One of the special permits they discussed concerned a reconstruction project at 130 King Caesar Road.  The applicants are a pair of trustees in the Heap Realty Trust and are seeking approval to demolish an existing non-conforming dwelling built in the 1930s and replace it with a new, larger non-conforming structure.

In a memo to the board, Planning Director Christine Stickney raised several issues, most notably the difficult access to the house via a narrow, eight- to ten-foot access road passable by only one car.  Stickney questioned the emergency accessibility of the roadway as well as who exactly owned the “right of way” shown on the submitted plans.

Board member Angela Scieszka said she had trouble conducting a site visit on the property due to confusion over how to access the home and noted that no explanation is given by the applicant regarding the right of way, how it was created or the agreement of its usage.{sidebar id=4}

“If the agreement is between members of the family [who own the property and an adjacent property], that is great but if this is sold in the future, we need to make that clear right now,” she said.

Other planning board members had questions regarding setback measurements and if the right of way was included in lot line calculations or not as well as the large increase in coverage of the proposed new dwelling.

Following Stickney’s recommendation, the board decided to invite the applicant’s engineer, Paul Brogna of Seacoast Engineering, to their next meeting on April 26 to have a chance to clarify some of these issues before the board makes a final recommendation.  The Zoning Board of Appeals is holding a public hearing on the special permit request on April 22.

On Tuesday, Stickney said that since the board and Brogna can’t meet until April 26, they’ll ask that the ZBA’s hearing be continued.

Also on Monday night, the planning board recommended denial of a special permit for the installation of a freestanding 65”x50” sign for Coldwell Banker at 15 Depot Street.

Reviewing the site location and its proximity to other signs for Duxbury Marketplace and entrance and exit signs, the board felt that an additional sign would create more clutter.

In her memo, Stickney also noted her concern over line of sight for vehicles entering and exiting the site and the adjoining businesses.

Recognizing the two signs for Duxbury Marketplace that list multiple stores, Scieszka noted that these businesses don’t have the benefit of facing Depot Street with their signage as the Coldwell Banker does.  Currently the building has a sign on its front and on one side of the building.

Member John Bear also noted the possibility that if this sign were to be approved, other businesses within the marketplace could come forward for freestanding signs as well.

Noting this potential clutter and the line of sight issues given the number of curb cuts resulting in frequent turning traffic, the board voted unanimously to recommend denial of the special permit to the ZBA.

In other business at their Monday meeting, the planning board:

*Discussed the potential purchase by the town of 10.3 acres of land off West Street.  Known to many as the Jaycox or Christmas Tree Farm, the town has the right of first refusal on this land and several of the town’s boards are reviewing the benefits of using $600,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to purchase the land.  Planning board members took no action at their meeting in order to review the last appraisal on the land and gather more information.

*Issued a memo to the ZBA regarding a traffic study done for the proposed Brewster Commons 40B project.  In the memo, the board recommends that the applicant work with MassHighway traffic engineers to develop a concept plan for proposed roadways to meet state requirements and regulations as the access is on Route 3A, a state roadway.  The memo added that included in this plan should also be the Highway Safety Committee’s concerns relative to a school bus stop and safe access at the intersection of the proposed units and Tremont Street.{sidebar id=6}