Planning Board - Regular Meeting

We'll be up to date on that. Can you hear me? Yeah. Yeah. Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the Franklin Planner Board. This is the August 10th, 2026 meeting. This meeting is audio and video recorded, as well as on Zoom, with the Zoom call-in number of 312-626-62799, with the meeting number of 838-389, Three, six, nine, two, three. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Jay's on. No. So we'll take. Oh, okay. Jay won't be getting that. Okay. We'll take general business first to start, though. Okay. Our first item of business, this would be for an 81 P&A off of Symphony Drive, Tanglewood Estates 2. If I could go to Amy at Department of Planning, please.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chairman. The applicant has submitted the Form A application for the plan to land. That's dated June 23, 2026. It was submitted to DPCB on July 29, 2026. The purpose of the plan is that they are providing additional land to three of the abutters. The two lots that were approved for the private subdivision still conform to our zoning regulations, and so this is just to provide them land.

Is the applicant here? Yep, we do have a representative here. If you just want to approach the mic, you can give your name and your firm. Oh, sorry. Just pull one of those forward. Oh, sorry. I'm going to pull one of the mics up.

Just for the record. I am Rich Leslie with the Bay Colony Group, and I'm representing the Cypress Real Estate Development. And just as Amy summed up, what we're doing here is now that the subdivision has been approved, we're addressing some of the encroachments or slash issues would be abutting properties sheds driveways tree clearing and like to get that all cleaned up and convey those parcels to the children and she is correct also that lots even as modified

I'm sorry. I can't quite hear that with the background noise.

You guys.

I just couldn't hear that last comment from you.

So as Amy said, the remaining lots, the modified lots, one and two, they still reply to zoning. Okay.

Thank you.

My only question would be, I'm assuming that the drainage basin is going to be on the original two-way? Yes. All right. So they'll take care of all the maintenance and all that kind of good stuff. Okay. That's all I have. Thank you.

No questions for Mr. Chairman.

Well, all good. the only question i had i just want to reconfirm going to mark's point it's not going to affect any the Clearing and cutting is going to be less at this point now that you're going to be selling off some of the apostles. It's not going to change any of the layout of the lot or anything such that was originally planned?

This was identified very early in the process, but we had to wait until the appropriate time and go ahead and address these with the apostles. Some of these lots, the reason they're contained is because they've been cleared and cut. So it won't affect

just so it doesn't make it tighter and then you have steeper slopes in the backyard and such and such. Why do you have sufficient amount of area to make it work? That's all.

Again, all these parts here, WHAT'S BEEN DONE HAS BEEN DONE. THE DRIVEWAYS, THE CLEARING OF TREES, LANDSCAPING, THE SHED WITH THE LITTLE PATIO TO IT, CHILD'S PLAY AREA, IT'S ALL DONE. THEN THOSE ABOUT IT SHOULDN'T BE LOOKING, THEY SHOULD BE HAPPY TO GET THIS LANDED OUT, NOT LOOKING TO BE CLEARING ANY FIBER. JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IT DIDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING FROM THE ORIGINAL.

YEAH. OKAY. SO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE It would be the 81P for Symphony Drive, Tanglewood and Two Estates. Do I hear a second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Okay, we're all set. Thank you. Next item of business would be for a final bond release. This is for Victor Lane, J. Victor Lane. If I could go to Amy, please, at the Department of Planning.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chairman. So the Planning Board recommended the approval of J. Victor Lane back on February 9, 2026. We released the rest of the bond money but held $1,000. We were waiting on the Town Council to... except the roadway, which was accepted on July 22nd, 2026. Just want to note, I think your package is different, but online it shows it. So the recording that our town attorney took cost $367. So he's asked that we return $633 of the $1,000 to cover the recording fee. Okay. Chris? No questions. No comments. Thank you. Mark? No comments. None? No. No? No.

All right, so I'll make a motion to approve the J. Victor Lane final bond release in the amount of $633. Do I hear a second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Next item of business, this would be a final form H for 230 East Central Street. If I could go to Amy, Department of Planning, please.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chairman. So this is the final form H, as you indicated, and the final as built for 230 East Central Street. Beta has been out there and provided pictures. I did include the partial form H, the conditions that the board had asked, which I believe most of them have been covered.

Okay, good. Mike, I see you're out there.

And Matt's out here as well.

Yeah, Matt.

Yeah.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Hi, Mike. How are you?

How's it going?

Good, good. Mike, just want to double check to make sure you're all set with 2.30, your final release.

Yes, and we're still holding the bond for the work within the right-of-way, so we're okay releasing the final as far as the planning board is concerned. Any issues we have, we'll deal with on our permits, but there's nothing I'm aware of that's an issue, so no issues.

Okay, good. Thank you. Matt, how about you?

Yes, thank you Mr. Chairman. So Beta was originally out there in June for the Partial Form H. There were a number of outstanding items that were listed on our report. We've since gone out there last week and the items have been addressed. Most notably, they installed all the bollards in front of the parking spaces as required by the special condition. They repaired the chain link fence, adding slats for screening, and the lighting has been confirmed to be operational with the owner indicating that there's no spillage onto the adjacent property to the rear. We just noted that on the as-built plan, we recommend that they show the record connection from the gas trap over to the main sewer line. And we noted as well that several of the parking spaces internal to the building are depicted on the as-built as being compact.

Okay, good. Thank you, Matt. What are the rest of the board? Well, any comments or questions? No. No. Eric?

No, just a comment. I appreciate the additional work that was done here per the original plan.

No comment. Likewise. Same thing.

Just wanted to just ask, how's the commercial space coming along? Any interest, anything there yet?

all the other work that was done thank you um the only question i had and i brought it up the last time I'M OKAY. I APPRECIATE ALL THE EXTRA STUFF YOU GUYS DID. I KNOW IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET THERE TO FINISH THIS ONE. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STILL CAN GET A LETTER FROM THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER ON THE WALL FOR THE PROCESS OF THE NEXT THREE YEARS OR SO. JUST SUBMIT IT TO THE BUILDING COMMISSIONER JUST TO SHOW THAT IT'S STILL STABLE. NOT FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THREE YEARS, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WALL IS NOT GOING TO MOVE OR GO ANYWHERE. And none other than that, I'm also up to everything else. How's the rest of the board feel with that? I think we're good. Okay. Okay. So, make a motion to approve Final Form H-230 Central Street with just that one exception for the retaining wall. What date? Well, put a August 1st each year or this January 1st?

Do you want to see if they have some comments on it, on how we want to handle it?

Yeah. Just the approach. Just introduce yourself. Joe Halligan, 240 Central. And what was the question again? Just an evaluation of the wall for, let's say, the next three years, just for a structural engineer just to review it.

I don't know how you want to do that, but we're amenable to it. But, I mean, if you want to put a stipulation in once a year or someone goes out and signs off on it or something, I would probably.

Okay.

And in your motion, can you also, just so there's no technicalities, the release of the five units that are being held? Thank you.

So I'm going to go January 1st? Do you want to go tonight?

Well, a year from now would be... Do you know when the last report was submitted to the building commissioner? FOR A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER?

I DON'T. IT WAS PROBABLY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO WHEN WE DID IT OVER. IT WAS ALL DONE. ALL THAT STUFF WAS SUBMITTED, ALL THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING WAS SUBMITTED. SO THAT'S ON RECORD. YOU CAN CHECK CUSTOMER'S DAYS.

RIGHT, RIGHT, YEAH. WELL, I'M THINKING MORE LIKE A SUMMERTIME BECAUSE OF THE WINTER AND JANUARY SNOW AND ALL THAT STUFF.

JUST NO AUGUST 1ST. THAT'S FINE.

OKAY.

and in the motion i i make a motion to uh release the final uh five lots that will be held uh five units uh for final release as well make a motion to approve final form h230 east central street do i have a second second all in favor aye thank you thank you

Okay.

Next item on business. This will be an initial public hearing for 9 and 13 through 15 Main Street Special Permit Site Plan. They're looking to open the meeting. Do we have a way of reading? Second. All in favor? Aye. So, Amy, I believe there was a letter of withdrawal from the applicant. Could you read that so we can have a record for everybody?

Yes, I can. So we did receive a letter from the applicant for withdrawal. Has the applicant's representative, Gary and Helen, respectfully request to withdraw without prejudice the site plan application for the project at 913-15 Main Street, Franklin, Mass. ? The application is being withdrawn to facilitate a refiling to correct an administrative oversight and include a second planning board special permit request for unit density. We trust this meets with your requirements. Please contact us at Milford office. That's our phone number. If you have any questions or require additional information.

From Michael Hassett, project engineer. Okay, good. Thank you. And just for the record, if you just want to introduce someone. sure uh michael has said from carrier and how long project engineer okay thank you um so this is gonna move along uh so we really can't talk about so i'm gonna make a motion to uh close the hearing on it um with the letter that uh amy read right here a second second all in favor aye now there was one other item on this um do you want to see if we can wave the filing oh wait let's do um um

You close the public hearing? Yep. All right. Now we're going to accept the withdrawal without prejudice.

Yep. Okay. So make a motion to accept the withdrawal without prejudice. Second. Second. All in favor? Aye. And they also want to waive the filing fee for the second application. I don't have an issue with that because they already paid one. So I'll make a motion to approve. The waiving of the filing fee. Do I have a second?

Second in discussion. Sure. Just to clarify for everyone listening, they've already paid a fee. This is so they don't have to pay a second fee. Correct. So the town's already collected their permit fees and application fees.

And we've done this numerous times with different projects just to help the cause so they don't have to pay twice. That's all. All right. Everybody good? Do I have a second on the waiving of the fee? Second. All in favor?

Aye. Aye. Thank you for your time.