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Planning Board transmits Middlesex School field‑house recommendation to Board of Appeals; height waiver discussed
Summary
The board adopted a recommendation (with edits and conditions) to the Board of Appeals for Middlesex School’s proposed field house and height waiver (requested height: 72 ft 9 in). The recommendation includes conditions on generator testing, lighting control, parking and EV infrastructure.
The Concord Planning Board voted to adopt a revised recommendation to transmit to the Board of Appeals on Sept. 17 for Middlesex School’s proposed athletic field house at 1400 Laurel Road, including consideration of a height waiver.
Board members reviewed a draft recommendation letter line by line, focusing on separating applicant statements from the Planning Board’s findings and tightening condition language. The draft records that the applicant is requesting relief from the 35‑foot height limit to a flagged measurement of 72 feet 9 inches and describes programmatic reasons for the requested height.
Operational and mitigation items: Board members and staff discussed the proposed emergency generator’s location and testing schedule, and the project team said weekly exercises would be short (about 20 minutes) and could be scheduled during daytime to minimize disturbance to nearby faculty housing. The board asked for explicit conditions on testing time windows and sound attenuation. The project includes nine dual Level 2 EV chargers (18 charging spaces); staff asked the project team to confirm conduit sizing to allow future expansion and submitted an RFI to the electrical engineer.
Parking and circulation: The campus parking inventory would be reduced from 387 to 355 parking spaces; the building commissioner determined the school requires 241 spaces, leaving an identified surplus. Public‑works and right‑of‑way permit requirements were noted as preconditions for final approvals and certificate of occupancy.
Board action and next steps: After edits and condition discussion, a motion to adopt the recommendation letter was made and seconded; the board approved the recommendation and asked staff to finalize the decision text and submit it to the Board of Appeals. Planning staff will incorporate the discussed clarifications and conditions (generator timing, lighting programming, construction safety fencing, EV charging conduit, and parking/roadway conditions) before transmittal.
Background: The item includes Special Permit, Site Plan Review and related findings under the Town of Concord zoning bylaw (height waiver and required site plan findings). The Planning Board’s transmittal is a recommendation for the Board of Appeals’ decision on requested waivers.
