Rochester’s Planning Board continued until its next scheduled meeting (July 9) all three large projects on its June 25 agenda.
The board granted a two-week extension of the Special Permit for the Braley Hill North solar facility in response to a permit-extension request that the Planning panel had debated at a previous meeting over concerns that the project has been granted one extension already.
Chairman Arnold Johnson said Tuesday the question to be answered was whether the project applicants had sufficiently paid their performance bonds. Johnson reported the check for these bonds had only recently been received and the town’s peer-review engineer, Ken Motta, needs time to review their amounts.
In July 2020, Braley Hill North received a permit valid for three years but requiring construction to start in two years. The applicant asked for its first extension on June 23, 2023. On June 5 of this year, the applicant’s representative, Attorney Gregory Sampson, requested another one-year permit extension.
The board also tabled until July 9 its approval of the modified site-plan-review application for Rochester Crossroads, 22 Cranberry Highway, over questions by project developer Ken Steen.
The modification was to replace a paved, rear access way to County Road with a gravel road. Steen, attending the meeting via Zoom, raised questions about a new condition within that modification that the road not be gated. He said the highway surveyor had led him to believe the gates are needed because this would provide road access for emergency vehicles.
Johnson responded that emergency-exit access for residents should be “unencumbered” and not be gated. Johnson said he will speak to the highway surveyor and review the original plan.
The board also continued until July 9 its hearing into the site-plan-review application for a four-building, self-storage facility on County Road, which is part of the Rochester Crossroad project.
The applicant’s engineering consultant, Philip Cordeiro, reported he has only recently received and responded to Motta’s comments on the plan. Johnson said here, too, the board will first review those comments before voting.
In other action, the board issued its only approval of the night. It signed the site-plan-review approval decision for Briggs Hobby Barn on New Bedford Road, a plan to construct two buildings to store and repair collectible automobiles, trucks and other motor vehicles that also required and received approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Historic District Commission.
The Rochester Planning Board’s next meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 9, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Planning BoardBy Michael J. DeCicco