2024-11-7 Design Review Board meeting minutes City of Beverly Design Review Board
November 7,2024
Meeting Minutes
1 CITY OF BEVERLY
2 PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
3
4 BOARD OR COMMISSION: City of Beverly Design Review Board
5 DATE: November 7, 2024
6 LOCATION: Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street, 3rd Floor, Conference
7 Room A
8 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Jon Ouellette; Vice-Chair Rachel Poor; Jared
9 Contrada, Associate Planner; Wendy Pearl; Ellen Flannery
10 MEMBERS ABSENT: Michael Barone Jr.
11 STAFF PRESENT: Ken Clawson, Assistant Planning Director; Erin Schaeffer,
12 Economic Development Planner
13 RECORDER: Kristan Patenaude
14
15 Chair Ouellette called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
16
17 1.Applications:
18 a. Cabot Performing Arts Center, Inc. c/o Alexander & Femino, 1 School Street,
19 Beverly, MA 01915. Sign: The Cabot, 286 Cabot Street.
20
21 This item was not addressed at this time.
22
23 b.Yuzhu Chen, 180 Marlboro Street, Quincy, MA 02170. Sign: Non Poke, 503 Rantoul
24 Street.
25
26 Yuzhu Chen, applicant, explained that this is a proposed replacement sign to an existing sign.
27 This will be the same size.
28
29 The Board noted that the proposed sign is compliant.
30
31 Flannery: Motion to approve the signage for Non Poke Realty, at 503 Rantoul Street as
32 presented. Ouellette seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
33
34 c.Nicole Evans, 65 Cedarwood Road, Stoughton, MA 02072. Sign: Amara, 6 Rantoul
35 Street.
36
37 William Nuccio, The Procopio Companies, representing the applicant, reviewed the plans with
38 the Board. There is a sign proposed above the main entrance and a projecting sign. The sign
39 above the main entrance will be lit by ambient light. This sign is well below the square footage
40 allowed at 6.9 s.f. The projecting sign is proposed to be 9 s.f. and also not illuminated.
41
42 Contrada noted that currently the regulations only allow for an up to 7 s.f. projecting sign.
43 Nuccio agreed to amend this sign to match the requirements.
44
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City of Beverly Design Review Board
November 7,2024
Meeting Minutes
45 Ouellette: Motion to approve the application for 6 Rantoul Street for Amara,with the
46 condition that the projecting sign measures 2.65'x2.65' to meet the requirement of
47 7 s.f. Flannery seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
48
49 d. Signs by J,Inc.,Michael Cohen, 100 Tenean Street, Dorchester, MA 02122. Sign:
50 Zuzu Kitchen/Zuzu Bazaar,240 Elliott Street
51
52 A representative for the applicant explained that the proposed signs are for two separate
53 businesses, both under the Zuzu brand. The design was created by the owner. The existing signs
54 are dated, and the proposed signs will help the businesses. The signs are internally lit with
55 channel letters.
56
57 Contrada explained that there can only be one sign per businesses. The applicant would need to
58 seek relief from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The applicant team stated that these are two
59 separate businesses at two separate entrances on 240 Elliott Street. Contrada stated that this
60 would need to be further discussed with the Building Department.
61
62 The Board stated that the smaller of the two proposed signs is compliant. The larger sign is too
63 big. 30 s.f. is allowed on a facade, and the proposed sign is approximately 42 s.f. The applicant
64 team requested that the compliant Bazaar sign be approved this evening, noting that they would
65 come back to a future meeting regarding the second sign.
66
67 Flannery: Motion to approve the signage for Zuzu Kitchen Bazaar, a wall sign at 8.5 s.f.,
68 located at 240 Elliott Street, as presented. Contrada seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
69
70 Ouellette: Motion to continue the application for Zuzu Kitchen dine-in/take-out/delivery
71 wall sign to December 5, 2024. Flannery seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
72
73 e. Lebel Signs, Chrissy Lebel, 11 Chestnut Street,Amesbury,MA 01913. Sign: Big Fun
74 Records,284a Cabot Street
75
76 Chrissy Lebel, owner/applicant, explained that the proposal is for a 3/4" MDO sign mounted
77 directly to the building, with a painted black background and handprinted letters.
78
79 Flannery: Motion to approve the signage for Big Fun Records at 284a Cabot Street, as
80 presented. Ouellette seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
81
82 f. Bass River Tennis Club,Michael LaPierre, 31 Tozer Road, Beverly, MA 01915.
83 Sign: Bass River Tennis Club,31 Tozer Road
84
85 Michael LaPierre, applicant, explained that the proposal is for a pressure-treated wood sign with
86 raised,painted letters. The proposal is for a replacement sign for the interior of an existing sign.
87
88 Flannery: Motion to approve the signage for Bass River Tennis Club at 31 Tozer Road, as
89 presented. Poor seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
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90
91 g. Dear Boba, Sam Ry. Sign: Dear Boba,278 Cabot Street
92
93 Sam Ry, applicant, and Ken Mctague, Concept Signs, explained that the wall sign is an
94 aluminum sign with aluminum extruded molding. The blade sign is existing, and the panel is
95 proposed to be replaced. There are currently two window signs and one door sign on the
96 property.
97
98 Contrada explained that the ordinance allows one window sign per business and there are
99 currently three. This would require additional discussion with the Building Department regarding
100 seeking relief for the additional signs.
101
102 Ouellette noted that there is some additional white space within the proposed signs that could be
103 used for additional wording, if needed.
104
105 Ouellette: Motion to approve the signage for Dear Boba at 278 Cabot Street, including the
106 projecting sign, the wall facade sign, and one window sign on the door. Flannery
107 seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
108
109 h. Glovsky& Glovsky LLC, 8 Washington Street, Beverly,MA 10915. RSD Site Plan
110 Review: 0 Trask Lane, Corcoran Trask Lane,LLC
111
112 The applicant team explained that this project previously underwent Definitive Subdivision Plan
113 approval which froze the zoning for it in place as of 2016. The wetlands on the site have also
114 been delineated. The proposed density of 440 units is below the allowable maximum density and
115 includes 55 units of permanently restricted affordable housing. The project has been designed to
116 be purposefully compact and covers approximately 20% of the site with the balance of
117 approximately 67 acres remaining undisturbed. The existing 200' buffers required under zoning
118 to the residential neighbors are all respected. The intent is to keep this well buffered from any
119 nearby single family residential neighborhoods. There will be no proposed access through those
120 neighborhoods, as the access will come from Trask Lane.
121
122 The project consists of two development sites. Site A,which consists of four buildings, and Site
123 B. There will be a walkable connection between the two sites. The proposal is for 440 units total
124 with a nice variety of unit sizes. There are 882 parking spaces as zoning requires. The goal was
125 to create a site that felt cohesive, walkable, and generated a sense of community. The buildings
126 are clustered in a way that preserves as much of the undisturbed area as possible. There was a
127 concerted effort to squeeze as much parking as possible into podium levels under the building to
128 retain a village street feel. There are some amenities that are building specific, but each building
129 has its own identity.
130
131 The plan provides for surface parking north of building 2, south of building 3, and between all
132 four buildings. All four buildings provide outdoor amenity spaces. A pedestrian focus is
133 achieved by creating a raised table at the major intersection between all four of the buildings,
134 allowing clear sight lines and easy pedestrian access to each building. Outdoor amenity spaces
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Meeting Minutes
135 and trail networks are proposed, along with a dog run. The planting plan for the site was
136 presented. The palate for the building design includes three main materials: fiber cement for the
137 upper portions, a type of metal to make the corners prominent, and some masonry elements at the
138 base.
139
140 The Board mentioned that the landscaping plan made mention of native plant material and using
141 cultivars where natives are not possible. Regarding the vertical forest edge, there was a request to
142 preserve some of the mature trees within the property line.
143
144 The Board noted that there could be a lot of cars in the pedestrian area proposed to be created in
145 the middle of the site. This does not seem like a pedestrian-friendly common, as much as an
146 intersection. The streetscape created with the hill and blank wall is problematic. The plan needs
147 to further consider how to integrate pedestrians with the vehicular circulation.
148
149 The Board noted that the contour and grade changes on the site are quite significant and there
150 should be consideration as to how the proposed wall heights will look.
151
152 Ouellette: Motion to continue the application for 0 Trask Lane to December 5, 2024.
153 Flannery seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
154
155 2. Old Business
156
157 None at this time.
158
159 3.New Business:
160 a. Draft Meeting Minutes (as available)
161 i. October 3,2024
162
163 The Board agreed to table discussion on the meeting minutes until the next meeting.
164
165 5.Adjourn
166
167 Ouellette: Motion to adjourn. Flannery seconds. Motion carries (5-0).
168
169 Meeting adjourns at 8:18 p.m.
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