770 Main St. daycare, Holt & Bugbee lot split, 1695 Shawsheen also receive sign-offs
The Planning Board met last night with all members present. There were no committee reports.
Applicants for the Washville car wash proposal at 402 Main St. and the Tewksbury Dental Associates overflow parking at 1438 Main St. requested continuances to the March 11 meeting.
In her Town Planner’s report, Community/Economic Development Planner Alexandra Lowder advised the board that there is one new scheduled hearing for March 11. Richard Proctor is requesting a site plan review, special permit and land disturbance permit to construct a 3,456 square foot multi-family building on a .39 acre lot at 20 Glenwood Rd. and 2551 Main St. That area is zoned South Village Business.
Lowder also reminded residents of her office hours, which are meant to help educate residents on the planning process, how zoning works and current projects in an informal setting.
“Folks can feel free to ask anything,” said Lowder. The next session is Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Library. She will hold additional office hours in the months leading up to May Town Meeting on a variety of dates.
The final Winter Community Market will also be Thursday, at the Senior Center from 4 to 7 p.m. Bird’s Nest Italian will be the food truck vendor.
The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork is hosting a free government contracting seminar on Thursday, March 7 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Middlesex Community College in Bedford. The session will educate small businesses on how to obtain certifications to conduct business with federal, state and local governments. While those contracts are complicated, they can also be lucrative. Registration is required; learn more here.
Member Jim Duffy reminded residents of the virtual “Greater Lowell Vision Zero” Public Forum scheduled for tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. During the event, the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG) will present a new, safety-focused approach to traditional transportation planning in light of a spike in pedestrian deaths.
“So basically, it’s talking about traffic in the area, which always seems to come up,” said Duffy. Learn more.
Holt & Bugbee
Last April, the board signed off on a proposal to split 1600 Shawsheen St., the current Holt & Bugbee mill, into two parcels. The plan is to condense the lumberyard operation and add a storage building to Lot 2, an irregularly shaped 9.31 acre parcel that wraps around the building housing the East Elite Cheer Gym. The Lot 1 area, a 13.26 subdivided portion of the 22.6 acre lot, is slated to hold a 179,375 square foot warehouse.
Daniel Mora of National Development and Matthew Costa of Beals Associates appeared last night with an update.
For Lot 1, Mora said they have provided some additional visual shields in addition to added trees to camouflage the structure. There is updated snow storage, and the engineering division has largely signed off on the plans. They also received an order of conditions from the Conservation Commission.
Vice-chair Vinny Fratalia commended the proponents on their due diligence. The board approved the waivers with conditions, site plan review and land disturbance permit for Lot 1 unanimously.
Lot 2 will hold a smaller footprint, modernized facility for Holt & Bugbee and a new storage warehouse. Mora said the legal issues with the owner of East Elite have been resolved. There are some discussions with potential tenants but no firm commitment yet.
All required waivers and special and land disturbance permits were approved unanimously.
770 Main St. Daycare
Ben Osgood of Ranger Engineering Group appeared for the daycare — with an operator Osgood has declined to name — proposed for a one-acre lot on 770 Main St. across from Mexica. The site currently holds a single-family home.
The building as designed is 15,000 square feet over two stories with a fenced playground and 40 parking spaces. Expected maximum occupancy is 150 children from infant to preschool.
Waivers were required for fewer parking spaces and smaller buffers than required and configuration of the driveway entrance and exits. The proposal is to place the driveway just opposite Erlin Ave. to create a four four-way intersection.
Fratalia and other members previously expressed concern with the number of students and the safety of the crossing configuration. In response, Osgood showed a new parking lot setup such that every space is now connected to a sidewalk. Crosswalks that were previously striped areas behind the spaces are now full sidewalks along the property lines and in the center aisle. They also made adjustments to the back of the building to provide an 8,000 square foot play area. All sidewalks will be cement concrete.
Board members praised the improved safety provided by the sidewalks. All needed waivers as well as the site plan review and land disturbance permit were approved unanimously.
1695 Shawsheen
Last week the Conservation Commission approved minor changes to the site design for the dispensary planned for 1695 Shawsheen St., next to Keri Plaza. Last night the planning board got a look at updates that include a reduction in parking spaces from 72 to 64, replacement of some retaining wall with a sloped lawn and a slight reduction in impervious surface. There will be 400 feet of cement sidewalk added.
Duffy asked why remove eight parking spaces — answer, to save money — and pointed out that engineering had no outstanding issues. The site plan modification review and land disturbance permit were approved unanimously.
1625 Andover St. Moves On to Select Board
Attorney David Plunkett, applicant Dean Graffeo, traffic engineer Kim Eric Hazarvartian and consultant Matt Hamor appeared to continue discussion on a proposed retail cannabis dispensary at 1625 Andover St.
Before opening discussion, Chair Stephen Johnson set ground rules in light of a lawsuit filed last week in Plymouth Superior Court by Cannavana owner Mario Chiuccariello that names Graffeo along with Harbour Grace Tewksbury LLC, Bella Luna LLC, Carbonear LLC, Patrick Nichols and David O’Brien. Chiuccariello alleges the parties breached a $180,000 commercial loan agreement. The dispute stems from the first tranche of cannabis license applications.
“We’ve all seen it,” said Johnson, without mentioning the nature of the “it” in question. “There’s been stuff that’s come in to us. People have seen it online. It has to do with a different hearing on a different site that may or may not include petitioners involved in this site.”
He pointed out that the unnamed matter is irrelevant to the zoning issue and warned residents waiting to speak that anyone bringing it up will forfeit their time.
“You will be done with your public comments,” he said. “The only possible place that might be appropriate is the Select Board.”
Speaking of the Select Board, Planning Board signoff was required before 133 Cannabis could be considered for the town’s third and final retail marijuana license.
The board’s questioning last night ran heavily to the when, what and where of employee parking. Plunkett said they positioned employee parking on the section of the lot closest to the Learning Expressions daycare. Duffy called out the requirement to ensure that Andover St. is properly patched after it is dug up to run water, sewer and/or electricity to the site.
“I just want to see a high-quality patch,” said Duffy, calling out a poor-quality job on Whipple Rd. “I’ll be looking to see how that all shakes out.”
The town’s peer review engineer Jeffrey Dirk cited a “well-thought-out queue management” plan and other mitigation measures consistent with what he’s seen at other dispensaries that are “extremely effective in reducing traffic and parking demands and queuing.”
The three residents who spoke heeded Johnson’s warning and confined their comments to ground that had previously been covered, largely traffic concerns.
Judith Dziadosz of 55 Deering Drive called out empty lots around town and said she went by the Smyth Cannabis location in Lowell.
“It has a huge parking lot,” said Dziadosz. “There was not one open space in that parking lot. And that was at two o’clock in the afternoon. I don’t think that’s what we want in this part of Tewksbury.”
She, like several previous speakers, called out a lack of vocal — or at least public — opposition to the Cannafords cannabis project that is proposed for the former Sal’s Pizza at 2504 Main St. Residents have until the Select Board’s March 12 meeting to reach out with letters of support or opposition to either project. Contact information is here.
The waivers were approved by a vote of 4 – 1 with Fratalia dissenting. The site plan review and land disturbance permits also passed 4 – 1, with Fratalia again voting nay.
The Planning Board will meet next on March 11.
Lorna Garey
Lorna is a past and current Malden resident, U.S. Army veteran, and longtime tech and community journalist who has written for organizations ranging from the DIA to InformationWeek. In her previous hometown she founded a hyperlocal news site, the Tewksbury Carnation.
Tewksbury is considered a drug pipeline. Many people will agree they know someone who started with pot. Overdosed on much harder drugs. I lost a nephew. So why not shoot for the moon? Do you realize the people who will be coming into town? ANYTHING FOR MONEY, RIGHT, TEWKSBURY? Maybe it is time to consider a Mayor and not a manager? We are getting larger by the day.