July 31, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

42 (Pages 162 to 165) Page 162 1 accurately because I don't want to talk, you know, 2 without being accurate on here. The only thing I 3 can mention is what is in the settlement agreement 4 is substantially above what code requires and we 5 will be compliant with that. I don't -- I don't 6 know, I can't tell you where that scoring will put 7 you, whether it's certified, gold, platinum, silver 8 or what have you, or what the equivalent is. 9 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: You mentioned 10 that the three buildings, A, B and C, or maybe it 11 was Mr. Anderson, mentioned that Buildings A, B and 12 C are built so that they could hold solar panels. 13 MR. APPEL: That is correct. So we're 14 designing the roof with additional dead load so that 15 solar panels can be incorporated, so -- 16 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: But you're not 17 incorporating them now. 18 MR. APPEL: Right now, there is not a 19 plan; it's under consideration. So it has not been 20 decided, but we -- what we will commit to is 21 creating the additional dead load as well as any 22 chase space required to make that work. 23 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Any other 24 renewable energy being used on site, co-gen, heat 25 pumps, anything else, or is it just anticipating Page 163 1 solar down the road? 2 MR. APPEL: So other than the EV 3 charging, you know, that's -- that's on there, the 4 mechanical equipment is actually a higher efficiency 5 than what is required by code, so that's one of the 6 reasons why we had to go to the flat roof. 7 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Okay. 8 MR. APPEL: There's -- in the 9 settlement agreement, there's kind of a pretty long 10 list of items. We have to do a light-colored roof 11 and there's a -- there's a -- there's a -- and I 12 don't want to gloss over it very quickly but, you 13 know, that could be a half-hour discussion just on 14 the green stuff. 15 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Well, I think 16 your earlier testimony was fine; really, I'm looking 17 at just how we power the actual apartments and if 18 there's a source of energy other than natural gas. 19 MR. APPEL: There is not an 20 alternative fuel, and even if it was solar, I think 21 you would still have the same types of furnaces and 22 stuff like that, it wouldn't be substituting that. 23 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: All right, I 24 do have to jump around because some of these 25 questions were already asked, but following up on Page 164 1

tuff like that, it wouldn't be substituting that. 23 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: All right, I 24 do have to jump around because some of these 25 questions were already asked, but following up on Page 164 1 what was just discussed with regard to Building D 2 and emergency evacuation -- 3 MR. APPEL: Um-hum. 4 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: -- so if there 5 is a need to evacuate someone from the rear of 6 Building D, which faces the steep slope, can you 7 help me understand how we are addressing the need 8 for the firefighters to get back there with heavy 9 equipment? 10 MR. APPEL: So the firefighters would 11 be able to -- like, that building in itself has, I 12 think, four different stair towers, so there will be 13 stair towers, there will be standpipes, they will 14 come up to fight a fire. In addition, there will be 15 an area of refuge so that somebody who was in an 16 area can go to an area of safe protection, whether 17 that will be an enlarged area within a stair tower 18 or will be a separate firewall separating that area 19 to be an area of refuge. So that will be provided, 20 you know, provided there. Typically what we 21 understand is that if firefighters need to go into 22 an upper floor, they can go in from one side of the 23 building, go through and go to the opposite side of 24 the hallway, pull somebody -- and pull somebody out 25 on the opposite side. Page 165 1 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: So you do not 2 anticipate a need for firefighters to evacuate from 3 the rear of the building. 4 MR. APPEL: Code does not require 5 that. 6 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: But -- so I 7 understand that, and I'm not trying to be snarky, 8 you know, it's just if there were an emergency and 9 there's some things you can plan for; some things, 10 you can't. 11 MR. APPEL: Um-hum. 12 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Right? The 13 things you can't plan for, you should. We know the 14 slope is steep; I believe the testimony you gave a 15 moment ago was that on the slope, all of the trees 16 will be undisturbed. Is that right? 17 MR. APPEL: So on the slope, there's a 18 line on the site plan that is a disturbance line, so 19 for clearing and then -- so everything down-sloped 20 from that, my understanding, is being left 21 untouched. 22 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Oh, so you 23 mean at the top of the slope, there's a line -- 24 MR. APPEL: It has to be cleared for 25 the construction, so that's why there is

, is being left 21 untouched. 22 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Oh, so you 23 mean at the top of the slope, there's a line -- 24 MR. APPEL: It has to be cleared for 25 the construction, so that's why there is going to be