To promote better communication and to avoid misunderstanding, the applicant is strongly encouraged, prior to the preparation of a formal application, to meet with the Town Planner, Conservation Agent, Health Agent, Water District Superintendent, Town Engineer, Building Inspector, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and any other Town official, board, or commission for informal discussions regarding any issues relative to a proposed special permit. However, any advice, opinion, or information given to the applicant by any Town official or employee shall not be binding on the Planning Board.
An application for a special permit shall be made on an appropriate official application form on file in the Planning Office. No communication purporting to be an application shall be treated as intended to seek Planning Board action until such time as an official, complete application form has been submitted. All information called for by the form shall be furnished by the applicant in the manner therein described. The forms to be used are hereby made a part of these rules and regulations.
A.
See Appendix A for Fee Schedule.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix A is included as an attachment to this chapter.
B.
Each application for a special permit shall be filed with the Town Clerk, and a copy bearing the date and time of filing with the Town Clerk shall be filed with the Planning Board, as required by MGL c. 40A, § 9. Such application shall include the following:
(1)
Two copies of executed special permit application (application form on file with the Planning Office).
(2)
Two copies of executed certificate of ownership.
(3)
Filing fee in a check made payable to the Town of Lynnfield. (A separate design review fee made payable to the Town of Lynnfield shall be submitted at a later date.)
(4)
Two copies of the drainage calculations and supplement plans (if applicable).
(5)
Three-hundred-foot certified abutters list, map and applicable fee from fee schedule. (See Appendix A.)
(6)
Cover letters and/or supporting narrative.
The following requirements apply to all site plans:
A.
Plans must be prepared and stamped by an engineer and a surveyor and shall be prepared utilizing the most current release of AutoCAD or another Town-approved drawing package. The AutoCAD and PDF or TIF design shall be submitted to the Planning Board electronically or via a method approved by the Department of Planning and Conservation. Supplemental plans may be prepared by a professional architect or landscape architect.
B.
Plans must be prepared with an appropriate (one inch equals 20 feet) scale indicated on each sheet. Datum shall be the Massachusetts Coordinate System, North American Datum 1983, with units of U.S. Survey Feet. The vertical datum shall be North American Vertical Datum 1988.
C.
Plans must include the location and boundaries of the site including a delineation of on-site disturbed area (Where it is not otherwise noted, the "disturbed area" shall be considered the proposed "limit of work."), proposed tree line and street address if applicable.
D.
Plans must include locus, including abutting land use(s) and zoning district(s).
E.
Plans must include a legend or key describing the symbols and graphics used on each sheet.
F.
Plans must include existing and proposed land and buildings uses.
G.
Plans must include information regarding the ownership of adjacent land including street address if applicable.
H.
Plans must include existing and proposed topography and proposed grading for the entire site.
I.
Plans must include existing and proposed utilities in adjacent streets.
J.
Plans must include existing and proposed on-site structures and all buildings within 200 feet of the property lines.
K.
Plans must include existing and proposed driveways and driveway openings.
L.
Plans must include existing and proposed parking and loading spaces.
M.
Plans must include delineation of wetlands or other areas potentially subject to the Wetlands and Rivers Protection Act.
N.
Plans must include delineation of areas included in any Flood Plain District and areas included in the Groundwater Protection Overlay District.
O.
Plans must include the location of any proposed structures, streets, ways, walls, hydrants, fences, outdoor lighting, open space areas, recreation areas, egresses, service entries, facilities for waste disposal or storage, snow storage area and parking with individual spaces identified.
P.
Plans must include the location, size and sketch of all proposed signs.
Q.
A landscape plan must be included, showing and labeling all proposed exterior landscape features, including trees, shrubs, ground cover, lawn areas, signage, utility boxes, decks, fences, hardscape (sidewalks, patios etc.), site lighting, topsoil stockpile, and any other features as requested by the Planning Board. The plan will also show and label existing features (mature trees, walls, rock outcroppings, significant planted features etc.) that are to remain or to be removed. This plan shall meet all the specifications and requirements of the Lynnfield Tree Preservation Bylaw.[1]
R.
Plans must include on-site existing and proposed water, drainage and wastewater disposal, and septic systems.
S.
Plans must include sufficient data to determine compliance with the rules and regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act for handicapped parking, if applicable, as well as parking schedule requirements based on proposed uses.
U.
Plans must include data regarding traffic safety and capacity issues sufficient for the Planning Board to make a determination of whether a traffic impact analysis is necessary.
V.
Plans must include a photometric map showing on-site footcandle information.
W.
Plans must include architectural elevations and floor plans.
Throughout the special permit review process, the applicant must submit supplemental and/or revised materials upon request by the Planning Board after the initial submittal. The following quantities shall be submitted:
A.
Full size site plans: five sets.
B.
Eleven-inch by seventeen-inch site plans: eight sets.
C.
Drainage calculations and supplement plans (if applicable): two copies.
D.
Cover letters and/or supporting narrative outlining the purpose of the supplemental materials and what, if any, changes have been made to the original application.
The following impact reports must be included with each application for a special permit:
A.
Traffic and parking. The applicant shall provide projected total and peak-hour trip generations, capacity and pre- and post-project (buildout) level of service (LOS) of streets and intersections to be affected by the project, existing and proposed traffic controls and sight lines at the intersections of proposed driveways and streets. Level of service shall be analyzed using the procedures described in the most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual, published by the Transportation Research Board. Traffic generated by a proposed use shall be estimated in accordance with the most recent edition of Trip Generation, published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE).
B.
Stormwater and utilities. Stormwater management systems shall be designed in accordance with the more restrictive of the current Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Stormwater Standards and the Town of Lynnfield Stormwater Bylaw, Article II (Chapter 213, §§ 213-13 through 213-22). The applicant shall submit to the Planning Board a plan detailing the ownership and rights of use of common drives and responsibilities and ownership of stormwater drainage facilities as well as a detailed plan of maintenance of such common drives and drainage facilities.
C.
Public services and fiscal impacts. The applicant shall provide projections of costs rising from increased demand for public services and infrastructure; projections of benefits from increased tax revenues, employment and infrastructure improvements; and impacts on adjacent property values.
D.
Environmental impacts. The applicant shall provide a written analysis of the project's potential impacts on the quality of air, surface water and groundwater; flooding potential; increases in impervious surfaces; stormwater management; compliance with Groundwater Protection Overlay District requirements; hazards from radioactive emissions or other hazardous materials; solar access to adjacent properties; and noise and light impacts (including lighting and photometric plans).
E.
Social and community impacts. The applicant shall provide an analysis of the project's impact on the surrounding neighborhood in terms of architectural character, pedestrian movement and overall character; impacts on nearby historic structures or sites; and an evaluation of the proposed project's consistency and compatibility with existing local and regional plans.
The Planning Board, as applicable, based on a preliminary assessment of the scale and type of development proposed, may waive or modify the requirements for application of any of the elements or reports required herein. The applicant must specify the grounds for each requested waiver. Such waiver shall be issued in writing with supporting reasons and included in the Planning Board special permit decision.
Within five days of submission, the plan submitted with the special permit application shall be transmitted for review and comment to the Board of Health, Lynnfield Center Water District and/or Lynnfield Water District (as applicable), Engineering Department, Conservation Commission, Building Department, Fire Department, and Police Department. Such boards and departments shall, within 35 days from receipt of the plan and other supporting application materials, file their written recommendations on the proposal with the Planning Board.