6 3 26 WO PB Draft Minutes

6 ■ Rain gardens ■ Solar panels ■ EV charging stations. - Ms. Wolfe requested confirmation that several checklist waivers (Items 31, 41, and 42) be granted because drainage materials had since been submitted. ○ Ms. McGovern indicated that the Board Engineer should first provide a recommendation after the presentation before waivers were considered. - Ms. Wolfe stated that, in addition to site plan approval and subdivision approval, the project requires approximately 12 variances, including: ○ Rear yard setback variance (while improving the existing condition). ○ Previous lot coverage variance (also improving the existing condition). ○ Parking variance: ■ 48 spaces proposed. ■ 57 spaces required. ○ Loading space variance: ■ Two loading spaces required. ■ One permanent loading space and one temporary loading arrangement proposed ○ Parking adjacent to residential districts ○ Distance of parking entrances from nearby residential properties ○ Employee parking spaces backing onto a public right-of-way ○ Insufficient landscape buffering ○ Absence of a sidewalk between the parking area and the building ○ Fence location variance ○ Façade sign height variance ○ Canopy sign height variance ○ Waivers related to illumination levels and building materials - The architect, Jorge Mastropietro, entered on the record; he was sworn under oath. He testified to the following: - PowerPoint presentation, Exhibit A-1, was introduced by Mr. Mastropietro - Existing site conditions ○ The first slides showed existing photographs of the property, including: ■ Images from Google Maps ■ Photos taken after Rite Aid had closed ○ Mr. Mastropietro explained that when he first visited the site, the original concept was simply to expand the existing building ○ After further analysis, his team concluded that redevelopment would better address several problems. - Reasons for redesigning the site instead of expanding the existing building ○ Mr. Mastropietro identified several deficiencies in the current site: ■ Large expanses of underutilized surface parking create "dead space." ■ Parking lots reduce pedestrian activity and diminish walkability. ■ Open parking areas weaken the visual quality of Main Street. ■ Two separate parking lots create unnecessary customer confusion ("decision fatigue") regarding where to park. ■ Multiple parking lots increase conflicts between pedestrians and

ality of Main Street. ■ Two separate parking lots create unnecessary customer confusion ("decision fatigue") regarding where to park. ■ Multiple parking lots increase conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles because of numerous driveways. ■ The open street corner lacks architectural enclosure, making the intersection appear visually incomplete. - He showed additional photographs illustrating: