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BPB 4-30-24 City of Beverly Planning Board April 30, 2024 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 6 CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION: City of Beverly Planning Board DATE: April 30, 2024 LOCATION: Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street, Yd Floor Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Ellen Hutchinson,Vice Chair Derek Beckwith, Ellen Flannery, Sarah Bartley, George Gomes MEMBERS ABSENT: Nathaniel Lewis, Wayne Miller OTHERS PRESENT: Assistant Planning Director Kenneth Clawson RECORDER: Naomi Moca Call to Order Chair Hutchinson calls the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. and reads the public notice regarding holding meetings in a hybrid model going forward. Recess for Public Hearings Beckwith: Motion to recess for public hearings. Flannery seconds. Motion carries (5-0). 1. Public Hearing: Site Plan Review 4165-24 - 50 Balch Street—Beverly Commerce Park, LLP a. Construct a five-story, 53-unit, subsidized elderly housing building within the Cummings Center. Clawson reads the public notice and clarifies that the site address is currently 181 Elliott Street. Michael Aveni, Alexis Foley, and Steve Drohosky of Cummings Properties are present. Aveni summarizes the progress of the project thus far,which has passed through several administrative steps including going before the Parking and Traffic Commission(P&TC). Aveni shares the site plan and gives an overview of this Subsidized Elderly Housing project, with "Elderly"being defined as over 55 years of age. Aveni describes the parking lot which will be located below the building on the ground floor, the stormwater management system, and the site utilities. The project will consolidate two of the existing site entrances into one two-way drive aisle. Since the traffic light was installed at the intersection of Balch Street and McKay Street, the traffic has somewhat eased in this location. Aveni says there is a 25-foot sewer easement on McKay Street that the project will tap into. While there is a gas line on-site, the applicant is still determining whether the project will remain entirely electric. If the gas were accessed, it would be used for the hot water supply. The landscaping plan is similar to the existing landscaping and will entail an open space for the residents' use. The lighting plan will be comprised of Above All LED Moon Series post lights and Kichler Cylinder Single light outdoor wall sconces. There will be 53 two- and three- bedroom units, eight of which will be affordable units. The project includes bicycle storage and 1 City of Beverly.Planning Board April 30, 2024 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 6 deeded storage units. The units will be heated with electrical heat pumps. Aveni shares the site's schematic elevations. Aveni refers to the P&TC letter's note of the site's traffic circulation and access to the amenities in the greater Cummings Center campus. Drohosky clarifies that there is an existing sidewalk on McKay Street and the project will connect the existing walkways on the campus. Captain Jake Kreyling of the Fire Department has determined that the site has a proper fire vehicle turn radius and sight lines. Hutchinson asks what the current width of the access points is, and Aveni states that the 22-foot entrance will be widened by 12 feet to make it a two-way entrance, making it 34 feet wide and the other entrance will be 36 feet wide. Drohosky says that the project will impact the lot of the business to the north of the project site. The neighboring business would like to expand the entrance slightly to the west instead of the east to accommodate the traffic flow. The signs have been timed to turn off in the evenings at the request of neighboring resident David Burnham. Hutchinson asks whether the directions of the traffic will cause confusion, and Aveni answers that the traffic engineer will conduct another analysis now that the plan has been modified. Drohosky says that there are drivers who disregard the directional signs. Hutchinson asks whether there has been a traffic count study of the site, and Aveni says yes, the traffic engineer calculated a relatively low additional number of morning and evening trips. Drohosky says there is an ongoing discussion about how to prevent drivers from crossing directly from Beverly Middle School to the Cummings Center. Hutchinson expresses concern about the single-direction entrance and single-direction exit. Beckwith asks about the schematic elevation from the East and Aveni explains that the excavated material will be added to the berm on the other side of the building and will not be brought off- site. It is not a significant amount of material. Beckwith asks for the high and low points of the roofline and Aveni says the top of the roof is 70 feet and the first floor to the roof is 50 feet. Beckwith asks what the height of the equipment will be, and Aveni says the condensing units, if the project uses that style of unit, will be a few feet high and if solar panels are installed, they will not be higher than the condensers. Beckwith asks what the impact of the building's blocking of sunlight will be throughout the year, and Aveni says that the shadow study demonstrated that it will throw shadow across the street, but will not block the sun from neighboring houses. Drohosky clarifies that when the days are shortest in March and December, there will be the maximum encroachment of shadow. Beckwith and Aveni discuss that of the 53 units, 30 parking spaces will be deeded in the spaces on the ground level of the building. Aveni clarifies that while the parking spaces have not been completely defined yet, there is ample parking on the campus. Beckwith asks how the parking space maintenance will be handled in the Homeowner's Association, and how the second space per unit will be handled. Drohosky compares the parking to the arrangement at Elliott Landing, where a deeded parking space is assigned to each unit, and a sticker is assigned to use for the one offsite parking space. Aveni concedes that there are parking details that have not yet been 2 City of Beverly Planning Board April 30,2024 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 6 confirmed. Clawson asks how the parking allotted to the building will be protected from encroachment by general Cummings Center users. Drohosky says that the cars are directed to the garage in storm events so that the open lot can be cleared. Aveni points out that this location on the campus is not heavily used because of its distance from businesses and that vehicles associated with the school are out of the applicant's control. Flannery asks where the HVAC equipment will be located, and Aveni says it will be concentrated in the center of the roof, away from the edges. Flannery and Aveni discuss that the bicycle storage will be in the ground floor parking lot, and the trash and recycling will be accessed through the ground floor loading area. Drohosky and Aveni express their enthusiasm for implementing a composting program in the future. Beckwith asks what the timeline is for the project to be worked out with the City Engineer and Aveni says that there is a sewer pipe that runs through the drain line covered with a manhole. Aveni expects this to be a condition and to continue to work with the Engineering Department. There are ongoing conversations with the Fire Department with regard to electric vehicles in the garage under this pedestal-style construction. Aveni says there are also ongoing discussions with National Grid. Hutchinson asks whether a traffic engineer has reviewed the entrance design, and Aveni says it was reviewed by Rod Emery of Tighe and Bond. Clawson clarifies that if the plan were modified, the applicant would be required to take additional administrative steps. Aveni says the applicant plans to add a hydrant at the request of the Fire Department. Materials added to the record: • Letter to Hutchinson from Martin and Meg Scrivener of 43 Balch Street dated April 26, 2024 Martin and Meg Scrivener of 43 Balch Street are present. Drohosky says he has had a conversation with the Scriveners and addressed their concerns. Meg Scrivener says that in the course of walking her dog daily, she has observed that vehicles go straight out of the school entrance to the Cummings Center lot and this problem would be alleviated by the entrance being shifted. Bartley asks if the entrance being placed in front of the public housing would have the same effect as it would if it were in front of the Scriveners' house, and Meg Scrivener says the residents appear to keep their shades closed, and the elevation would prevent headlights from shining into their windows. Aveni clarifies that the entrance will not be near the public housing, and the entrance will be gated and shut down around 9:00 p.m. Hutchinson asks which Cummings Center entrance is busiest, and Drohosky says while he is unsure, it appears to be the Elliott Street entrance, depending on the time of day. 3 City of Beverly Planning Board April 30,2024 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 6 Katie Boucher of 90 McKay Street is present and says she lives near the project site, has an architecture degree, and has a fifth-grader at the school. Boucher expresses her concern about the size of the project, that the 50-foot height of the building is significantly larger than the McKeown School, and the aesthetic of the building is not in harmony with the surrounding residences. Boucher expresses concern about traffic flow and pedestrian and student safety as the building is directly across from the heavily used middle school entrance. Boucher suggests an intersection with a signaled crosswalk. On Monday, April 29, 2024, from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. Boucher counted 123 students crossing Balch Street straight into the Cummings Center and 81 students from 8:05 to 8:40 a.m. Boucher mentions the many sports and other events that are hosted at the middle school that attract vehicles that use the Cummings Center lot. Boucher suggests the building be set back further from the street. Flannery asks if there are crossing guards at the school, and Boucher says there are two guards in the morning and two guards in the afternoon and that most of the students cut through the landscaped area. Lorinda Visnick of 39 Middlebury Lane is present in her capacity as a citizen and says that when the middle school was first opened, there were a lot of unknowns with traffic and the Cummings Properties were gracious in permitting school vehicles to park in the lot. Visnick observes that the traffic and parking dilemma at the school is a district and City-generated problem, and thus should be addressed by the school district and the City. Visnick expresses gratitude to Cummings Properties for being a good neighbor and points out that the applicant is using their property in ways that they legally have a right to use it. Danielle Spang of 16 Mulberry Street is present in her capacity as a citizen and asks if the eight affordable units will also be for sale. Drohosky says those units are condominiums for sale, not rental. Spang asks if it is in perpetuity and Drohosky says yes. Spang says the problem may be somewhat alleviated by more students using bus transportation. Visnick says the busing assignment follows a somewhat outdated plan created by former Mayor Scanlon based on the socioeconomic status of Beverly neighborhoods, as some required more free- or reduced-cost lunches. Spang asks which school the children residents of this project would attend, and Visnick and Bartley explain that children residing there may possibly attend any school in Beverly. Drohosky says that Elliott Landing, which is located in an IR zone and is not a 55-plus project, has zero residents who are children. The applicant expects zero children to reside in this project. Boucher comments that affordable apartments for families may be a better project. Hutchinson says that a developer has the right to propose a project that complies with the zoning requirements. Boucher comments that this project has the opportunity to improve the aesthetic of the neighborhood. Bartley expresses support for the project and adds that she is also a neighbor. Beckwith expresses support for affordable housing. Visnick comments that she had four children in public schools and while none of them live in the house currently, her family jokes that they 4 City of Beverly Planning Board April 30, 2024 Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 5 will never move as there is a challenging real estate market currently, and that lack of affordable housing is a crisis. Visnick expresses gratitude to Boucher for speaking at today's meeting. Hutchinson asks what the applicant would ideally like to see in the middle school and Drohosky says the applicant would prefer that the number of school-related vehicles using the lot be reduced or eliminated and that he has observed people playing frisbee in the lot while waiting for students. Drohosky says he is unsure why there is a crosswalk located in the middle of Balch Street when there are already two crosswalks on Balch Street. Scrivener says that since she works from home and observes the area, she believes that an entrance directly across from the middle school entrance would not be good. She has experienced both being unable to enter her own driveway and being yelled at by parents. The students playing while they wait for their parents mainly behave safely. Aveni says that the applicant is happy to work with the City to place the entrance where it works best. Boucher comments that if students are expected to walk to the crosswalks at the intersections of McKay Street and Balch Street and Cabot Street and Balch Street, there ought to be crossing guards at those intersections. Boucher says she parks at McKeown to pick up her fifth-grader and that it has not been communicated to parents that they may not park at the Cummings Center. Flannery: Motion to continue the hearing to the May 21, 2024 meeting. Beckwith seconds. Motion carries (5-0). Flannery: Motion to recess for a five-minute break. Beckwith seconds. Motion carries 9:14 p.m.: Break Flannery: Motion to reconvene meeting. Bartley seconds. Motion carries (5-0). 9:19 p.m.: Reconvene meeting 2. Set Public Hearing: a. Special Permit 4192-24— 84 Hale Street—Amit Patel L Reduction in required parking spaces per Chapter 300 Section 300-59E from two to one for a residential unit in a CN zone Flannery: Motion to set the public bearing for the May 21, 2024 meeting. Beckwith seconds. Motion carries (5-0). b. Special Permit#193-24--3,3R, and 8 Summit Avenue—Robert 1. Boudreau 5 City of Beverly Planning Board April 30, 2024 Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 6 i. Parking lot as a principal use of lot and deviation from the design requirements for parking spaces within 5 feet of a side lot line and a two- way aisle width of less than 24 feet. Beckwith: Motion to set the public hearing for the May 21, 2024 meeting. Flannery seconds. Motion carries (5-0). 3. Approval of minutes a. June 215 2023 The members review and offer edits to the June 21, 2023 draft meeting minutes. Flannery: Motion to accept the June 21, 2023, Planning Board meeting minutes as amended. Beckwith seconds. Motion carries (5-0). b. July 18, 2023 The members review and offer edits to the July 19, 2023 draft meeting minutes. Beckwith: Motion to accept the July 18, 2023, Planning Board meeting minutes as amended. Bartley seconds. Motion carries (5-0). c. August 15, 2023 The members review and offer edits to the August 15, 2023 draft meeting minutes. Beckwith: Motion to accept the August 15, 2023, Planning Board meeting minutes as amended. Bartley seconds. Motion carries (5-0). d. March 19, 2024 The members review and offer edits to the March 19, 2024 draft meeting minutes. Beckwith: Motion to accept the March 19, 2024, Planning Board meeting minutes as amended. Bartley seconds. Motion carries (5-0). Adjournment Flannery: Motion to adjourn. Beckwith seconds. Motion carries (5-0). Meeting adjourns at 9:32 p.m. The next regular meeting of the Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday,May 21, 2024. 6