The Rindge Planning Board approved two applications for commercial businesses, as well as a new three-lot subdivision, during its meeting on Tuesday night.
Two cases which the board reviewed at last month’s meeting, but sent back to developers for more-detailed plans, were approved this month, in unanimous decisions.
In one continued case, the board approved an expansion of the self-storage property on Route 202 in Rindge.
The business had previously been approved for the construction of one additional self-storage building, but the owner, Patriot Holdings, returned to the board for a request to expand even further – adding an additional six storage buildings and an addition to one of the two buildings that already exist on-site.
The business is located at 26 Route 202, in the Business Light Industry zone. The end result of the renovations will be a total of more than 51,000 square feet of storage space, according to Chad Branon of Fieldstone Land Consultants, presenting on behalf of Patriot Holdings.
The plan calls for an extension of the paved surface to accommodate the additional buildings. The site has been designed to direct the rain runoff and snowmelt into a drainage system that can accommodate the additional impermeable surface, Branon said.
Selectmen’s representative to the Planning Board Bob Hamilton questioned whether there would be rules against storing weapons, explosives and hazardous materials, and also rules against people living in the storage units. Branon said those issues were all included in the contract potential renters sign.
Hamilton also questioned the inclusion of a new building closer to Route 202 than the current buildings on-site, and asked about potential screening. Branon said the building closest to the road will not have any access to the storage bays visible from the roadside, and there are no plans for vegetative screening, but expressed the applicant would be willing to build faux windows on the side visible from the road, if it would be more pleasing to the board.
The approval came with no conditions about screening, or aesthetics on the building closest to the road.
In a separate case, the board also approved the renovation of an existing warehouse into a multitenant office space with outdoor storage space for boats and RVs. The business is located at the intersection of Route 202 and Perkins Road, in the Business Light Industry zone.
The proposal, submitted by Tim Halliday of Rindge, called for renovation of about 8,000 square feet of an existing building. The majority of the building – about 6,000 square feet – is planned to be used as a dog day care, with the rest as office space.
Board members asked questions about the use of the space as a dog day care, including how waste would be managed, and were told that waste would be collected and removed from the site daily, and kept in sealed containers to reduce odor.
The board had reviewed the application during its June meeting, but due to a miscommunication issue, a list of plan updates were not incorporated in time for that meeting. The board was satisfied with the updated plans, and more specific information on the dimensions of the buildings during Tuesday’s hearing, and unanimously agreed to approve the application.
In a third case before the board on Tuesday, members approved a technical lot-line adjustment and three-lot subdivision.
The two original lots, lots 46 and 54, made up a total of just over 48.5 acres. The owner of the properties, Tim Halliday, requested that the lot boundaries be adjusted between the two parcels and the larger tract – lot 46, which would be about 46.4 acres after the line adjustment – be subdivided.
The subdivision of lot 46 left three lots, one of 34.8 acres, one of 9.5 acres and one of 2.01 acres. The 34.8-acre lot is being considered for a future Planned Unit Residential Development, and the 9.5-acre lot is being considered for future commercial development, said Jed Paquin of Paquin Land Surveying, representing Halliday. There are no current plans for any developments.
After the lot-line adjustment, lot 54 decreased in size, and was left with a total of 2.13 acres.
The board approved both the lot-line adjustment and the subdivision unanimously.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.