1998-10-14CITY OF BEVERLY
PARKING & TRAFFIC COMMISSION
M1NUTES
October 14, 1998 Meeting
Members present: Dennis Tarsook, Bruce Palmer, Tina Cassidy.
The meeting is called to order at 10:00 a.m. First on the agenda is consideration of a site plan
review application filed with the Planning Board for a new Gibbs gas station on Enon Street
where presently a BP gas station exists. The site plan has been forwarded to the commission for
review and comment to the Planning Board.
John Flynn from Ayoub Engineering explains the plan to members. Palmer questions the
driveway widths for the one-way traffic aisles around the site. Flyan states that the driveways
are 13' wide. Both Palmer and Tarsook state that the aisles must be a minimum of 18' in width
so that all pans of the site can be readily accessed by emergency vehicles.
Cassidy asks about the width of the southernmost driveway, which is shown as 47' wide. Flynn
states that the Mass. Highway Department, which is reconstructing Route 1A in this area,
provided the applicant with the driveway configuration they are showing here. He provides
members with a copy of a fax from that agency showing the approved driveway locations.
Cassidy notes that the driveway is far wider than what the local zoning regulations permit.
General discussion is held on the amount of parking needed on site, and members recommend
that the parking spaces created at the pumps for customers be counted toward the parking
requirements listed in the City's zoning ordinance.
Cassidy questions the northerly-most driveway which she feels might cause unsafe conditions and
traffic pattern conflicts on the site and in Enon Street at the driveway location if constructed as
shown. The applicant is instructed to contact Mass. Highway to discuss the driveway location
and configuration to see if the driveway opening can be relocated more toward the northern
property line and the adjacent landscape area reduced in size to minimize this risk.
The commission votes to recommend to the Planning Board that all one-way traffic aisles be a
minimum of 18' in width and that the applicant investigate the possibility of receiving Mass.
Highway approval to relocate the northerly-most driveway closer to the northern property line
and to reduce the size of the adjacent landscape area in order to reduce potential vehicular
City Hall · 191 Cabot Street · Beverly, Massachusetts 01915 · (978) 921-6000
Parking and Traffic Commission minutes
October 14, 1998 meeting
page two
conflicts at the location of this driveway opening. They also request that an amended plan be
submitted to the commission for review prior to the commencement of the Planning Board's
public hearing on the site plan application. Lastly, the commission votes to recommend that the
parking spaces created at the pumps for customers be counted toward the parking requirements
listed in the City's zoning ordinance.
Next on the agenda is an application for site plan review for a new manufacturing facility for
Aero Manufacturing on Sam Fonzo Drive. Attomey Tom Alexander and Peter Ogren,
representing the developers, explain the site plan to the commission. Palmer questions the width
of the driveways which are shown at 20' in width; the cormn~ssion recommends that the
driveways be at least 24' in width, and the applicants agree to this change. Tarsook asks whether
all two-way traffic aisles as shown on the plan are at least 24' wide as required by zoning.
Ogren states that some are not, but that the plan can be revised to show this width.
The commission votes to recommend to the Planning Board that the widths of all driveway
openings onto Sam Fonzo Drive be increased to at least 24' and that all two-way traffic aisles
be conslyucted at a width of 24'.
Following this discussion, the meeting is adjourned at 11:30 a.m.