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07.19.22 BPB Minutes Final DRAFT CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES COMMISSION: Planning Board DATE: July 19, 2022 LOCATION: City Hall; Council Chambers; BevCam (live stream on YouTube): https://bevcam.org/video/live-stream/ MEMBERS PRESENT: Ellen Hutchinson (Chair), Derek Beckwith (Vice-Chair) Ellen Flannery, Wayne Miller, Sarah Bartley, Rodney Sinclair, Andrea Toulouse MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: Darlene Wynne, Director of Planning OTHERS PRESENT: RECORDER: Sharlyne Woodbury Call to Order Chair Wynne calls the meeting to order at 7:05 pm. 1. Subdivision Approval Not Required Plans a. 32-34 Swan Street—Vincent Orlando Tom Alexander presents to the board on behalf of the applicant. Alexander describes the property and the district where the property is. The neighborhood historically is about one hundred years old. Subdivision lot is the largest and the applicant would like to return to the original configuration. Per Alexander, the zoning was increased after the original submission and the whole neighborhood is nonconforming. They are seeking a variance to allow for the lot to become two lots again. Alexander confirms the ZBA had a unanimous vote in favor of the lot to revert to two lots.The frontage is sufficient. The existing lots in the neighborhood have less frontage. Alexander and Orlando met with resident neighbors and incorporated their suggestions. Beckwith inquires after the existing fence as well as the neighbor's suggestions. Hutchinson inquires after the smaller frontage of the current neighbors. Alexander confirms neighbors did not want a multi-family unit, therefore decided on two single family homes for the lots. The utilities will connect to public sewer and water. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Motion: Beckwith moves the proposed subdivision for 32-34 Swan Street be deemed subdivision approval not required. Flannery seconds. Motion passes 7-0. Recess for Public Hearing Motion: Flannery moves to recess for public hearing. Beckwith seconds. Motion passes 7-0. Chair Hutchinson denotes change to public agenda. Item #3 is moved ahead of Item #2 to accommodate timing for Site Plan review#154-22. 2. Waiver of Frontage and Definitive Subdivision Plan—15 Folder Avenue, Thomas Alexander, Alexander and Femino for David Mirandi and Jane MacLeod Planning Board July 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 8 Alexander presents to the board on behalf of the applicant. Mirandi and MacLeod share joint ownership since 2019. The property is in a historically old neighborhood. The lots in the subdivision are relatively larger by comparison to the neighborhood lots and are in conformance with the other lots. The ZBA granted unanimous approval for the subdivision of the lot. Less frontage than is required, does require a waiver frontage under state law. It is a public way with all required utilities and services; private electric and cable are available. Beckwith, per the existing dwelling and compared to the property on the left-hand side,there was no delineation of the size. The renderings show the conditions. Beckwith asked for current square footage of the neighboring lots on average. Beckwith confirms these are single family dwellings. The current residence is a two family. Alexander confirms the lot will be a single-family lot with a modest house. Alexander details the Zambouras presented the drainage plan with a list of waivers included. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Motion: Flannery moves to close the public hearing. Toulouse seconds. Motion carries 7-0. Motion: Sinclair moves to approve the waiver of frontage for 15 Folder Avenue. Toulouse seconds. Motion carries 7-0. Motion: Sinclair moves to approve the subdivision plan for 15 Folder Avenue. Toulouse seconds. Motion carries 7-0. Motion: Sinclair moves to accept the waivers shown on the plan for 15 Folder Avenue. Discussion on the motion. Beckwith confirmed he reviewed the list. Toulouse seconds. Motion carries 7-0. 3. Public Hearing: Site Plan Review#154-22 and Inclusionary Housing#20-22—218-224 Cabot Street and 18 Federal Street—Miranda Siemasko, Glovsky Councilor at Law for Leggat McCall Properties LLC Miranda Siemasko represents the applicant, presents to the board, and introduces the team. From Glovsky& Glovsky: Miranda Siemasko and Connor Walsh. From Leggat McCall: Bill Gauze, Addy Grady, and Sam Cole. From SV Design: Thad Siemasko and Stefano Basso. From Hancock Associates: Charlie Ware. From Breeman Peterman: Rebecca Brown. Representative from the property owner: Alan Dana. Gauze provides an overview of the project. T. Siemasko discusses the design review concept. Grady discusses the energy efficiencies of the building. Ware discusses storm water impacts to the site. The storm water will come off the rooftop and there are proposed vegetation around the edges and a roof deck area. There is a slight reduction in the storm water that comes off the site and underground plastic infiltration systems. There will be replenishing ground water collected from the storm water. Drainage will go into Federal and Chapman Streets.The water, sewer,gas electric and telecommunications will be coming from Federal Street and use the existing gas line. Construction will not extend into Cabot Street. Rebecca Brown presents the traffic impact. Discusses the findings from the Parking and Traffic Commission and the traffic study. They reviewed eleven intersections.Traffic counts were completed in May/June 2022. Adjusted traffic volumes due to covid variations and drew those out to a seven-year Planning Board July 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 8 projection that is compatible with MassDOT averages. Reviewed crash volume amongst prominent locations. Crashes are reduced due to curb bump out, improved roads and site visions. Reviewed site distances. Peak hours considered for these trip reviews. Proposed 124 parking spaces in the garage and across the lot for residential use. Total of 153 lots. Meets the requirements for zoning residential use. Zoning allows to account for the on-street parking spaces along the frontage. Uses the site frontage meets that forty-five requirement. Zoning allows to count parking spaces within a five hundred radius around the site. The city did a downtown parking assessment in 2017. The assessment found during the weekday evening peak periods. States the overflow is accommodated by the 500-foot radius and acknowledges public concerns over the loss of the parking lot due to project development. There are existing commercial uses onsite that will go away as part of the development. A net reduction of parking demand by seventy-three parking spaces. There is a net 25 parking spaces. The seventy-three reduction represents a change in the commercial uses. Hutchinson asks about the numbers looking for clarification of the businesses that went away with the businesses that will pop up. Proposing offsite mitigation, the frontage along Federal and Chapman will have trees added, new sidewalks and crosswalks, curb to curb resurfacing of Federal and Chapman Street along the frontage. Northern side of Bow Street will be resurfaced. Proposing to reconstruct that sidewalk. Currently not ADA accessible or finished. Wynne states for the record there are six letters of comment from the public. Sinclair to M. Siemasko, the affordable unit's information is lacking. M. Siemasko, inclusionary housing in accordance with the Ordinance, the units are onsite, allow a deeper level of affordability, 10%of the market units, or twelve, half of them will be for 80%AMI or less, household 60%AMI or less. Sinclair, what does that rent equate to in real dollars. M. Siemasko details the max income limit for 60 %AMI between $59,000-$85,000; plus, or minus, depending on the number of households per application. 80%AMI make up to $79,000 for a family of four. Sinclair, how many occupants for those one-bedroom units. M. Siemasko,the rental range depends on the household and number of bedrooms. One- bedroom units could be $1500- $1700 or$1700-$2100 depending on the household. At 80% $1900- $2200 one bedroom; 2-bedroom unit$2200-$2800. There will be an equal number of 60% and 80% at each level. 12 units in total = 10%. There will be no differentiation between those units and the rest of the units. Pricing set by DHCD. Also encourages developers to be floating, as they are available and as units shift in terms of occupancy. Bartley, what happens when someone does not qualify and then they cannot afford to continue renting. Would they have to pay market rate in order to stay. Grady discusses the person is allowed to earn up to a certain percentage in the allotted time period. After they would need to either afford market price, or they will have to move on. Beckwith, was unities included in the proposed rent prices. Grady confirms utilities are not include and discusses different methodologies for the building to be green efficient and cost prohibitive by the renter. Keeping utilities separate encourages lower usage per the user. Beckwith, those median household incomes used do not reflect what the households are actually earning today. Beckwith discusses the character and impact to the neighborhood. No one developer bears the burden of stemming the tide of rising rents, which is the type of rents these units are going to go for. Beckwith would like a review of the remaining 100-unit market rates with real dollars attached. Bartley concurs with Beckwith and expresses additional concern for the artist studio space rents. Bill Gauze said it will be Planning Board July 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 8 a comparable rate.The members would like definitive numbers beyond vague description of "comparable" rates. Hutchinson addresses T. Siemasko, when driving down the block the building takes up so much space. Understands this is a by-right plan yet deeply concerned by the increased building size(s) creeping onto Cabot Street. Can there be more of an effort to incorporate the character of the neighborhood, instead of focus on the front yellow brick fagade. Move away from the brick and start to capture some of what you see in the surrounding neighborhoods; a more "New England" flavor. Hutchinson inquires after the HDC neighborhood conservation district plan. T. Siemasko explains the decision was to keep the mass into the back of the site as opposed to directly up front on Cabot Street. T. Siemasko believes the combination of clapboard and brick blend well for a large building to soften the impact. Hutchinson respectfully disagrees noting the building is too massive for the neighborhood. Sinclair echoes Hutchinson's concerns. Sinclair asks how they arrived at the number of units. T. Siemasko outlines the basic formula determining the number of units, which is largely based off the parking count. Take the base parking count and develop the number of units from that number, which usually comes to a 3-4 story building. T. Siemasko advocates that some of the greenest places in the world are the densest because they require the most amount of efficiency and energy efficiency per person.They want to encourage walking not parking. Hutchinson respectfully disagrees, noting this development was quite a shock to the community, members did not even know the lot was privately owned. T. Siemasko respectfully disagrees. Beckwith discusses the void closing the Family Dollar will have on the impact of the neighborhood. Many students and seniors who use this store are within walking distance. The store closing affects part of the affordability of the neighborhood. T. Siemasko provides dimensions for the proposed for commercial use (5000 sq ft). The current retail use 17,500 sq ft. Toulouse notes there is a big difference between office space versus retail space where people shop. The second floor will have 6000 sq ft for office space, includes the artist unit. Artist unit will be about 350 sq ft per studio. Beckwith inquires about the specific square footage, and T. Siemasko estimates the sq footage for Rent-a-Center, Family Dollar and Bonefish Harry's. Beckwith addresses parking during snowstorms. Neighbors use that existing lot during a snow emergency. Where are these people going to park? Beckwith would also like the pest control issues addressed comparing the West Dane Street project to a building that is about 10x the size of that project. M. Siemasko reminds the board the loss of public parking is on private land, which the public has used inappropriately.This building is by right and by ordinance. Notes there are ongoing discussions between the mayor's office, the engineering department, and the developer to create a parking solution. The reality is that this building will generate enormous amounts of revenue for the city, which can be used to address the parking issue. Currently, no solid solutions are present. Hutchinson addresses the misinformation on the Beverly Community page. The city does not own the property. A private third party owns the property. The city cannot be named responsible for this development.A private owner has the right to sell the property. The city cannot block it and explains this is a by-right plan. The plan proposed meets all the zoning requirements and there are no special permits. There is not a lot to be done that can prevent it. The project is done according to zoning. The public should be discussing the zoning with city councilors. Hutchison encourages the public to Planning Board July 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 8 coordinate with their respective ward councilors. Wynne adds the Planning Board can impose reasonable conditions. Public Comments: Vivian Hudgins, 59 park street Is a local resident and artist with two points to make. One point going back to retail and grocery. There is not anywhere else, besides Dollar Tree, close to midtown. There are many residents that walk and do not have a car. Family Dollar provides a lot of essentials for that population of people. Will there be an alternative plan. Second point, art is an essential part of Beverly. There is an art college, Montserrat, in the center of town. Students need a place to go.There are only 17 studio spaces on Cabot Street. The alternative spaces do not sound they will be big enough. Silvia Burger, 23 Vestry Street A local renter of unit 222 Cabot Street and an alumna of Montserrat. Burger is a lifelong resident having gone to Cove Elementary, Briscoe Middle School, and Beverly High school. Expresses grave concerns with over developing the city. This town is promised to be part of a vibrant art district. She finally acquired a studio space. This development takes away from the art community. There are 17 other artists that work in and share this space downtown. Why not find another art space. Porter Mills is comparable but has a 1-2 year waiting list. This is displacing many artists. Art is for everyone. Once something is gone it is hard to get back. Please work together to maintain the art district, expand it, and create more space in the future. 4 units are not enough. There are 17 units and 4 would leave 13 artists displaced. Margaret Reems, 24 Federal Street Occupies the last house on the right to the McClaine Building and discusses the increase in wrong way traffic. Will there be an exit sign directing the proper flow of traffic on Bow and Chapman streets. Mixed housing run by BHA has about 10 public spots is for the residents for the McClaine building, will there be coordination with those elderly who are losing their spots due to the development. Events downtown will be limited because parking on the weekends is a premium. Finding parking for those venues is difficult already. Parking is crucial to increasing business. The on-street parking is not just for the restaurants or the commercial spots. It's also for the residents. Expresses concern for influx of rodents with the Rantoul Street development. Estelle Rand, 3 Agate Street, Ward Councilor 2 Discusses the loss of the public use of parking on the private lot and appreciates the preservation of the historical building frontage. Rand asks for the development team to keep in mind what the people of Cabot Street and the community overall truly need. Filling a commercial space is not easy. Rand appreciates the 4 units incorporated into the plan, however; strongly encourages the development team to listen to the young leaders and artists in the community. The Family Dollar and artist spaces are crucial to the area. Mike Mendez, 129 Cabot Street, Newton MA(owner, 4 Chapman Street) Asks questions about the shading and sunlight for the area; landscaping opportunities on Chapman Street to improve curbside appearance; camouflage a less imposing structure. Addresses the impact of losing Bell Market and now the Family Dollar; are there plans to replace it; snow ban parking; pest Planning Board July 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 8 control; and decreasing the building height from 5 to 4 stories. Inquires if the Chapman Street fagade can incorporate some Victorian characteristics to match the Victorian homes in the neighborhood. Hannah Bowen, 29 Thorndike Street, At-Large Councilor Echoes many of the same concerns for neighborhood needs, city needs, large design, retail space, loss of Family Dollar, and the artist space. Concerned about the affordability of the property. Using herself as an example, she is a local renter who earns below the medium income. She is priced out for this type of stye and pricing. Inquires who will live in the complex, ultimately what type of renter is this designed for. Has concerns about how they will use the space and integrate into the fabric of the community. The complex feels fortified instead of inviting; loses the social appeal of living downtown Beverly and interacting with other neighborhoods. Gym incorporated into the building, what about using the many exercise studios (yoga, Pilates, etc.) along Cabot Street and surrounding areas. Downtown residents are activated in public spaces, parks, retail areas. Can we think about ways to support the holistic growth of the neighborhood. Patty Solano, 1 Fieldstone Lane (Owner, 19 Federal Street) Discusses parking concerns; urges the developers to review data newer than the 2017 study. Recent street construction (the bump outs have taken up the parking spots) and increased traffic have depleted parking. The site walk spaces are now used as outside eateries. Where are all the parking spaces. Solar banners take up spaces. We borrow spaces within 500 square feet. There are too many businesses claiming the same parking spot on the same streets. Chapman and Federal Streets are full of parked cars. St Mary's School is used for parking. Expresses concern over the design plan for garage exit onto Chapman Street; it will be a tight exit. Final concern is the overdevelopment of Cabot Street. Beleaguers the tall buildings ruining the street. Gabrielle Burgess, 394 Rantoul Street Echoes the same concerns as previous public comments for renting studio spaces; parking (especially in October and snow bans); expresses safety concerns with affordable housing located farther away from the college campus (Montserrat); walking across town in dangerous conditions; and lack of affordable downtown housing. As a young adult she is excited to be part of the artist community and appreciates the historical front fagade preservation. Finds it difficult to stay with the loss of affordable rent for art and living spaces. Beatrice Hinds, 17 Conant Street Expresses concerns for the senior living complex on Federal Street. Her relative is a resident and uses the Family Dollar as their grocery store. The seniors in this complex are of limited means, handicap individuals, with special care requirements and health aides. Most of the seniors have no cars. Parking is an issue for two reasons. First, where will their home health aides, caregivers, and other visitor's park. Secondly, the Family Dollar is within walking distance which serves a purpose for handicap individuals with no cars. Advocates for decreasing the number of EV charging stations. The cars take too long to charge and use up valuable parking space. Peter Johnson, 677 hale street Addresses this street from this project to the bridge. After Depot II,this now is going all the way through historic Beverly, which is overdeveloped. All these 5 story buildings are by right. Upon reviewing the other tall buildings on Cabot Street;The first Baptist Church, Unitarian church, St. Mary's, Odd Fellows Building, and City Hall. They offer character to the area. Commenting on the design concept,just Planning Board July 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes Page 7 of 8 because these buildings are tall does not mean they should be used as a point of reference to scale for other tall projects and developments. Those tall buildings have character, history, and purpose. He urges the city to review these points noting failure to act would destroy the continuity of the Master Plan; and ruin a civilized attractive main street. One of the hallmarks of the city should be height restrictions, and diligence to prevent other streets from being engulfed in 5 story buildings. Hutchinson suggests continuing to August 16, 2022 meeting. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Motion: Toulouse moves to continue to the August 16, 2022 meeting. Discussion on the motion. Beckwith suggests and welcomes involvement and input for the arts district by an entity not of the city. Perhaps someone from the Cultural Council, etc.; to hear their viewpoints. Wynne clarifies the city is the fiduciary of the Cultural Board. There being no further comments or questions regarding the matter: Beckwith seconds. Motion carries 7-0. Motion: Beckwith moves to reconvene meeting. Sinclair seconds. Motion carries 7-0. Reconvene Regular Meeting 4. Set Public Hearings a. Waiver of Frontage and Definitive Subdivision Plan—17 Jordan Street,Thomas Alexander,Alexander and Femino for James Clarizia Motion: Flannery moves to set the public hearing for August 16, 2022. Toulouse seconds. Motion carries 7-0. b. Special Permit#182-22 and Site Plan Review#155-22—40 Dunham Ridge—Miranda Siemasko, Glovskv Councilor at Law for 40 Dunham OC, LLC Wynne informs the board the PTC requested a peer review study for Special Permit#182-22;40 Dunham Ridge. The peer review may not be complete by the next meeting. Motion: Flannery moves to set the public hearing for August 16, 2022. Sinclair seconds. Motion carries 7-0. S. Approval of minutes a. April 26, 2022 Motion: Toulouse moves to approve minutes as amended. Sinclair seconds. Motion carries 7-0. b. May 17, 2022 Motion: Toulouse moves to approve minutes as amended. Sinclair seconds. Motion carries 7-0. c. June 21,2022 Motion: Toulouse to approve minutes as amended. Sinclair seconds. the motion carries 7-0. Planning Board July 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes Page 8 of 8 6. New/Other Business a. Wynne informs the members Lt Governor Polito signed an extension on remote meetings with remote access through March 2023. Wynne notes the decision for hybrid meetings to continue is at the board's discretion. b. In the process of appointing another planning member. No official submission or nomination has been made at this time. 7. Adjournment Motion: Bartley moves to adjourn. Flannery seconds. The motion carries 7-0. Meeting adjourned 9:37 pm. Next meeting scheduled 8/16/22.