Planning Board

City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 1 of 10 CITY OF SALEM A public hearing of the Salem Planning Board was held on Thursday, July 25,2024, at 6:30 p.m. via remote access. Public participation was possible via Zoom video and conference call. Chair Bill Griset calls the meeting to order at 6:31 pm. I. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Bill Griset, Vice Chair Kirt Rieder, Carole Hamilton, Jonathan Berk, Josh Turiel, Tom Furey, Helen Sides, Zach Caunter (8) Absent: Sarah Tarbet (1) Also in attendance: Robyn Lee, staff planner II. REGULAR AGENDA **Items taken out of order. Item A. under Section III was taken first.** A. 75 North Street (Map 26, Lot 58), 2 Commercial Street (Map 26, Parcel 57), and 3 South Mason Street (Map 26, Lot 54) Applicant: Scott Grover, Esq., f/b/o 75 North Street, LLC Description: A continuance of a public hearing for all persons interested in the application of Scott Grover f/b/o 75 North Street, LLC, for the property located at 75 North Street (Map 26, Lot 58), 2 Commercial Street (Map 26, Parcel 57), and 3 South Mason Street (Map 26, Lot 54) in the NRCC (North River Canal Corridor) Zoning District for Site Plan Review and Special Permits in accordance with the following sections of the Salem Zoning Ordinance: Section 9.5 Site Plan Review, Section 8.1 Flood Hazard Overlay District Special Permit, 8.2 Entrance Corridor Overlay District, Section 8.4 North River Canal Corridor Neighborhood Mixed Use District, and Section 37 of the Salem Code of Ordinances, Stormwater Management Permit. Specifically, the applicant proposes a four-story, 60-unit multi-family residential building on an approximate one-acre plot of land. The building features a ground floor for a lobby, building support, commercial use, and a parking garage and three upper floors for residential use. The applicant proposes 60 on-site parking spaces, a large publicly accessible open space and surrounding landscaping, pedestrian walkways, additional lighting, and a shifted curb line along North Street. Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 2 of 10 Attorney Grover is here for the Applicant. Chris Koeplin of 75 North Street LLC, Bob Griffin of Griffin Engineering, Dan Skolski of DMS Design, and Bill Ross of NECE are also present. Attorney Grover addresses the open issues: 1. New perspective of building that eliminated the trees that will not be part of the development is shared. 2. The fence along the Landworks Studio property a. Mr. Koeplin says that Landworks was amenable to the fence. The Board determines a wood fence to be best and this will be reflected in the decision. Planning Board Comments Mr. Rieder says that the peer review response was provided yesterday and there was no time to thoroughly review. Is surprised by the lack of irrigation; how is the landscape going to persist? Mr. Koeplin hope that it will eventually maintain itself. Mr. Rieder asks the ability to place fill in this flood zone. Mr. Griffin says that the amount of fill is compared at each elevation. Mr. Rieder asks if there is anything in the code that defines the impact on the abutters as the existing building is close to the property line. Will this automatically trigger a process? Attorney Grover says there are no side yard setbacks in the North River Canal Corridor (NRCC). Mr. Skolski says the building code measure to the property line. Mr. Rieder wants the fence to be six feet high. Mr. Ross has no concerns regarding the project. There is a condition on rerouting the sewers or they find an easement. Public Comment Written Comments 75 North Street Mr. Furey reads a prepared statement. Motion to close the public hearing is made by Josh Turiel, seconded by Kirt Rieder, and passes 8- 0 in a roll call vote. Kirt Rieder Y Carole Hamilton Y Jonathan Berk Y Josh Turiel Y Tom Furey Y Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 3 of 10 Helen Sides Y Bill Griset Y Zach Caunter Y The draft decision is shared. There is significant discussion regarding the screening of the rooftop infrastructure. The Board feels that rooftop units are almost always visible from some perspective. Mr. Skolski says that as the building will the electric and efficient, the units are smaller. Mr. Rieder asks for a linear layout down the corridor, additionally Mr. Rieder recommends the project not be required to screen. Ms. Sides agrees with this recommendation, for this project only. Mr. Turiel comments that the bar to say no to this project is really high. There are already structures on this land and while reluctant, is pleased at the team’s attempts to mitigate flooding for the residents. Would like to see the North River floodgate repaired in the future. Motion to approve the decision for 75 North Street with changes is made by Carole Hamilton, seconded by Jonathan Berk, and passes 6-1 in a roll call vote with one abstention. Kirt Rieder Y Carole Hamilton Y Jonathan Berk Y Josh Turiel Y Tom Furey N Helen Sides A Bill Griset Y Zach Caunter Y B. 250 Highland Ave (Map 8, Lot 118) and 260 Highland Ave (Map 8, Lot 117) Applicant: Joseph Correnti, Esq., f/b/o PN Restaurants Description: A public hearing for all persons interested in the application of Joseph Correnti f/b/o PN Restaurants for the property located at 250 Highland Avenue (Map 8, Lot 118) and 260 Highland Avenue (Map 8, Lot 117) in the B2 (Business Highway) and ECOD (Entrance Corridor Overlay District) Zoning Districts for Site Plan Review and a Special Permit in accordance with the following sections of the Salem Zoning Ordinance: Section 9.5 Site Plan Review and Section 6.7 Drive-Through Facilities. Further, the applicant is requesting one waiver of Section 6.7.6 of the Ordinance requirements: Standard 1: 200 feet between curb cuts. Specifically, the applicant proposes a new approximately 1,995 square-foot Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen restaurant with a drive-through lane, associated parking, and landscaping. Site Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 4 of 10 access will be provided through a right-in/right-out driveway on Highland Avenue and an exit-only driveway and entrance-only driveway on Verona Street. Internal circulation in the site will be one-way and operate in a counter-clockwise direction via the drive-through lane and adjacent bypass lane. The site will include 18 parking spaces and two (2) bike racks. Re-grading on the site is proposed along with reducing impervious surfaces for stormwater management. Attorney Correnti is here for the Applicant. Bill Ross of NECE, Lawrence BenBassett, owner, Chris Shea of Deprete Engineering, and Jacob Snyder of Correnti and Kolick are also present. Public Comment Written Public Comment Planning Board Comments Mr. Rieder is a no on this project as there was no response to his request for info on street trees. Mr. Correnti apologizes and is prepared to address this tonight. Ms. Shea shares her screen showing the street trees. The team has added Honey Locusts on the Highland Avenue side of the parcel. They had to reduce the number to three (3) due to utility poles and the existing Red Maple on the right side of the driveway. Regarding the mulch, it will be this team’s responsibility. The street trees on the Verona Street side are Japanese lilacs, Mr. Rieder says that they are not approved street trees. Ms. Shea says they can swap for a different species , but larger trees will interfere and the trees are approved in the tree ordinance. Ms. Sides concerned with backup on Highland Avenue. Also, has this received Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approval. Attorney Correnti says that the queuing has been looked at and resoled and the project is on the August 21, 2024 ZBA agenda. Mr. Berk asks about construction vehicle access from Verona Street. Attorney Correnti says they have accepted a condition that all vehicles enter from Highland Avenue. Motion to close the public hearing is made by Josh Turiel, seconded Tom Furey, passes in a 7-0 roll call vote with one abstention. Kirt Rieder Y Carole Hamilton Y Jonathan Berk Y Josh Turiel Y Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 5 of 10 Tom Furey Y Bill Griset Y Helen Sides A Zach Caunter Y The draft decision is shared on screen. Mr. Rieder asks the tree lilacs to be swapped to any of the following: American Hophornbeam, Redbud, Serviceberry, Sweetbay Magnolia. Each tree shall have a minimum of 700 cubic feet of planting soil. The peer review is not ready for review by the Board. Mr. Ross says that they are confident that there is resolution and there is no need for fire protection. They will need to investigate sewer. The sticking point is drainage. The city has an overlying regulation where any runoff that reaches city streets or the drainage collection system has to hold back and recharge 0.8 inches of rainfall multiplied by the post- development impervious area. The applicant hasn’t yet done that. Good that trees are being included, with the 700 cubic feet of void per tree, there should be no trouble in providing 800 cubic feet of storage as well. Ms. Hamilton asks if the conditions Mr. Ross mentioned are included in the draft decision. The standard engineering conditions are that they will agree to all forthcoming engineering conditions. Motion to approve the draft decision for 250 Highland Avenue with changes is made by Tom Furey, seconded by Josh Turiel, and passes 7-0 in a roll call vote with one abstention . Kirt Rieder Y Carole Hamilton Y Jonathan Berk Y Josh Turiel Y Tom Furey Y Bill Griset Y Helen Sides A Zach Caunter Y C. 266 Canal Street (Map 32, 0038), 282 Canal Street (Map 32, Lot 0037), 286 Canal Street (Map 32, Lot 0036), 282 Rear Canal Street (Map 23, Lot 0144), and 2 Kimball Road (Map 32, Lot 0102) Applicant: The Residences on Canal Street, LLP Description: A public hearing for all persons interested in the application of The Residences on Canal Street, LLP for a Definitive Subdivision Plan in accordance with Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 6 of 10 the Salem Subdivision Regulations to allow the establishment of Road A. The applicant requests three waivers from Section 2 Contents of Definitive Plan: Standard n (the line of the Salem flood elevation of 15.36 feet Mean Low Tide), Standard o (boundaries and types of wetlands as shown on maps titled “Wetlands of Salem Massachusetts”), and Standard p (reference to the City of Salem datum for existing profiles and proposed profile). Scott Cameron is here for the Applicant Team. Attorney Joe Correnti of Correnti and Kolick and Chris Koeplin of Canal Street LLP are also in attendance. The project is seeking to freeze zoning for the duration of this project. The waivers are needed to basically update the datum to the 2024 standards. Mr. Cameron shares his screen. Public Comment Written Public Comment Planning Board Comment Mr. Furey asks if we are opening a Pandora’s Box? Mr. Correnti says no because what the team has gone through to do the subdivision work. Additionally, this is just to freeze zoning. There is already significant investment in the project and if an ordinance is passed that changes the project, there isn’t a distressing financial loss for the team. Mr. Furey asks Chair Griset if he has seen any other project where this is an issue. Chair Griset says that he isn’t a legal scholar in planning. But he doesn’t recall this request occurring before. Chair Griset asks Attorney Correnti what is unique about this project? Attorney Correnti says that the last two (2) years the city has passed a new Conservation Commission regulation and is looking to pass a new flood regulations. It is needed so that the project can work with and not be hindered by the new wetlands/coastal resiliency ordinances. Motion to close the public hearing made by Kirt Rieder, seconded by Carole Hamilton, and passes 8-0 in a roll call vote Kirt Rieder Y Carole Hamilton Y Jonathan Berk Y Josh Turiel Y Tom Furey Y Bill Griset Y Helen Sides Y Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 7 of 10 Zach Caunter Y Motion to continue to the September 5, 2024 meeting is made by Josh Turiel, seconded by Jonathan Berk, and passes 8-0 in a roll call vote. Kirt Rieder Y Carole Hamilton Y Jonathan Berk Y Josh Turiel Y Tom Furey Y Bill Griset Y Helen Sides Y Zach Caunter Y D. 32 Federal Street and 34 Federal Street (Map 35, Lot 621) Applicant: WinnDevelopment Companies, LLC f/b/o Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) Description: A public hearing for all persons interested in the application of WinnDevelopment Companies, LLC f/b/o DCAMM for the property located at 32 Federal Street and 34 Federal Street (Map 35, Lot 621) in the B5 (Central Development) District for Site Plan Review and a Special Permit in accordance with the following sections of the Salem Zoning Ordinance: Section 9.5 Site Plan Review and Section 7.3 Planned Unit Development Special Permit. This project constitutes Phase Two of a two-phase project. Phase One consists of redevelopment of a city- owned parking lot and proposal of a mixed-use building with parking at 252 Bridge Street. For Phase Two, the applicant proposes rehabilitation and transformation of the historic and currently vacant County Commissioner's and Superior Court buildings located across the street from the Phase One parcels. The applicant proposes 10 new affordable residential units in the County Commissioner’s building and special events space and restoration of existing offices in the Superior Court building. Proposed site improvements include pedestrian walkways, a sitting area, landscaping, vehicular parking, stormwater management, and utility upgrades. A public courtyard between the two buildings is proposed as the primary entry for both buildings. Attorney Correnti is here for the Applicant, Also in attendance are Michael Blier of Landworks Studio, John Seger of Segar Architects, Rich Whitehouse of VHB, Mike Santos from WinnDevelopment, and Derek Hansen from WinnDevelopment. This is Phase II. Phase 1 was the Crescent Lot. The Planned Unit Development (PUD) Special Permit requires a site plan review on both phases. Opening the project today allows the city to begin peer reviews. Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 8 of 10 Mr. Blier gives an overview of the site, including a planting plan. The notion is to leave the historic wall and create an ecological zone on that side of the building. This space isn’t accessible , meant to be a visible space. On Federal Street, the car parking is reduced. Two spaces on westside are ADA spaces, but the focus is to improve the pedestrian way. There will be a strong representation of street trees. Ramped walkway to enter the building. Courtyard and a flexible space. Mr. Segar shares images of existing conditions from all angles. There are no major modifications to the project. Mostly restoration work. County Commissioner building is the residential unit. Considering adding basement units to the building. Superior Court Building – 1st floor office use; 2nd floor is the courtroom. The Glass Curtain wall is the entrance for both buildings. Looking for historic tax credits for this project. Mr. Whitehouse shares the existing traffic issues. A mix of parking is proposed. Discusses parking and drop off, etc. Pedestrian walkway improvements are proposed with the proposed courtyard all improve pedestrian access. Grading and Draining Plan: intended to mimic existing but bring it up to current standards. On utilities – seeking to use existing gas and electric connections. Mr. Santos discusses the traffic evaluation. There may be curbside activity, trash/etc. To accommodate the curbside activities, the team will reconfigure existing on-street parking. This project will promote pedestrian and biking use. Existing traffic volumes were reviewed. Federal Street yielded three thousand plus (3000+) cars/day; Washington Street, twenty-one thousand (21000); and Bridge Street, twenty-seven thousand (27000). Three thousand one hundred (3100) vehicle/hour at the intersection. The event space will have a 5:00 pm activation. The team is expecting daily events with around forty (40) people and larger events that may be up to (200) people a few times/month. Two (2) sets trip generation were created: days with larger events: fifteen (15) trips in the morning; one hundred (100) in the afternoon/evening. Public Comment Written Public Comment Planning Board Comment Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 9 of 10 Mr. Furey says that this reminds him of the Peabody Essex Museum expansion. Amazing project. Mr. Berk awesome project. Regarding the potential to add additional units in the basement level, curious if parking minimums are the issue? Federal Street is a wide one-way street, is there a thought of expanding a public plaza to narrow it in front of the two buildings? Motion to continue to the September 5, 2024 meeting is made by Josh Turiel, seconded by Kirt Rieder, and passes 8-0 in a roll call vote Kirt Rieder Y Carole Hamilton Y Jonathan Berk Y Josh Turiel Y Tom Furey Y Bill Griset Y Helen Sides Y Zach Caunter Y III. OLD/NEW BUSINESS A. Project update – 4 Franklin Street **This item was heard first** Attorney Correnti and Dennis Cataldo are present to address the board’s concerns about the state of the project. Mr. Cataldo says that it took quite a while to get the Ch. 91 license. The utility services feeding the building are holding up the demolition. The city asked Mr. Cataldo to construct a study to determine the utilities and sewer on the site. Expect the utilities to be cut and capped next week. Hoping to have the building down in the next ten (10) business days and then clean and regrade the property. Planning Board Comments Ms. Sides wonders if this project will be in front of the board again. It sounds like cost cutting will lead to changes. Mr. Cataldo says that the costs that are out of line is the interior specificities of the architect. The exterior is not where the cost is being cut. Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033. City of Salem Planning Board Minutes July 25, 2024 Page 10 of 10 B. Updates from staff on previously approved projects Planning Board Tracker updated July 2024.xlsx IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Approval of the draft minutes from the July 8, 2024 Special Meeting of the Planning Board B. Approval of the draft minutes from the July 11, 2024 regular Planning Board meeting The Approval of Minutes was tabled until the September 5, 2023 Planning Board meeting. V. ADJOURNMENT A motion to adjourn is made by Josh Turiel, seconded by Jonathan Berk, and passes in a 8-0 roll call vote. Kirt Rieder Y Carole Hamilton Y Jonathan Berk Y Josh Turiel Y Tom Furey Y Helen Sides Y Bill Griset Y Zach Caunter Y Adjourned at 9:58 pm Minutes Approved on: September 5, 2024 Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A § 18-25 and City Ordinance § 2-2028 through § 2-2033.