Nantucket Sound, LLC
SBL: 37.18-2-86
Location: 385 Kear Street
Contact: Site Design Consultants
Description: Proposed to construct a three story, 10,500 square foot building with a mix of residential and retail uses on 0.36 acres in the C-2R zone.


Planning Board, 9-14-2020

Mr. Riina advised the board the mixed use plan that was originally scheduled for a public hearing was being withdrawn and that the applicant would submit a different plan at a later time.  He showed a conceptual plan similar to an earlier proposal for a smaller one story building with two retail stores and a drive thru.  The applicant is no longer considering any residential units. No reason was given for the change.


Planning Board, 7-13-2020

Mr. Riina explained that in response to comments from John Flynn at the Public Informational Hearing, the site plan has been revised to reflect an easement Caremount has from Kear St. The revised plan changes the parking, truck loading and dumpster location. To address the loss of two parking spaces, the revised plan adds one parking space on the Caremount site and repositions a second parking space.   The applicant has also submitted an updated landscape and lighting plan.

 

Mr. Riina said he had responded to an earlier memo from the TCAC noting that 93 trees and 93 shrubs would be planted. He had not received a subsequent interim TCAC memo that the Planning Department received earlier that day that was based on a revised submission.

 

Mr. Tegeder questioned the on site relocated parking place and suggested that there be off line discussions related to possible changes in the Caremount easement. Mr. Fon suggested that Mr. Tegeder work off line with the TCAC on tree mitigation issues.

 

A public hearing will be held in August.


Planning Board 5-4-2020

Susan Siegel, the person writing this summary, raised several questions including: access to the site and turning capabilities for fire and garbage trucks and connections to the Caremount lot.  She also questioned the apparent lack of setback requirements for the site’s C2-R zone and any requirement in the zoning code for open space or recreational facilities for mixed use buildings.  The hearing was closed.


Planning Board, 4-27-2020

The applicant reviewed the site plan, landscape plan and architectural rendering.   Both the landscaping and architecture will mirror the abutting Caremount building.  It appeared that access will be from an existing easement on Kear Street although the status of a portion of the easement was not completely clear. The stormwater plan has been delayed because of corvid-19.The plan provides for 25 parking spaces, meeting code requirements.  A tree survey has not been prepared yet. The trees along Route 118 (which are not on the applicant’s property) will be retained.

 

In response to the board’s comment about adding a sidewalk along Kear St, Mr. Riina explained that there’s a sidewalk on the opposite side of the street from the shopping center to Route 118.  In response to the board’s question about providing a sidewalk connection from the apartments to Route 118, Mr. Riina explained that there were grading issues and also a sidewalk connection might require the removing of some of the trees.

 

Mara Ziedins said that the plan was too massive and out of step with the community.  She said that more apartments were not needed.

 

John Flynn said he liked the apartments and the mixed use plan but thought that the third of an acre site was too small for the project.  He also asked a series of questions about setbacks, parking spaces, the size of the plan’s two dumpsters, and traffic flow.

 

The hearing was adjourned as the notices were sent out late.


Planning Board, 2-24-2020

In response to the board’s comments at the previous meeting, the applicant showed the board an elevation plan that included several segments of a retaining wall with a fence on top along Kear Street. The board was pleased with the change.  A public informational hearing will be held March 23.


Planning Board, 2-10-2020

The applicant presented a more detailed plan for the mixed use development with retail on the first floor (2 possible stores) and two floors, each containing three apartments.  Access would be from the Caremount Building parking lot. Garbage trucks, serving separate locations for the stores and apartments would back out of the site into the Caremount parking lot.  The board asked for more architectural details, including full elevations given the site’s slope. Mr. Bock questioned the limited outdoor space for the tenants; what’s proposed is a 10’ x 18’ patio. Mr. Bock also thought the project squeezed a lot into a small space.


Planning Board, 12-16-2019

Mr. Riina presented a revised conceptual site plan (the potential tenant for an earlier site plan no longer was available) for a 3-story 8,101 sf building with retail on the first floor and 6 apartments on the upper floors. Mr. Fon said that the plan looked “squeezed in” and Mr. Kincart said that while he liked the mixed use concept that would fit into the board’s hamlet look goal, he was concerned about the density.  Calling the plan a “work in progress,” Mr. Riina said he would come back to the board with a more developed plan. 

 


Planning Board, 5-6-2019

Mr. Riina gave the board a first look at a plan for a 3-story 10,500 sf building at the corner of Kear and Route 118, abutting the new Unicorn Building. The lot is 0.36 acre.  The first floor would be for a counter-type food service establishment with a drive thru and the second two floors would be rental apartments. The plan shows 13 parking spaces where the code would require 34. The applicant acknowledged the parking problem. The Planning Board can, under certain circumstances reduce the parking requirements. Also, the applicant could rely on shared parking with the abutting Unicorn building and/or seek a variance from the Zoning Board. Explaining that the residential and commercial parking needs vary, Mr. Tegeder cited the mixed use development on Kear Street, adding that he has never seen a parking problem at that site.

 

When Supervisor Gilbert, who was attending the meeting, raised the issue of whether by coming in now, the applicant was segmenting the SEQRA process, Mr. Tegeder said that the board had dealt with this issue when the Unicorn proposal was initially before the board and the site was proposed for a bank. Unicorn subsequently deleted the idea of a bank on the parcel and its site plan did not include the 0.36 acre parcel.

 

Mr. Gilbert also brought up the issue of capacity at the town’s sewage treatment plant and said that as part of any approval, the town may want the applicant to fund a possible infiltration and inflow study.