Why is the Town testing Jameson Field as a potential leaching field?

Background

For many years, there has been discussion about the issue of considering municipal sewer to the Town Center. The 2001 General Plan noted the difficulty of maintaining septic systems on small lots without impacting groundwater quality, and noted that there had been discussion about a small wastewater treatment plant to serve the area. There also has been speculation about whether Jameson Fields would be a suitable site for a leaching field for a shared septic system or wastewater treatment plant. Knowledge of whether this is an important asset or not is of critical importance to the potential of the Town Center. Any potential use of the fields for this purpose would be subject to much further analysis and votes of the Town.

The newly adopted 2019 Master Plan addresses water and septic issues. It notes that "locations of many Town Center wells and septic fields, which were installed many years ago before today's stricter standards were in place, no longer would be allowed, and they pose a potential health risk. Options for current businesses are limited as there is little room for expansion of septic capacity. Indeed, ground water supplies are currently vulnerable to contamination by existing septic systems. It also states that, in addition to a potential health threat, "it could threaten town finances by forcing expensive emergency infrastructure remediation."

The Select Board appointed the Town Center Options Committee (TCOC) in 2014 to study the technical and financial options available to add water supply and/or wastewater management systems. The TCOC work to date shows further development of the Town Center is constrained by septic disposal capacity and water supply.

One of the recommendations of the Master Plan is to:

C. Support and guide the TCOC with resources needed to complete the analysis of the technical feasibility and projected costs of installing and maintaining a public water and/or septic system within a strictly limited Town Center district.

Previous studies have considered the possibility of a wastewater treatment plant serving the Town Center. The Town worked with Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and the Charles River Watershed Association (CWRA) to study the "smart sewer" concept in 2013. The TCOC consultant also prepared a cost estimate for a wastewater treatment system. Both of these efforts lacked the essential information of whether Jameson Field had any capacity to serve as a leaching facility for any wastewater treatment system. A nonbinding vote in the 2007 Town election favored encouraging the formation of a water and/or sewer system to serve the Business district by a 2-1 margin.

Current Efforts

In 2018, a proposal for a private development included the option to locate a wastewater treatment facility leaching field at Jameson Field that would be paid for, in part, by the developer. Several financing options were discussed but the discussions never advanced beyond the preliminary concept stage. However, the discussions did bring to light the fact that no one knows whether using the fields as a leaching area is technically feasible, before even considering financial feasibility.

Some knowledge of the Jameson Field is already available. It is currently the leaching area for the Pine Hill School septic system as well as the Pine Hill School stormwater management system. It also serves as the leaching area for the Fire Station septic system. The Fire Station leaching area is raised due to high groundwater, but the Pine Hill School system is not raised.

Regarding the potential development of a municipal water and/or wastewater system for the Town Center, the Master Plan also states that "The successful solution will depend on the residents' ability to define and agree upon specific additions and changes that are consistent with their shared vision of the future of the Town Center."

Due to the factors stated above, the Planning Board decided that any discussions about the future of the Town Center hinged on whether or not there is technical feasibility of locating a leaching facility at Jameson Fields. Therefore, at the meeting of the Sherborn Select Board of May 23, 2019, the Planning Board asked the Select Board to authorize funding to conduct limited preliminary soil testing that could potentially determine either that a leaching facility was not feasible or whether enough promise could be found to justify additional testing. The Select Board authorized the funding and asked the Planning Board to spearhead the effort.

With input from members of the Planning Board, Board of Health, Town Center Water Options Committee, DPW Director and Town Planner, a local engineering firm familiar with the Town was asked for a proposal. After considering the opportunity, the firm declined because, while it had extensive experience with septic systems, it believed its lack of experience in analyzing conditions for a wastewater treatment facility led to the conclusion that a firm more experienced with such facilities would serve the Town better.

An RFP was drafted and sent to three firms with experience working in Sherborn and with designing wastewater treatment plants. Two proposals were received and both offered excellent credentials. After much review and consideration Stantec was selected.

With some coordination among DPW, Board of Health and Stantec, the testing day was scheduled to be on November 5. DPW supplied an excavator and Stantec provided a certified soil evaluator. Three test pits were dug and soil logs were prepared for all three pits down to 12-15 feet. No groundwater, ledge or impervious soil was encountered to those depths.

The test results indicated highly permeable soils with fast perc rates of under 2 minutes per inch at all three sites. The soil logs also indicate one area at Test Pit #2 with a "Redoximorphic Feature" at 30" from the surface. This can be an indication of high ground water. However, the certified soil evaluator at Stantec states that "Stantec does not believe the observed "Redoximorphic feature" is an indication of high groundwater but rather is an indication of variegated colors. This test pit was done adjacent to forested hill." In any case, monitoring pipes have been installed at all three test pits and will be monitored in the next few months through Spring to determine if groundwater rises within the pits.

Conclusion

While not definitive, the initial test results do not preclude consideration of Jameson Fields as a leaching area for a wastewater treatment facility. The soils are very permeable. Groundwater does not appear to be an issues based on these results but the monitoring pipes that were installed will need to be checked periodically, especially during wet times of year, before a conclusion can be made on that. Capacity has also not been determined. More testing and substantial analysis is required before any decisions could be made.

TOWN MEETING IS APRIL 24 -- PLANNING BOARD HAS 5 ARTICLES

Town Meeting is coming up next Tuesday, April 24, 2018! The Planning Board has 5 zoning articles on the warrant. The Board is proposing and recommending changes to the accessory apartment bylaw, creating outdoor entertainment regulations applicable to the entire Business General district rather than tying it only to restaurants, allowing certain limited events not tied to agriculture to be hosted by farms, and replacing the unworkable "cluster" subdivision bylaw with a more workable version. The Board is not recommending the fifth article to allow commercial solar facilities outside the solar overlay district by special permit. More work is needed on that one.

A more complete discussion (as well as the complete text) of each of those articles can be found on the Town web site at https://www.sherbornma.org/home/news/april-24-2018-annual-town-meeting-information. Click on the item called

Planning Board Summary of Changes to Zoning Articles (April 19, 2018).

Town Meeting begins at 7:00 PM at Lindquist Commons at Dover-Sherborn High School in Dover.

PLANNING BOARD TO HOLD HEARING ON ZONING CHANGES

The Sherborn Planning Board will hold a public hearing regarding its proposed amendments to the Zoning Bylaw on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, beginning at 7:00 PM at Town Hall. The Planning Board is proposing 5 amendments to the Zoning Bylaw for consideration at this year's Annual Town Meeting in April.

The five articles sponsored by the Planning Board are the following:

1. Accessory Apartments -- This article would loosen the requirements to qualify for a special permit by removing the limit on occupancy to relatives and domestic help and allowing the collection of rent. It would require that the owner occupy either the main house of the apartment.

2. Outdoor entertainment in the Business General district -- This amendment would remove the restriction against outdoor entertainment from restaurants and apply it to the entire Business General district. It will still require a special permit and there would be restrictions on hours and noise.

3. Farm events -- This article would help support the sustainability of agriculture in Sherborn by allowing farms to hold special events like weddings or other personal recognition events. Farms wishing to host such events would be subject to site plan review and there would be restrictions on hours and noise.

4. Solar facilities -- Currently, large scale solar photovoltaic facilities are allowed by right but limited to an overlay district that consists only of the closed landfill site. This article would provide for locations outside the overlay district but only by special permit. A maximum of 10% of any such facilities could be located on land that had been in active agriculture or woodlands within the previous five years.

5. Open Space Subdivisions -- The current open space subdivision bylaw has never been used and includes several disincentives. The proposed replacement is based on an updated state model and contains many important updates. It would flip the current situation by allowing open space subdivisions by right and requiring a special permit for conventional development. It would also require that at least 60% of the parcel be preserved as open space, provide maximum flexibility for design within the parcel but require an expanded setback from the entire perimeter. It would still require that a conventional plan be provided to determine the number of housing units that could be permitted and then allow flexibility in arranging those units. The minimum required  protected open space could include no greater percentage of wetlands than the parcel as a whole has.

After receiving input from residents, the Planning Board will prepare a report recommending that Town Meeting support each articles as is, support them with changes, or oppose them. Town Meeting is on Tuesday, April 24.

"COMPLETE STREETS" FORUM TO BE HELD ON JANUARY 16

The Planning Board will host a community forum on January 16, 2018 at 7:00 PM in Town Hall to discuss the draft prioritization plan for the Town's Complete Streets program, as well as how the plan relates to the draft Circulation element of the new General Plan.

The Complete Streets program is a MassDot initiative that encourages streets to serve multiple functions in addition to vehicular travel. The intent is to encourage safe movement for all users, including bicycle and pedestrian access, better connections between transit and other modes, handicapped accessibility, street trees and other measures to encourage walking and improved health, and reduced costs through reduced maintenance costs.

The MassDOT program has three tiers. Tier 1 is adoption of a Complete Streets policy, which Sherborn has already done (and for which it has won a national award from Smart Growth America). Tier 2, which is 100% funded by MassDOT,  is the development of a prioritization plan of identified  projects that will advance the goals of the program. The projects can include sidewalks, bike lanes, off-road trails, road and intersection improvements that enhance use by multiple users, street trees and benches, improved crosswalks, etc. The prioritization plan, being prepared by consultants Green International,  is the focus of the forum. Once a prioritization plan is approved by MassDOT, the Town becomes eligible for Tier 3, which is funding to implement the projects in the plan.

A sampling of the projects included in the draft prioritization plan include:

• ·         Sidewalk on east side of North Main Street;
• ·         Tighten curb radii at Coolidge/North Main and Eliot/North Main;
• ·         Repair sidewalk on North Main north of Hunting Lane.;
• ·         Provide ADA-compliant curb ramps with detectable warning panels at crosswalks;
• ·     Improve Bay Circuit Trail trailheads with crosswalk, connecting sidewalk, wayfinding signs, etc.;
• ·         Install speed feedback devices on North Main and Eliot.

PERMITTING PROCESS FOR MEADOWBROOK COMMONS (EA) AND THE VILLAGES AT SHERBORN (40B)

First, an email distribution list has been created that will used to notify people of upcoming meetings or activities, plans, reports, etc., for those interested. To get on the list send an email to planning@sherbornma.org.

The next step is that Trask has to do a lot of detailed engineering to prepare final plans for both projects. Since they will share a wastewater treatment plant and water, it makes sense to do the engineering for both projects together.

As for permitting, Trask's "Coolidge Crossing" 40B project is on hold and before the Housing Appeals Committee. It may be moot because "Meadowbrook Commons" (the EA that just got preliminary approval) would replace Coolidge Crossing anyway. The Villages rental project is before the Mass Housing Partnership for consideration of a Project Eligibility Letter (approval is highly likely). Once Trask gets that letter and gets the engineering done, he can apply for both projects. One wrinkle is that 40B projects are submitted to the ZBA while EA projects are submitted to the Planning Board (PB).

Due to the nature of the two projects, considerable collaboration is likely. That would likely include, at a minimum,  hiring the same peer reviewer, but could potentially include joint hearings which would make it easier on everyone involved.

As for timelines, again the rules differ between 40B's and EA (and all special permits). The first hearing for a 40B must occur within 30 days of submitting a complete application. Special permits must be heard within 65 days of application. Again, the PB may schedule its hearing at the same time as ZBA if the application for both projects are complete. Then, the PB must make a decision within 90 days of closing the hearing, but there is no real limit on how long the hearings may continue. On the other hand, the hearings on a 40B must close within 180 days of opening (unless mutually agreed by the applicant and ZBA to extend it). The PB decision must be filed with Town Clerk within 90 days of close of hearing while a 40B decision must be filed within 40 days of close of hearing.

The opening hearing of both permits must be advertised in a newspaper twice - at least 14 days in advance and then at least 7 days in advance. Abutters within 300 feet of the perimeter of the property must get a notice in the mail. There is no specific timeframe for that other than "reasonable." PB has already decided it will expand that distance to notify  everyone on Meadowbrook Road and much of Coolidge Street plus anyone who provides an email address.  After the first hearing, no additional notices are mailed and there are no more newspaper ads. The ZBA and PB must announce the time and date and place of the next hearing at the first and all subsequent ones. Email notices though, will be sent to everyone on the list.

PLANNING BOARD TO HOLD HEARING ON POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT ON COOLIDGE STREET

As you may know, a developer has applied for comprehensive permits (also know as 40B) on two abutting sites at 84 and 104 Coolidge Street. The project at 104 Coolidge would be 88 townhouse style units (22 of which would qualify as affordable under State rules) while the project at 84 Coolidge would be 88 rental apartments in a single L-shaped building. The affordable units in the rental project would all count toward our 10% goal.

Trask Development has indicated an interest in redesigning the townhouse project to an age-restricted (over 55) project of 67 units of which 7 would be affordable. The project would then comply with Sherborn's rules rather than the State's rules. In this scenario, the rental project would remain as currently proposed. In order to do this however, Sherborn's EA zoning bylaw would need to be amended to remove the current restriction which currently only allows such projects within 1 mile of the Washington/North Main/South Main intersection.

A Special Town Meeting is scheduled for December 6 to consider 2 zoning changes. One would amend the EA section of the Zoning Bylaw to remove the 1-mile restriction and to provide for affordable units to be included in an age-restricted development. The other would rezone the Coolidge Street property to EA in conjunction with a Preliminary Development Plan.

The Planning Board hearing on the zoning changes will be held on November 7 at 7:00 PM. The Advisory Committee will also hold a hearing on November 8 at 7:00 PM. The Preliminary Development Plan will be posted on the Town web site shortly.

FORUMS ON NEW DRAFT GENERAL PLAN BEGIN JANUARY 25

The Sherborn Planning Board invites all residents to the first of a series of public forums on the new draft General Plan for the Town. This forum will focus on the Natural Resource and Open Space goals of the General Plan. As these goals are also part of the draft Open Space and Recreation Plan, this forum is co-sponsored by the Open Space Committee.

The forum is a step in the Planning Board's process of producing a new General Plan for the Town, the first since 2001. State law requires that the Planning Board of each town must adopt a comprehensive Plan to provide a basis for decision-making regarding the long-term development of the town. The current Sherborn Planning Board is committed to producing a General Plan that provides a shared vision of Sherborn's future, including preservation of the Town's most valued assets as well as needed improvements.  The Plan seeks to define broad goals for the coming years and decades and to provide clear recommendations, practical strategies and specific actions to fulfill those goals. 

From the start, the Planning Board has sought to make the process as inclusive and transparent as possible. It began in 2014 with a town-wide survey, followed by formation of volunteer citizen "working groups" who worked for many months to produce draft sections of the Plan. Over the past several months these drafts have been reviewed and revised by the Planning Board with input from many Town Boards and Committees.  So far, dozens of Town residents have taken an active role in the General Plan process.

While the writing and editing process is ongoing, sections of the draft General Plan are being presented to all interested residents in a series of public forums. The first will be held on Wednesday, January 25th at 7:00 PM at the Sherborn Town Hall.  It will be focused on Goals concerning Sherborn's Natural Resources and Open Space. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend.