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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20110412 - Design Review Board - Meeting Minutes1 HOPKINTON DESIGN REVIEW BOARD Tuesday, April 12, 2011 7:00 PM Town Hall, 18 Main St., Hopkinton, MA MINUTES Members Present: Jeanette Thomson, Chairman, Jeff Doherty, Gail Fallon, Ria McNamara, Fin Perry, Sue-Ellen Stoddard, Claire Wright Members absent: Jeffrey Doherty Elaine Lazarus, Director of Land Use, Planning & Permitting 1. Site Plan Review - 63 Main Street – Hiller’s Cleaners Miguel Linera, architect, and Dave Marquedant, surveyor, appeared before the Board. Mr. Linera described the changes to the design of the building due to a provision in the Building Code. He stated that there can be no window openings or building penetrations within 0 to 3 feet of a lot line if the building does not have a sprinkler system, so the windows on the east side of the building have been eliminated and the ones on the front redesigned. Ms. Thomson asked if there is any way to break up the east facade horizontally. Mr. Linera suggested landscaping. Ms. McNamara suggested a trellis with vines. Mr. Perry stated the area should be left alone, and decoration is not architecture. He asked why there can’t be a 15 ft. tall wall there instead of the 17 ft. height shown on the plan. Mr. Linera explained the placement of equipment on the inside of the building. The Board discussed possible landscaping adjacent to the building, including tall shrubs, a trellis or wild grasses. The Board voted unanimously to approve the changes as submitted and recommended that tall evergreen shrubs be planted along the east side of the building where visible from Colella’s parking lot. 2. Site Plan Review – 172 Hayden Rowe St. No one representing the applicant was present at the meeting. The Board noted that the plans have no information on proposed materials with respect to the siding and roof, and no information on lighting, signage or landscaping. Mr. Perry noted it looks like there has been an attempt to make the new building look like a barn, but barns in the area have a different pitch and the one proposed is too low. He suggested making it look more barn-like. The Board decided to recommend: 1. Specific information on exterior materials, lighting, signage and landscaping should be provided. 2 2. The roof should have a steeper pitch to make it more consistent with the other structures in the area, especially along Hayden Rowe St. 3. The garage doors are industrial in appearance. Since the intent appears to be for the structure to resemble a barn, an alternative which resembles a barn door could be used as an alternative for the two facing Hayden Rowe St. 3. 2 Wood St. – Walker Realty LLC/Next Generation Children’s Center Robert Walker, Walker Realty, LLC, described the three additional lighting fixtures proposed for the property. He stated there has been an issue and a safety concern since the building was built, which was exacerbated this winter due to the amount of snow and darkness. He stated they have tried to illuminate the area in other ways, and it has not worked. He stated there would be one new pole at the base of the front steps and one at the base of the ramp. He noted that the poles would be 12 ft. tall. He stated a wall mounted fixture would be near the handicapped parking spaces. Ms. Wright stated she is concerned with the intensity of light proposed, which is very high compared to other sites. She stated the eye has difficulty adjusting from light to dark, and suggested fixtures that are not so bright. Mr. Walker stated that in order to create fewer “hot spots”, they would need more poles. He stated they are proposing cutoff luminaires which have a low mounting height. Ms. Lazarus noted that the foot-candle levels are consistent with what has been approved for the rest of the site. Mr. Walker noted that the lights are off at night, one hour after closing (7:00 pm). Mr. Perry stated he would like to see data that supports the request. Mr. Walker noted that the light levels are already approved on the rest of the site. Ms. Lazarus noted that this is a day care center, and safety is important. Mr. Walker stated they have proposed a double fixture near the entrance to avoid adding a pole that is higher in elevation, to avoid problems with seeing the fixture from Wood St. The Board voted unanimously to approve the plan for the increase in lighting for the site. 4. Minutes The Board voted 5 in favor with Ms. Wright abstaining to approve the Minutes of the March 22, 2011 meeting as written. 5. Design Guidelines The Board discussed possible modifications to the Design Guidelines. It was decided to incorporate the Legacy Farms Design Guidelines, guidance with respect to solar panels on roofs, permeable pavers, water conservation in landscaping, and the material in the pamphlet recently published by the Sustainable Green Committee. It was also noted that the Guidelines should stress the iterative nature of the process and use photos for the cover. Ms. Stoddard suggested looking at unsuccessful projects to learn lessons. Adjourned: 8:55 PM 3 Elaine C. Lazarus, Director of Land Use, Planning & Permitting Approved: May 10, 2011 Documents used at the meeting: Memo to Design Review Board from Elaine Lazarus dated March 8, 2011 Plan set: Hiller’s Cleaners, 63 Main St., Issued for Planning and Design Review Boards, April, 2011; prepared by A.I. Architecture Interior Design; dated March 30, 2011 Plan set: 172 Hayden Rowe St., prepared by Connorstone, dated March 11, 2011 Exterior elevation drawings of 172 Hayden Rowe St. entitled “Elder Building”, prepared by J. Hakansson, undated Photometric plan entitled “NGCC Hopkinton”, prepared by Omni-Lite Inc., dated March 24, 2011 Lighting specifications entitled “Next Generation Child Care” submitted by Omni-Lite Inc.