The Manchester-by-the-Sea Planning Board continued to revise and adjust a list of possible conditions for Cell Signaling Technology’s proposed research-and-development laboratories planned for Atwater Avenue.
CST is seeking a comprehensive special permit to build the roughly 500-employee facility over two phases on the site of the former gravel quarry, just north of the Manchester Athletic Club. If approved, the project will be the largest building project in Manchester’s history.
The Planning Board reviewed two lists of conditions – one submitted by Marc Resnick, the town’s director of land management, and the other a response to that list from CST attorney Mark Glovsky.
The board did skip over one condition, concerning the creation of a bicycle lane on School Street, north of Route 128, which Planning Board Chairman Sarah Creighton said she expected a lot of debate about this condition at the board’s next meeting on September 23.
Several neighbors of the project attended the meeting to share their concerns about the hours of construction and blasting. The condition, as written, limited construction from 6:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Blasting was listed as limited to after 8 a.m.
The town’s bylaws limit construction to a window of 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. on weekdays. CST officials had requested the earlier starting time to allow its trucks and machinery to arrive before school buses are on the roads between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.
Stephanie Rogers of 59 Forest St. said, “we are planning construction traffic around school traffic. But aren’t we going to have way more traffic with all the business up there (once the project is complete)?”
Creighton, who had served on the building committees overseeing design and construction of both the Manchester Memorial School and the Manchester Essex Regional High School—explained that the hours were for construction only.
Elizabeth Thomas of 27 Mill St. said there was pressure being put on the residents of Forest and Mill streets.
“Every single time we come here, there are more things taken from us and given to Cell Signaling,” said Thomas. “It’s more blasts. It’s stronger blasts.... And now detours are starting on Forest and Mill streets.”
Mary Ellen Moores of Forest Street said that CST officials had said they would limit blasts to .2 on the blasting scale but one from last week was measured at .325.
At Planning Board member Susan Philbrick’s suggestion, the board agreed to change the hours of construction to 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. on weekdays, while keeping the Saturday hours the same.
Because the Planning Board was allowing construction beyond the town’s bylaw limits, the Select Board would also have to approve this measure, according to Creighton.
Greg Keller of Columbia Construction said that state rules restrict blasting to between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., so CST was OK with those hours being adjusted as well.
Keller also explained that Manchester Fire Chief James McNeilly had suggested to the blasting company to use multiple smaller blasts daily rather than one stronger one. He said that was why there were days with two blasts.
One of the town conditions called for CST to promote its sustainable features at the trailhead that connects to the Trustees of Reservations property at the Monoliths, on their website and in the lobby of the building.
Glovsky said CST was happy to promote its sustainable features online and at the trailhead, but balked at displaying it in the lobby of the complex.
Another of the town’s conditions was that CST
agree to keep the trails connecting to the Trustees’ property as is.
But Glovsky said that, while CST intends to maintain those trails, it’s possible that due to later expansion of the complex, the trails and parking area may need to be moved.
Another town condition would require CST to provide a performance guarantee of $250,000 to be used only if CST decides to withdraw from building the complex. The town would be able to use the money to stabilize the land and prevent any damage to Saw Mill Brook—which runs along much of the
property before it crosses Rte. 128 to Mill Street—from runoff.
When asked who came up with the $250,000 figure, Glovsky said he had and that it was probably quite a lot more than would be needed to stabilize the lot.
But Roland Glidden of 54 Forest St. disagreed. “Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is just a drop in the bucket,” said Glidden. “It should be $2.5 million at least.”
Creighton asked Resnick to put together a revised list of conditions that will be discussed at the September 23 meeting. Both Planning Board members Laura Tenney and Mary Foley said they had suggestions for possible conditions. They and any other members that had suggestions were asked to submit them to Resnick for discussion at the next meeting. It’s expected that the public hearing process will conclude sometime next month.
