Beverly planning board approves minor modifications to 478 Rantoul Street site plan with parking, emergency-turnaround and stormwater conditions

The Beverly Planning Board voted unanimously Sept. 16 to grant a minor modification to Site Plan Review No. 167-24 for 478 Rantoul Street, approving a reconfigured parking layout, an emergency-vehicle turnaround and other changes provided in revised construction drawings.

The change removes a previously proposed tunnel between the new building and an existing structure and instead adds two parking spaces, a transformer pad, a relocated trash area and a stormwater system. “The site changes were relatively minor in nature,” Giovanni Ferrera, product engineer for the applicant, said, describing the revised layout and the decision to drop the tunnel. Ferrera told the board that the project team added “a stormwater system with the catch basin. This is sized to meet the 100-year storm and is also in compliance with the Massachusetts stormwater standards.”

Why it matters: The board's approval clears the way for the developer to revise construction drawings and proceed toward permitting while imposing conditions aimed at safety and regulatory compliance. The vote also resolved a disputed component of prior approvals (the tunnel) and required the applicant to show how the site will accommodate emergency vehicles, utilities and required parking standards.

Most important facts

- The board deemed the modification minor and approved the change unanimously. - Required revisions include: plans revised to five sheets titled “Proposed Development, 478 Rantoul Street, Beverly, Mass. 01915” (prepared by Fadero Engineering), a parking reconfiguration to show no more than eight compact parking spaces, and inclusion of an emergency-vehicle turnaround shown in the construction plan set. - The applicant said the transformer pad was added after National Grid coordination; electrical service needs made the transformer necessary. - The plan now shows a catch basin sized to meet the 100-year storm and a site grading adjustment; a formal stormwater report will be provided. - The applicant said EV charging will be located under the building for several spaces and that bicycle storage remains inside the building and elevator-accessible.

What the board required

The board's approval included three principal conditions the applicant must meet before final sign-off: revise the civil plan set to five sheets and include the emergency-vehicle-turnaround detail; reconfigure parking to reflect 34 on-site parking spaces with no more than eight compact spaces (the applicant indicated spaces 32, 33 and 34 should be converted to full-size); and incorporate the recommendations in the Beverly Parking and Traffic Commission letter dated Sept. 15, 2025. Members also asked that the turnaround geometry be included on the construction-level C-sheet (c5) and that the turnaround and swept-path work appear in the final construction drawings.

Safety, utilities and fire review

Board members and staff flagged three operational issues during debate: emergency access, electric service and Fire Department concurrence on EV charging in an enclosed podium area. The applicant said the design includes an ambulance turnaround approximately 12 feet wide adjacent to Spaces 1 and 2 and that the turnaround will be striped and signed to prevent parking. The applicant said EV-charging locations (spaces 5–11) are under the building and that a fire-department policy rather than a bylaw governs covered EV charging. The board asked the applicant to obtain or document a fire-department review of the turnaround and the EV plan; meeting participants said Captain Jacob Krailing (fire prevention) had been present at the Parking & Traffic meeting but a written memo from the Fire Department was not yet in the record.

Parking specifics and compliance

The site will show 35 total spaces including one on-street space that services the existing commercial use, the applicant said. The board and the applicant agreed that, because code limits compact stalls to 25% of total parking, the plans must reduce compact stalls to eight or fewer; the applicant committed to convert three compact spaces (identified as 32, 33 and 34) into full-size stalls and to show that change on the revised plan.

Other details noted in the hearing

- Transformer pad: added after coordination with National Grid; the pad and an oil-containment detail were placed near the low end of the site and are shown adjacent to the proposed parking. - Catch basin/stormwater: applicant represented the basin is sized for the 100-year storm and will meet Massachusetts stormwater standards; a full stormwater report will follow. - Retaining walls: the applicant presented retaining-wall locations that reflect modest grade changes; the board did not require additional variances but asked for final wall details in the construction set. - Conservation: the transformer and some disturbed stone were shown near the 25-foot no-disturb buffer to wetland resource areas; the applicant said the net buffer impact is reduced compared with prior plans and that the project will go to the Conservation Commission for review.

Public input and next steps

Board members debated whether some items should return for another hearing; most members characterized the changes as engineering and site logistics rather than policy shifts and supported conditional approval. The board's final motion grants the minor modification and sets the conditions described above. The applicant must submit the revised plan set (including the emergency-vehicle-turnaround detail) and the materials required by the Parking & Traffic Commission letter for the city to sign off prior to construction.

Quotes (from the record)

- Giovanni Ferrera, product engineer for the applicant: “The site changes were relatively minor in nature. . . . We added a stormwater system with the catch basin. This is sized to meet the 100-year storm and is also in compliance with the Massachusetts stormwater standards.” - Derek Chequith, chair, Beverly Planning Board (procedural): “For our just this is Derek. Just to bring you up to speed on the process . . . we have to determine if this is a a minor or a major request.”

Ending

The board's approval clears the path for revised construction documents; the applicant will return to the city with construction-level drawings and the requested memos (fire-department input, stormwater report and the revised five-sheet plan set) before the city issues final permits. The board's conditions reflect the Parking & Traffic Commission's concerns and focus on emergency access, parking geometry and stormwater compliance.