Town of Sharon Planning Board

 Meeting Minutes of 12/12/07

Amended and Approved on 1/2/08

Planning Board Attendees

Eli Hauser – Chair	Paul Lauenstein  - absent
Arnold Cohen – Vice Chair	Amanda Sloan   - absent
Susan Price – Clerk

Peter O’Cain, Town Engineer, Consultant

Attendees

William Croteau - PO Square Design Com	Greg Heflin - Brickstone
Michael Baskin -  PO Square Design Com	Rolf Biggers - Brickstone
Martin Spagat - Brickstone	Ben Puritz  - Town Administrator

Meeting Initiation

The meeting was called to order at 7:45 PM by Chair Eli Hauser who read the Chair’s report.

Meeting Minutes

Mr. Cohen moved to accept the minutes of 11/28/07 as amended. Ms. Price seconded the motion. The Board voted 3-0-0 in favor.

Mr. Cohen moved to accept the minutes of the 10/31/07 Public Hearing as amended. Ms. Price seconded the motion. The Board voted 3-0-0 in favor.

Form A’s

None.

Sign Review

None.

Bond Reduction

None.

Hunter’s Ridge

Mr. Hauser and Mr. Cohen discussed speaking with Attorney Gelerman to get advice about whether amending the special permit as requested might result in a violation of Mass General Laws Chapter 151B, Section 4.

Sharon Hills

Mr. Cohen stated that since his law firm represented the owner of the property he would recuse himself; however because recused would mean the Board would not have a quorum he would participate in the discussion. Mr. Rolf Biggers, Architect for Brickstone, Sharon Hills, spoke to the Board regarding the development of the Sharon Hills Sales Office. The location for the sales office will be at the corner of Billings and South Main Street. The building is 2,700 square feet and will house four sales employees and a receptionist. Mr. Biggers discussed the need to respect the corner of the building. He stated the current façade will be pulled off. There will be a more contemporary treatment of the glass. There will be mahogany mullions that will strike a balance between old and new and will work in terms of the rhythm and scale. He is cognizant of the part of Town the building is located in. The left part of the building will be twenty feet high with a mix of traditional elements and modern materials. To address the primary corner they want to pull up ½ of the asphalt and pull the entrance forward and put in a landscaped garden. It will be drawn visually off of the corner. Remaining will be three parking spaces and one handicapped accessible space. The spaces will be tied in with the existing brick walks. There will be the same amount of parking but more pedestrian friendly treatment. There will also be room for a few tandem parking spaces for employees where the dumpster for Pizzigando is now located. The dumpster for Pizzigando will be moved to the Church parking lot off Pond Street. The door to the building will be slightly moved to the right. The building will provide the first impression of the Town. He suggested that perhaps they would have a 12-15 foot obelisk in the middle of the plantings.

The landscape will use boxwood hedges to define the perimeter, low shrubs and ground cover. There will be two coned shaped conifers (evergreens) or ornamental trees that play off the landscape bases. With the parking tucked away, there will be a strong balance of geometry with a softer shape.

They are still coming up with signage ideas and will return with a presentation with more specifics. The developer presented conceptual drawings showing what they envisioned.

Michael Baskin of the P.O. Square Redevelopment Committee said this presentation took the wind out of the Committee’s sails. It displayed a fairly refreshing approach to a project in the Town Square. It is consistent with the guidelines of P.O. Square. The quality of the improvements will be impressive. It is clearly a dominant site. It is the third proposal they saw in the last year (the first was the plan for the Dunkin Donuts and the second was a proposal by the property owner). This is a high quality proposal; representative of the quality the developer will be using.

The architect said the developer hopes to be done with the space in 5 - 8 years and this building can morph into other uses. His general view is that it would be a real addition to the P.O. Square area. Materials indicated are quality materials including mahogany and granite.

Ms. Price asked Mr. Baskin if he liked the proposed decorative black metal band displayed along the top of the building as shown on the conceptual plan and he replied that it probably will not actually be metal.

Mr. Baskin said this is a preliminary design but a lot of detail is shown in the landscaping.

Mr. Puritz commented that he appreciated the planning in terms of successor uses. He said what is presented is consistent with Post Office Square revitalization and he welcomes this addition.

Mr. Spagat, of Brickstone, commented that the idea is to leave the Town with something useable that can be adapted to other uses.

Ms. Price commented that it will be a great improvement to what currently exists. She suggested that another material be used for the banding instead of metal; perhaps another color and perhaps a pattern would be considered.

Ms. Price asked if there would be seating incorporated in the landscape area. Mr. Biggers commented that the lower boxwood hedge would define the space. They do not want an outdoor dining area for Starbucks so there is no seating proposed; it is a more formal garden. They are trying to strike a balance. They will develop a fine landscape plan with exact plants to be used and their associated Latin names.

With reference to lighting, there are currently Town street lights. They will also add six light bollards. They will not be a light source but an accent piece that will provide depth. Ms. Price asked if the lights will be modern in design. Mr. Biggers said they are looking for a balance with a mix of old and new. They do not want to make the building look like it’s from the 1800’s. They followed the Department of Interior Guidelines for Historic Preservation.

Mr. O’Cain commented that the Planning Board has 21 days to act once presented with a plan. He also asked if the septic system is all set with respect to septic field size.  Mr. Biggers said they are not making changes to the septic.  Mr. O’Cain said that when Article 7 kicks in, it will require a Board of Health review for any significant modification. He also said there are parking space requirements of five spaces per 1,000 square feet of building. The Planning Board can waive this requirement subject to the regulations’ guidelines.

Mr. O’Cain commented that the telephone pole directly on the corner has a power supply for use at the Square Jam. The architect mentioned they are going to propose moving the telephone pole at the corner of their parking lot. Mr. Puritz said there should be a technical answer to the issue of the box.

Mr. Cohen said the plan looked good and will improve the area quite a bit. He stated that if the Design Committee is in favor, then it looks favorable to him.

Ms. Price questioned if the monument shown on the conceptual plan is just a concept because whatever you come up with would need to have a relationship to the Town or site. Mr. Biggers commented that it needs to be simple, have local relevance, and inscribed with a date. They are not married to the obelisk idea it is a simple way to anchor the corner. He has seen the obelisk used traditionally all over Europe and New England to define public nodes.

Ms. Price said the Board understands that the developer does not want overflow seating for Starbucks but suggested one seating bench or raised curb would be preferable to accommodate 2-3 people.

Mr. Hauser said he is trying to anticipate if there will be a side door and Mr. Biggers said no. He also asked if there would be any lights on the building and the answer was no.

Mr. Hauser thanked Mr. Biggers for the level of effort expended.

Mr. O’Cain stated nothing has been filed yet. They need to put together a comprehensive site plan and paper copies of the plan and bring them to the Town Clerk’s office. The clock will start ticking when the plans are submitted. He also recommended that they contact Jim Andrews, the Health Agent regarding the Board of Health requirements for septic design for the property.

Mr. Hauser suggested that for the Planning Board to officially issue an opinion on the plan, the applicant would need to provide 1) a plan for the site following the guidelines in the Town’s regulations, and 2) a written list of any waivers or deferrals they were requesting.

Other Business

A brief discussion ensued regarding the removal of trees on Old Post Road which is a scenic Road. Mr. O’Cain commented that Sharon Commons would need to come to the Planning Board for any clearing of trees after the Zoning Board of Appeals gives their approval. Nothing can be done yet because they do not have an approved plan.

Calendar of Events for the Planning Board

Next meeting dates: 1/2, 1/16, 1/30

Meeting Adjournment

Mr. Cohen moved to adjourn the meeting at 10:00 PM and Ms. Price seconded the motion. The Board voted 3-0-0 in favor.