Here is a Google video of the first hour and 12 minutes of the Conservation Commission meeting of 3/26/09. This video was recorded by Adam Cohen.
The agenda items covered in the video include:
Video time 0:02:25-1:10:03
Continuation of a Notice of Intent filed by Smith College for the relocation of a tennis court, creation of a synthetic playing field, and the paving of an existing gravel parking lot. Work is proposed to take place in Riverfront Area. Project location is College Lane at Smith College, Map Id 31C-15.
Concerns discussed include whether fine rubber particles used as cushioning material would leak out of the playing field over time. A key question was whether Smith’s proposal will improve the resource area (riverfront bordering the Mill River). Commissioner Paul Wetzel also expressed concern about whether the disposal and replacement of the synthetic playing field at the end of its 15-year life represented good sustainability practice. The hearing was continued to next month.
Video time 1:10:04-1:12:33
Discussion of a Notice of Intent filed by Tofino Associates, Inc. and Northern Avenue Homes, Inc. for the construction of twenty-five dwelling units and associated roadways, parking areas, driveways, sidewalks, utilities, landscaping and stormwater management system. Project is proposed to take place in the 100-foot buffer zone of Bordering Vegetated Wetlands. Project location is Northern Avenue, Map Id 25C-12 and 25C-17.
The Commission accepts a request from Tofino Associates/Northern Avenue Homes/Kohl Construction to withdraw its application. Conservation and Land Use Planner Bruce Young reports that Planning Director Wayne Feiden asserts that applicants may withdraw their applications even after the public hearing on a project is closed.
See also:
Video: Conservation Commission Meeting of 3/12/09; Deadlock on Kohl Condo Proposal
3:11:40… Wetzel: “So to me, getting rid of these guys [points
to condo units 1-10]…is a big help” because they are at a relatively
low elevation close to the water table. He wants more room to be made
for the development’s normal operations, such as snow clearing and snow
storage. He believes that violations of wetlands protection covenants
are likely to occur over time…
3:51:13…: Meyer: “This has been the problem with this
project from the beginning… When the footprint of the project
impinges on the wetlands, there’s no other place to do improvements…
If you had the project heavily concentrated in one end of the site,
going right to 35 feet, but nothing was happening down at the other end
of the site, then there’s some place where you can do significant
mitigation in the 35 to 50 foot zone… I don’t think that the
difficulty is something that is set in stone. I think it’s generated to
a certain extent by the design of the project.”
3:54:50…:
Doug Kohl signals his desire to withdraw his application before a vote
is taken. The commission is unsure if Kohl has the right to withdraw at
this stage. (Bruce Young: “I’m unsure of it… It’s never happened
since I’ve been here.”) The commission will seek the advice of the City
Solicitor. The commission has 21 days to make a decision on the
application. The hearing is continued to March 26 at 6pm.