Planning board continues review of proposed barn and animal‑assisted treatment facility at 827 Green Street

The Gardner City Planning Board continued preliminary site plan review for a proposed barn and supporting parking at 827 Green Street after the applicant said revised plans were delivered too recently for thorough review. The applicant, represented by Wesley Flis of McCarty Engineering, asked the board to continue the public hearing so staff and members could review definitive site plans and drainage analyses.

The proposal calls for a 74‑by‑100‑foot barn with clerical offices and small classrooms for one‑on‑one animal‑assisted treatment, and a 15‑space parking lot with two accessible spaces and a concrete walkway to the main entrance. "The property is approximately a 150 acres," Flis said, describing existing barns, a small house he referred to as the "dollhouse," and a deeded parcel used for a cell tower driveway.

Flis told the board the site soils are mapped as "A/D" and that a seasonally high groundwater table limits options for infiltration. "Because of the high ground water elevation ... we're not able to achieve the 2 foot offset to the groundwater between the bottom of any kind of infiltration ... for the driveway and also the parking lot," he said, noting the team proposes a stone diaphragm, a four‑bay pretreatment area and a detention basin to meet stormwater standards "to the maximum extent practical." He added the project is unlikely to meet the 80% TSS removal target because infiltration will not occur in wet seasons.

The applicant has filed or plans to file a Notice of Intent with the Conservation Commission for work within buffer zones and said a mounded septic system is proposed because of the shallow groundwater; water supply (a proposed well) would be handled separately with the Board of Health and state approvals. Flis said erosion controls (shrub wattles) are shown and that overall site grading is minimal.

Planning staff and commissioners asked about building materials, parking calculations and the building square‑footage breakdown requested by the building inspector to justify the proposed 15 parking spaces. The board and applicant agreed to continue the item to the next regular meeting so the applicant can provide the outstanding drainage and parking information and the planning staff can prepare advertising for the public hearing.

No formal approvals or permit decisions were made; the matter was continued for further review and public notice.