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2008-06-11 CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION: SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: LOCATION: MEMBERS PRESENT: Parking and Traffic Commission MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: RECORDER: June 11, 2008 Beverly City Hall Joseph Shairs, Wayne Francis, Susan Mueller, Richard Benevento, Richard Hutchinson, Bill Bent Tina Cassidy Eileen Sacco Benevento calls the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the Parking and Traffic Commission meeting held on May 14, 2008 were presented for approval. Benevento suggests that the matter be tabled until the next meeting. Recommendation to the Plannin2: Board on Site Plan Review Application #119-08 - New Li2:ht Industrial Buildin2: on Sam Fonzo Drive Peter Ogren, engineer for owner/developer Jack Kelleher addresses the Commission and explains that there is a zoning issue with respect to parking and they will have to submit to the ZBA. He reviews the plans and the zoning ordinance and states that they feel that visitor spaces can be 15 feet back from the lot line and that is what they are proposing. He notes that he received a memo from Leah Zambernardi outlining the zoning concerns on the site. Ogren explains that they moved six spaces from the front and will be relocating them out back, and notes the area on the plan. The Commission calls Leah Zambernardi into the meeting to review the plan. Zambernardi explains that the zoning ordinance states that parking cannot be located in the front yard of a lot in an IR zone and the current plan does in fact show parking within the front yard. Ogren states that his interpretation is that visitor parking can be in the front yard and that is what they intended. Zambernardi suggests that they resolve the issue with the Building Inspector as he is the zoning enforcement officer. Ogren stated that they are not changing the location of the building and they would like to have the visitor parking in the front of the building. Parking and Traffic Commission minutes Page 10f4 June 11, 2008 Benevento states that they need to be sure that the circulation works on the site. He also asks if there would be any truck traffic on the site. Kelleher states that there would be minimal truck traffic on the site noting that they are doing construction management and there would be minimal equipment on the site. Ogren reports that the site distances on the property are good and explains the locations on the plan. A question was raised as to whether this site is in a watershed protection overlay district. Benevento explains that it is not something that the Parking and Traffic Commission would decide. Ogren reports that they filed a special permit application for the watershed protection overlay district. He also states that they do not have to go to the Conservation Commission for this project. Ogren explains that in the future the intention is to put the site to a larger use and at that time they will be back to the Conservation Commission for phase two. Shairs: Motion to approve the plan with modifications to the driveway radius, pending approval of the issues regarding zoning. Hutchinson seconds the motion. The motion carries. Discussion: Chairman's Presentation to the City Council on June 2. 2008 and Resultin2: Follow Up Work N ecessarv Benevento reports on his meeting with the Beverly City Council held on June 2, 2008. He notes that guidelines need to be established between the Council and Parking and Traffic Commission for requests and recommendations. He suggests that protocols be established to be efficient and fair, noting that some issues require public input. Shairs explains that the Council refers matters to its legal affairs subcommittee which then refers the matters to the Parking and Traffic Commission for input. Benevento suggests that items for review be agenda items and questions what items should be considered the domain of the Commission. He states that he would like to come up with a formal process in the next couple of months. He suggests that the Commission find out what other communities have Parking and Traffic Commissions and see what their regulations are with regard to review. He says that he will get some sample regulations and bylaws from other cities and towns and report back to the Commission. Discussion/Recommendation on Council Order #151 - ReQuest for Commission to Undertake Comprehensive Evaluation ofParkin2: and Traffic Concerns Around Hurd Stadium Benevento reports that he talked with City Councillor Kevin Hobin regarding the traffic issues that prompted Order # 151. He notes that there are parking issues when events are Parking and Traffic Commission minutes Page 2 of 4 June 11, 2008 held during the day and asks if there was a recommendation that the Commission could make. Shairs reports that he also talked to Councillor Hobin and asked him to draft an official letter. He also notes that there is a parking lot on Cedar Street that is being used to store granite curbing. He suggests that it should be cleaned up and used for parking again. He also suggests that signs could be posted instructing people to park in the Cedar Street lot for events at Cooney Field and Hurd Stadium. Benevento asks how many events are held there. Shairs explains that there are baseball games in the spring and Pop Warner football from August 18t on. Benevento suggests that a letter could be sent to the organizations using the fields outlining the regulations for parking in the area. Benevento and Shairs will visit the area and assess the parking situation. Shairs: Motion to continue this matter to June 25,2008 and make a formal recommendation to the City Council in response to the order. Hutchinson seconds the motion. The motion carries. Discussion: New Traffic Aisle Confi2:uration and Resultant On Street Parkin2: Issues - Cabot. Balch. Herrick. and Herrick and Cabot Streets Shairs explains that the City has graded the intersection and installed a binder coat of paving for the reconfiguration of Cabot and Herrick Street to include a right turn lane, and the same thing was done at Balch and Herrick. He says he feels that the Commission should discuss this because they recommended against no parking in this area. Benevento suggests that the Commission send a letter to the DPW recommending no parking signage for the area. He also suggests that the letter indicate that the Commission has reviewed the issue at Cabot and Herrick and recommends that the signage be included as improvements to the parking in the area. Benevento also requests that Public Services and the City Engineer keep the Commission informed on parking and traffic-related changes that affect the local ordinance and the reconfiguration of any streets or signage. Benevento states that he would draft the letter. Shairs suggests that Benevento call Frank Killilea and see what the plans call for. No formal action was taken on this matter at this time. Old/N ew Business Mary Rodrick states that the Beverly Hospital intersection has a lot of traffic. She also expresses concern about the gas station adding a convenience store and notes that it Parking and Traffic Commission minutes Page 30f4 June 11, 2008 would create a lot of pedestrian traffic. Benevento agrees and suggests that the intersection should have a pedestrian phase. He recalls that there are plans for the area that call for the installation of a controller and striping that has been approved for the area. Shairs notes that there should be traffic studies that were done by the engineer for the project. Benevento notes that there are different levels of analysis depending on the size of the project. He recommends that the City request a peer review of the traffic study and the Commission could work with them. Benevento suggests that the Commission should be added to the routing slip for projects as they go through review by City departments. He states that he would talk to Cassidy about this at the next meeting. There being no further business to come before the Parking and Traffic Commission at this time, Benevento asks for a motion to adjourn. Hutchinson: motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Shairs. The motion carries. The meeting adjourned at 11 :30 a.m. Parking and Traffic Commission minutes Page 40f4 June 11, 2008