River of Life Church site‑plan hearing continued; board approves mandatory findings for special permits

The Acton Select Board continued the public hearing on the River of Life Church application to develop indoor courts and a clubhouse at 45 Nagog Park and voted on required mandatory findings for the project’s permits while several technical and permitting issues remain outstanding.

Engineer Frank McPartland of Dillis & Roy presented revisions made since the project’s prior hearing, including corrected test pit elevations, revisions to the subsurface stormwater system to meet groundwater separation requirements and minor changes to vehicle turnaround geometry to satisfy fire‑truck turning radii. McPartland said he supplied groundwater mounding calculations and that the subsurface system footprint was slightly narrowed and lengthened to meet horizontal offsets from court foundations.

Planning staff and the town’s peer reviewer (GCG) flagged remaining items. Planning Director Nate Ryan told the board some items could be handled as conditions of approval but drew attention to the distribution of accessible parking spaces; he said seven accessible spaces currently sit at the front of the site and recommended redistributing them closer to the pickleball courts, which board members said will likely be the higher‑use facility. “I think the highest use would most likely be the pickleball center so that could be something to deliberate,” Nate said.

Other outstanding issues included: confirmation in writing from the Fire Department that the revised fire‑lane and turnaround meet operational requirements (the applicant said turning‑movement diagrams demonstrate emergency‑vehicle access), verification of whether proposed new buildings encroach on existing underground electric utility lines, clarification of sidewalk repairs and frontage work, and a separate application process for a fossil‑fuel‑free waiver (the applicant and building official are to develop technical justification for any waiver).

Select Board member Jim moved and Melissa seconded that the board make the mandatory findings required for the site‑plan and use special permits; the board approved those findings on a voice vote. The board also directed staff and the applicant to work out remaining technical items and to return with a final plan and draft conditions for a future meeting. The public hearing remains open pending completion of conditions and final documentation.

Background: The application seeks site‑plan special permits and use permits under the town zoning bylaw to build courts and club facilities leased from the property owner. The applicant withdrew a request for a de minimis stormwater waiver after supplemental soil testing showed better subsurface soils than originally modeled. The fossil‑fuel waiver — a separate technical review — will be handled in a distinct process and may require a separate hearing.

Next steps: Applicant to provide revised plans, fire department sign‑off in writing, evidence about underground utilities, and final stormwater/landscaping exhibits. Planning staff will draft conditions for board approval; the board left the public hearing open for a future consent or meeting vote.