Planning Board

The Planning Board opened with a short administrative session and then considered several development items. The board approved an ANR for 43 Oakland Street to create a non-buildable Lot B seaward of the mean high tide line so National Grid can undertake riverfront soil remediation; staff and the Technical Review Committee had no objections. The board also reviewed and voted to approve the Rocky Hill site plan and associated findings, waivers, and conditions (addresses on Elm Street), approving amendments that add conditions to account for any future MEPA certificate changes and to allow verification of off-site traffic mitigation work completed under a MassWorks grant. During discussion the board clarified how MassWorks-funded improvements would be documented and whether those items could relieve the applicant of duplicate obligations, and they left an unresolved siding-materials question (vinyl vs. cementitious on the south neighborhood) for the developer to pursue as a later modification rather than reopening the closed hearing.

Other matters: an accessory dwelling unit application at 3 Old Merrill Street (detached ADU with front-setback special permit request) was discussed in detail — the board advised the applicants to go to Design Review and the Technical Review Committee and continued that public hearing to a later meeting. Several other hearings (28 Haverhill Road and 30 Belmont Street) were continued to give applicants more time to respond to technical comments. The board also endorsed the final plans for 2-4 Elmwood Street (plans and covenants/bonds previously approved). There were no substantive written or in-person public comments recorded on the items heard during this meeting.