All site plans shall be prepared in compliance with the Plympton Zoning Bylaw[1] and the Plympton Planning Board Rules and Regulations Governing Site Plan Approval. The site plan standards not specifically enumerated herein shall be found in Time-Saver Standards for Site Planning written by Joseph De Chiara and Lee E. Koppelman, as most recently revised, along with all applicable site plan standards of the Architectural Access Board, Americans with Disabilities Act, AASHTO and any other local, state, and federal standards not specifically enumerated herein. In the event there is a conflict in standards, the jurisdictional standard shall apply, unless otherwise waived by the Planning Board.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 300, Zoning.
A. 
Every effort shall be made to retain and protect existing (six-inch trunk diameter or greater measured four feet above grade) trees, shrubs and other landscape features on a site.
B. 
A three-foot-wide landscaping strip shall be provided along the foundation walls to soften their appearance for all nonresidential building(s). The landscape strip may be staggered in order to vary the landscape design for a site. The landscape strip shall provide screening to the portion of the foundation above grade.
C. 
A twenty-five-foot undisturbed natural buffer area shall be maintained from any wetland resource area defined under the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act and recognized by the Plympton Conservation Commission. Stairways, decks, fences and water-dependent structures (and the grading for such) internal to parking lots and around buildings are not exempted from the twenty-five-foot setback requirements.
D. 
It is the purpose of these rules and regulations to preserve and/or maintain open space for new sites. Therefore, any lot or group of contiguous lots totaling less than three acres shall provide 25% open space. Any lot or group of contiguous lots totaling more than three acres shall provide 35% open space. Open space shall be considered any area not occupied by buildings, paving, drives, roadways, sidewalks, etc. Wetland resources areas defined by the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act can be used to meet the open space requirement described above. Whenever possible, open space should be maintained in its natural state. All open space areas on a site shall be adequately landscaped with trees, shrubs, flowers, grass, and/or mulch. Wherever feasible, open space shall be contiguous with other open space of abutting land.
E. 
Parking lots containing 10 or more parking spaces shall have at least one tree per eight (or fractions of eight) parking spaces. Such trees shall be located within the paved parking area. Such trees shall be at least four inches' trunk diameter measured 12 inches to 18 inches above the ground, with a minimum of 60 square feet of seeded or landscaped permeable surface area per tree. When parking areas contain 25 or more spaces, at least 5% of the parking area shall be maintained with landscaping (within the interior of the parking area), including trees as above, in plots of at least 10 feet in width. Trees and landscaped plots shall be so designed and located as to provide visual relief and sun and wind screening within the parking area, and to assure safe patterns of internal circulation. Planting areas are required along parking area perimeters to prevent off-site glare onto the public or private way(s). Parking lot plantings shall not block motorists' line of sight upon entering and exiting a site. Any landscaped area described above can be used to meet the open space requirement of this section for new sites.
F. 
All residential properties shall be protected by a landscaped buffer strip with a minimum width of 50 feet, with such berms, fences, sound walls, and plantings deemed necessary by the Planning Board to protect neighboring residences.
Access ways, parking areas, and pedestrian walkways shall have adequate lighting for security and safety reasons. Lighting shall meet the following standards:
A. 
The luminaires/lighting fixtures shall be the shoe box type or decorative in nature (with interior directional shields), consistent with the architectural theme of the development. Floodlighting and area lighting is unacceptable. All luminaires/lighting fixtures shall have a total cutoff of all light at less than 90° from vertical. The lighting fixture shall only be visible from below.
Appropriate Lighting Fixtures
Inappropriate Lighting Fixtures
B. 
Reflectors of proper distribution shall be selected for maximum efficiency. Reflectors and shielding shall provide total cutoff of all light at the property lines of the parcel to be developed.
C. 
The luminaires/lighting fixtures shall not exceed 20 feet in height or the height of the building's roofline, whichever is lower. The luminaires/lighting fixtures for sidewalks/paths shall not exceed 12 feet in height.
D. 
Where wall-pack-type luminaires/lighting fixtures are utilized for outdoor lighting fixtures, the fixture shall be equipped with a prismatic lens to reduce glare. Wall-pack lighting shall be designed to a maximum cutoff of 70° from vertical. The location of the wall-pack on the structure shall not exceed 20 feet in height.
E. 
All luminaires/lighting fixtures shall be restricted to a maximum footcandle level of 8.0 (initial), as measured directly below the fixture at grade.
A. 
General.
(1) 
The drainage system shall be designed so that there is no net increase in the pre- versus post- peak rates of stormwater discharge for the two-, ten- and one-hundred-year storm events and rates. The applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Planning Board that the project is designed to have no measurable or significant impact as to existing vegetation, topography, wetlands, and other natural or man-made features.
(2) 
The system shall be designed to treat stormwater to all applicable standards of Town, state and federal agencies. The system design shall promote on-site infiltration and minimize the discharge of pollutants to the groundwater and surface water. Drainage systems shall have an emergency overflow for the one-hundred-year storm event. Additionally, the drainage system will be designed in accordance with Stormwater Management Volumes I and II prepared by the MA Department of Environmental Protection and MA Office of Coastal Zone Management as most recently revised. In special cases, the site drainage can utilize the Town's drainage system with the approval of the Highway Department. The Planning Board requires that proper calculations be submitted. A minimum of one foot of freeboard shall be provided for all detention/retention structures.
B. 
Design criteria. The applicant shall use the best available drainage systems. The suitability of the drainage design shall be based on the natural features, such as soil types, slope, vegetative cover, water table, etc., of the site. Drainage plans shall be developed in consultation with the Planning Board office and the Board's consultants, with the following objectives in mind:
(1) 
Protection of surface water and groundwater quality;
(2) 
Public safety;
(3) 
Protection of existing abutting properties and septic systems;
(4) 
Enhancement of and connection to natural drainage systems, including streams, floodplains, and associated wetlands;
(5) 
Attractiveness of the plan, minimizing disruption to existing features, and successful imitation of natural systems;
(6) 
Minimizing of long-term maintenance and/or reconstruction obligations.
C. 
Performance standards. On-site drainage systems, including detention/retention areas, shall meet the following:
(1) 
A twenty-five-foot buffer screen that is aesthetically pleasing of existing vegetation shall be retained between all detention or siltation structures and adjacent off-site uses (roadways and/or structures).
(2) 
A thirty-foot buffer zone of existing vegetation shall be retained between all point source discharges of stormwater and surface waters and wetlands.
(3) 
All piping within the drainage system shall be sized for the twenty-five-year storm event.
(4) 
Detention facilities shall be designed to function as natural wetlands, having characteristics of side slopes, gradients, vegetation and topographic location which follow naturally occurring wetland.
(5) 
Side slopes of detention/retention facilities should be no steeper than 3:1 horizontal to vertical relationship unless steeper slopes can be shown to be typical for conditions on the site.
(6) 
A maximum of 2% slope shall be permitted for the bottom of the basin.
(7) 
Where clearing and/or regrading is unavoidable, vegetation shall be re-established in conformance with the landscaping plan.
(8) 
Retention basins shall provide 150% of the required storage volume for the one-hundred-year storm event. At least one permeability test shall be conducted within each retention basin to estimate the infiltration rate. (One test per 10,000 square feet of overall detention/retention basin area is required.)
(9) 
Ground infiltration by means of leaching pits, leaching catch basins or similar facilities is not allowed as a means to calculate or mitigate stormwater disposal.
(10) 
No drainage outfall shall be discharged at an elevation below the high water line of a wetland, stream or water body.
(11) 
A headwall with wing walls protected by rip-rapped aprons shall be provided at the outfall of all drainage pipes.
(12) 
Test holes shall be conducted by a licensed soil evaluator in each detention/retention basin in accordance with the 310 CMR, Department of Environmental Protection (Title V) methods. A minimum of one test per 10,000 square feet of overall detention/retention basin area is required. Monitoring wells may be required by the Planning Board.
(13) 
All retention/detention basins within 10 feet of parking lots, driveways, or areas of public access shall be protected by a guardrail. All retention/detention basins within 40 feet of public ways shall be protected by a guardrail. The Planning Board may require additional guardrails.
Parking lots shall be designed to include median strips and landscape islands to improve internal circulation. Additionally, rows of parking should be interrupted by landscaped or naturally vegetated islands. Parking lots and access drives shall be designed to prevent motorists from stacking onto the public way. Parking areas shall be interconnected wherever feasible. Any entrance or exit driveway shall be a minimum of 24 feet in width. Parking lanes shall be sized according to the internal circulation pattern. Parking shall be prohibited between buildings and street layout, except for handicap access. Parking for large trucks shall be provided as determined by the Planning Board. Loading shall be designed to be convenient to the loading and unloading of vehicles and to avoid conflicts with the internal circulation pattern. Curbing shall be vertical granite at the access drive radii. Each site shall have only one curb cut per street frontage, except where is it determined that more than one curb cut is necessary for emergency access purposes or to enhance the site.
Service facilities such as garbage collection, recycling containers, refrigeration units, utility areas and other facilities not specifically identified shall be screened around their perimeters. Screening may consist of fencing and/or natural vegetation. Screening shall have an effective height and width to screen from public view said service facility.
A. 
All access drives and parking areas shall be graded, paved, and drained in accordance with standards enumerated above.
B. 
Curbing shall be placed at the edges of all paved surfaces. Wheelstops shall be placed where parking spaces abut sidewalks and/or walkways for pedestrians. Guardrails shall be placed along parking spaces and drive aisles where slopes exceed 3:1. Curbing shall not be bituminous concrete.
C. 
All utility connections shall be underground and constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Town and other utility companies.
D. 
Bollards shall be placed along the sides of the building exposed to vehicle traffic.
A. 
Separation between access connections on all collectors and arterials shall be based on the posted speed limit in accordance with the following table:
Posted Speed Limit
(mph)
Access Connection Spacing
(feet)
20
140
30
210
40
280
50
350
B. 
The width of the access connections at the property line of the development shall not exceed 25 feet, unless the traffic impact study identifies and the Planning Board agrees to the need for turning lanes from the development onto the adjacent public road.
C. 
The access connection shall provide a minimum distance of 40 feet in depth between the property line and the beginning of any parking areas, turning areas and/or stacking lanes within the development.
Appropriate separation from road
Inappropriate separation from road
D. 
For a site at an intersection where no alternatives exist, such as joint or cross access, the Board may allow construction of an access connection at a location suitably removed from the intersection. In such cases, the applicant shall provide directional restrictions (i.e., right-in/right-out only and/or a restrictive median) as required by the Board.
E. 
A system of joint-use driveways and cross-access easements shall be established wherever feasible along (name road or overlay corridor) and the proposed development shall incorporate the following:
(1) 
A service drive or cross-access corridor extending the width of the parcel.
(2) 
A design speed of 10 miles per hour and sufficient width to accommodate two-way travel aisles.
(3) 
Stub-outs and other design features to make it visually obvious that the abutting properties may be tied in to provide cross-access via a service drive.
F. 
A leveling area shall be provided having a -1% grade for a distance of 30 feet measured from the nearest exterior line of the intersecting street, to the point of vertical curvature.
A. 
In order to ensure that no vehicles back up into public ways and create a safety hazard, drive-through facilities shall provide a minimum of 20 stacking spaces (within the site and exclusive of driveways) before the order board. The facility shall provide a minimum of another four stacking spaces between the order board and the transaction window. If the facility has two transaction windows, the four stacking spaces may be split between each of the windows. An additional three stacking spaces shall be provided after the last transaction window(s).
B. 
Each stacking space shall be a minimum of 20 feet in length and 10 feet in width along straight portions. Stacking spaces and stacking lanes shall be a minimum of 12 feet in width along curved segments.
C. 
Stacking lanes shall be delineated from traffic aisles, other stacking lanes and parking areas with striping, curbing, landscaping and the use of alternative paving materials or raised medians.
D. 
Entrances to stacking lane(s) shall be clearly marked and a minimum of 60 feet from the intersection with the public street. The distance shall be measured from the property line along the street to the beginning of the entrance.
Clearly delineated stacking lanes
E. 
Stacking lanes shall be designed to prevent circulation congestion, both on site and on adjacent public streets. The circulation shall: 1) separate drive-through traffic from site circulation, 2) not impede or impair access into or out of parking spaces, 3) not impede or impair vehicle or pedestrian traffic movement, and 4) minimize conflicts between pedestrian and vehicular traffic with physical and visual separation between the two. Stacking lanes shall not interfere with required loading and trash storage areas, and loading or trash operations shall not impede or impair vehicle movement. If said separate stacking lane is curbed, an emergency bypass or exit shall be provided.
F. 
Stacking lanes shall not enter or exit directly into a public right-of-way. Stacking lanes shall be integrated with the on-site circulation pattern.
G. 
The intersection of stacking lanes and walk-in customer access shall be a minimum of 50 feet from any access connections and/or transaction windows. Said intersections shall be provided with a crosswalk. These crosswalks shall use enriched paving and striping and include warning signage aimed at both the pedestrian and vehicle.
H. 
Any outdoor service facilities (including menu boards, speakers, etc.) shall be a minimum of 100 feet from the property line of residential uses and shall be screened by a sound wall or otherwise limited to render any transactions inaudible to residential abutters.
I. 
Menu boards shall be a maximum of 30 square feet, with a maximum height of six feet in height, and shall be shielded from any public street and residential properties.
J. 
The above standards are critical to ensuring safe operation of the drive-through facility in the future and can only be waived if a study of the most restrictive examples of representative facilities demonstrates that a given standard can be reduced.
A. 
Architectural details of new buildings and additions, textures of wall and roof materials should be harmonious with the building's overall architectural style and should preserve and enhance the character of the surrounding area.
B. 
The mass, proportion and scale of the building, roof shape, roof pitch, and proportions and relationships between doors and windows should be harmonious among themselves and with those of the surrounding area.
C. 
The building's location shall be oriented parallel or perpendicular to the street. Where the minimum setback cannot be maintained by the building, the applicant shall provide adequate spatial definitions through the use of walls, fences and/or other elements, which will maintain the street line.
D. 
The design of proposed buildings, structures and additions shall complement, whenever feasible, the general setback, roof line, roof pitch, arrangement of openings, color, exterior materials, proportion and scale of existing buildings in the vicinity.
Appropriate exterior materials, proportion and scale
Appropriate Building Colors
Inappropriate Building Colors
E. 
When a drive-through is proposed on a property with an historic building, the architectural character defining the exterior elements of the historic building shall be preserved. Signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building.
F. 
Buildings. Buildings should be placed close to the road and sidewalk to encourage pedestrian traffic; parking areas should be placed to the side or rear of buildings; long horizontal facades should be avoided by incorporating recesses and projections, of a minimum of two feet in depth; entranceways should be emphasized by use of rooflines, changes in materials, landscape treatments or other architectural elements; franchise architecture with highly contrasting color scheme, nontraditional forms, reflective siding and roof materials should be avoided; drive-through elements should be architecturally incorporated into the building; drive-thorough elements generally should not face the street; the material used for additions should complement the materials of the original structure.
G. 
Rooflines. The use of flat roofs and A-frame roofs should be avoided; roof colors should be earth tones or a color that is darker than the facade, and garish roof colors should not be used; visible roofing materials should complement the color and texture of the building's facade; roof-mounted mechanical equipment should be screened from public view or grouped at the rear of the structure where visibility is limited.
Appropriate roof pitch
Inappropriate roof
H. 
Building signs. Simple geometric shapes should be used for signs; signs should be limited to two or three contrasting colors that complement the colors on the building; garish colors should be avoided; carved wooded signs are encouraged; internally illuminated signs should not be whole panels that are lit, thus constituting light fixtures in their own right; lighting fixtures illuminating signs should be located so light is directed only onto the sign facade.
I. 
Windows. A minimum of 60% of the building's street-side facade shall contain windows. The windows should be divided by muntins and framed with a casing trim; awnings should be designed as an integral part of the building facade; metal awnings are discouraged.
Inappropriate Architecture
Appropriate Architecture Details
Appropriate Architectural Details, Muntins and Awnings