Monroe Commons debate turns to lighting, safety

The Monroe Town Planning Board weighed the importance of safety versus aesthetics, during its review of Monroe Commons at its September 17 meeting. The board discussed the site’s lighting requirements and agreed that while mitigating its impact on surrounding areas was important, the safety of pedestrians and motorists coming in and out of the property was paramount.

Planning board member Jeff Manson, who served as chair in Bonnie Franson’s absence, said he felt the design of the property and lighting scheme did enough to limit the exposure beyond the property. Fellow board member Pat Shea concurred, saying, “Very simply, safety trumps aesthetics. So, I think there should be latitude for them to provide a safe environment.” The board also noted the presence of well-lit properties, including retail locations, nearby.

The board will continue its review of the Monroe Commons application at a special meeting October 1.

Trees

During the meeting, the planning board agreed to also review the town’s amendments to the Tree Preservation Law at the October 1 special meeting. Addressing the amendments, Manson suggested that one way to help with preservation would be to limit the amount of impervious surface in the town. He suggested that the town consider reviewing the amount of parking it requires in its code, saying that he believed these requirements do not serve or promote the town’s environmental goals.

“Every time we don’t have to require a certain amount of parking, the trees that are in that space are automatically preserved, or it gives us additional land to preserve more trees or add more trees. I’d like to see, once the [town] board is done finishing the tree preservation law, I’d like them to really take a look at that. I think it’s the single biggest thing we could do.”

The board noted how Monroe Commons is a great example of how often the code parking requirements go beyond what is needed, citing their parking study which showed they needed 50% less parking than what they had to provide. They also mentioned Home Depot which is currently looking to reduce 34 parking spaces.

Other business

The planning board continued its review of the Golden Delite Bakery and scheduled a public hearing for October 15.

The board also held a public hearing for the residential project Eagle View Estates, to be located at 402 Lakes Road. At the time a resident of a neighboring property asked where the wells and septic were going to be and shared concerns over the proximity of the property to her own, as well as the clearing of trees. The board said there would be no tree clearing associated with the project and that nearby wells would be monitored as part of the test of the property’s wells. They also noted that an independent water test was done, the results of which are publicly available. Once the wells are installed, the board said, they will be reviewed by the town before a certificate of occupancy is issued for each home. Regarding the septic, the planning board noted that these will be temporary as the property is required to hook into the sewer system.

The board closed the public hearing and voted to approve the project, pending conditions met.