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STOCKBRIDGE PLANNING BOARD
NOVEMBER 23, 2004 MEETING

MINUTES

PRESENT:  All present

Meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m.  Minutes of the October 26th meeting were reviewed and one change requested.  Member Hobbs then moved to approve them as amended, Member Bartle seconded, and the motion carried.

Chairman Rose then addressed the members of the audience and outlined the format for the public hearings on the Stone Ridge Definitive Subdivision Plan and its LPOD Special Permit application.  He mentioned that unlike the last process, there would be little cross-examination allowed.  The Board agreed that a more structured approach would be beneficial.

STONE RIDGE DEFINITIVE SUBDIVISION PUBLIC HEARING:

At 7:35 p.m. Chairman Rose opened the public hearing on the Stone Ridge Preliminary Subdivision Plan and reopened the continued LPOD Special Permit hearing.  Member Bartle read the public hearing notice of the Subdivision review into the record, as it was published in the Berkshire Eagle.  The applicant team was then introduced:  Ray Levesque, from Levesque Associates; Richard Bernstein, from Stone Ridge, LLC; and Darrin Harris and Dan Lovett, from Hill Engineering.  It was decided that the subdivision plan should be presented first, with the LPOD special permit reviewed as part of this presentation.  Darrin Harris explained the parcel in question, noting that it was almost 100 acres in Stockbridge and West Stockbridge.  The application requests a seven-lot subdivision with a 1790 linear-foot access road with a one-way loop at the end.  With the amount of road frontage of this lot, seven lots would be allowed under the town subdivision regulations through a Form A process.  The applicant has agreed to preserve approximately 30 acres of open space in no cut zones.  There are building envelopes on each lot that were placed based on topography, sight lines, views and resources areas.  It is a low-density application that asks for several waivers, none of which compromises safety or is done to increase density, in the opinion of the applicant team.

Dan Lovett then presented the engineering aspects of the application.  He pointed out the five identified drainage areas on the property, ranging from 50 acres to 2 acres.  He explained the use of roadside swales and culverts to direct the runoff into three drainage structures.  There are two detention basins, and an infiltration structure.  The infiltration structure aims to reduce peak runoff, and it meets DEP infiltration standards.  The placement of the drainage structures was based on topography and lot layout.  The proposed road as designed exceeds federal standards for road design of rural roads.  It attempts to blend in with similar road in the neighborhood and therefore has no sidewalks.  Two dozen septic system perc tests were performed.  All passed in Stockbridge, as the soil on that part of the property is deep drained, gravelly soil.

Ray Levesque then reviewed the elements of the LPOD Special Permit application.  The roadway as proposed is in the LPOD of Mohawk Brook; no house sites are.  He described the impact as “minor”: 900 square feet of road near the entrance of the project, with 600 feet of that in the LPOD; and 4,800 square feet of one detention area is within the LPOD.  In total, less than one quarter of an acre is within the LPOD.  There will be some cutting of vegetation near the entrance of the road for drainage purposes.  The drainage plan meets both Conservation Commission and DEP requirements.  The plan calls for replanting of vegetation in the LPOD both as a mitigation factor and as a requirement of the Riverfront Area regulations.  The new vegetation would attract wildlife, and will fix issues caused by former logging operations on site.

The floor was then opened to Board members for questions.  Member Bartle asked about the brook that runs through the Radkai property and the source of that brook.  He was told the source was an underground spring on the property in question, but the applicant is not sure where that source is.  Chances are it is part of the subterranean drainage system for the whole area.  Member Plakun asked when the Conservation Commission issued its Order of Conditions.  He was told it was May 23, 2003, and it was for a nine-lot subdivision; the application as submitted will have less impact because of fewer lots.  Chairman Rose asked where the 100-foot line is in the LPOD, which is the boundary for all construction, and was shown it on the plan.  He then asked if the applicant feels that the project will change the land use significantly and increase the impacts.  Mr. Levesque said that the only change would be an improvement on the current condition.  Member Blau asked about the effect of blasting on the underground water resources.  Mr. Lovett felt that blasting will not have any impact on site because their expert did not feel blasting was necessary (outlined in the last appendix of the application).  Due to the fact that there is a lot of marble in the ledge area, the use of alternative ram equipment should suffice.  Member Blau asked if all perc test locations were within building envelopes and was told yes.  Mr. Bernstein commented that the building envelopes were located both for aesthetics and for the percability of the land.  Chairman Rose asked if the West Stockbridge Planning Board had reviewed this plan.  Mr. Ken Kimmel said that the applicant was waiting for approval in Stockbridge before going to West Stockbridge; that board had approved the original plan.  The current plan is to Form A the two lots in West Stockbridge.  Chairman Rose asked if the LPOD application met all applicable standards, and Mr. Levesque believed so.  He also added that in his opinion it would have no significant impact on health, public safety or the environment; in fact, it would decrease erosion and increase wildlife habitat.

Mr. Bernstein then made a brief presentation.  He pointed out that this application was similar to his original plan, but the shorter road will decrease the impact on the land in two ways:  1) the road itself is shorter, so there is less impervious coverage; and 2) the driveways are shorter than if the land was divided through the Form A process, creating seven long driveways.  Member Hobbs asked for the calculation of total driveway length.  Mr. Levesque will submit that information at a future meeting, but he believed the overall road and driveway coverage is less than seven individual driveways.

Chairman Rose announced to the audience that the application is available for review in the Town Clerk’s office during regular Town Hall business hours, and encouraged people to take a look at it.

Town Counsel J. Raymond Miyares pointed out to the Board that the applicant was asking for a covenant to ensure infrastructure completion, which is one of the methods allowed but rarely utilized.  Mr. Kimmel explained it would be a condition of the subdivision approval, and would not allow any lots to be sold until the infrastructure was complete.  He said this was a better fit for this project because the Town will not taking it over as a public road.  Chairman Rose commented that it was an incentive to complete instead of a disincentive not to complete.

Cris Irsfeld asked if he could be recognized from the audience because he would not be able to attend the next public hearing.  He was wondering if there were any safeguards in the application to prevent further subdivision of the land after approval of this plan.  Mr. Kimmel assured him that there would only be seven lots on this land, but the Board could include this safeguard as a condition of the subdivision approval.

With no further discussion, Chairman Rose continued the public hearing until December 14th at 7:35 p.m., when the Board would hear public comment on the application.

NEW BUSINESS:

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is still looking for a Planning Board rep.  Chairman Rose offered to be the rep. for this year.  He also volunteered to be the rep. on the town’s Community Preservation Act committee.

Chairman Rose announced to the Board that there is an ad hoc group trying to craft a historic district Special Permit bylaw that essentially is a demolition delay device.  He does not believe the language will be ready for the next Annual Town Meeting.

With no further business, Member Bartle moved to adjourn, Member Hobbs seconded, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.