Planning Board – September 8th, 2025

The Board discussed continued site plan reviews at 485 Main Street and 333 Main Street.

At 7:00 PM on Monday, September 8th, Chair Stephen Johnson called the meeting to order. All board members were present except James Duffy.

It was noted that the applicants for the following projects had requested continuances to the October meetings:

• 15 & 41 Astle Street – David Plunkett on behalf of BLJB Holdings, LLC (Site Plan Review, Special Permit, Land Disturbance Permit)
• 913 East Street – Asphalt Services, Inc. on behalf of 911 East LLC (Site Plan Review, Special Permit, Land Disturbance Permit)

A motion was passed to approve the meeting minutes from July 14th, 2025 meeting.

In her Town Planner’s report, Community/Economic Development Planner Alexandra Lowder noted a new Site Plan Review and Special Permit application for the September 22nd meeting, for Innovation Drive.

Looking ahead, the Town is hosting a Fall Celebration on Sunday, October 19th, from 1 PM to 4 PM at the Town Center. This free, family-friendly event will feature food trucks (food for purchase), pumpkin decorating, face painting, trunk-or-treat, and more. Details are available at tewksbury-ma.gov/follow.

Additionally, the Town is partnering with MassDEP on a wetland, groundwater, and floodplain restoration project at two sites: Poplar Street and Mollie Drive. A two-part community outreach event will be held on Tuesday, September 23rd, from 4 PM – 6:30 PM, starting with a site walk at Poplar Street and concluding with a presentation at the Senior Center. Registration is encouraged but not required at tewksbury-ma.gov/restoration.

100-110 French Street – Approval Not Required Plan

A Tewksbury resident appeared before the board to present revised property site plans after a survey revealed that a portion of their fence extended 25 feet onto a neighbor’s lot. The neighbor agreed to transfer that section of land, and a new plan, prepared by a surveyor, was submitted for approval.

The motion to approve carried unanimously.

94 North Street – Wayne Cacciola: Family Suite Special Permit

Wayne Cacciola presented before the board for a special permit to construct a 1000-square-foot family suite.

Vinny Fratalia praised the idea of keeping family together, and the motion carried unanimously.

Cacciola expressed his gratitude to Alex Lowder, noting, “I was really overwhelmed by the process, and she kind of took me by the hand and walked me through it.”

485 Main Street – Eugenie Sahyouni: Site Plan Review (continued from 8/18)

Karen DiFruscia recused herself from the discussion. With both DiFruscia and Duffy absent, Chair Stephen Johnson explained that all three remaining members would need to vote unanimously in favor for a permit to be approved. The applicant was given the option to request a continuance to the next meeting, if preferred.

Despite having the option to continue, the applicant chose to present, joined by their civil engineer. The applicant noted that peer review comments from GCG were received the previous week. While many initial concerns related to drainage, landscaping, erosion, and sediment control were addressed in the first submission, new issues were raised in the latest round of review.

The applicant expressed confidence in addressing the technical items but explained that site constraints necessitate several waivers. They requested preliminary guidance from the board on whether the proposed waivers could be approved in principle before proceeding further.

These waivers included:

Nonconforming setback of the existing building – The building cannot be relocated to meet current setback requirements.

Parking setback – The proposed 18.5 ft setback accommodates maneuvering for an 18-ft van, but increasing this setback would bring parking closer to Main Street, conflicting with front setback requirements.

Removal of a 48″ tree – The property owner reports that the tree is damaging pavement. The plan includes new landscaping and a replacement tree in front of the building.

Dumpster location – The owner is working to establish a shared dumpster agreement with a nearby facility (approximately 0.4 miles away). GCG requested a closer option, and the team is exploring alternatives.

Aisle width and pavement setback – The proposed parking layout does not meet minimum aisle width and setback requirements, closely related to Waiver #1.

Ciampa responded that these waivers were not fully compliant, especially with the parking, the ADA, the wheelchair access, and the pedestrian access. He added, “All of that, to me, that’s just critical.” Fratalia agreed, adding, “It’s important to have the dumpster on site for use by the commercial establishment.”

Johnson expressed concerns about the number and nature of waiver requests, noting that the site’s limitations create a “domino effect,” where solving one issue leads to new complications.

The applicant was invited to revise the proposal or bring new alternatives forward for the October 6th meeting, but the current submission is unlikely to receive approval as-is. The board is prepared to continue reviewing future submissions, but emphasized the need to move the process forward.

Fratalia confirmed there are still additional outstanding CGC comments regarding draining, that still have to be addressed.

333 Main Street – Bohler Engineering on behalf of Walmart Real Estate Business Trust: Site Plan Review (continued from 8/18)

A representative from Bohler Engineering spoke on behalf of Walmart regarding their site plan amendment application. He noted that during the previous month’s meeting, the team had reviewed the proposal and addressed the initial round of technical review comments. Shortly after the meeting, an updated letter from the town’s peer reviewer confirmed that most comments had been resolved, with only one or two suggested conditions of approval, which the applicant has accepted.

In response to resident feedback regarding bike parking, the revised site plan now includes four bike racks (eight spaces). After further coordination with the architect, the team confirmed they could add two additional racks near the main entrance under the existing canopy, bringing the total to six racks (12 bike spaces). Currently, there is no bike parking on site, so this would represent a clear improvement.

Ciampa confirmed they will use the inverted U-style racks, and Fratalia suggested designating some of the racks specifically for employee use.

The motion to approve carried unanimously.

…

There was no Correspondence or Business to be discussed. A motion was approved to adjourn the meeting. The next Planning Board meeting will be held on September 22nd, 2025.