Planning Board focuses on Stop & Shop site plan
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Northborough - Now that the Massachusetts Land Court has upheld Stop & Shop's appeal of the Planning Board's denial of their site plan, and the Board of Selectmen has decided for the town that they will not file an appeal of the appeal, the Planning Board has begun the process of deciding what conditions it will require of Stop & Shop for their proposed superstore at 77 Main St.

The Planning Board's Nov. 6 meeting was its first since the appeal was upheld and the Board of Selectmen met Oct. 29 to unanimously decide not to appeal Judge Alexander Sands's Oct. 4 ruling that the site plan be returned to the Planning Board.

Included among the topics that were discussed as potentially condition-worthy were traffic on the streets around the site, a traffic light at the site driveway on Main Street (Route 20), delivery times and the routes trucks will take in and out of the property, the screening and buffering around loading dock, and trash bins for a more aesthetically pleasing look for neighbors.

Also discussed were the dimensions of the parking lot, including size, islands, traffic flow, storage, snow and debris removal, and the care needed to make sure said debris is kept out of the Assabet River, which abuts the property. Other subjects brought up for possible discussion at a future date were signage, external lighting and hours of operation, as well as any special conditions the Police, Fire and Public Works departments may want instituted.

How quickly the Planning Board had to put together its list of conditions and get it to Stop & Shop is somewhat unclear. Board member George Pember warned against the board getting "consumed" by compiling and getting the list of conditions to Stop & Shop, but Town Counsel Barbara Saint Andre believes the court wants this phase of the process completed as quickly as possible.

"The judge did not set a deadline for a decision, but he did use the word 'forthwith' in his decision, which I interpret to mean, basically, as speedily as possible," Saint Andre said.

Planning Board Chair Rick Leif agreed with Saint Andre, saying the board should "keep the ball rolling on this."

To that end, Leif asked Town Planner Kathy Joubert to review correspondence received from town departments during the original process about possible concerns at the time. Leif said he remembered there being many.

Joubert said she would review the file and include any relevant concerns or recommendations, as well as prepare a draft decision. She said the draft decision would be ready for review at the Tuesday Nov. 20 meeting.

Pember noted that already on the docket for the Planning Board's next meeting Nov. 20 is a pair of new project applicants as well as the need for a decision on an ongoing project. He also pointed out that the board is in its second year of reviewing the town's zoning bylaws.

"I understand having a busy schedule, but I really think you need to give this your top priority," Saint Andre said.

Following the discussion, the board voted to add Stop & Shop to its Nov. 20 agenda, and discussed holding a special Planning Board meeting Monday Nov. 26 or Tuesday Nov. 27 to discuss the zoning bylaws.