mr. Mahoney said that a developer could be brought in to finish construction of the complex and then there would likely be a tiered rental schedule depending on the user (commercial, member towns, other).  Will the developer rent out the fields to cover the construction and operation? Mr. Mahoney said that the district received special legislation to generate revenue to offset debt service to fund the new building.  What will be the hours of operation? The fields will be open until 10 pm on weekdays and then a full day until 10 pm on weekends. Individual Board Member Comments:  The project is impressive and well thought out.  Would like a condition that this is for educational uses, and that the Dover status of any future uses will have to be reviewed.  If the RFP is for a for-profit developer, will the school lose its non-profit status or its by- right status? No, other schools (i.e. Essex Tech) have a similar model. Page 4 Minutes for the Meeting of April 11, 2019  We usually ask applicants for mitigation for tree removal, but we need to know how many will be removed by diameter at breast height or caliper. We could get you a total.  When you restore the landscape after construction, you should replant the buffer with a maximum 10 foot strip restored with native meadow grass and trees around the edge of the fields and tennis courts. Use plants native to Middlesex County. Do not use boxwood since there is a blight right now. We want to make sure invasive species don’t spread to the resource area or to the Cambridge watershed. This is the jurisdiction of the Lincoln Conservation Commission.  The drain line on the southern end looks like it outlets to the wetlands. It is outside of the 100 foot buffer and the drainage design ensures it will not drain into wetlands.  Concern was expressed that the synthetic turf plastic can dislodge and runoff into the wetlands. It has been designed to have many levels of filtration to prevent that.  The more trees that you can replant the better. On a motion of Mr. Hornig, seconded by Mr. Canale, it was voted, 5-0, to close the public hearing at 8:00 p.m. Board Comments on Amendments to the Decision: The Decision is fine, but need to remove condition two since we do not have regulations. Have a condition the site shall be used pursuant to MGL ch.40A section 3. The Decision is based on the Limited Site Plan Review for educational uses. The applicant intends to keep the Dover protections. On a motion of Mr. Hornig, seconded by Mr. Canale, it was voted, 5-0, to adopt the Decision as amended. The Board wants a copy of the RFP, a tree count, and species for plantings. *************************BOARD ADMINISTRATION**************************** Board Member Updates: Mr. Creech said the Tree Committee is interested in Concord’s tree policies. He mentioned that there is a new pedestrian activated light at the Stone Building crosswalk that is blocked by a tree. He suggested that in 2019 a priority will be to update the tree inventory with metrics on survival rate of tree species planted. Minutes for the Meeting of April 11, 2019 Page 5 Mr. Canale mentioned that the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) met to discuss which major infrastructure projects will be added to the new Long Range Plan. He noted that the Bedford Street/Hartwell Avenue project is already included in the present Plan and that the Town Manager has agreed to meet with staff and policy people to discuss the next steps. Ms. Mercier gave the Board a meeting schedule and permitting timelines to be posted on the website. The Planning Director was asked to contact the 186 Bedford Street applicants to get them on an upcoming agenda. Upcoming Meetings and Anticipated Schedule: The Board discussed upcoming meeting dates and anticipated applications. It was suggested that the Board add a meeting on December 4 for Special Town Meeting follow up, ANRs, and other items that may arise. The applicant for Waterstone/Bridges on Watertown Street has been in touch with Ms. Mercier and will be coming to meet with the Planning Board soon. The Special Permit Residential Development Ad Hoc Committee is having 2 public outreach sessions soon. It is undetermined if they will have anything ready for a Special Fall Town Meeting. Minutes: On a motion of Mr. Hornig, seconded by Mr. Creech, it was voted, 5-0, to approve the minutes of March 13, 2019, March 20, 2019, March 25, 2019 and March 27, 2019 as amended. On a motion, duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:28 p.m. The meeting was recorded by LexMedia. The following documents used at the meeting can be found on the Planning Board website in Planning Board packets. Minuteman RVTHS Athletic Complex Field House:  Form B Application dated 2/23/19 (10 pages).  Major Site Proof Plan dated 2/15/19 (39 pages).  Stormwater report dated 2/5/19 (193 pages).  Draft Planning Board decision dated 4/11/19 (5 pages).  Applicant’s presentation dated 4/11/19 (27 pages). Robert Peters, Clerk