TOWN OF SHARON
PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of a Meeting of the Planning Board held on February 5, 2003, at 8:00 p.m., in the Town Offices.
PRESENT: ARNOLD COHEN, CHAIR
JOEL TRAN, VICE CHAIR
NADINE OSTROW, CLERK
SAMUEL SOLOMON
REGINA MANISCALCO
PETER O’CAIN, ASST. TOWN ENGINEER
Business Transacted:
I. Meeting called to order. The Minutes of the January 22, 2003, meeting were reviewed and accepted with corrections.
SIGN REVIEW
Corman’s Cleaners, Post Office Square. This application had been disapproved at the last meeting because the applicant had two signs when only one was allowed. Ms. Leslie Libeskind, representing the Cleaner’s, indicated that she read the Board’s regulations as allowing two signs. The Board read the applicable language to her and she agreed only one was allowed. She said that they would prefer the freestanding sign, rather than the sign on the building. The sign was to be made of wood, black with gold letters, 22”x30”.
Mr. Tran then moved to approve the freestanding sign only as described above. There were two signs requested on the application, one on the building and one freestanding. The sign on the building is not part of this approval and needs to be removed.
Seconded by Ms. Maniscalco and unanimously voted.
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Administrative Assistant
Minutes of Meeting Page Two February 5, 2003
FORM A PLANS
None.
II. WARD’S BERRY FARM
Bill Ward and John Rhodes, the engineer, came to meet with the Board. Mr. Rhodes explained that the applicant was here to get some input from the Board regarding estate planning they need to do for this property.
There were three general options for development of the premises:
1. Bring a road in off South Main Street and develop ten lots off the dead end street. They did not wish to do this.
2. Work off the extension of the cul-de-sac on Col. Gridley Road. This street is 500’ long. To extend it would require a waiver of the Board’s regulations. They could create an emergency egress out to South Main Street. The Ward’s do not wish to construct the cul-de-sac and would be seeking a waiver of its construction. They do realize that they would first have to show that they could fully comply to all the Board’s rules and regulations before any waivers are granted. The cul-de-sac could create two lots, one of them being the existing house in the rear of the property. For agricultural purposes the farm
has to contain at least five acres, but they made the lot 6 acres. Very little would change as a result of the approval of this subdivision. It would mainly be done for the purpose of estate planning, to put the existing house, which belongs to their mother, on a separate lot. There would have to be a considerable amount of work done to achieve this subdivision, including going through the entire subdivision process.
3. There is sufficient frontage off South Main Street to Form A the house lot off the existing westerly corner. This would potentially interfere with the operation of the farm stand.
Minutes of Meeting Page Three February 5, 2003
The applicant was seeking a consensus of opinion of the Board’s views of laying out a subdivision street and then not building it.
Although the applicant indicated that doing a Form A would interfere with the current business, Mr. O’Cain pointed out that there is a road there now that is used and that doesn’t interfere with the business.
Mr. Cohen said that if they put the existing house on a separate lot and didn’t build the street, there would be no frontage for it on any street. He asked if the applicant had considered getting a variance with perhaps an easement going over the lot. It looks like it might be a better plan if you Form A it. Mr. Solomon agreed, as the subdivision process takes a good amount of time.
III. PROFESSIONAL DISTRICT
Mr. O’Cain had prepared several maps showing the lots Mr. Tran indicated the Board should consider being included in a professional district at Cobb’s Corner. The thought was that these lots could be privately acquired in the future for commercial use. However, perhaps the designation of “professional” district may not be exactly what the Board wishes and the Board may want to consider a different designation.
Mr. Tran said that another consideration should be what reaction the general population may have to this. Will the abutters again say “no way” to the change?
Ms. Ostrow pointed out that when presenting this or any zoning change, the Board needed to stress to the general public that just because a change was being proposed by the Board, it did not mean that anything was going to happen immediately or in the very near future. It was just opening up different options that did not currently exist.
Minutes of Meeting Page Four February 5, 2003
Mr. Tran said that he would draft a letter to accompany the map and the proposals to other Town Boards for their input before any decision was made by the Planning Board.
IV. OTHER BUSINESS
Ms. Maniscalco updated the Board on the EO418. She said that there was a possibility that the transportation portion of the Board’s vision statement may not be accepted, as it needed to be more regional. She was going to discuss this with Ms. Brown and report back to the Board.
V. There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.
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