Present:
- Bill Vogt, Chair
- Marie Raftery, Vice Chair
- Nancy Socha
- Gary Pitney
- Carl Sprague
- Wayne Slosek
- Jennifer Carmichael, Secretary
- Kate Fletcher via Zoom
- For 8 Hawthorne Street: Attorney Elizabeth Goodman and Jackson Alberti, Foresight Land Services
- Minutes of March 1 meeting approved.
- Form A — Joe DeGiorgis bought one parcel from Mike Parsons and now wishes to buy a contiguous parcel. The whole will not constitute a building lot. Moved to acknowledge that it is a Form A and no PB approval required. Motion passed.
- Cherry Hill Road — add small parcel to existing lot and make it a conforming lot with acreage and frontage. Form A — no approval necessary. (Sprague asked if it was once owned by Agrippa Hull — no knowledge)
- 8 Hawthorne Street
- Pre-existing non-conforming .9-acres lot (32670 sq ft)
- Lot subject to the Lake and Pond Overlay District (LPOD) as it is within 150 feet of the high-water mark of Stockbridge Bowl.
- Plan — demolish existing house and septic system, remove sixty-one 60-70-foot trees, build larger house and new septic system.
- LPOD checklist — areas over which PB has jurisdiction: more than 150 feet from lake at high water NO; septic in LPOD YES; cutting in LPOD YES; coverage of lot changing from 4% to 10% (3267 sq ft) YES; excavation in LPOD YES; soil removal NO; demolition YES.
- The original plan was altered to include more plantings after tree and under canopy removal as requested by Conservation Commission (ConCom). Plan also included crushed stone driveway, retaining wall, erosion control, and system to handle runoff from roof
- Tri-Town Health approves septic systems
- Historic Preservation Committee determines if structure currently on property has historic significance
- Public comment: Peter Strauss “impressed by structure” — Lori Richmond (abutter) concerned about blasting and its possible negative effect on her foundation or well.
- Blasting may not be necessary — there are alternatives such as hydraulic hammer — if blasting is necessary, the Commonwealth has regulations in place.
- Richmond wanted assurance that if damage to her property from blasting occurred, she would be compensated
- 8 Hawthorne Street — PB deliberations
- Socha wondered if a propane tank were proposed
- Fleter asked if height is under 35 ft.? Yes Full 10% coverage of lot? Yes
- Slosek felt the plans were “pushing” the allowable limits. Alberti and Attorney Goodman agreed but said then Town should change the bylaws
- Fletcher felt the PB had more jurisdiction — attorney disagreed
- Pitney and Sprague agreed that PB has jurisdiction over whether structure is consistent with “character of neighborhood”
- Slosek wanted to know “what is our area [jurisdiction]?”
- Chair said PB was only considering LPOD — that is only part under PB jurisdiction
- PB agreed to vote on project limited to LPOD and send other concerns to SB which must also approve project. Concerns: Blasting, scale of house, percentage of lot covered, and character
- Fletcher requested that Chair read the findings
- Vote: Fletcher no, Sprague no, Slosek yes conditional on forwarding concerns apparently outside PB jurisdiction — Socha, Vogt, Raftery, and Pitney — yes.
- Chair set aside other agenda items.
Meeting adjourned.
Editor’s note: What are “the findings”? To approve a project, PB must find that the project: a. Is in compliance with all provisions and requirements of this Bylaw, and in harmony with its general intent and purpose b. Is essential or desirable to the public convenience or welfare at the proposed location c. Will not be detrimental to adjacent uses or to the established or future character of the neighborhood; d. Will not create undue traffic congestion or unduly impair pedestrian safety e. Will not overload any public water, drainage, or sewer system or any other municipal facility to such an extent that the proposed use or any existing use in the immediate area or in any other area of the town will be unduly subjected to the hazards affecting public health, safety, or general welfare.
