Below is a summarized version of the Community Planning & Development Commission (CPDC) meeting organized by timestamps and speakers, focusing on key points raised during the discussion in Reading, Massachusetts. This summary condenses the discussion into major themes, speaker contributions, and decisions, avoiding excessive detail while retaining the essence of the conversation. Timestamps correspond to the video linked at the bottom.
- 🔹 Meeting Opening & Attendance
- 🔹 Public Hearing: 420 Haverhill Street – Cobblestone Corner Childcare Facility
- 🔹 Continued Public Hearing: 346–348 Main Street Mixed-Use Project
- 🔹 Continued Public Hearing: 885 Main Street – Primrose School
- 🔹 Site Plan Amendment: 34 Walkers Brook Drive
- 🔹 ANR Plan: 19 & 25 Grey Coach Road
- 🔹 Other Business
- 🔹 Key Outcomes Summary
🗓️ CPDC Meeting Summary – July 14, 2025
📍 Location: Select Board Room, Reading Town Hall & Zoom
🎙️ Chair: Heather Clish
🧭 Facilitator: Olivia Knightly (Senior Planner)
🔹 Meeting Opening & Attendance
⏰ 6:40–9:00
- Hybrid meeting protocols reviewed.
- Present: Heather Clish (Chair), John Arena, Tom Armstrong (in person), Guy Manionello (Zoom).
- New member Andrew McLoughlin expected via Zoom.
- Andrew MacNichol (Community Development Director) introduced the meeting.
🔹 Public Hearing: 420 Haverhill Street – Cobblestone Corner Childcare Facility
⏰ 9:00–1:51:00
Applicant: Michelle Souza
Engineer: Jack Sullivan (Sullivan Engineering Group)
Proposal: Convert a single-family home into a childcare facility for up to 39 students.
Key Topics:
- Site Design: ADA-accessible classrooms, nature-based outdoor play, rain gardens for stormwater, and a 14-space parking lot.
- Traffic & Safety: Horseshoe driveway for one-way traffic; sight distances exceed minimums; fire department access under review.
- Stormwater Management: Rain garden designed for 10-year storm; engineering peer review requested 25-year storm data.
- Public Comments:
- Support from parents and neighbors for Michelle’s track record.
- Concerns about traffic, sight lines, snow storage, and emergency evacuation.
- Requests for a professional traffic study and landscaping plan.
- Board Discussion:
- Need for clearer emergency access and fencing around rain garden.
- Coordination with fire and engineering departments required.
- Legal opinion requested on Dover Amendment applicability.
✅ Outcome: Continued to August 11 to resolve:
- Fire department and engineering concerns
- Emergency access and fencing
- Screening and landscaping details
- Legal review of zoning history
🔹 Continued Public Hearing: 346–348 Main Street Mixed-Use Project
⏰ 1:51:00–1:56:00
Applicant: Brian McGrail (Attorney), Jim Jolly
Issue: Lack of quorum for voting due to member absences and Mullen Rule limitations.
✅ Outcome: Continued to August 11 to ensure full voting eligibility.
🔹 Continued Public Hearing: 885 Main Street – Primrose School
⏰ 1:56:00–3:51:00
Applicant: Primrose School Franchising Corp.
Engineer: Josh Klein (Stonefield Engineering)
Attorney: Jonathan Silverstein
Proposal: New 175-student childcare facility with 53 parking spaces.
Key Topics:
- Traffic & Parking:
- Peer-reviewed traffic study found no significant impact.
- 10 spaces designated for drop-off/pick-up.
- Concerns about backup onto Main Street and lack of overflow parking.
- Request for parking management plan and post-occupancy study.
- Stormwater:
- Peer review requested additional 25-year storm data.
- Drainage designed to reduce runoff to abutters and wetlands.
- Emergency Access:
- No clear evacuation plan provided.
- Board and public requested clarity on rally points and coordination with fire/police.
- Public Comments:
- Strong concerns about traffic safety, emergency egress, and site constraints.
- Requests for a smaller school, better landscaping, and more transparency.
- Questions about Dover Amendment applicability and nonprofit status.
- Board Discussion:
- Need for updated feedback from fire and police departments.
- Request for turning radius analysis and snow storage plan.
- Legal clarification on Dover protections and frontage requirements.
✅ Outcome: Continued to August 11 to:
- Receive updated fire and police feedback
- Review parking management plan
- Finalize stormwater and conservation review
- Clarify emergency evacuation and site circulation
🔹 Site Plan Amendment: 34 Walkers Brook Drive
⏰ 3:55:00–3:58:00
Request: Modify delivery hours from 9:00 AM to 7:00 AM to accommodate new tenant.
✅ Outcome: Approved delivery hours of 6:00 AM–11:00 PM, consistent with general bylaw.
🔹 ANR Plan: 19 & 25 Grey Coach Road
⏰ 3:58:00–4:01:00
Request: Lot line adjustment (land swap) between two properties.
✅ Outcome: Endorsed as Approval Not Required (ANR) plan.
🔹 Other Business
⏰ 4:01:00–4:06:00
- Discussion of potential second August meeting for town projects (Killam School, Community Center).
- Request for executive session or legal briefing on Dover Amendment.
- Minutes from April 14 approved.
🔹 Key Outcomes Summary
- ✅ 420 Haverhill Street hearing continued to August 11 for safety and design revisions.
- ✅ 346–348 Main Street continued due to quorum issues.
- ✅ 885 Main Street (Primrose) continued for further review of traffic, safety, and site design.
- ✅ Delivery hours at 34 Walkers Brook Drive expanded to 6 AM–11 PM.
- ✅ Lot line adjustment at 19 & 25 Grey Coach Road approved.
- ✅ April 14 meeting minutes approved.
- ✅ Legal and procedural follow-ups requested on Dover Amendment and public safety authority.
