SPR App Site Plan Review
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SITE PLAN REVIEW
DARTMOUTH
PLANNING BOARD
400 Slocum Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747
(508) 910-1816
TIME STAMP HERE
SITE PLAN REVIEW APPLICATION
(Please Print or Type)
Date: ________________________
Applicant’s Name: ________________________________ Phone No.:__________________
Applicant’s Address: ___________________________________________________________
Property Owner Name: ______________________________________________
(if different than applicant)
Address: ____________________________________________
Contact Person : ________________________________ Phone No.:___________________
(if questions regarding plan)
Email: _________________________________________
Title of Plan: _________________________________________________________________
Plan Dated: ________________________
Location of Subject Property:_____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Assessor’s Map/Lot(s): _________________________________________________________
All Applicable Zoning Districts: ___________________________________________________
Proposed Uses: ______________________________________________________________
Total Lot Area: ________________ Total Frontage: ___________________
Site Plan Review
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Existing Structure (s) ______________ s.f.
Proposed Structures (s) ______________s.f.
Total # of Parking Spaces Required: ____________
TOTAL # of Parking Spaces Proposed: ____________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Attach a list of variances requested, if any, from Section 16 – Site Plan Review
(Variances will require relief from the Zoning Board of Appeals)
Special Permit Application/Fees pursuant to Section 16, if applicable, shall be submitted
in conjunction with this Site Plan Review application
SITE PLAN REVIEW SUBMITTAL CHECKLIST
□ Application Form (2x) – Please note both copies must be originals, 1 copy for Planning and 1 copy for Town Clerk
□ Application Fee is $450 + $5.00 per parking and loading space. Check made out to the Town of Dartmouth. The cost for an outside consultant review shall be
borne by the Applicant
□ Receipt from Town Collector that there are no tax issues with the subject parcel(s)
□ Two (2) full-sized sets of plans and Seven (7) 11” x 17” copies conforming to the applicable contents of Section 16. (2) full-sized sets after approval
□ Electronic set of plans forwarded to Planning Director
(CAD & PDF)
□ Drainage Plan/Calculations, if applicable
□ Landscaping Plan
□ Lighting Plan
□ Traffic study, if applicable
□ Architectural Plan
Site Plan Review
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I have read Section 16, the Site Plan Review Regulations of the Dartmouth Zoning bylaws, and I
am submitting this application with accompanying plans as required. Except for the attached list
of variances (if any), it is my belief that the plans comply with Section 16. I have notified tenants
and parties (if any) who have an interest in or are affected by the proposed plan.
I have also diligently researched the property, including walking the property, to determine
whether any burial grounds or human skeletal remains are located on or near the proposed lot.
To the best of my knowledge and belief, no burial grounds or human remains, except those
shown on the plan, lie on the proposed lot or would be affected by the proposed plan. The
Town will rely upon this statement in determining whether to issue permits. A false or mistaken
statement will be grounds for denying permits and, if issued, for revoking it.
Applicant’s Signature: _____________________________ Print Name: _______________________
Owner’s Signature: ________________________________ Print Name: _______________________
(if other than applicant)
NARRATIVE IN SUPPORT OF THE
PROPOSED MULTI-TENANT INDUSTRIAL FACILITY
AT
968 REED ROAD, DARTMOUTH, MA
PREPARED FOR:
968 REED ROAD, LLC
958 REED ROAD
DARTMOUTH, MA 02747
PREPARED BY:
PRIME ENGINEERING, INC.
P.O. BOX 1088
LAKEVILLE, MA 02347
JULY 30, 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................1
2.0 SITE HISTORY..........................................................1
3.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS.................................................1
4.0 PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS.............................................2
5.0 PARKING..............................................................2
6.0 SEWAGE DISPOSAL.....................................................3
7.0 STORM DRAINAGE.....................................................3
8.0 LANDSCAPING.........................................................4
9.0 TRAFFIC...............................................................4
10.0 CONCLUSION..........................................................4
1.0 INTRODUCTION
It is proposed to construct a multi-tenant industrial facility at the former Sports Dome off Old Reed
Road in Dartmouth, MA. The change in use and the additional parking spaces that are proposed
require approval by the Planning Board under Section 375.24.1 “Site Plan Review” of the zoning
bylaws. This narrative has been prepared in support of that petition.
2.0 SITE HISTORY
In the late 1990s, the wooded site was cleared and a 243 foot wide by 373 foot (2.08 acre) 70 foot
high inflated fabric dome was constructed on the site with an attached 7,730 square foot masonry
support building. The site was served with municipal water supply and an on-site 3,000 gallons per
day subsurface sewage disposal system. A series of parking lots containing 125 parking spaces were
constructed to the south.
In February 2001, the combination of fabric defect and the weight of snow and ice caused the Dome
to collapse. It was never rebuilt. The 7,730 square foot support building was converted to a car
collision appraisal firm, a child day-care center and office space. The area of the Dome was used
as an area to train trailer truck drivers. Subsequently, a cell tower and then a solar field were
constructed on the site. In 2016, an “Approval Not Required Plan” placed the cell tower and solar
field on a separate lot. Then, the access drive, which had been constructed in essential compliance
with the Planning Board’s subdivision rules and regulations, was approved as a subdivision road
named Commerce Way. As a result, the subject lot, which previously had its legal frontage on Old
Reed Road, now has its legal frontage on Commerce Way. The Assessors and other town
departments still reference the lot’s street address as 968 Reed Road.
3.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS
The subject lot is referenced as Assessor’s Map 61, Lot 5-3. It is an 8.78 acre parcel with
underground telephone, cable, electric and municipal water. It is serviced with tanked propane gas.
Beside the 7,730 square foot former Dome support building, which is not fully occupied, a recent
owner constructed a 10,000 square foot metal building, which is not currently occupied. The storm
flow was designed to split from the former ridge of the Dome, with the southern half of the Dome
and the parking areas flowing to a series of detention basins at the south end of the site. The storm
flow from the northern half of the Dome areas to the north was designed to flow to a detention basin
that is just north of the Dome.
The site is zoned Limited Industrial, and while there are aquifer protection areas to the east and west,
no portions of the subject lot are overlain by an aquifer district.
The Limited Industrial District typically restricts a maximum of 50% of a facility be warehouse use,
however, Section 375-21.2K of the bylaw eliminates the restriction for this site because there is no
municipal sewerage within 500 feet of the site.
The zoning bylaw charges the Building Commissioner to review the Site Plan, the stormwater and
the traffic. It charges the Planning Board to review the parking lot layout and the landscaping.
4.0 PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS
It is proposed to use the existing Dome foundation to construct a 90,436 square foot multi-tenant,
limited industrial facility. The eastern most 65,550 square feet, with some additional mezzanine
square footage, is proposed to be occupied by a local equipment and servicing firm with the
following breakdown:
USE SQUARE FEET
Warehouse 24,500
Office 20,000
Miscellaneous 21,050
TOTAL 65,550
The remaining 32,614 square feet of former Dome foundation area and support building will be other
unrelated, not-yet-known tenants. Other than the small proposed parking lot on the south side of the
building, the only required site improvements are the required loading docks. The equipment and
service facility requires three, 4-foot high loading docks and one at-grade loading door at the north
end of the building. In order to accommodate required truck turning radii and proper driveway
access, it is necessary to relocate a portion of the existing detention basin to the west of its current
location. The capacity of the basin has been increased to accommodate the minor amount of
additional impervious area. The truck loading requirements (number and locations) for the future
tenants will be determined at a later date.
5.0 PARKING
The parking lots were constructed in the late 1990s in full compliance with the parking requirements
in effect at that time, which allowed 15 parking spaces in a row before a 12-foot wide landscaped
island was required. It is not proposed to rip out thirty year old trees and other mature landscaping
or to lose 14 needed parking spaces in order to meet the current standards. It is proposed to construct
a new supplemental parking lot closer to the building. That lot will meet all current zoning criteria.
The required number of parking spaces, as best can be estimated at this time, is as follows:
Required Parking Spaces
1) Equipment and Service Facility
5,600 SF sales and repair @ 1 Space/400 SF
Warehouse @ 0 Space/1,000 SF
20,000 SF Office @ 1 Space/250 SF
14
0
80
94
2) Former Dome Support Building (7,730 SF)
7,730 office @ 1 Space/250 SF 31
3) Remaining 24,000 SF area of former Dome
Foundation
2,500 SF office @ 1 Space/250 SF
21,500 SF Warehouse @ 0 Space/1,000 SF
10
0
10
135 = Total Required
139 = Total Provided
The existing five handicap spaces will be relocated so they are the closest parking spaces to the
building entrance. Five are required and five will be provided.
The future breakdown of office, manufacturing and warehouse area is unknown at this time. It is
possible that more parking spaces will be required by future tenants. This may require an additional
Site Plan Review process.
6.0 SEWAGE DISPOSAL
The existing sewage disposal system consists of a dual chamber 10,000 gallon septic tank which
flows to a pump chamber that ejects the sewage to two, 42-foot by 64-foot leach fields. The system
has a 3,000 gallons per day capacity. The projected flow to this system is as follows:
Capacity
Gallons Per Day
31,000 SF of Office @ 75 GPD/1,000 SF 2,325
45 people in Warehouse & Manufacturing @ 15 GPD/person 675
Total 3,000
The amount of office space and the number of occupants could increase in the future dependent on
those future tenants. This may require treatment of the sewage or the addition of a second leach
field, both of which will require new approvals from the Dartmouth Board of Health.
7.0 STORM DRAINAGE
The storm drainage system was designed in 1997. It was peer reviewed and subsequently approved
by the Dartmouth Planning Board. It was constructed in 1998 and has functioned effectively since.
It is proposed to add a 1,200 square foot patio and a 4,600 square foot parking area on the south side
of the building. It is proposed to add 12,000 square feet of impervious area on the north side of the
building associated with the loading docks. The stormflow was designed to split from the former
ridge of the Dome with the southern half of the Dome and parking areas flowing to a series of
detention basins at the south end of the site. The roof drains for the proposed building will be laid
out to assure that there will be no increase in flow to the two southern detention basins. The
stormflow from the northern half of the Dome and areas to the north were designed to flow to a
detention basin that is just north of the site.
The loading dock requirements of the future tenants of the west side of the building are currently
unknown. Once the requirements are established, it may be necessary to expand the detention basins
at the south end of the building to compensate for some additional impervious area. This will require
supplemental review and permitting once the design has been finalized.
8.0 LANDSCAPING
Many of the trees that were planted twenty years ago have matured nicely. A disproportionate
percentage of the planted trees are evergreen (75%) resulting in minimal shading of the existing
parking lots. It is proposed to remove damaged or diseased trees and replace them with deciduous
trees that will have a broad crown when matured. This will result in better shaded parking areas.
Similarly, some shrubs that were planted have not survived and will be replaced.
The approved landscape plan called for compact inkberry and compact boxleaf holly, but standard
size species were planted. As a result, some of the mature shrubs are over 6 feet tall. These shrubs
obstruct sight visibility and must be removed and replaced with lower growing shrubs. Likewise,
the lower branches of the white pine and Norway spruce obstruct visibility and will be trimmed to
a height of 6 to 10 feet off the ground in order to improve sight visibility and to allow the underlying
shrubs to thrive.
9.0 TRAFFIC
The projected traffic was calculated using The Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation
Manual. The relevant land uses reviewed were Light Industrial (Code 110), Industrial Park (Code
130, Manufacturing (Code 140), and Warehouse (Code 150). The total daily traffic for all four land
uses was similar varying from 3.82 trip ends per 1,000 SF of building to 6.97 trip ends per 1,000 SF
of building. For the 98,369 SF building, this would project between 376 to 686 trip ends (342
entering and 342 leaving). The peak hour projection for the four land uses is also similar, with AM
peak hour projected at .92 trip ends per 1,000 SF of building, which would be 91 trip ends per hour,
with 80 entering and 11 leaving. The PM peak is projected at .90 trip ends per hour per 1,000 SF
of building, which would be 89 trip ends per hour, with 11 vehicles entering and 78 vehicles leaving.
Commerce Way, Old Reed Road, Reed Road and Route 195 are all capable of handling the
additional traffic. All of these roads currently operate at a Level of Service “A” and will continue
to operate at a Level of Service “A” after the proposed development.
10.0 CONCLUSION
The proposed multi-tenant industrial facility will provide a much needed tax base to the town
without any significant impact to the town’s infrastructure.