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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-11-04 Planning Board Minutes PLANNING BOARD OF THE CITY OF BANGOR MEETING OF NOVEMBER 4, 2003 MINUTES Board Members Present: Richard Fournier, Chairman David Clark Robert Guerette Fred Costlow Hal Wheeler Ryan King Bill Masters City Staff Present: Katherine Weber David Gould Peter Witham Jim Ring Chairman Fournier called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Item No.1 Planning Board Approval of Minutes. Mr. Guerette moved to approved the Minutes of the September 23, 2003 Meeting. Mr. Costlow seconded the motion, and the Board voted 5 in favor and 0 opposed to approving the Minutes of the September 23, 2003 Meeting. Mr. Clark moved to approve the Minutes of the October 7, 2003 Meeting. Mr. Guerette seconded the motion. Mr. Wheeler indicated that he would abstain from voting as he was not present at the meetings. The Board voted 4 in favor and 0 opposed to approving the Minutes of the October 7, 2003 Meeting. Mr. Clark then moved to approve the Minutes of the October 21, 2003 Meeting. Mr. Guerette seconded the motion. The Planning Board voted 4 in favor to 0 opposed to approving the Minutes of the October 21, 2003 Meeting. NEW BUSINESS Item No. 2: Site Development Plan Approval to construct an 11, 956- square foot warehouse and office building at 5 Dowd Road in an Industry and Service District. Wood Associates, applicant. 2 Mr. Jim Kiser, PE, of Kiser and Kiser represented Wood Associates and explained the proposed project. Mr. Kiser noted that this site had formerly been proposed for a similar development of office/warehouse use. Mr. Clark asked if there was a specific business proposed for the building. Mr. Kiser indicated that it was being built on speculation, but that the applicant hoped to have the building available for a Spring 2004 occupancy. Chairman Fournier asked for Staff comments. Planning Officer Weber indicated that the applicant, Wood Associates, is requesting Site Development Plan approval to construct an 11,956-square foot building for warehouse and office use at 5 Dowd Road in an Industry and Service District. The 1.5-acre vacant lot is located on the corner of Dowd and Odlin Roads in the Dowd Industrial Park. Ms. Weber indicated that the plan submitted includes all of the required information under Section 165-112 B. Ms. Weber indicated that the Planning Staff finds that the plan submitted meets all of the standards in 165-114 A-J. The City Engineering Office also reviewed the plan, and found the engineering details to be acceptable. Staff recommended Site Development Plan approval. Mr. Costlow made a motion to approve the Site Development Plan for Wood Associates. Mr. Wheeler seconded the motion, and the Board voted 5 in favor and 0 opposed to approving the Site Development Plan of Wood Associates at 5 Dowd Road. Item No. 3: Site Location of Development Modification/Site Development Plan Approval for an expansion of the existing employee parking lot at the St. Joseph Hospital Campus in a Government and Institutional Service District, St. Joseph Hospital, applicant. Mr. Aaron Shaw of James W. Sewall Company, representing St. Joseph Hospital, explained the proposed development. The applicant, St. Joseph Hospital, is requesting approval to modify its Site Location of Development Act License and obtain Site Development Plan approval to add approximately 18,000-square feet of parking area consisting of 122 new parking spaces. The proposed expansion will provide the Hospital with a total of 590 on-site spaces. Mr. Shaw indicated that some of the existing parking will be resurfaced, and some will be totally reconstructed. He explained that, given that portions of French Street have been discontinued, the parking lot can be expanded slightly in the old street right-of-way. A new detention pond will be constructed and a catch basin installed to handle the stormwater. The system will eventually connect to the City’s stormwater system on Broadway. The parking lot lighting has been redesigned to reduce “spill over” lighting effects on adjacent properties. 2 3 Mr. Guerette asked if the present access from French Street would be eliminated. Mr. Shaw said that it would be eliminated. Chairman Fournier asked for Staff comments. Planning Officer Weber indicated that the applicant, St. Joseph Hospital, is requesting approval to modify its Site Location of Development Act License and obtain Site Development Plan approval for a 122- parking space expansion at its Broadway campus in a Government and Institutional Service District (G&ISD). Ms. Weber noted that a request for a public hearing had been received from Peter Downey of Mount Hope Associates, an abutter. Ms. Weber indicated that a public hearing could not be held that evening because the requisite advertising and notice had not been given. She indicated that she would speak with Mr. Downey to get a sense of his issues. She noted that his concerns may not be applicable to this application. Planning Officer Weber indicated that all of the details for this application are in order. Ms. Weber indicated that Staff recommended Site Development Plan approval and Site Location of Development Act Permit modification. Ms. Weber requested that the Board take two separate votes on the Site Plan and SLODA applications. Mr. Guerette was concerned that the buffers have not been maintained, and what assurances were there that they would be if this proposed plan was approved. Planning Officer Weber indicated that the present plans address the re-establishment of the original proposed plantings from the 1995 plan. Mr. Clark asked if the plan was changed after Board approval, would the applicant need to come back before the Board for another review. Planning Officer Weber indicated that if Mr. Downey’s concerns were past site plan compliance issues, then the Code Enforcement Office needed to look into them. If the plan needs to be modified, the applicant will have to return to the Board for modification approval. Mr. Jim Ring, City Engineer, indicated that Mr. Downey’s concerns were unspecific as to issues, and the location of his property appears remote from the proposed parking lot work. Mr. Ring reiterated that he and Ms. Weber would review Mr. Downey’s concerns with him. Mr. Costlow indicated that Mr. Downey’s request for a hearing was lacking in any specific facts for the Board to draw any conclusions. Mr. Wheeler asked for clarification of the point that, if the plan changes subsequent to approval, that it will have to return to the Board. Planning Officer Weber confirmed that another review would be required if any changes were proposed from what is on the current application. Mr. Masters indicated that it might be better to hear what Mr. Downey’s concerns were rather than to rush approval at the meeting. Mr. Masters expressed his concerns that the buffer details for a plan that was approved in 1995 were still in non- 3 4 compliance. He indicated that he would like to hear the Hospital’s response to that concern. Chairman Fournier observed that the abutter’s concerns seemed distant from the project before the Board. Mr. Aaron Shaw, project engineer, indicated that the Hospital was ready to start work as soon as possible and, given the lateness of the season, would hope that the Board would act on the application at this meeting. He noted that the buffers would be corrected during this project. Mr. Wheeler made a motion to approve the Site Location of Development Act modification. Mr. Guerette seconded the motion, and the Board voted 5 in favor and 0 opposed to approving the modification to St. Joseph Hospital’s Site Location of Development Permit. Mr. Guerette moved to approve the Site Development Plan for St. Joseph Hospital. Mr. Costlow seconded the motion. The Board voted 5 in favor and 0 opposed to approving the Site Development Plan for St. Joseph Hospital’s parking lot expansion. Item No. 4: Final Subdivision Plan and Site Location of Development Act Approval of a 63-lot, 37.5 acre subdivision at 780 Mount Hope Avenue in a Low Density Residential District. Hampden Home Builders, applicant. Mr. Fred Marshall of Plymouth Engineering, representing Hampden Home Builders, explained the proposed Final Subdivision Plan. The proposal is to construct a 63-lot subdivision in a Low Density Residential District. At the time of the Preliminary Plan review, the Board requested additional information on stormwater, traffic and buffers. Surry Engineering Associates provided additional traffic information, and the applicant has been communicating with Beth Israel Synagogue representatives on the buffer issue. The applicant is proposing additional buffers along the shared property boundary. Mr. Marshall indicated that they have attempted to address all the concerns raised in the Preliminary Plan approval phase. Mr. Guerette asked about the details of the buffer. Mr. Marshall indicated that the proposed buffer will provide a twenty-foot wide area for plantings along the property lines, and the preservation of the existing pine trees. Mr. Masters indicated that he was very happy to see new development occurring in Bangor. However, he said that he thought it was short-sighted to not include open space and recreational areas in such a large residential development. He said that it is also very unfortunate that the project does not provide the residents with a safe place to walk with sidewalks. Mr. Marshall indicated that, in discussions with the Engineering Office, a thirty-foot wide paved roadway was deemed acceptable to offer additional room for pedestrians and bicyclists in the travel way. Mr. Clark asked the applicants what the status of the adjacent fill and grade was. Mr. Stan MacMillan indicated that the developers were pursuing legal appeals, and that 4 5 they would not build houses next to a rock quarry because it would be a nuisance to the homeowners. Chairman Fournier asked for Staff comments. Planning Officer Weber indicated that the applicant, Hampden Home Builders, Inc., requests Final Subdivision Plan and Site Location of Development Act approval to create a 63-lot subdivision at 780 Mount Hope Avenue in a Low Density Residential District. Ms. Weber indicated that all of the information requested at the Preliminary Plan stage has been provided, and that all of the outstanding engineering details have been completed. Staff finds that the proposed plan is complete and consistent with the standards for approval. Staff recommended Final Subdivision Plan approval subject to the standard conditions that the improvement guarantee be approved by the Legal and Engineering Offices, and that the requisite easements be reviewed and approved within 120 days of Planning Board approval. Mr. King indicated that he was happy to see that the applicant had provided a buffer along the adjacent cemetery. Mr. King asked Mr. Ring what the traffic capacity of Mount Hope Avenue is, and about the potential for installing sidewalks. Mr. Jim Ring, City Engineer, indicated that Mount Hope Avenue was operating at about 50% of its design capacity. Mr. Ring said that the key issue of level of service is demonstrated at Mount Hope Avenue and Hogan Road where the proposed development will not adversely impact the level of service of the intersection. Mr. Ring noted that a new pedestrian/bicycle way has been constructed on Stillwater Avenue. However, no sidewalk improvements are presently planned for Mount Hope Avenue. Mr. Costlow made a motion to approve the Final Subdivision Plan with the condition that the applicant meets the standard conditions of approval. Mr. Wheeler seconded the motion. Mr. Stan MacMillan indicated that he had submitted a bid bond and, therefore, met the obligation of his improvement guarantee. Ms. Weber indicated that the bid bond was still being reviewed by Legal Staff, and the condition would insure its adequacy. Mr. Ring indicated that Mr. MacMillan had provided a bond, and that it was routine to approve the Final Plan with the standard conditions attached. Mr. Wheeler agreed to include the standard conditions as part of his second. Board voted 5 in favor to 0 opposed to approving the Final Subdivision Plan of Hampden Home Builders for 780 Mount Hope Avenue. Mr. Costlow made a motion to approve the Site Location of Development Act application for Hampden Home Builders for a 63-lot subdivision. Mr. Guerette seconded the motion, and the Board voted 5 in favor to 0 opposed to approving the Site Location of Development application. There being no further items for discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 7:53 p.m. 5 6 6