TOWN OF SHARON

PLANNING BOARD

 

Minutes of a Meeting of the Planning Board held on January 25, 2006, at 7:30 p.m., in the Town Offices.

 

                   PRESENT:   REGINA MANISCALCO. CHAIR

                                      WAYNE BRADLEY, CLERK

                                      ARNOLD COHEN

                                      PAUL LAUENSTEIN

                                      PETER O’CAIN, ASST. TOWN ENGINEER

 

Business Transacted:

 

I.                Meeting called to order.  Mr. Cohen moved to go into Executive Session to discuss pending litigation regarding the Hunter’s Ridge Subdivision.  Seconded by Mr. Lauenstein and unanimously voted.

 

Mr. Bradley arrived after the Executive Session.

 

II.            HUNTER’S RIDGE TREE PLAN

 

Mr. Mirrione and Mr. Faria brought in tree plans for the Board’s review.  Mr. Kevin Weber, the Town Tree Warden, was also in attendance. 

 

Mr. Mirrione had plans showing the entire site as presently configured.  He showed a typical lot with plantings.  He spelled out the types of trees and shrubs that would be used.  He recommended that, if this plan met the approval of the Board and the Tree Warden, it be used as the basic planting plan.  As a group of houses is built, he will meet on site with abutters to that part of the subdivision and the Tree Warden to receive their input as to whether more screening was required.

 

                                                _________________________________

                                                                 Administrative Assistant

 

 

 

Planning Board Minutes                    Page Two                          January 25, 2006

 

 

Mr. Mirrione explained that they can’t be too specific on plantings at this time because they didn’t know where certain houses will be placed on the lots.

 

In addition, Mr. Mirrione reported that the areas behind the Jacobs and Bradley houses have specific types of trees and bushes spelled out and will do a good job of buffering.

 

Another sheet showed the plantings at the entrance to the subdivision, showing how it will look with the stone wall.

 

Ms. Maniscalco asked if the applicant had met with the Tree Warden and what had transpired.  Mr. Weber answered that he had met with the applicant and reviewed the plans with them.  However, he said that he had focused more on street trees, as he was not concerned with the house foundation plantings, as that is usually up to the homeowner.  He did suggest several different species of trees for the subdivision consistent with the Board’s Rules and Regulations.  Any extra trees that are not needed as required will be placed on site somewhere else.

 

Mr. Cohen asked if there would be additional plantings around the drainage areas when they are done.  Mr. Mirrione said that there would be a 10 foot fence, shrubs and trees around the detention basin.

 

Mr. O’Cain explained that regarding individual plantings near abutters, he has always had a problem in other subdivisions with people calling him with complaints about plantings.  He proposed that the Board designate the plan shown tonight be the official tree plan showing the minimum number of trees required, the species and height.   This plan is what he will use to set up the surety amount, giving him a base line to work with.  Any additional plantings will have to be worked out between the abutters and the applicant.

 

 

 

 

Planning Board Minutes                         Page Three                 January 25, 2006

 

 

Another issue that Mr. Cohen raised was what plantings will be used for the two buffer areas.  He asked if what was proposed to be planted would be as good a buffer as what was there before stripping the trees.  Mr. Mirrione answered that it would be in terms of thickness but not height.  They were very large, mature trees that had to be taken down.  Mr. Weber added that he agreed that what was proposed would be a better buffer as it will be denser.  Mr. Lauenstein asked if the white pines that are proposed could be alternated with some dwarf species so that there will be some growth in between the white pines when they grow tall.  Mr. Weber agreed that some cedars could be planted in between the pines. 

 

Mr. Mirrione agreed that he would try and work out with the abutters any planting problems.  If that wasn’t working, he would consult with the Tree Warden and come back to the Board for final say if it couldn’t be worked out with the abutters.  However, he feels he can satisfactorily work it out with the abutters. 

 

Another question Mr. O’Cain had was if the lot owner didn’t want street trees, did the Board have a problem with converting the trees to shrubs instead.  The Board answered that the regulations required street trees and that is what the Board wanted to see. 

 

Mr. Lauenstein asked Mr. Mirrione to supply him with a copy of the plans and Mr. Mirrione said that he would. 

 

III.       OTHER BUSINESS

 

 

---Mr. O’Cain reminded the Board that it needed to prepare comments for the ZBA regarding the Simpson Development on Route One.  This should be on the agenda for the next meeting.

 

 

 

 

Planning Board Minutes                         Page Four                          January 25, 2006

 

---Mr. Bradley and Mr. Lauenstein reported that they had met with Joe Kent, the Building Inspector regarding the sign issue.  Mr. Kent drafted two letters to violators of the sign by-law in response to this meeting.  Other signs in the Town Center were also discussed as not quite meeting the by-law, the new Fitness business, Corman’s and ReMax.  Mr. Kent also indicated that he is troubled with the way our existing sign by-law language reads.  Although the Board approved the Fitness Together sign a few years ago, the colors don’t quite seem to follow the historical pallet of colors the Board uses.  The way the language is written,  the colors for the sign are determined by the building itself and that is how Mr. Kent enforces it.  Older buildings get signs that look traditional, while newer buildings tend to have more modern looking signs.  

 

The Board then went on to review the sign by-law and review and edit language drafted by Messrs. O’Cain and Lauenstein.  Final language was drafted that would be placed in the Warrant for Spring Town Meeting.

 

---Ms. Maniscalco reported that she had attended the Board of Selectmen’s meeting.  The Selectmen wanted the Board to think about using the Kendall Fund to hire a planning consultant to help write a job description and/or scope of services for a long term planner.  She explained to the Selectmen that the Board was not comfortable with depleting the Kendall Fund on such a broad issue.  The Board might be comfortable with using some part of the Kendall Fund to write a scope of services. 

 

Ms. Cheyer, a resident who also attended the meeting, said that she remembered the Selectmen requesting the Planning Board to hold a multi-board meeting, where board members could give ideas as to whether or not a planner is needed, what he/she would be asked to do.  The boards should come prepared to such a meeting with answers to these types of questions, hoping to cause some discussion about this issue.  Ms. Maniscalco said that the Planning Board would not want to facilitate such a meeting, but would rather have a third party do so.  However, she understood that this joint meeting would not be going forward until the Planning Board committed to saying it would be willing to contribute a certain amount of dollars from the Kendall Fund to bring someone in to facilitate this process. 

 

Planning Board Minutes                         Page Five                        January 25, 2006

 

Mr. Cohen suggested contacting other towns in the area that had a Town Planner and finding out from them what their planner does, how is the job structured. 

 

Mr. Maniscalco said that the Board has been asked by the Selectmen to move this issue forward and indicate the amount the Board is willing to commit from the Kendall Fund to put this meeting together and put this question on the table.  Ms. Maniscalco said that the Board had come very far in getting the Housing Protection Plan approved and would like to see the Board do one more piece, without depleting the Kendall Fund. 

 

Mr. Cohen moved to use moneys in the Kendall Fund, not to exceed $5,000, for a consultant to be chosen by the Planning Board to develop a scope of services to potentially hire a Town Planner.  Seconded by Mr. Lauenstein and unanimously voted. 

 

IV.           There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m.