Sharon Economic Development Committee 22 October 2009
In Attendance
|
Alan Lurie |
Pasqualino “Pat” Pannone |
||||
|
Rob Maidman |
Suzie Peck |
||||
|
Tzirlahirsch@prodigy.com |
Ben Pinkowitz |
Susan Price |
sue.fullprice@gmail.com |
||
|
Roni Thaler |
|||||
|
Barbra Nadler |
Tom Houston |
PSC |
|
|
Review of meeting notes from previous meeting. Meeting notes reviewed and accepted.
1. Review bike stands – Thelma Hirsch
2. Review new zoning progress – Sue Price
3. Review traffic study - early look – Tom Houston discuss
4. Discuss DeLapa activity – Roni Thaler
5. Penny Lane discussion – Ben Pinkowitz
6. Library update – Pat Pannone and Barbra Nadler
7. Review graphics for views from Land Strategies
8. Permitting Guide update.
7:40 Thelma walked through the sites she identified for bike racks; and discussed that we are purchasing two styles from two vendors; loops and hitching posts. The colors will be black, burgundy, and green. The new racks will be at the Lake (1 at each end) and SHS Tennis Courts and Deborah Sampson Park - 3 spread out across the entrance of baseball fields and also at tennis courts. There will be some at the Providence side of the Train, the post office, the School Admin building, historical society building, French Memories, and Ames Street playground. The DPW will be installing them. Thelma spoke with people all over town to discuss where and how many bikes might be needed at each location; and has a lot of enthusiasm to do this. This is from the MAPC program through which George Bailey had procured an initial group of bike racks a few years ago. The remainder of the town funding from MAPC had become available if allocated by Oct. 31. We are going to try to use as much of the funding as we can. Thelma will pull together either an article for the paper, or at least a notice from the EcoDev committee.
Over the summer, the Planning Board authorized a Kendall Fund spending to prepare a rewriting of the zoning for PO Square and to generate graphics. Eamon from Land Strategies sent an initial draft in July; and we reviewed in detail a first draft this past week. He reviewed the uses, and edited the text to make it coherent. There was not so much in the permitted uses that needed to be adjusted, although there were a few added and removed. In District A, the height remains basically the same but changing from 3 to 4 stories but still 45 feet. A lot of the effort is to separate out the different business districts in town within the by-law to make sure they were each covered correctly and consistently since the zoning was a little mixed from that perspective based on how amendments were written over time. The items that were reviewed and edited the most are the street setback; the lot coverage; and the parking, which were the pieces intended to allow a more clustered development of the area. There remained a bit of work yet to be done, as well as to visit the feedback. Remaining as to when to put it before Town Meeting.
Tom Houston discussed his preliminary finding to date of the traffic study we hired him to prepare for PO Square. His study was funded by the remaining funds (about $5K) from the 43d grant from the State; and the balance from the Kendall Fund, authorized by the Planning Board (about $4.2K). Tom‘s firm executed the measurements in the mid-October time frame. Tom asked the group what type of future traffic we anticipate so that he could use that as a starting point to project future volumes. Tom said the key intersection was Pond/Billings/Depot. Tom discussed the methodology used in measuring and projecting traffic volumes; and gave us a sense of where the traffic may go in future years. Rob asked Tom to include other developments in neighboring towns; Roni wanted to get a sense of the traffic to the train in the morning from outside Sharon. We asked Tom to think about 3 scenarios: 1). Turn the top of Pond Street from Alice’s restaurant to Billings into a pedestrian only area; 2). Design for streamlining car flow; 3). Design for increasing pedestrian focus.
Ben Pinkowitz set up a meeting for format discussion with Alice for outlining how Penny Lane would benefit her and the Town. Roni updated the team on DeLapa Co’s renewed level of interest in redevelopment for their properties. We received $25,000 for technical assistance for executing a 40R grant from MAPC. Roni is working to set up a meeting between DeLapa Co and Temple Israel.
Barbra talked a little bit about High Street and a need for expansion. It is compounded congested? as the other route to avoid Post Office Square. Exiting the street, you cannot see for enough distance either way on Main Street. The Board of Trustees is fairly new, so they are coming up to speed on the overall challenges and next steps for the Library. Rob and Eli presented to the Library Trustees over the summer. Pat offered to develop a concept outline with Barbra for what the Library might need.
The team reviewed the outline of the conceptual street graphics from Land Strategies to select the ones we liked best. LS will then convert the chosen drawings into full renderings. The group selected 3 views with the following edits: Have the view on 5 lowered to the level of view 6; and pull it back a little so that you see the library in the very front of the view. Push the view for Penny Lane to the "other side of Pond Street" edge, rather than from across the street; the perspective from almost within Penny Lane from the Pond Street sidewalk. Finally, push no. 2 to the sidewalk of Billings; get in front of the building on the left of the graphic, and make sure we get a good sense of the new pedestrian plaza there. Don’t highlight the difference in the buildings with greyed or highlighted colors, but make them all the same.
Permitting Guide is in final draft with Larry Koff’s team.
Rob to take lead on scheduling and agendizing an Owners’ meeting for PO Square. Target Owner’s Meeting 1st week of December
9:00 Next Meeting: Target end of December of 1st
week of January for next meeting.
9:30 Adjourn