by David Dahlbacka in All Ages, Assembly Square, Beat Reporter, City Finances, Development and Zoning, Environment and Open Space, Events, Orange Line
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 8:02 pm
Last Modified on October 23, 2011 at 8:20 pm
| October 25, 2011 | ||
| 7:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
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Conservation Commission Meeting
Tues. Oct. 25 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Somerville City Hall
3rd Fl. Conf. Rm.
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)
Legal Notice (PDF)
Agenda (PDF)
This is the monthly meeting of the Somerville Conservation Commission.
Agenda includes Assembly Square Blocks 1 and 4 and sewer and drain work in Ten Hills. This work helps fulfill the financial conditions needed for the success of the Assembly Square DIF and iCubed programs.
For more information, see:
- Assembly Square Mixed-Use Development Project
- Assembly Row District Improvement Financing Program
- Infrastructure Investment Incentive (I-Cubed) Program
- Somerville Conservation Commission (Agendas and Minutes)
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Beat Report: 10/25/11 Conservation Commission Meeting
Bottom Line on Top
Approved Assembly Square Block 4 and Block 1. Issue with adding condition that 72″ outfall must be complete before opening. Developer did not want to be required to build the outfall if the existing project did not complete. Conservation Commission to keep records of cumulative capacity taken up by successive developments on site. Big box stores (Sports Authority, etc.) are on a separate stormwater line. Sewer requirements of additional developments under Massachusetts Water Resources Authority jurisdiction.
Rough Notes
One person here from vhb.
3 members of comm. Change Capen court minutes. Was premeeting. Applicant decided not to apply for noi at their own risk. City sent letter saying ‘outside of jurisdiction’.
Cut and dried blocks. Prewritten letter.
Noi blk 4
Req by conds. Mixed use. Want Tie into roadway stormwater system.
Q: show how wld affect 72″ peak flows. Total % of use. Haven’t seen this.
A: percent paved?
Q: percent of pipe cap.
A: assumed all impervious. Worst case design.
Q: do you know current percent?
A:worst case.
Q: what percent is blk 4?
A: about an eighth. 8 blocks about same size.
Q: don’t want later app to say oh we’re over cap
a: we committed to a peak flow for 10 year storm. We haven’t done calc but we expect ok.
Q: so you looked at full cap impervious.asked mbta and they didn’t know. Impervious area up a little.
Want to keep track.
A: we designed outfAll. More landscaping. We said rain garden area was impervious. Sidewalks impervious
Q: do you have a guess as to the results?
A: we don’t know. It will back off full pervious buildout. Diff is self absorbance.
Q: ok to have STD approval. Would like to add up pervious and keep track .
A: no new permitting. Too expensive.
Q: raingarden?
A: 9000 sf. Overflow catch basin to 72″.
Q: how many devels?
A: third tiein of twelve total.
Q: they’d back calculate by area.
A: we should know if there are diffs in pervious assumption.
Q: what % is pervious?
A: 5%. started at high tide for pipe.
Q: rain garden. What if grates get clogged?
A: jump curb go to catch basin, not bldg.
Q: rain garden doesn’t infiltrate. Contamination.
Make sure you use area of grate opening not area of pipe.
Q: groundwater at rain garden?
A: gnd is elev 8.
Move to approve.
Move have conds 46 on from roadway. Upon completion of station doesnt apply.
A: don’t tie to mbta. Also don’t want blk 4 appl to have to put in 72″ pipe.
If outfall not complete when t stop done, could get order on blk 4 owner. Outfall not under our control. We want to strike it.
Suggest: if construction complete before outfall.
We want to ensure pipe done on time. You are responsible for orchestration of large devel.
A: want not to be responsible for outfall pipe.
Q: we want all devels dependent on pipe.
A: can we add ref to file of original order.
Sugg: Frit is responsible for completing pipe. You can’t be connected until pipe is ready, citing earlier order of conds.
Q: who’s responsible for sequencing?
A: frit. Master developer. Were residential partner for res uses, they do retail. Variety of agreements. They put pipes, we tie to them.
Sugg: want to avoid recip fingerprinting. Have frit apply with you?
Q: when is tiein?
A: when it’s done.
Q: Pipes connected before completion?
A: yes. Covered pipe.
Q: when? Intent is pipe must be complete first. Where is water going now?
A: som marginal conduit.
A: conn to pipe not until complete.
Suggest: ref other order, 72″ pipe req of frit , blk 4 project instead of assembly row.
A: can we review draft language?
Q: next month. I’ll write it now.
Q: issue with 47?
A: relates to whole devel, not blk 4.
Q: diff from 100% impervious? Say as estimated. We want to know what will be left.
A: you’ll get it at end. We’ll compare blk 4 to previous estimate.
Q: we want to track this.
A: edit to use blk 4.
Q: compare to estimated peak flow. What we want is flow and capacity at end.
A: as compared to estimated.
Q: drainage report for each blk?
A: just memo.
Q: this puts burden on us to maintain records project by project. We can do this. Appl to include summary of diff from estimate.
A: 51 intent? Dont want to be hiring engineer to certify other project order.
Property ownership changed. Swap for riverfront area swapped with dcr. Want to include in list in order.
Comm: you submit revised page, minor amendment. Q: property changed hands?
A: legislature passed it. Everything includes it
Move to approve as amended.
Passes unanimous. We’ll come and sign final version.
Blk 1:
Mixed use, roadway drainage. Roadway trees. 100% impervious.
Q: ok to pick up blk 4 conds?
A: ok
Q: move to approve with same conds as blk 4.
Passed unanimous.
Q: how many res?
A: total 2000 units all rental. What we call urban hipster market.
Det of appl for 10 hills
Mitigation of sewers. Separate sewer and drain. Full replacement of sewer and drain. Dow paved all streets. We’ll line pipes. Trench in road at rt 28 end.
Q: you want statement doesn’t apply because in road.
Q: I’m confused. Where’s drain?
A: convert existing combined to just storm drain.
Q: be more water into river. not sewer.
A: yes because storm won’t go into sewer.
Q: key is whether this will negatively affect river
A: sewer low, drain high. Both to sMe struct. Drain goes to river. Backed up overflow gets sewer system mixed with drain and goes to river.
Q: during construction, keep stuff out of river.
A: yes. Likely put in truck.
Q: don’t want to issue negative determination with conds.
A: have us follow guidelines. Put erosion controls.
Q: what other permits?
A: city engineer reviewed plans. no new point source.
Q: we have right to do noi. If we approve negative determination, makes conds not enforceable. We’ve had others of these.
A: this app is assembly square devel
Q: we can’t discriminate. You should do noi.
Vote to deny negative determination. They must do it would be a quick approval.
Construction started on outfall. 3 to 4 monitors. Adding 2 more. Move to approve, passed.
Minutes. We understood rationale not to record at reg of deeds. They’re owner and not changing hands.
Other issue: applicant decided in discussion with city no noi req. Vote to approve as amended.
New director of ospcd is Michael flavin (Glavin?) from HUD.
Note: should file with reg of deeds from clean water act.
Move to adjourn.
After meeting: brief talk with commissioners. Among other things, asked if stormwater intended to cover all of A.S. or just FRIT development. Apparently big boxes on separate lines. Extra sewer requirements from 10 story office buildings not under ConsComm jurisdiction — MWRA does sewer.
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