Beacon Unitarian27s 695 Springfield Avenue proposal draws detailed scrutiny on parking, solar canopies and stormwater; hearing continued

The Summit Zoning Board of Adjustment held an extended hearing on April 7 on a revised proposal by Beacon Unitarian for a new two-story building at 695 Springfield Avenue that would replace the existing facility and include parking, solar canopies above stalls, porous pavement and a series of stormwater-control measures.

The applicant27s team presented a revised plan that reduced the sanctuary27s seating and the related parking demand. Site engineer John Cote (Langan Engineering) described the parcel as 1.744 acres in a zone that requires 2 acres, and said the revised design lowers the project27s parking requirement by reducing seats and by adding four Sunday-only tandem parking spaces to the northeast corner. The design shows 42 on-site parking stalls in the earlier submission plus four tandem stalls that would raise the on-site total to 46; consultant testimony described required on-site parking falling to about 79 spaces after the seating reductions and other edits.

Key components of the plan presented to the board included:

- Solar canopies over portions of the parking field. The applicant27s engineer said the mounting tilt produces an under-canopy clearance of roughly 12 to 14 feet and that canopies would include downlighting beneath the panels. The board and public asked whether canopy supports would interfere with circulation and…