City Council - Zoning Committee

CHICOPEE CITY COUNCIL ZONING COMMITTEE APPROVED 8-11-2016 ZONING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Shane Brooks, Chairman Timothy McLellan, Vice Chairman Fred Krampits Frank Laflamme Jerry Roy James Tillotson William Zaskey MINUTES July 21, 2016 The following are the minutes of a public hearing held Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 6:30 PM in the City Council Chambers, Fourth Floor, City Hall Annex, 274 Front Street, Chicopee, MA 01013. Members Present Brooks, Krampits, Laflamme, Zaskey Members Absent McLellan, Tilloston , Roy Also Present Daniel Garvey (Associate City Solicitor), Lee Pouliot (Planning Director) Meeting called to order at 6:30 PM In compliance with the Open Meeting Law the Chairman asked if anyone in the audience was recording the meeting. Hearing none the meeting continued. ITEM #1 Application for an approval of a development in Chicopee Center 40R Smart Growth District in accordance with Chicopee City Code, Article V, Chapter 275-68 Parts 1 and 2 located at 2-4 Springfield Street project is all residential (41 number of residential & affordable units). Applicant Kendall Apartments, LLC Stephen Huntley, Executive Director 35 Mount Carmel Ave., Chicopee Ma 01013. Councilor Brooks stated that I think this is a unique concept that will work well in the area. I was very impressed with the maximized space in otherwise would be a challenging situation up to including a handicap accessible bathroom in some of the units, so the design was certainly impressive. Ellen Friedman representing the Kendall Apartments, LLC stated that she has a long history with this property. We’re going through the renovation and currently there are thirty eight units so in addition to the special permit we need for the 40R we do have two waivers that are part of our application; one is for 1 density allowed twenty units per acre and we’re looking for the 40 units on the half acre. Each unit will only have one resident. We need a waiver for parking and only a handful of these residents have cars. We’re maximizing the space to fit in the downtown area and it will be spruced up a bit. Stephen Huntley stated that we assumed majority ownership of the Kendall in February and we’ve worked very hard to reduce the number of problem tenants. The apartments that are there are very nice. The commercial space is going to be converted to units. Department Reports Planning Department 1. Applicant will need waivers from parking requirements. 2. One mature Sargent Cherry tree will have to be removed to locate the proposed air conditioning chiller. Applicant is proposing to plant a replacement tree on the property. Engineering Department 3. 10 scale plan drawings required for proper plan review. Plans submitted are at 3/32”=1’. 4. Confirmation that no alterations to existing sidewalk/steps/ramp areas in front of the building other than the cut for the new water service. 5. Confirmation that there will be no alterations to parking areas other than sealcoating and restriping parking stalls. 6. Parking spaces appear to be undersized at 16’ long +/-. 7. Driveway connecting the two parking areas is too narrow for two-way traffic (appears to be 13’ – 14’ wide) 8. Is the total number of spaces sufficient for the number of units? 9. Where is the handicap entrance to the building? Ramp from parking area to the sidewalk? 10. A Street Occupancy Permit is required for the ROW cut for the new water service. Water Department 11. All materials are subject to Water Department approval and should meet Water Department Specifications as outlined in the “Construction Standards and Materials Specifications.” i.e. Water Mains shall be class 52 ductile iron. All materials shall be new and of the type currently being used by the Chicopee Water Department. 12. One meter per parcel. 13. Written notice must be sent to the Water Department to have the existing 2” water service shut off and cut. 14. $3,000 permit fee for new 4” domestic service. 15. All connections and associated fees to be paid or water service will not be turned on. 16. A written report from a Fire Engineer that the existing fire protection system will support the new renovation and a set of plumbing and sprinkler plans is required. 17. The Chicopee Water Department is not a member of Dig Safe and must be contacted directly before digging at 413-594-3420. Police Department 18. No issues. Fire Department 19. As a boarding house, the building is fully sprinklered. Modification to the sprinkler system will be required to meet requirements of the new occupancy configuration. 20. Permits for the project will be generated from the Building Department, but permits for the impairment of the existing fire alarm and sprinkler system will be generated from the Fire Department. Building Department 21. The Building Department has no concerns and fully supports the project as presented. Water Pollution Control 2  22. Since this is a flat roofed property it would be wise to make sure roof drains are separate from the sanitary sewer. The City will be doing sewer separation in the area of the Kendall House in the near future and will be requiring property owners to separate the roof drains from the sanitary sewer. Community Development 23. Community Development fully supports this project and have informed the Department of Housing Assessors 24. No issues. The project is supported by the Assessor’s Office. Electric Light 25. The Kendall House project will require the developer to install a 4’ x 6’ x 7’ high (inside diameter) electric manhole, a 76” x 70” x 36” precast transformer box pad, and a 4-4” duct bank form the CEL manhole located in the street to the new manhole and form the new manhole to the proposed transformer location. CEL is working with Brian Fitzgerald and his Electrical Engineer to finalize the service location and the number of meters to be installed whether it be 41 individual meters or 1 master meter. Once this is determined CEL can determine service charges. School Department 26. No concerns if there will be no children living in the building. Lee Pouliot stated that the plans met all the requirements for the design standards and guidelines that were applicable to this particular project. This is an existing building with the majority of the work inside so our guidelines don’t apply because there’s not a significant amount of site work happening. Planning is in support of the two waivers. Councilor Laflamme stated that he thinks it is a good idea and is glad to see it is only one bedroom. It is good for the development and to bring good people downtown. Councilor Brooks stated that they are going to be beautiful homes and he is amazed at how they utilized the space to accommodate for each apartment. Councilor Laflamme motion to approve – Councilor Krampits 2nd the motion – motion passed. Restrictions SPRAC meeting was held and Planning Department Board utilized report in providing their approval. A waiver for parking 30% 40R designation be granted. A waiver for density per acre under 40R distinction be granted. Replacement of a mature cherry tree. Adopt all SPRAC Plan recommendations, including any comments from all departments as attached. Committee vote 4 – 0 favorable to defeat. ITEM #2 Application for a Zone Change from Residential A to Industrial for 3,270 SF of land located on East Main Street. Assessor Map Applicant Thomas D. Murphy, Esq. 272 Exchange Street Chicopee, MA 01013 Applicant not present. Councilor Krampits motion to postpone to the call of the chair to correct the inconsistency in the street name – Councilor Laflamme 2nd the motion – motion passed 3 ITEM #3 Minutes – June 16, 2016 Motion made by Councilor Laflamme and second by Councilor Krampits to approve. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM. 4