September 7, 2005

Agenda: The Town of Stratham, Planning Board conducted a Public Hearing on Wednesday, September 7, 2005, at 7:00 p.m., at the Stratham Town Hall, 10 Bunker Hill Avenue, Stratham, NH to consider the following:

Approval of Minutes: August 17, 2005

New Business:

Application Acceptance & Public Hearing:

Map 1, Lots 13, 13-11 & 13-12 a lot line revision for W. Douglas Scamman, Jr., located on Portsmouth Avenue and River Road.

Map 1, Lot 13-12 Site Plan Review for a new automotive sales and service operation to include 19,000 sq. foot building with adequate parking, utilities and drainage, for W. Douglas Scamman, Jr./Nissan of Stratham, located on Portsmouth Avenue and River Road.

Other:

1. 2006 Zoning Changes

2. Municipal Law Lecture Series – 10/19, 10/26 & 11/2 (will require meeting date changes)

3. Planning Board Training – November 5, 2005

4. Estuary Tours – Wednesday, September 21^st or Saturday, October 1^st

5. Other

Members Present: Chair Janet Johnson, Mary Jane Werner, Jeffrey Hyland, William Provo, Bruno Federico, Martin Wool, and Town Planner, Charles (Chuck) Grassie.

Ms. Johnson informed the Board and audience that Frank Catapano was taking a short leave of absence from the Board, and asked Mary Jane Werner to act as a voting member in his absence. Ms. Johnson mentioned that the minutes from August 17, 2005 needed to be approved. Ms. Werner made a motion to approve the August 17, 2005 minutes as written. Ms. Johnson asked Jeffrey Hyland to act as a voting member this evening due to Timothy Mason’s absence. Mr. Federico seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Map 1, Lots 13, 13-11 & 13-12 a lot line revision for W. Douglas Scamman, Jr., located on Portsmouth Avenue and River Road:

Ms. Johnson apologized for that error that had occurred in noticing abutters for these applications, and thanked everyone for returning.

Mr. Grassie indicated that the plan was complete enough to be taken under jurisdiction. He gave a short outline of this application. Mr. Wool made a motion to take the plan under jurisdiction. Ms. Werner seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Attorney Michael Donahue and Bruce Scamman from Emanuel Engineering were present to represent Seacoast Imported Auto on the two applications before the Board this evening. Mr. Donahue gave a brief history of this application. He stated that the two applications are dependant upon each other. The applicant would not be going forward with the Lot Line Adjustment, if the Site Plan is not accepted. Mr. Donahue introduced the entire development team: Roger Groux from Seacoast Imported Auto, Bruce Scamman from Emanuel Engineering, Robin Bousa from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (traffic), Roger Stenbak from Stenbak Design Associates, Inc., and Robin Woodburn from Woodburn & Company (landscaping). Mr. Scamman gave a more detailed description of the proposed Lot Line Adjustment. He said that the Board had asked them to consider a right-of-way along the back of the commercial sites that would come out on River Road, and also to consider realigning River Road along a right-of-way. He stated that they have shown an area for a possible right-of-way for the realignment. They will be eliminating two of the three existing driveways to Portsmouth Avenue, and creating one central entrance on Portsmouth Avenue to the properties. There were brief discussions regarding the location of the River Road right-of-way; and the increased traffic on River Road, which is a dead end. Mr. Scamman suggested possibly having a dead end sign posted near the River Road right-of-way. Mr. Grassie said that the applicant requested the public hearing on this application be continued to October 5, 2005. Mr. Federico made a motion to continue the hearing on the Lot Line Adjustment to October 5, 2005. Mr. Wool seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Mr. Grassie had passed out copies of the plans for the Board members to view. He noted that the application was complete enough to be taken under jurisdiction. Mr. Federico made a motion to take the site plan under jurisdiction for Map 1 Lot 13-12. Ms. Werner seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Mr. Donahue introduced Mr. Groux from the Nissan dealership, who gave a brief history of this proposed project, and handed out information on the economic impact of the new dealership. Mr. Scamman from Emanuel Engineering went over the proposed project in detail - there will be a single driveway from Portsmouth Avenue accessing both lots; there will be a right and left in entrance and only a left out exit; they are proposing acceleration and deceleration lanes; they have widened the entrance lanes; the travel lane around the building is 30 feet wide; all other roads meet the 24 foot Town specified road width; the building is pushed back further from Portsmouth Avenue; they submitted a written waiver request from the parking space size from 10’ x 20’ to 9’ x 18’; they show an exact number of seasonal spaces for vehicle display; they are proposing screening for the drop off service area; they have an extensive catch basin drainage system that handles drainage from around the perimeter of the site which goes to an oil grit separator that treats drainage before it goes into the pond; other drainage areas around the site go into swales that treat the drainage before it goes into the pond; floor drains are 100 percent contained; and there will be no loudspeakers outside. Ms. Bousa from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. gave an overview of the traffic study that was done on the site. She noted that the traffic study had been submitted to the Town’s Traffic Consultant, Steve Pernaw, for his review. They have submitted an application to the NH Department of Transportation for a curb cut on Portsmouth Avenue. Roger Stenbak from Stenbak Design Associates, Inc. went over the design for the new Nissan building. He said they have tried to make the basic Nissan design look more compatible with Stratham’s colonial design for their commercial buildings. He noted that all the heating and ventilating equipment will be screened from view on three sides. Mr. Stenbak described the materials they would be using for siding and roofing. Ms. Woodburn from Woodburn & Company went over the proposed landscaping plan in detail. Mr. Scamman gave a brief presentation on the proposed lighting plan, and noted that they were requesting a waiver from Section 5.8.1b – General Lighting Requirements for the small amount of light from one fixture that will shine just over the property line into the General Commercial Zone, and for the lighting that will illuminate the driveway. He noted that all of the light fixtures were cut off box fixtures on all the major poles and most of the fixtures on the building.

There were discussions regarding: night lighting; reducing the lighting overnight; and the proposed time to turn down the lighting. Roger Groux from the Nissan Dealership said they would be proposing to scale back the lighting at 11:00 p.m. Mr. Scamman was asked if they planned on widening River Road for tractor trailer traffic. He stated that car deliveries would be made onto the site from Portsmouth Avenue, not River Road, so they did not plan on widening River Road. There were additional discussions on: the landscaping plan; the grading and drainage; the architectural plans including the height of the building and the location of the garage doors, and snow storage. Mr. Federico asked about fire protection plans for the site. Mr. Scamman indicated that they had met with the Fire Department, and there was a note on the site plan on this issue. He stated that the building would be sprinkled, but they are not sure what type of sprinkler system they would use. Mr. Wool noted that the Mobil gas station does not have a fire cistern; the Shell gas station does have a fire cistern that was completed recently, but that is the only one in the general area. He felt that the Nissan dealership needs a fire cistern. Mr. Groux indicated that he was in discussions with Mark Stebbins, a partner in Kings Highway Plaza, about the possibility of connecting the new dealership, and possibly Market Basket, into the existing water system at Kings Highway Plaza, which is on Mr. Groux’s property. Mr. Grassie noted that the Mobil gas station had contributed funds in lieu of a fire cistern on their property to be used for a fire cistern in the River Road area. He said if Mr. Groux’s plan does not come to fruition, Mr. Groux is prepared to contribute to that fund. Mr. Grassie stated that Mr. Groux will still be required to install a cistern for the sprinkler system for his new building. Mr. Grassie briefly explained Mr. Groux’s proposed fire suppression plan that would connect with Kings Highway Plaza. There was further discussion on the proposed fire suppression plan.

Mr. Wool expressed a concern regarding the garage bay doors that will be in the front of the building. He believes that there is an ordinance that states that garage doors shall not be facing Portsmouth Avenue. There was a great deal of discussion on this issue. Mr. Donahue stated that they would work on this issue. Mr. Scamman was asked if the utilities would be aboveground or underground. He was told that they would be both. There was further discussion regarding the display parking, the total number of cars that can be parked on the site, the increased traffic.

The applicant was requesting two waivers, one from Section 5.9 g(ii) – Parking Space “Dimensions. They wish to reduce the size of the parking spaces from 10’ x 20’ to 9’ x 18’. The Board members had no problem with the length of the parking spaces being reduced to 18’, but wanted the width to remain 10’. The applicant wanted to limit the number of 10’ x 18’ parking spaces to a total of seven (7) non-handicapped spaces in the front marked customer spaces. The Board members requested five (5) non-handicapped spaces in the front and (5) non-handicapped spaces on the north side, both are where the customer parking is shown. After a discussion on the parking space size reduction, Mr. Federico made a motion to approve the waiver request for parking size reduction from 10’ x 20’ to 9’ x 18’ except for a total of ten (10) non-handicapped spaces in the front and on the north side where the customer parking is shown. Ms. Werner seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The second waiver request is from Section 5.8.1(b) – General Lighting Requirements for the lighting along the shared boundary line, and for along the driveway into the site from Portsmouth Avenue. Nissan of Stratham will be obtaining an easement from the adjoining property owner, W. Douglas Scamman. After a general discussion, Mr. Wool made a motion to approve the waiver request from Section 5.8.1(b) – General Lighting Requirements. Ms. Werner seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The applicant requested a continuance to October 5, 2005. Mr. Wool made a motion to continue the Public Hearing to October 5, 2005. Mr. Federico seconded the motion , which passed unanimously.

Other:

2006 Zoning Changes

There were discussions regarding possible zoning changes, with a long discussion on the future of the NH Technical College, the possibility of rezoning that area CLIO, and preserving the athletic fields at the NH Technical College; the possibility of mixed uses on the site; other possible places for increases in the commercial and industrial districts; workforce affordable housing; and impact fees. Mr. Grassie noted that there was not a lot of support for impact fees at this time. There were additional discussions on: possible sign ordinance changes. Mr. Grassie indicated that there have been complaints regarding various existing signs. The Board will discuss possible changes to the Zoning Ordinance at their next workshop meeting in two weeks. Mr. Grassie will have some information ready for the Board’s review at the next meeting.

Mr. Grassie stated that the Municipal Law Lecture Series was coming up on 10/19, 10/26 & 11/2/05. He encourage everyone to participate, but noted that it would require two meeting date changes. Mr. Grassie noted that the State Planning Conference will be held on November 5, 2005 at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH. He also encourage the Board members to attend this conference. Mr. Grassie noted that the Estuary Tours will be held on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 and Saturday, October 1, 2005. These are free VIP boat tours of the estuaries. There was a brief discussion on the status of the Shell gas station being built on the corner of Frying Pan Lane and Portsmouth Avenue. Mr. Grassie said that one of the Board’s newest members, Jeff Hyland, is a Landscape Architect. Mr. Hyland has agreed to take a look at the landscaping at the Shell gas station to make sure it conforms to what was approved by the Board. It had been noted that some of the plantings look like they may not survive, that the seeding had not been done properly, and may not be what was shown on the plans. Mr. Grassie recommended that the Town look into the possibility of getting a bond for the plantings to make sure that any that plantings die are replaced. The Board hoped to get a report back from Mr. Grassie at the next meeting. Mr. Grassie was asked to notify Building Inspector Terry Barnes of the Board’s concerns. Other planning issues were discussed, including fire suppression issues

Mr. Federico made a motion to adjourn at 9:30 p.m. Ms. Werner seconded the motion, which carried.

Respectfully submitted,

Linda A. Beaudoin

Secretary Stratham Planning Board