[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Plymouth as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 8-10-2020 ATM by Art. 20 (Ch. 91 of the 1999 Code)]
[Amended 10-18-2025 ATM by Art. 10]
The purpose of this bylaw is to review demolition activities related to large-scale industrial buildings that are of such scale that special conditioning may be necessary in order to avoid possible objectionable negative effects (such as heavy equipment noise, vibration, dust or vehicular traffic) to Town ways, abutting properties, the environment and the Town in general.
A. 
This bylaw shall be applied to the demolition of industrial buildings with a total building footprint of greater than 180,000 square feet as well as associated roadways, parking lots, and other amenities located on the same site.
B. 
For the purposes of this bylaw, "industrial buildings" are defined as buildings, outbuildings and accessory structures on light industrial sites and used for heavy industry, manufacturing, warehousing use or as a power generating facility.
Prior to the commencement of demolition activities, the following information is required and shall be approved by the Select Board:
A. 
On-site:
(1) 
A site restoration plan for all disturbed areas shall be prepared by a professional landscape architect or an equivalent qualified professional and submitted for approval by the Select Board. Restoration areas shall have a minimum of six inches of loam and shall include native vegetation (trees, shrubs and grasses) planted at a density similar to the surrounding areas.
(2) 
Location of staging areas and all on-site debris processing equipment.
(3) 
Measures proposed to minimize noise, vibration, dust and other negative effects of demolition and related activities on nearby neighborhoods.
B. 
Off-site:
(1) 
A listing of the number and types of vehicles that will be traveling on Town ways as well as estimated per-axle weights.
(2) 
A heavy vehicle route plan shall be prepared by a qualified professional and submitted for approval by the Select Board. The plan shall minimize the negative effects of heavy vehicles on the surrounding neighborhood and the Town in general.
(3) 
A technical review of the proposed vehicle travel route, including the condition of the Town ways, bridges and culverts and an analysis of the ability of these ways to accommodate the proposed vehicles.
To avoid possible objectionable negative effects (such as heavy equipment noise, vibration, dust or vehicular traffic) to abutting properties, the Town and the environment, the Select Board may impose reasonable conditions as part of the permit that:
A. 
Mitigate the impacts of heavy vehicle traffic on Town ways.
B. 
Minimize noise, vibration and dust generated from demolition activities.
C. 
Limit heavy vehicle traffic to specific routes.
D. 
Limit travel on Town ways during sensitive times (such as school bus travel times).
The Select Board may deny a permit if it determines that the demolition activities:
A. 
Would create unsafe off-site conditions; or
B. 
Would be a detriment or nuisance to nearby landowners or to the Town in general by reason of traffic, noise, dust, vibration, or other objectionable conditions.
A. 
The Building Commissioner or authorized agent shall, with advance notice, be given access to the site in order to inspect the site to ensure compliance with the permit and approved demolition plan.
B. 
Heavy vehicle round trips shall be limited to 20 round trips per day to and from (40 total) the site.
C. 
Contractor and subcontractor vehicles must be clearly identified by the company's name.
D. 
Demolition activities, trucking and equipment start-up and operation and any related use shall be limited to Monday through Friday, and hours of operation shall be limited to 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with no demolition activities permitted on state or federal holidays.
E. 
Copies of all bills of lading for all disposal materials, including soil, asphalt, concrete, scrap and metal, must be forwarded to the Select Board.
F. 
Prior to any demolition work, the following shall be provided to the Select Board:
(1) 
Copies of demolition permits, issued by Plymouth's Inspectional Services, and AQ06 air quality permits issued by DEP.
(2) 
The name of all licensed site professionals (LSP) and LSP subcontractors working on the project and their contact information.
If any provision of this bylaw or the application of any such provision to any person, entity, or circumstance shall be held invalid, the remainder of this bylaw, to the extent it can be given effect, or the application of those provisions to the person, entity, or circumstance other than those to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby, and to this end the provisions of this bylaw are severable.
[Adopted 4-3-2021 ATM by Art. 20 (Ch. 164 of the 1999 Code)]
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE (IECC)
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is a building energy code created by the International Code Council. It is a model code adopted by many state and municipal governments in the United States for the establishment of minimum design and construction requirements for energy efficiency and is updated on a three-year cycle. The baseline energy conservation requirements of the MA State Building Code are the IECC with Massachusetts amendments, as approved by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards.
STRETCH ENERGY CODE
Codified by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards as 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA of the Massachusetts Building Code, the Stretch Energy Code is an appendix to the Massachusetts Building Code, based on further amendments to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to improve the energy efficiency of buildings built to this code.
The purpose of 780 CMR 115.AA is to provide a more energy-efficient alternative to the Base Energy Code applicable to the relevant sections of the Building Code for new building construction.
This code applies to residential and commercial buildings. Buildings not included in this scope shall comply with 780 CMR 115.AA, as indicated.
The Stretch Energy Code, as codified by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards as 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, including any future editions, amendments or modifications, is herein incorporated by reference into the Town of Plymouth General Bylaws, Chapter 137, Article II.
The Stretch Energy Code is enforceable by the Building Commissioner or other local building official.