HomeMy Public PortalAboutPB Minutes 2005-10-25 ORLEANS PLANNING BOARD
October 25, 2005 —Minutes
A meeting of the Orleans Planning Board was called to order at 7:00 p.m. in Meeting Room A, Orleans
Town Hall. Present: Chairman: Sims McGrath; Vice Chairman: John Fallender; Clerk: Seth
Wilkinson;Nate Pulling; Kenneth McKissick; Associates: Paul O'Connor; Gary Guzzeau. Town
Planners: George Meservey and John Jannell; Secretary: Karen Sharpless. Also Present:
Board of Selectmen Liaison: Jon Fuller.
VILLAGE CENTER ZONING ENVELOPE ANALYSIS
Meservey stated that the Planning Department has been working on a zoning envelope analysis, which
looks at what structures can be built in the downtown area. It is a large study area which may be
narrowed in the future. Meservey noted it is very hard to divorce the use of land from the buildings and
structures. Jannell noted that this was an interesting study and it is different from the buildout analysis.
Jannell stated this is a lot size analysis that looked at the area required on each lot in the Village Center
District plus a few lots in the Limited Business District. Jannell said he looked at the size of the lots and
the area required for dedicated uses like parking, setbacks, and some landscaping. Jannell stated he
looked at what currently exists and how it is currently used and what is left for residual land. Secondly,
Jannell said they allocated the residual land in a buildout fashion to try to understand how much
additional development, or in the Village Center we are using floor area as the unit of measure. The study
area includes 108 parcels, 400,000 square feet of leasable commercial floor space currently in that area,
and 62 dwellings. Jannell report that the Village Center District is the most flexible district in terms of
commercial density. Some of the zoning requirements that we looked at, such as 100% floor area ratio
that is allowed, no impervious surface limits, and the 10 foot side yard setbacks that could be waived
under a Special Permit are the most permissive in any of our commercial districts. The land use table
shows that %3 of the land is currently used for parking, %3 of the land is used for building and buffer area,
and %3 of the land is left as residual land area.
Jannell stated that sites were categorized into three different groups to better understand what exists:
A Built Site is a site that is currently fully utilized, has minor residual land area, and if it was a
changed use, its impact on the Village Center wouldn't be much more significant than its impact
on the Village Center today.
Infilled Sites are sites that are not fully utilized and have some residual land area that could be
used for additional development.
A Redevelopment Site is a site that is not being fully utilized and has been identified as a site that
can potentially be completely redeveloped.
Jannell noted that it was important go through the process of categorizing the sites in order to understand
where the residual land lies in order to be able to go forward. Residual land in the Village Center is
spread out amongst many parcels. Meservey commented that"Built Site"parcels like Churches, Snow's,
and the condominium sites, with a maximum number of dwellings on the area by Special Permit, have no
more build out potential.
Jannell stated that a sample of maxed out sites around town showed that independent of use, the amount
of space on a parcel that is typically dedicated to parking is about 40%. That indicates that 40% of land
needs to be dedicated on any site for parking; 10% can be dedicated for irregularities (i.e. landscaping);
Planning Board Minutes October 25, 2005 Page 1 of 4
and 50% of the residual land on each site could remain available for additional development(floor area in
this district). Jannell stated that the study shows that there is a lot of capacity downtown. Jannell stated
that another factor is the "build up" - there currently exists a 30' height limit downtown and only 35 of the
parcels have second floor leasable floor area.
Jannell stated the following key findings:
The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 100%is not limiting.
Parking is the most limiting zoning requirement in the study area.
Any increase in height will add to capacity by allowing built sites to add a third floor for
apartments, but the owner may not have to add parking if less than six spaces are required. There
are potentially 37 dwellings that could be added under this rule.
Jannell noted that the preliminary Market Study was necessary and very helpful in guiding zoning
amendments to the Village Center as far as use amendments. Use changes could only apply to the whole
district, any density issues should likely not apply to the study area because of the large amount of
existing capacity in the entire study area. Jannell suggested that an overlay district might be a more
appropriate way, if the goal were to increase density in a smaller area of the district. McGrath asked for
an estimate of the number of additional dwelling units that could be added to existing structures under
current zoning. Jannell noted that it is not zoning, but other stipulations that are interfering with
businesses wanting to locate in the Village Center.
Meservey listed other limiting factors for the Village Center:
1. Parking
2. Wastewater treatment disposal
3. Building Code issues
4. Fire Code issues
5. Market conditions
Wilkinson noted that apartments above shops are the best option for workforce housing since they tend to
be more affordable, and tend to be starter"homes". Meservey stated the following statistics: Of the 800
renters in Orleans, 472 of the renter households are one-bedroom(1-2 people), there are only 335 one-
bedroom apartments available for rent in Orleans which shows that some people are over-housed,
meaning they have to purchase whatever they can get in Orleans. McGrath noted that one of the aspects
of the study is the ability to provide additional affordable workforce housing, rather than be subjected to
the threat of a developer's 40B. Meservey stated that Orleans is approximately 50 housing units short of
reaching the required 10% affordable housing goal. O'Connor pointed out that it will be necessary to
convince the building owners that affordable workforce housing above or behind a commercial building is
marketable and will be advantageous to them. McGrath stated that the recommendations in the Orleans
Comprehensive Plan and the support of it by residents at Town Meeting guide the Planning Board's
thinking on these issues. Meservey noted that it is important to find out what the town voters want and
then the Planning Board will need to come forth with a proposal of what needs to be done, and present it
to the Town Meeting in order to get their support.
Wilkinson noted that part of the Planning Board's job is to figure out how large the town should grow, in
order to understand how wastewater planning and growth issues fit in. The Planning Board agreed that
buildout should be based on 11,000 residents. Wilkinson suggested directing future growth toward the
downtown, but Fallender noted that will change the demographics regarding the need for emergency and
school services. Fallender noted that commercial property is cheaper than a condominium in East
Orleans, thus forcing people into the commercial area. Meservey stated there aren't many parcels large
enough to do an apartment development downtown, especially in the study area, but 40B developments
can be done on one acre parcels.
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Meservey noted that rental units count toward the 10% affordable housing goal, but not if the units are
sold as condominiums. McGrath noted that rental units provide a large turnover, as opposed to ownership
units. McKissick indicated that it is important to know what makes a Village Center worthwhile. The
Planning Board agreed that there is a big need for affordable workforce housing in town, and it is
important to get to the 10% affordable housing goal as soon as possible. McGrath noted that any long-
term planning must involve wastewater planning.
OKMAssociates(Pe,-Barringer) -Market Study dated October 19, 2005
Meservey reported the possibility of a positive response from the license plate grant program, which will
hopefully fund $25,000 for a market study by Peg Barringer in the Village Center. Peg Barringer
previously completed a Market study for the Route 6A corridor from the Orleans Rotary to the Brewster
line. The Planning Board discussed the need for businesses to be successful resulting in a vibrant
downtown area to provide goods and services to year-round residents. McKissick noted that residents do
not favor fostering a seasonal environment, but would rather cater to year round residents. .
Action: The Chairman asked members to write down five reasonable objectives for the downtown area
and Meservey will summarize the information for the next meeting.
ORLEANS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN—FY'07 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS
FY'07 Orleans Comprehensive Plan—Planning Board Priorities
Meservey noted that Departments and Committees with Orleans Comprehensive Plan"Land Buying"
responsibilities are required to submit their list of budget priorities to the Planning Board, then a list of
priorities is compiled and must be submitted to the Board of Selectmen by November 15 for their review.
Action: Members were asked to prioritize the list of Planning Board's action items for the Orleans
Comprehensive Plan and give them to Meservey for a master document noting the current status for these
action items.
NEW BUSINESS
Release of Covenant—Kleban-Lot 15 on Skymeadow Drive
Meservey stated that the Covenant for Lot 15 on Skymeadow Drive has not been released and there has
been a request by Attorney Richard Laraja for the Planning Board to release that lot.
MOTION: On a motion by Ken McKusick, seconded by John Fallender, the Board voted to authorize
the Planning Board Chairman to sign a Complete Release of Covenant for Lot 15 on Skymeadow Drive,
owned by Edward M. Kleban and Carol S. Kleban known as Skaket Portraits dated March 5, 1982.
VOTE: 5-0-0 The vote was unanimous.
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CORRESPONDENCE
Guzzeau presented an article entitled, "High Rise Multi-Use Development: The Rise of Vertical
Multi-use Condominiums".
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: October 11 2005
MOTION: On a motion by John Fallender, seconded by Ken McKusick, the Board voted to approve
the minutes of October 11, 2005.
VOTE: 5-0-0 The vote was unanimous.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: On a motion by Nate Pulling, seconded by John Fallender, the Board voted to adjourn at
9:05 p.m.
VOTE: 5-0-0 The vote was unanimous.
SIGNED: DATE:
(Clerk: Seth Wilkinson)
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