ZBA hearings continue on
Published on November 19th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - According to an engineer hired to create a drainage plan for a proposed 16-unit condominium complex at Stoneham's Christopher Street, the development will not exacerbate flooding problems in the surrounding neighborhood.
Reporting his findings last Thursday to members of the town's Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), Hayes Engineering representative Peter Blaisdell claimed that the drainage plan for the affordable housing development would halve the total area experiencing water runoff and channel drainage away from some homes adjacent to the site.
"We can't really solve everybody's drainage problems, but if anything, we tried to redirect it away from some people's lands...Where before you had 1.4 acres of runoff, we've reduced it to .8 acres, not quite half [of what it was before]," explained Blaisdell.
"Just to review, the way we approached this is we figured out the amount of runoff in the existing site and then figured out the amount of runoff in the proposed site and figured out a way to reduce it," Blaisdell added.
Proposed as a Chapter 40B project, which allows a developer to skirt some local zoning bylaws if 25 percent of the housing is dedicated to affordable housing, abutters have argued that the condominiums would flood surrounding homes with excess runoff.
Arguing that the property owner, Malden businessman R. DinNano should downsize the scope of the project to limit the negative impacts, many of the residents have proposed that the site is most suitable for two or three residential homes.
Citing solutions to the site's drainage such as a 5000 cubic foot underground retention tank near Isabella Street, a 120 square foot gravel trench, piping placed underneath the foundations of the housing units, and storm roof drains that would pipe directly into the town's drainage system, Blaisdell was quick to admit that the site would see an increase in the total volume of water running off the site.
However, the engineer attempted to assure residents and ZBA members that the rate of runoff, not the total volume of runoff, dictates the impact that drainage has on surrounding neighborhoods.
"In all the property there's an increase of volume but a decrease of the rate of runoff. I know that doesn't sound right, but it works," claimed Blaisdell.
"It sounds like you're playing the numbers in your favor," retorted Isabella Street resident Daniel Warner.
After Blaisdell further revealed that the additional water volume would be sent into Isabella Street's drainage pipes, ZBA Chairman William Sullivan questioned whether the system could handle the increase.
"Have you done any type of engineering studies on the existing drainage on Isabella Street and whether it can handle [the increase]?" asked Sullivan.
"No because it wasn't required by [Department of Public Works Director] Bob Grover. He said that if we could show we weren't going to increase the drainage flowing off the lot that he'd be satisfied," answered Blaisdell.
"To be honest with you, the DPW has very poor records and it's not really clear what's there," he added.
According to a post-meeting interview with Grover, the DPW director remained confident that the street's drainage would be able to handle the increase.
"What the town requires is that you change the drainage or lessen the amount that comes of the site and that's what they've done...Normally what you do is collect it into a small holding tank and you control the release. It puts the drainage into the system when it's able to handle it and that's pretty standard," commented Grover, who also contested the opinion that the neighborhood had a flooding problem.
Claiming that there were to many unknowns with the plan to dump the runoff into the Isabella Street system, Hill requested that the town retain an expert to analyze the drainage plan.
"I don't have as much confidence tonight in the DPW as I did before...It's important for the neighbors and everybody involved that you have a consultant. It's not that expensive to do," explained Hill.
The ZBA continued the Christopher Village hearing until December 11, when the petitioner will submit a blasting plan for the site.
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