Shawmut Associates is now one step away from the end of a public hearing that will allow them to proceed with plans for an addition on their recycling facility at Cranberry Highway in Rochester.
“From my perspective, I think we’re pretty much wrapped up with everything that we need at this point,” said Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson of the amended Order of Conditions for work at the site.
Peter Flood of Green Seal Environmental, who was present on behalf of Shawmut Associates, said the only issue remaining as far as the Order of Conditions was concerned was with the dimensions of the drainage units, which still need to be added to the plans.
“I think that’s where we stand as of now,” said Flood, noting that the issue came up in Town Engineer Ken Motta’s most recent review of the plans.
“I think we’re ready to prepare a draft decision,” said Johnson, stating that they would take the modifications to dimensions into account when preparing the draft.
The Board also decided to continue to a later date a request from Harris Real Estate for a subdivision at King’s Highway, citing past problems with the property where a structure was scheduled to be demolished in the past but was not.
“I think it would be a lot cleaner to have the building come down and then come back with the ANR (Approval Not Required Application),” said Gary Florindo of the Board.
According to Paul Mattos, who was present on behalf of Harris Real Estate, the ANR that they are proposing consists of two lots, and new boundaries would be drawn for the property.
Mattos said that he would go back to the attorneys for Harris Real Estate to see what they thought about demolishing the building prior to the request for the ANR.
“The building should go and then they should [go forward],” said Florindo.
The Board also discussed a recently formulated Scenic Highway bylaw for the Town of Rochester that names Route 105 as a scenic highway, meaning that features such as trees, walls, and the like cannot be taken down or removed without permission from the town so as to preserve the road’s current appearance.
The Board said that they would consult with Highway Surveyor Jeff Eldridge to adopt some sort of protocol for dealing with issues along the route.
By Nick Walecka
