HOLLIS PLANNING BOARD MINUTES January 17, 2012 (DRAFT)

Transcription

1 HOLLIS PLANNING BOARD MINUTES (DRAFT) PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Ed Makepeace, Chairman; Cathy Hoffman, Doug Cleveland, Bill Beauregard, Rick Hardy; Donna Cooksey (Alternate); David Petry (Ex-Officio for Selectmen). STAFF: Mark Fougere, Planner; Virginia Mills, Assistant Planner. 1. CALL TO ORDER. Chairman Makepeace called the meeting to order at 7:01 PM, and appointed Donna Cooksey to vote in place of Doug Gagne. 2. APPROVAL OF PLANNING BOARD MINUTES Following two corrections B. Beauregard moved to approve the minutes of Dec. 6, 2011 as amended. Motion seconded by D. Petry and unanimously approved. 3. SIGNATURE OF PLANS. Amendment to File #2712 Sky Orchard Realty Trust to remove 100 wetland buffer notation from existing drainage ditch. (AA/PH/APP ). C. Hoffman moved to authorize the chairman to sign plans for Amended File #2712. Motion seconded by B. Beauregard and unanimously approved. File #2722 Florida Tower Partners (applicant) and James Seager (landowner) for a 149-foot wireless communications facility and associated ground equipment. M 32 L Howe Lane. (AA ; Balloon Test ; PH ; APP ). Moved by C. Hoffman, seconded by B. Beauregard, to authorize the chairman to sign plans for File #2722, with the plans to be held pending final approval of the bond by Atty. Drescher. Motion seconded by B. Beauregard and unanimously approved. 4. PUBLIC HEARING Proposed Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance for Town Meeting (See attached document.) 5. PUBLIC HEARING Scenic Road Hearing for PSNH and DPW Tree Cutting. PSNH Arborist Brian Salas and Hollis DPW Director Jeff Babel appeared to discuss upcoming tree trimming and removal on scenic roads, as required by RSA 231:158. B. Salas noted that all the trees are either dead or hazardous. The policy is to send letters to all affected homeowners. D. Petry asked if they every leave half a tree ; B. Salas responded that he tries to do what each customer wants. J. Babel discussed his plans for next year for S. Merrimack Rd. There are drainage problems and road failure near #42 and trees will have to be removed for the repair work. The chairman opened the floor to public comments. Kevin McDonnell, Richardson Road, asked the Planning Board to look into aggressive pruning practices. He stated that many parts of Richardson Road no longer have a canopy because there has been disfigurement and clear-cutting. In spite of this there are still power outages. He referred to Rt The most recent power outage was not because of trees but was due to a line down off Broad Street. He requested that the Planning Board look into modern methods of trimming. B. Salas responded that he is required to get permission from both the Planning Board and the landowners. There is only one tree on Richardson Road that needs to go. PSNH is trying to maintain the canopy as well as the power. As far as Rt. 111 all the abutting residents were OK with what was done. Mr. Salas stated that he is a certified arborist and is up-to-date on the trimming methods, and wants to maintain healthy trees. Directional pruning is not new. His men also do species specific trimming. B. Salas reviewed the procedure PSNH follows. Abutters are sent a notice in the mail and have 45 days to respond. If they do nothing it is assumed that they are OK with the proposed work. This

2 Page 2 process has been in effect for two years and there have been only two complaints. D. Cooksey asked if stumps are removed. B. Salas responded that stumps are not removed. B. Beauregard moved, seconded by R. Hardy, that the Planning Board authorize the tree trimming and removal as presented by B. Salas and J. Babel. The motion received unanimous approval. 6. Amendment to File #2731 Rais-Prol LLC. Five Lot Subdivision. Worcester Road. M 2 L 8. Revise pole locations; show tree removal. This is an approved and recorded plan where tree removal and grading have begun for home construction. The Board did not require a landscaping plan, and did not go on a site walk for this project. After the lots were cut it was discovered that the existing utility poles carry telephone and cable but no power. New 40-foot poles will be required to bring power down the street, resulting in the need to cut an additional 16 trees along Worcester Road. Brian Salas, PSNH, explained that in situations like this the engineer assesses what needs to happen and he (Brian) arranges for the tree trimming to allow for the required upgrade to happen. In this case it is new poles that have to be at a certain height. Jeff Babel, DPW, noted that he has been working with PSNH to assess what needs to be done. Rick Hardy noted that there is not much left and suggested that board members should visit the site. A replanting plan may be in order. Jeff Babel pointed out that what you see now is what was approved for the driveways. D. Petry agreed with R. Hardy regarding the replanting and stated that there won t be many scenic roads left at this rate. Owner Mark Prolman requested an on-site meeting. It was agreed that staff would set this up with the owner, J. Babel and the board s landscaping experts. D. Petry moved to table the Amendment to File #2731 to the February 21 meeting, pending the above-referenced site walk. Motion seconded by C. Hoffman and unanimously approved. 7. File #2728 Application for Hollis Construction for a Proposed Landscape Materials Yard. Depot Road and Rideout Road. M 9 L 47, 48 & 51. Cont. from 12/6/11; AA/PH 12/6/11. Planner Mark Fougere reviewed changes made to the plan since the last meeting: The existing storage building located within the 100 foot wetland buffer has been relocated outside the buffer. This building will have an impervious floor. The applicant has started removing piles of concrete and asphalt from the site; the plan notes all material will be removed within 6 months The soil screener has been slightly relocated to maximize the use of the existing loam pile to assist in noise reduction. The loam pile will be shaped in a crescent shape. In addition, the storage bin area has been reorganized, the mulch piles are now located on the north side and stone to the south. Truck travel path diagrams have been added to the plan. The screener will be located next to the compost area during certain times of the year, when the volume of the material reaches a specified level. The BMP s outline has been revised to denote the use of horse manure only and to address the mixing of existing onsite compost material into the proposed compost operation. Project engineer Kevin Anderson, Meridian Land Services, also addressed changes to the plan. Sheet SP-6 shows the revised traffic pattern; vehicles will not have to back up. The restoration plan shows the various piles and berms. The entire concrete pile is now gone and the asphalt will be going soon. Mr. Anderson noted that 6-8 trees are proposed on the berm abutting the Giudicci property to serve as a visual buffer and reduce visibility into the pit. The screening plant will be placed at the toe of the slope of the berm. Mr. Anderson then reviewed overall changes

3 Page 3 made to the site plan: Reduced hours of operation and hours of the sifter running; Drastically reduced the composting size (previously around 30,000 yd; now around 3,000 yd). Reconfigured the loam pile and processing area to reduce impact to the abutters; Created berm to reduce noise leaving the site; Reconfigured bin configurations; Reduced time screening equipment is running C. Hoffman noted that there appears to be no activity proposed in the protected shoreland buffer. K. Anderson confirmed that this area is heavily wooded and no activity is planned. The Board discussed hours of operation. The proposal is for Mon-Fri 7AM to 5PM and Sat 8AM to 4PM. Loam and compost processing shall be limited to Mon-Fri 9 AM to 3 PM. D. Petry discussed the importance of being consistent with other sites. C. Hoffman asked about the bus schedule. B. Beauregard responded that the buses have to be at the schools by 8:15AM and they start about 6:20 to 6:30 AM. Rideout Road is posted for No Thru Trucking. D. Cleveland noted that the Stump Dump is open 8AM 5PM. K. Anderson discussed the importance of catering to landscaping clientele who need to pick up their materials early to get to the job. The school kids should already be picked up by that time. R. Hardy observed that Depot is a State road and is already used by many trucks. E. Makepeace noted that Morins Landscaping nearby had no restrictions. D. Petry pointed out that this is a conditional use permit in the R&A zone, and the Board should be concerned about what time the operation will actually be starting. Will personnel be showing up early to start up? D. Cooksey stated that she does not really see an issue with the school buses. B. Beauregard suggested negotiating up ; the Board should allow up to a certain level that maintains the character of the neighborhood. K. Anderson clarified that the applicant is asking to begin at 7 AM no warming up before that. The gate will be unlocked at 7AM. R. Hardy asked how many trucks are kept onsite; K. responded that there will be a watering truck and a tri-axle truck. M. Fougere noted that he is waiting for direction from the Board before he drafts conditions of approval. There are two subsets of criteria the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) criteria and the site plan criteria. Among the issues for consideration are: hours of operation; landscaping plan; new proposal to have a crescent shaped loam pile with the sifter located behind it. R. Hardy noted that he has looked at the landscaping plan. The density of the pines has increased from 30 spacing to 15 spacing. He recommended staying with the White Pines. C. Hoffman recalled that there had been a noise issue with an abutter with the Bentley plan that had been resolved by shifting the loam pile and putting the sifter behind it. D. Petry asked if trucks will have to back up to dump something in the pile as shown on plan SP-6. K. Anderson responded that there are occasions when trucks will have to back up. D. Petry asked how many pieces of equipment will be onsite when it is in full operation. K. Anderson responded that there will be a loader, a screening tailing truck, the screener plant itself. On occasion there will be a second loader onsite. There will also be a watering truck, and the retail trucks, which can be any size. D. Petry asked what is meant by subject to change with respect to the compost windrows. K. Anderson explained that the size is subject to change depending on weather conditions and amount of material. The limitation on composting is subject to the size of the pad, which can take approximately 3,000 yards of material. B. Beauregard discussed the problem of being asked to approve a project before there is empirical evidence on which to base the decision. M. Fougere noted that the Board has the authority to set lower limits, with the applicant having the option of coming back to amend it once some history has been established. C. Hoffman referenced Kathy Wilde s submission, which basically proposes this threshold with the option for increasing if there are no problems. R. Hardy argued that the number of rows of compost is not the issue; it s the overall area and the proper use of best management practices. The chance of odor is decreased significantly by turning the piles

4 Page 4 frequently. K. Anderson reminded everyone that the amount is dramatically smaller than before; he is confident that it will work. The chairman noted that the details are spelled out on the plans. He asked for any items that need to be added to the plan. Mr. Fougere noted that the types of equipment should be added (two loaders; water truck; tailings truck; screening piece of equipment; excavator). B. Beauregard suggested reviewing how the applicant meets items C, E and F of the site plan regulations. Staff noted that the applicant previously submitted (11/30/11) a letter addressing these issues. This can be resent to board members. B. Beauregard noted that the applicant has ameliorated, but not eliminated, the concerns. D. Petry argued that this is an R&A zone, and the applicant could, by right, use farming equipment that would make more noise than what is proposed. No site is completely quiet. D. Cooksey noted that this operation is seasonal like a farm. R. Hardy agreed, noting that it is a similar character to a working farming operation. The chairman asked how board members would like to proceed. B. Beauregard suggested that more information is needed. D. Cleveland discussed the need to itemize the things that need a decision, i.e., hours of operation; does the Board want to consider a limitation on composting at the beginning with the option of expanding. K. Anderson noted that the only items he has to add to the plan are new tree spacing and dimension lines for the composting pad. B. Beauregard asked if the loam and compost processing can be done off-site and brought in. K. Anderson pointed out that processing is allowed under the CUP criteria. A discussion of hours of operation followed. D. Petry argued that it does not make sense to discuss hours until the Board knows what surrounding operations have. C. Hoffman suggested tabling the discussion until staff can draft conditions and get information on other operations. The chairman summarized action items for next time: Updated plan; List of proposed conditions; Revisit hours of operation; Information on other nearby operations; Size of composting operation (3,000 yd) B. Beauregard noted that if there is a similar operation in the area where a problem was resolved it would be good to have that information. The applicant agreed to an extension of the 65-day time clock. C. Hoffman moved to continue File #2728 to the Feb. 21, 2012 meeting. Motion seconded by B. Beauregard and unanimously approved. 8. Amendment to File #2688 James & Laurie Siergiewicz Witches Spring Road. Revise No-Cut Zone on lots and ACCEPTANCE & PUBLIC HEARING. This subdivision was approved several years ago with a no-cut buffer for three lots along Witches Spring Road. The applicant and potential buyer of the lots would like to amend the no-cut areas slightly. After discussing this conceptually, the Board agreed that R. Hardy and D. Gagne would visit the site with the applicant, who would then submit a revised plan. B. Beauregard moved to accept the Amendment to File #2688 for consideration. The motion was seconded by D. Cleveland and unanimously approved. Randy Haight, Meridian Land Services, noted that the proximity of the trees to the houses is a potential problem. This is supported by the letter submitted by forester Dan Reed, who recommends removing all over story white pines and pitch pines that are within striking distance to the proposed improvements to the lots prior to construction. R. Haight discussed the elements of the changes Lot 1 Existing trees will be left along the frontage and driveway will be moved, resulting in a nicer building area and Lot 3

5 Page 5 Driveway will be moved to the right and plantings will be continued into the lot from adjoining lot 4. Lot 2 will retain the original configuration. R. Hardy stated that the proposal makes a lot of sense. The chairman called for public comments; there were none. C. Hoffman moved to approve the Amendment to File #2688, subject to submission of five hard copies, a mylar and a digital file. M. Fougere recommended that the landscape plan prepared by Randy Knowles be updated to reflect the changes. Board members agreed, added this condition, and unanimously voted to approve the plan. 9. File #2725 John Seager and David Seager, Lot Line Relocation, Howe Lane and Ranger Road. Map 32 Lot 45-2 and ACCEPTANCE OF APPLICATION & PUBLIC HEARING. This is a simple lot line relocation to increase lot 45-2 from 5.98 to 8.21 acres and decrease lot 45-4 from to acres. Everything remains conforming and there are no zoning issues. The purpose is to get all the buildings on one parcel with the other parcel remaining open. D. Petry moved to accept File #2735 for consideration. Motion seconded by C. Hoffman and unanimously approved. There were no comments for the public hearing. C. Hoffman moved to approve File #2725 subject to the following conditions: The applicant shall submit a digital file along with five (5) hard copies of the plan and a permanent, reproducible mylar. Prior to plan recording, all missing lot pins shall be set and the owners signatures shall be added to the plan. D. Cleveland seconded the motion and the plan was unanimously approved. 10. ADJOURN There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Virginia Mills