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Planning Board continues hearing on 92–96 East Main Street development
Summary
The Merrimac Planning Board continued a public hearing on a proposed development at 92–96 East Main Street after hearing updated stormwater plans, a peer reviewer’s endorsement, and debate over a traffic comparison; the board set the matter to be revisited at its July 16 meeting.
Chair David Cressman opened the Planning Board’s public hearing on a proposed development at 92, 94 and 96 East Main Street and the board voted to continue the matter to its next meeting. Attorney Melissa Robins, representing the applicant, summarized plan revisions and said the applicant had updated stormwater plans and completed a traffic survey. Robins also said the town’s DPW director, Bob Sinabaldi, confirmed wastewater and sewer capacity is available for the proposed project.
Janet Bernardo of peer reviewer Horsley Witten told the board she was "comfortable with the design as it's submitted tonight," saying only minor errors remained and that the developers had addressed prior comments. Bernardo also recommended Merrimac consider updating parts of its subdivision regulations to reflect more frequent heavy rain events.
Engineer Doug Lees described site changes, including a lower‑than‑expected water table, accessibility improvements—8‑foot aisles for handicapped parking, a ramp linking an additional lot, and making a rear door facing the parking lot the primary entrance—and a fence that transitions from a six‑foot white picket at the rear to a black chain‑link along the side tree line. Chris Gaudet, chair of the Commission on Disabilities, thanked the developer for responding to accessibility concerns. Vice Chair Karol Flannery asked for clearer elevation mockups to show the proposed rear main entrance.
Lees presented a traffic analysis the applicant commissioned and said projected traffic would be lower than when Skip’s operated on the site. Vice Chair Flannery questioned that comparison after board members learned the traffic baseline used a May 2023 study conducted after Skip’s had closed, calling the finding’s accuracy into question.
With no comments from abutters, Member Thomas Abisalih moved to continue the public hearing; Vice Chair Karol Flannery seconded and the motion passed, 4–0. The board scheduled the item to be revisited at its next meeting on July 16, 2024.
