April 26 Planning Board meeting included discussion on East Milton overlay, Milton Marketplace changes, and East Milton Survey

On April 26 the Planning Board held its first post election meeting. April Anderson Lamoureux, secretary, served as interim chair. The meeting started by welcoming Richard Boehler as the newly elected member. The chair also extended the gratitude from the board to Alex Whiteside, who served 32 years on the board.

Cheryl Tougias was then nominated and elected as the new Chair after Bryan Furze declined the nomination. April was re-elected as Secretary.

The proposed Milton Marketplace parking structure was discussed, continued from previous meetings. Town Council advised the applicant to seek approval from Zoning Board of Appeal for a proposed parking structure before continuing with the Planning Board. The ZBA granted a variance to allow another parking structure on the property. The applicants submitted and enhanced landscaping plan to address residents’ concerns regarding the view and noise. Bryan Furze asked how the parking structure related to the second floor expansion proposal. The proposals are unrelated. There was no public comment on the proposal. The proposal as recommended by the ZBA was voted on with additional notation for no SUV type vehicles to be parked on the upper level and any personnel using the machinery needs to receive training from the manufacturer. The site plan approval application for the parking structure was approved.

Regarding a questionnaire for an overlay for East Milton the board believed it better to consider the subjects of an overlay district and the proposed Falconi project separately. Bryan Furze suggested posting the “40b Quiz” that is devised as part of the information gathering on the town website for educational purposes. Chair Tougias recommended having the ‘quiz’ revised by a 40b expert in order to properly educate residents. Richard Boehler recommended educational material be made available to the public, and the Falconi project should be referenced separately.

A survey to assist the Planning Board is being prepared and will be released as soon as possible to gather community input on development of an overlay district in East Milton. The survey is not to determine future policy, but is data collection to begin to identify the scope of a planning study. It is informational only. It is part of the initial stages of the process. (Take the survey here: https://wp.me/p6ngwM-4ce)

At Citizens Speak, one resident, Mr. David Shea, spoke to how the process is ready to be evaluated and improved. His thoughts touched on implementation of best practices and ways to improve efficiencies, be more transparent and more accountable. Citing 333 Brushhill as example, he felt citizens wanted to be more involved with the planning process, and that the process should be focused on the neighborhoods. In response, Lamoureux responded that Michael Dennehy suggested creation of a working group to evaluate best practices in planning. Chair Tougias agreed and suggested this and zoning as standing agenda items.

The meeting then became a joint meeting with the Tree Warden, Branch Lane, to discuss the scenic road proposal at 485 Harlan Street. The developer has agreed to contribute $1,000 to the cooperative tree planning account to replace two trees for the one tree proposed to be removed for safety reasons along the drive. The tree warden agreed with the proposals. The chair of the historical commission spoke to the commission’s continued opposition to the removal of any trees. The tree warden agreed with the proposal and the board voted to approve.

Watch the full meeting on Milton Access TV.