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2007-11-19 CITY OF BEVERLY MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION: Planning Board, Joint Public Hearing and Special Meeting SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: LOCATION: OTHERS PRESENT: November 19, 2007 City Council Chambers, Beverly City Hall, 3rd Floor Chairperson Richard Dinkin, Ellen Flannery, John Thomson, Don Walter, Joanne Dunn Charlie Harris, David Mack, Stephanie Williams Assistant Planning Director Leah Zambernardi Leah Zambernardi MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: RECORDER: City Council President Guanci calls the meeting to order. 1. Joint Public Hearim!:: City Council Order #236 - Zonim!: Amendment - Site Plan Review Ordinance The City Clerk reads the legal public hearing notice. Councilor Guanci invites Planning Board Chair Richard Dinkin to join the Council in front of the room. Dinkin steps up. Dinkin explains the contents of the proposed amendment. He states they wish to amend the filing fees and the number of plans required at the time of submission of an application. He states this proposal is also to allow the Planning Board to approve minor modifications to site plans without a public hearing. He states that currently, owners of properties that have undergone site plan review need to file a request for a modification and go through a public hearing process even if they are making small changes. He cites the example ofAxcelis Technologies in Cherry Hill Park who recently requested a site plan modification to allow them to reconfigure a loading dock at the rear of their property. Councilor Gooding asks for other examples. Zambernardi states that a few years ago Shaws requested a site plan modification to move a light pole. She states that Bushby Estates on Dodge Street has requested permission to remove a handicapped parking space from their lot. Although the City's ADA coordinator is fine with the change, the owners must come back to the Planning Board for a public hearing to modify the plan under the current site plan review ordinance. Planning Board Minutes November 19, 2007 Page 2 of3 Councilor Guanci asks for questions from the Council and Planning Board. There are no more questions. Councilor Guanci then asks members of the public for their comments and questions. Rosemary Maglio, 30 Pleasant Street, asks a clarifying question about the plan requirements. Dinkin and Zambernardi respond. There being no more questions or comments, Guanci closes the public hearing. Dinkin states that a special meeting of the Planning Board will take place immediately after this in the adjacent conference room. Dinkin calls the special meeting to order. 1. Recommendation to the City Council - Council Order #236 - Zonim!: Amendment - Site Plan Review Ordinance Thomson states that this amendment was proposed by the Planning Board. He also states that if the Board was not comfortable with approving a minor modification, they could require a public hearing. Thomson: Motion to send a recommendation to the City Council that the zoning amendment be approved, seconded by Flannery. All members and the Chair vote in favor. The motion passes 5-0. 2. Open Space Residential Desi2n (OSRD) Discussion of Draft Amendments and Recommendation to Set a Joint Public Hearin2 with the City Council - Recommendation to the City Council Zambernardi states that a draft of the OSRD has been submitted to members for their review. She states that the Cecil Group was hired to review OSRD, apply it to 2 different residential lots in Beverly and make recommendations for amendments based on their analysis. The Planning Board reviewed Cecil Group's report in Fall 2006 and recommended the Ordinance be amended to reflect their suggestions. Since that time, Planning Staff has revisited those amendments and has made suggestions for further amendments to reflect feedback received from the development community over the past year. Dinkin asks Zambernardi to review the changes proposed by staff since the Board already voted upon the Cecil Group's recommended changes. Planning Board Minutes November 19, 2007 Page 3 of3 Zambernardi reviews staffs proposed changes, which include changes to Section 11.3. (second paragraph and fourth paragraph), Section IlIA., Section IV.I. and Section VI.I. She states the other changes were recommended by the Cecil Group and the Board reviewed and voted upon them in Fall 2006. During the course of discussion, the Board made additional changes, which include the following: · add the phrase, "in the RIO, RI5 and R22 zones" to the end of subsections 1I.l.a and 1I.l.b. · add the phrase "together or in conjunction with land outside the tract" to then end of subsection 11.3. b.i. · add a public hearing requirement to yield plans in subsection 111.3. · add provision to subsection VII.6. that the Planning Board may allow pedestrian access that is not parallel to the street in lieu of one or more traditional sidewalks. The Board takes individual motions to incorporate each of the above bulleted changes into the draft amendment. Each motion carries unanimously. Thomson: Motion to submit the draft of OSRD as amended tonight to the City Council in January and to recommend that the City Council set a joint public hearing date to consider said amendment. Flannery seconds the motion and it carries unanimously. Walter: Motion to adjourn. Seconded by Dunn. Motion carries unanimously. The meeting is adjourned at 8:15 p.m.