Three-lot subdivision granted conditional approval

The Monroe Town Planning Board granted conditional approval for the final site plan and special use permits for a subdivision at Seven Springs Road, during its October 15 meeting. The subdivision plans call for three, newly constructed two-family homes to each occupy one of three new lots on an approximately 9.5-acre parcel of land. Each 3,500-square-foot two-family dwelling will contain four bedrooms and be served by private wells and individual sewage disposal systems. In addition, the properties located on lots two and three will utilize a shared driveway entrance.

During the review of the conditions, the applicant representative objected to language that said no bedrooms are permitted in any basement without an amended site plan approval from the planning board. He questioned the restriction, noting that if they don’t exceed the approved bedroom count, those bedrooms should be allowed to be placed anywhere in the home. He added that he felt it was at the discretion of the town’s building department to determine whether a bedroom in the basement was permissible under building regulations.

Deputy Chair Jeff Manson, who oversaw the meeting in Planning Board Chairperson Bonnie Franson’s absence, wondered if the issue was due to the plan to include unfished basements. The applicant argued that the approved architectural plans were not related to the internal configuration of the home. Planning board attorney Kelly Naughton weighed in, saying that she didn’t understand why the condition prohibiting basement bedrooms was included in the first place. The planning board engineer provided more insight, saying that he didn’t know if the board has restricted bedrooms in the basement on previous site plans and shared his view that that if the bedroom count isn’t exceeded, it does not matter where they are located in the structure.

The board agreed to remove the note restricting the placement of bedrooms in the basement, acknowledging that doing so would make the issue a matter to be handled by the building inspector.

Another concern raised by the applicant regarded the lighting provision, which he felt was too restrictive in terms of what outdoor lighting was permitted. Naughton suggested that language be included that allows typical exterior dwelling lighting. Manson shared that the board wants to ensure that the building department has a clear understanding of the lighting provisions.

Golden Delite Bakery

During the meeting, the board continued its review of Golden Delite Bakery, a commercial site located on Larkin Drive. The applicant representative explained that it is an existing, approximately 12,000-square-foot building with multiple users. The representative shared that the applicant is addressing landscaping concerns brought up at the prior planning board meeting as well as other comments from the board and its consultants.

The board discussed the site plan’s parking proposal, confirming that there would be 32 parking spaces for standard vehicles and two truck parking spaces. The applicant confirmed that these would be for box trucks, not tractor-trailers. The board also discussed the need for better marking of the size of the spaces on the site plan. In addition, the applicant confirmed that the parking area would be repaved.

The board authorized their attorney to prepare a draft resolution for the Golden Delite revised site plan application and agreed to close the public hearing for the matter, while still allowing for written comment to be accepted through October 28.