TOWN OF MANCHESTER, VERMONT
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD (DRB) MINUTES
September 6, 2023
KILBURN MEETING ROOM
Board Attendees: Tim Waker, John Watanabe, Ray Ferrarin & Cynthia Kilburn
Absent Catherine Stewart & Mary Shoener
Staff Attendees: Zoning Administrator Peter Brabazon
Public Attendees: Frank Parent, Sam Johnson, Abby Chaloux, Andrew Rodriquez, Sylvia Jolivette
Brabazon initiated audio recording. Waker called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Minutes of the August 2, 2023, Meeting.
Motion to approve as submitted by Ferrarin seconded by Watanabe motion carried 4-0.
246 Corp, 4572 Main Street, Applicant wishes to open a restaurant at the new location that was at one time retail and requires a hearing due to parking requirements.
Application 2023-08-068 Tax Map ID 36-50-42.00
Waker administered the oath to the applicant and representative Sam Johnson & Frank Parent P.E Long Trail Engineering.
Frank provided an overview of the project to turn the previous business location of the Bee’s Hallmark Florist Store in to Sam Johnson’s pizza restaurant. This area is marked in Green on the site plan as submitted. The parking uses are based on the different businesses located in the plaza & for Hound Dog’s there was no history of use prior to this application. The total available spaces were calculated to be 74 available spaces in total. The shared use tables from the ordinance was used for the calculations. The maximum peak & weekend use was determined to be 74 spaces. Waker asked if Hound Dog’s 25 spaces were a part of the calculation? Parent said that yes, Hound Dog’s 25 spaces were included.
There were no additional questions about parking.
Waker asked what the plan was for the dumpsters? There was no food service provided in this building prior to this application. Waker asked, now that there will be food service, the request would be for the applicant to provide for a bear proof dumpster. At the next meeting the applicant will have a revised plan to incude dumpster screening and bear proof dumpsters. The tentative opening date for Sam’s is scheduled for late October.
Watanabe asked if there is any proposed outdoor seating. The applicant responded that they have no intent at this time but may request it in the future.
Ferrarin asked if there would be any provision maded for deliveries to the site. Parent said that all deliveries will be brought in through the back door where the dumpsters are located.
Waker asked what the plan for wood storage was? All wood is proposed to be stored indoors and nothing stored outside.
No additional questions were posed.
Watanabe made a motion to continue until the next scheduled meeting on October 4th.
Ferrarin seconded the motion. The motion carried 4-0.
Jai Mataji, LLC, 2187 Depot Street. Application 2022-08-093, Tax Map ID 39-50-81.00.
Waker administered the oath to Abby Chaloux & Andrew Rodriquez P.E from MSK representing the applicant Jai Mataji, LLC.
Chaloux gave an overview of the request to amend the permit conditions and a brief history of the application to allow for full time work force housing for the winter months.
The DRB in their decision determined that the two existing washers and dryers would not be adequate to service the 62 adults to be housed in the 31 units.
At the direction of the applicant the engineers are submitting the following additional information to determine if an amendment is feasible.
The existing wastewater treatment facility that currently serves the 200 & 300 buildings does not have the capacity to allow for two additional washers and dryers.
There was discussion to install the additional two washers and dryers in the 100 series building as it was believed to be a separate wastewater system at the time it was suggested. However, the landowner asserts that there is no room to add two washers and dryers anywhere at this location.
Abby Chaloux said “the Bylaws state that there must be a common laundry room for residents but does not offer a calculation.”
Section 8.3.3 Cooking and Sanitation Facilities All dwelling units must have safe, functioning cooking and sanitation facilities in accordance with the following:
(3) Any dwelling unit containing three or more bedrooms within a multi-family building must have utility connections for a washing machine and clothes dryer in the unit. Any dwelling unit containing less than three bedrooms within a multi-family building must either have utility connection for a washing machine and clothes dryer within the unit or there must be a common laundry room in the building with washing machines and clothes dryers accessible to residents.
If the Board is going to agree to amend there would need to be a demonstrable reason to allow for an amendment. Are there conditions that have changed, will there be less people staying there which would then reduce the need to provide additional washers and dryers for residents?
Chaloux has stated that nothing has changed in the conditions on site, so far as the original permitting requirement. What has changed is the awareness of the wastewater system being at capacity which was unknown at the time of the original application.
Andrew Rodriguez P.E for MSK spoke regarding the wastewater capacity. This site has a long history, in 1996 there was an increase of capacity for added seats to the restaurant. There was a system for the hotel rooms and a separate system for the restaurant. At some point, these systems were thought to be combined to allow for additional seating capacity for the restaurant. We do not know if this change was put in to effect or what was done. This was a permanent change and it might be that any proposed modification to the wastewater was never done. The wastewater permit may not match the wastewater system that is currently in place. Unless additional work is done it would not be possible to know exactly what the capacity of the system is today. The owner is not willing to do the additional engineering work to determine the capacity at this time.
Waker said that the applicant was agreeable to the permit conditions at the time of the hearing and that there was no reason to believe that four washers and dryers would be a problem to install.
Rodriguez offered that in the permitting of a system the state views the addition of a washing machine to look at it running at full capacity, this translates to approximately 400 gallons per day.
Further authorization to investigate the system to see if this is a viable option is not being requested by the owner.
Watanabe said that he believes that a washer and dryer location could be identified somewhere in the building and it is conceivable that it may not be ideal, but could be possible.
There was a motion made by Ferrarin to continue the hearing until the next regular meeting schedule for October 4th. The motion was seconded by Kilburn and the motion passed 4-0. The meeting date was set to allow the Board to obtain additional information from the engineers.
Other Business
Having no further business, the motion was made to adjourn by Watanabe and seconded by Ferrarin. The motion carried 4-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:56
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For the Development Review Board Date