1999-02-18
City of Beverly
Economic and Community Development Council
CITY OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
BOARD:
DATE:
PLACE:
MEMBERS PRESENT:
MEMBERS ABSENT:
ALSO PRESENT:
RECORDER:
Economic and Community Development Council
February 18, 1999
Beverly Public Library
Chairman Joyce McMahon, Vice-Chairman Bill Rodenbaugh,
Deborah Rosser, Dick Mooney, Wayne Mastin.
Don Stacey, Brenda Spence
Bill Lyons, HTSD, and City Planner Tina Cassidy.
Tina Cassidy
Chairman McMahon calls the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and introduces Bill Lyom of HTSD to the
ECDC. Mr. Lyons is a traffic engineer with the cousulting firm of HTSD, whichhas been retained by
the City as the engineers to design preliminary plans for an overpass and rehted transportation
improvements to the Route 128 and Brimbal Avenue interchange. She informs the audience that the
Norwood Pond Commission has asked the ECDC to conduct an analysis of the economic impact
construction of a new overpass would have on the area around Norwood Pond. She then asks Lyoas
to explain the nature of HTSD's efforts to date, and the role the firm can play assisting the ECDC in
Lyons explaing that his firm has conducted preliminary traffic count information and distrtmms a draf~
ovexpa~interchange feasibility study for discussion purposes. He explains that future traffic
generation rates can he extrapolated by either analyzing known building footprints or by using formulas
based on the acreage of parcels involved. He explains that HTSD's analysis excluded areas of known
wetlands and the pond area from trip generation figures. He then shows merabcrs several tables in the
study where this information has been outlined.
Rodenbaugh asks if any property on the southern side of Route 128 has been analyzed to date. Lyons
states that it has and refers to several tables in the report containing this information. He explains that
trip generation numbers are exuapolated based on certain land use designatious that have been
incorporated into fommlas, and that the Norwood Pond site was given the 'Yural park" designation.
He states that there are two challenges with this design project; the Brimbal Avenue interchange and
the Sohier Road/Route 128 ramp situation. Lyous adds that potential traffic generation from a new fire
station at the Brimhal Avenue off-ran~ has not been factored into this project.
Rodenhaugh asks Lyons if the information gathered to date on trip generation can he converted into
building sizes for build-out analyses purposes. Lyons answers that he can in fact provide the
ECDC- Beverly City Hall - 191 Cabot Street- Beverly, Massachusetts 01915 o 508-921-6000
ECDC IVlinutes
February 18, 1999 Mee, th~g
Page two
COiihiiqSiOn with that information within two weeks' thne. Rodenhatw~ states that with that
information the cordon could extrapolate potential tax revenue on buikt-out and complete the
fiscal analysis. Members mention other factors that would impact the economic analysis, such as the
"value" of better access to the industrial parts of Dunham Road, the ability to use the Norwood Pond
site, and increases in real estate values for both the residential and industrial sectiota of Dunham Road.
Following a brief discus~n, McMahon sm~uorizes that the ECDC needs the building area
informalion mentioned earlier in the meeting in order to complete the economic hit~tct analysis, and
having that information on a parcel-by-parcel basis would be helpful Lyons promises to deliv~ the
information to the council within fourteen days.
The next meeting of the ECDC will be held on Wednesday, March 24, 1999 at 6:30 p.m.
The meeting is adjourned at 8:30 p.m.