Planning Board

City of Lowell - Planning Board Planning Board Meeting Minutes Monday. November 21 6:30 p.m. City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall City of Lowell, 375 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA Remote Participation Optional via Zoom Note: These minutes are not completed verbatim. For a recording of the meeting, visit www.ltc.org Members Present Chairman Linnehan Member Frechette Member Lockhart Members Absent Member Malavich Member Gallivan Member Cheng Others Present Peter Cutrumbes, Assistant Planner A quorum of the Board was present. Chairman Linnehan called the meeting to order at 6:39 PM I. Minutes for Approval 11/7/2022 Minutes G. Frechette stated that S. Gallivan was noted as present when she was absent. Motion: G. Frechette motioned, R. Lockhart seconded. The vote was unanimous (3-0). II. New Business Site Plan Review – 70 Wilbur Street 01851 Tastebud Farms, LLC has applied to the Lowell Planning Board to operate an Adult Use Marijuana Cultivation and Manufacturing Facility at 70 Wilbur Street. The subject property is located in Light Industrial (LI) zoning district. The proposal requires Site Plan Review approval pursuant Section 7.10 and Section 11.4 of the Lowell Zoning Ordinance. On Behalf: Casey Ferrero, civil engineering consultant for the project, spoke on behalf. He summarized the project briefly. Specifically, Unit 2 is proposed to be converted to cultivation. The project is considered a micro- cultivation site. Joseph Ready, part owner, also spoke on behalf. He explained that they have applied to the state for micro-grow approval, which allows small growers to get into the business. In Support: None In Opposition: None Discussion: T. Linnehan confirmed that they received all their City approvals besides stormwater. C. Ferrero said he is in the process of scheduling a meeting with stormwater. He stressed there will not be any changes to the site so they do not anticipate a need for stormwater changes, and would like it to be a condition of approval. R. Lockhart asked how many employees they are planning for or if they may be expanding to more employees in the future. J. Ready said they plan on hiring one full time staffer and two part time staffers. He owns the whole building, and said parking is ample. G. Frechette pointed out the large document they submitted indicated 15 employees. J. Ready said that it was a mistake on the Host Community Agreement. G. Frechette said he will condition the number of employees because of parking concerns, as well as to finalize landscaping with DPD. T. Linnehan said he was satisfied with all their approvals. R. Lockhart asked if outside lighting could be included in the landscaping plan. J. Ready said each unit has its own lighting source for it. Motion: G. Frechette motioned, with R. Lockhart seconding, to approve the Site Plan with the following conditions: 1. The applicant shall obtain their stormwater permit  2. The facility will have no more than five (5) employees 3. The applicant shall abide by the odor mitigation plan subject to City approval on an ongoing basis. The vote was unanimous (3-0). Definitive Subdivision – 42 B Street 01851 Tyler Provost has applied to the Lowell Planning Board to subdivide the existing lot and construct a two- family home on the newly created lot. This property is located in the Traditional Two Family (TTF) zoning district. The newly created lots will not meet the minimum frontage requirements pursuant to Section 5.1 of the Lowell Zoning Ordinance. The project requires Definitive Subdivision approval from the Lowell Planning Board under Lowell’s Subdivision of Land Regulations. On Behalf: Jeff Sargis, the architect, spoke on behalf. He summarized the project and its previously approved Variances. In Support: None In Opposition: None Discussion: R. Lockhart asked about the status of the stormwater permit. J. Sargis said they have not formally submitted to LRWWU, but a preliminary meeting with LRWWU suggested the proposed detention was okay. G. Frechette asked if the gravel area was changed from grass on the ZBA plans. J. Sargis said no. P. Cutrumbes said it was a misreading of the plans on DPD’s end. G. Frechette said the frontages are appropriate for the neighborhood. T. Linnehan asked about how the parking will be lined up. J. Sargis said they have an access easement shared between the two properties to access rear parking. T. Linnehan feels the shared driveway is appropriate due to the smaller lot sizes. G. Frechette complimented the architect on his elevations for the proposed home. Motion: G. Frechette motioned, with R. Lockhart seconding, to approve the proposed subdivision with the following conditions: 1. The applicant shall obtain stormwater approval 2. The applicant shall submit revised plans showing a sewer connection. The vote was unanimous (3-0). Pre-Application Hearing – 125 Perry Street ZR Development Group, LLC has requested a Pre-Application hearing with the Lowell Planning Board regarding a proposal for 125 Perry Street. The property is currently utilized as a church. The applicant would like to convert the parcel into thirty (30) multi-family housing units. On Behalf: John Geary spoke on behalf and briefly summarized the proposal. The building is currently occupied by a church and needs extensive internal repairs. The property abuts a large strip of land owned by the 80 Rogers Street condos. The applicant has come to a tentative agreement with 80 Rogers Street to use this land for parking, J. Geary said he believes it would soften the industrial look of the street for a neighborhood that has several residences. Mark Ohara, the engineer, spoke. He said there is not a lot to comment on engineering-wise, as the site is already predominantly impervious. He said they would most likely create a retaining wall. He said they are favorable to bringing in a landscape architect if needed. He has not dove into the existing utilities yet, but would upgrade them to the City’s specifications if needed. In Support: None In Opposition: None Discussion: R. Lockhart asked the applicant to be mindful of landscaped open space requirements for parking areas. G. Frechette said it is an opportunity to soften the look in the neighborhood, and it would add additional customers for neighborhood businesses. He said the parking may be difficult but that zoning parking requirements must be met. He said the parking over there was difficult on Sunday, potentially due to the church. G. Frechette noted that DPD should check to make sure the 80 Rogers Street land was not supposed to be used as open space. T. Linnehan said the Board would probably be looking for a Transportation Demand Management plan. R. Lockhart said maybe they should also look at outside lighting. G. Frechette said it may be a good place to put rooftop gardens. III. Notices IV. Further Comments from Planning Board Members R. Lockhart said the Historic Board will meet on 12/12. T. Linnehan said he recently attended the Acre Crossing groundbreaking. V. Adjournment R. Lockhart motioned, with G. Frechette seconding, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 7:24 pm.