2004-09-11 (draft)
CITY OF BEVERLY
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING AND SITE VISIT
BOARD OR COMMISSION: Beverly Planning Board
SUBCOMMITTEE:
DATE: September 11, 2004
LOCATION: Beverly Hospital (Herrick Street)
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairperson Richard Dinkin, Vice-
Chairperson John Thomson, Joanne Dunn,
Ellen Flannery, Bill Betts, Don Walter
MEMBERS ABSENT: Dan Hamm
OTHERS PRESENT: City Planner Tina Cassidy
RECORDER: Tina Cassidy
Chairman Dinkin calls the special meeting to order and explains that the purpose of the
meeting is to conduct a site visit in connection with site plan review application #81-04
submitted by Northeast Health Systems. He explains to the audience that the site visit is
a public meeting, but not a public hearing. Therefore, abutters and other members of the
public are welcome to join the Board on the site visit, but no public comment or
questions can be taken because the public hearing is not in session.
Paul Galzerano, representing the hospital, explains the objectives of the project:
§ Solve on site parking problems and shortages
§ Consolidate the main entrance for in patient and emergency room services
§ Expand the entrance to the emergency room facilities and separate ambulance
traffic from other vehicles
§ Provide additional office space for certain medical tests such as CT and MRI
scans
§ Improve the wayfinding system on site
Dick Doherty of Hancock Survey Associates briefly explains the improvements to
drainage on the site including a subsurface storage system. The system will retain
stormwater flow on the site to ensure no overburdening of the existing drainage systems.
He notes that the project will result in little increase in the demand for water and sewer
services, given the nature of the proposed project. The project will include the
construction of a multi-story parking garage which will provide a net increase of at least
219 parking spaces on the site. The traffic analysis submitted by the applicant showed an
estimated increase of 55-60 cars accessing the site during the peak hour. As a result, and
in response to concerns raised by City personnel, the applicants are presently working
with the City on potential improvements to the Herrick/Sohier Road intersection.
Review of the matter is not yet complete, and the City is having a traffic engineer
perform an independent review of the traffic analysis that was submitted.
Planning Board Minutes - special meeting and site visit
September 11, 2004
Page 2
Thomson asks if any parking spaces will be lost during construction. Galzerano states
that the hospital’s goal is to have no net loss of spaces during construction, and is
formulating plans for temporary parking areas to address the issue.
Thomson asks how tall the multi-story garage will be. Kevin Newbin, architect from
Steffian Bradley Inc., explains that the garage will be built into the hill next to the
Women’s Health Center; the front facade will be four stories tall and the rear façade will
be one story tall and about three feet lower than the existing grade of the hill next to the
Center today.
Members review the other elements of the proposed site plan, including the location of
the proposed addition to the existing hospital building, the location of the new enclosed
walkway connecting the reconstructed main entrance with the proposed garage, and the
valet parking/dropoff area. Doherty also points out the location of the proposed garage
and explains the vertical addition being proposed for the Women’s Health Center, noting
that the new addition will match the height of the existing Center.
Walter asks the applicants if the traffic study analyzed the origin of vehicles coming to
the site. Doherty answers that from the study, one could extrapolate that about 60% of
the traffic comes from Sohier Road and 40% from Brimbal Avenue.
Thomson asks for an overview of traffic circulation on site, noting that the plans do not
show the entire hospital campus. Doherty states that the information has been filed with
the Board, and is being reviewed by the City’s independent engineer. Thomson requests
that the applicants provide an overview of on-site traffic circulation at the next Board
st
meeting on September 21. Doherty states that they will be prepared to do that.
In response to a question relative to construction time lines, Galzerano states that they
hope to start construction of the garage this fall, and complete it by the spring of next
year. They hope to complete all work included in the application by the spring of 2006.
Members review the location of the proposed garage. No blasting will be required for the
project because the garage will be built into the hillside, with each successive parking
level increasing in size. The top level will have approximately 125 spaces, and the
bottom level about 40. A small parking area will be maintained behind the garage;
parking lot lighting will be of the “cut-off” style to minimize glare onto adjacent
properties and nearby buildings.
Dinkin asks for a rough estimate of the distance from the back of the proposed garage to
the nearest home. The applicants state that it is at least several hundred feet, but they
have met with the neighbors to address their concerns about screening. The existing
deciduous tree cover is not effective in the winter, and they have developed plans for
additional landscaping with conifers to address the concern. Members request that the
screening plan be submitted for discussion at the next meeting; the applicants agree to do
so.
Next, members visit the existing driveway locations on Herrick Street. Doherty explains
where turn lanes and grass strips will be added to channel traffic onto and from the site
more effectively, and briefly discusses the hospital’s plans to dramatically improve the
Planning Board Minutes - special meeting and site visit
September 11, 2004
Page 3
existing signage on site. The upper driveway entrance will be signed to make it the
primary entrance for the Ledgewood building. The lower driveway will be reconfigured
into a more sweeping curve that will eliminate the need for a sharp turn in the driveway.
At the conclusion of the presentation and discussion, Dinkin adjourns the site visit at
11:50 a.m.