##VIDEO ID:dlaFY8ApMpk## e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e just checking them all out to make sure they work uh I'll call the meeting to order excuse me the uh first order of business this is approval of the minutes from our meeting on December 17th uh which we all received um so I will excuse me if there well let me finish what I was going to say uh we all receive those minutes and uh so if uh there are no Corrections or additions I'll entertain a motion to approve without reading I'll I'll proove the minutes without reading thank you I'll second thank you uh the minutes are approved uh if anyone needs a translation there is a transl later available at the back of the hall so the first order of business is case 20 24-23 at 73 Library Street good evening good evening uh Mr chairman and through to the members for the record I'm Richard Linds uh with the business address at 245 suar Street in East Boston on behalf of the petitioner uh David Bennett thank you um I do have a brief deck here for the board's consideration um but by way of very brief overview this is a vacant 2900 foot lot if you could just jump to the next slide probably has a yeah vacant 2900 foot lot we are proposing uh the construction of a new two family uh residential dwelling I lost it um we are compliant with use uh the rear and side yard setbacks our lock coverage and the height of our building um currently we are anticipating relief from the code for the minimum lot size the front yard and the parking requirement which we would require a special permit to have either no parking or reduced parking down to two spaces um this is intended to be a rental so our client will continue to own this property um they are four bed two bath units by level so we have living space at the lowest level uh that's combined with the first floor and then uh upper levels for the other uh the other residential unit the context includes uh at least for this section of Library street with this side of the street we have a number of multi-unit dwellings uh buing this property as well as along that portion of Library Street uh they are probably higher density less lock lot size than the uh site that we're talking about so we can jump to the next slide please uh Bird's eyee view probably not the easiest thing to see but just to get an idea of where our property sits you can see the red circle uh in relationship to the uh surrounding properties along Library Street there we go um and I believe each of the properties which would be screen left uh and I know I have a street view of those uh are all Triple Decker I believe three family at least three family uh dwellings along that side of Library most of which do not have off street parking next slide please just a little different view map view just so we could see the relative lot sizes as you can see to the left side of our right side of our property left screen left uh the lot sizes uh appear to be smaller than our our lot and as I said those are all uh Triple Decker three family style buildings next slide please so just a street view uh there is an existing curb cut because parking does occur on this site presently it is not associated with any of the property that are adjacent to the lot uh so in this particular case if we were to go with the no parking option uh we would have the opportunity to infill that curb cut uh and to allow for additional on street parking spaces um next slide please uh just a view of the context for the street uh as I mentioned these are all Triple Decker style uh buildings that are adjacent this is going right of our site and as you can see none of these have off street parking as well I would also point out uh that all of the buildings at least on this block uh this side of the street uh appear to be in alignment and not consistent with the setback that's currently required which is 10 ft next slide please so this is our existing site plan uh showing our lot and the relationship of the adjoining properties both left and right next slide please and our proposed site plan uh showing our building on the site s with the means of egress both on the left side of the building as well as the front of the building um we did uh I was going to include that I know my client had dropped it off but as you can see in the back we do have a little over 21 fet of width for the rear setback and there is more than 10 ft on the right side of clear access to the rear of the property um so one of the options that we have uh considered is the addition of two parking spaces to the rear of the property uh however that sort of presents a couple of different issues the first of which is we are not cited currently for usable open space that is compliant under this plan if we were to introduce parking on the site we would only be able to add two spaces still would require a special permit however would also be required to then seek relief for the uh usable open space requirements under the code um we can go to the next slide please so just our uh zoning summary as I uh pointed out we do uh require obviously the special permit for the parking that we're currently showing as zero however we are able to consider modifying that to two we obviously want to understand what the planning board's prerogative is when it comes to uh whether the open space is more important or the two parking spaces um and we can adjust accordingly uh I do identify that we do require relief for the front uh although the building is set back 10 ft from the front property line that front stairwell does does encroach into the front yard setb back by about 3 ft and therefore uh we are at a 7ft setback to the stairs uh I did have a chance to talk briefly with uh Mr de priest about uh a varied alignment for the front property line even though the current code requires a 10-ft setback it would seem that the buildings along that side of the street would be in better alignment if the building was pulled forward a bit and that's something I'm happy to explore at planning but right now it uh is an item that we do require relief from we also require relief for the minimum lot area and as I showed you the Lots on this side of the street are generally smaller than our lot even though we're at 2900 Square ft the remainder of those lots are actually smaller so we are going to request relief from the board of appeal for that as well next slide please just a quick I'll run through this quickly I know the site plan is probably more relevant but just if there's any questions on the layout uh we do show our basement plan with two bedrooms uh with the appropriate window wells to comply with the State Building Code as well as some additional living area next slide uh that is combined with the first main level uh which would make that the first unit one unit as I said those are four bedroom two bath next slide as we move up we have uh the second unit the first level of the second unit and then the next Slide the upper level of the um second unit as well next slide just our elevations uh relative straightforward as I mentioned we do have that front uh egress with the stairwell that is the portion that encroaches into the front yard setback next slide and just our side elevations next slide uh rear elevation with the window wells next slide and our uh left side elevation um other than that uh Foundation plan I don't know if this is relevant in our section plan showing the uh height of the building as well um um happy to address any comments or questions from the board I have a couple of questions um laundry do you guys are you going to provide La it looks like there's one in the basement but I can't tell we can jump back to the floor plan not yeah I studied them briefly but not so they would they would appear to be sufficient room for that in uh the units these units are by level so I think there's sufficient room to add that but yeah good good question I think we have some area available for that and also uh trash so trash would be stored on the exterior uh I would say to the rear of the building or the side of the building we can incorporate enclosure to ensure that those are uh rodent and P proof uh for purposes of storage and do you have any Landscaping um so at this time um we've not incorporated into the plan but we can certainly uh look at that I think there are areas assuming we keep the front set back where it's at the front front of the property uh could certainly be greened up a bit as well as the left side of the property if we incorporate parking and it's one of the reasons we sort of left this in flux we incorporate parking in the rear uh the landscape maybe a little bit more limited uh we would incorporate that setback off of the sidey yard for the 5 foot compliance uh that we could add some some plantings uh if there is no parking uh then this whole entire area of the backyard would be landscaped I was see more the front but and also it's kind of plain in the front are you guys plan to do something what's it what's is it going to be Woods vinyl what's the story here um it's kind of yeah I I apologize I wasn't the designer just just the attorney um I agree I think it can be a little bit more uh detailed I think there's some elements that could certainly be included in lighting for one there's no Lighting on that yeah if there's conditions that the planning board or the zoning board would recommend for design we can certainly incorporate those into the final design before permit um in an effort to create parking and preserve open space is it possible to put in like two tandem parking spots on the side of the property as opposed to uh filling in all that open space with an asphalt parking lot like shifting everything over a few feet so we did consider uh looking at the use of the right be the right side screen left of the building for Tandem spaces I think we run into two issues one is I think we have to be at least 5 feet from a wall of the building and I don't know that we have that distance I think that's the first issue and second I don't know that tandem would address it would only be available to one unit yeah yeah you know other than a key box and a valet that would be the only the only option there so I I I think we're happy to make it work I thought that parking in between two buildings it it's not so tight with the other side it's about 14 a little over 14ot separation between the buildings I I feel that having cars next to a building in between buildings doesn't really create the best uh environment for parking back of the property would could work better because you drive in you drive out and you could do some buffering and screening along the back and side property line so I think we're amendable to incorporate in the parking I think it's we just want to understand what the preference is because a special permit would be required regardless thank you would your client um prefer to have two parking spaces or zero parking spaces all this aside um I think the optimal plan would be to have two parking spaces um to allow for at least one parking space per unit these are pretty good siiz units I think these are intended to be marketed towards family siiz units while the argument is always that a family will have more than one car maybe maybe not but at least we can help mitigate some of the concern I know there was a comment that was provided to planning about objection with no parking so I think that um having the parking is a is a much more optimal plan even though it's not going to be fully compliant with the requirements thank you um I will reiterate that this is a a pretty wide curb cut currently so the introduction of or I guess closing up that curb cut would provide for more on street parking which would be available to the general public so again I don't I don't know how the planning board wants to balance that concern because it would certainly give you probably another two spaces out in front of the in front of the property as well and that's available to everybody not just uh not just the property I'm thinking that this probably creates like two or possibly or possibly three three parking spots yeah I I think that because the parking size requirement is is 18 in length that's just the requirement for zoning but I think an actual car I think when we calculate it out it's probably just depending on where other cars park on the street you probably could get three spaces in front of the building and again that's something that's available to the public at large and not just the building itself yeah so if it's so if it ends up being a difference of like a parking spot or like a parking spot and a half I would almost person prefer Green Space understood sorry I I wanted to according to your plans your your driveway width if you do get approved for two parking spaces in behind of the building right now is only currently it looks like it's 10 10.25 10.25 correct um and I know that your side stairs is also um 10.25 on the other side so my thoughts are that if you could have the building move over two more feet to the right and make a slightly wider driveway uh that those two parking spaces might make sense to alleviate pressure on the street in general we have a note here from somebody in the community asking not to Grant more parking on this so um you know I would imagine that just granting to off street parking would be at least helpful on Library Street if this building is built mhm um even though I would like to see whatever you guys can do to assist with Greening of whatever's left as well yeah I I think there's certainly opportunity along the rear edge as well as both side uh side property lines because as you get back behind the building I think that corner uh could could certainly um accommodate some Greening and Landscaping as well as along the back Edge and then the other side as well I do want to point out I know that the measurement is showing 10.25 but I think the 10.25 from the front of the building yeah the stairs are within the 10.25 and I think the requirement is uh seven John is that the it's one quarter of the building height I'm sorry one quarter of the building height sorry one yeah so I think we would be 30 or 30 29 feet so You' probably be triggering another variance requirement if we move to closer does does it does each variance need to be approved or because they're already out of compliance anyway so so each one of them needs to be if if they move the building slightly to the okay y was there a reason you opted for um gable roof rather than a flat roof like everything else on the Block um I think just preference on design but certainly open to reviewing that if that's something the yeah it's a disappointing looking facade I mean it's there's really no thought that was put into it um I would suggest that they look at some of the existing context for you know to add some um you know something that looks a little more in keeping with what's going on around it it's actually a really beautiful Street and there's some nice um bowfront buildings and certainly brick um but I haven't seen any Peak troths you know they they're all flat roofs so um I'm I'm not in opposition to moving it up so it meets The stet Edge I think that would help matters aesthetically but you should treat the front entry differently I mean the way it looks it looks like we're looking at a rear facade so I I think the um design needs another look and I would certainly hope that get some help from the historic people y I think it can would they consider using brick for to match the or to at least like it would fit on that street um I can certainly explore that with my client um especially even just the front being brick or maybe wrapped a bit on the side B on the side yeah you you can put a condition of design review on it yeah I I I think we're certainly amenable to a design review condition I think that I don't disagree that the design and I don't design these buildings I present them so I think the architect could uh certainly use some guidance on what the preference is by the city um I don't think that's an issue um question about the parking how does I'm looking at the S plan here how does a car maneuver out of the space I can see they could drive straight in but there's really no room for a three-point turn so they are they going to back all the way out yeah so how are they going to pull that off I think the space I think the space has to be is it 9 by8 with a setback of 5T from the side property line so the depth would be 23 and that leaves another 21 and a half feet which I believe is consistent with a standard Drive aisle so 20 ft is roughly a drive aisle so I think certainly enough room to at least the one closest to the to the house would be able to back up back into that corner and come out and I'm happy to provide an analysis of what the I would think it would have to meet the turning radius requirements whatever sure that is to be able to maneuver out of there without endangering the structure itself right yeah and again I I think that you know understanding what's important not only from a use standpoint whether parking or open space is important but understanding there may be some challenges with doing it perfectly for maneuverability I think it can happen it can work there's certainly enough room there uh as to how many Maneuvers it would take um if the structure were to slide up on the site y towards the street that would help matters but I I just think that the front entry would need to be you know in keeping with all the other front entries around it yeah I I think that if I may um not not a landscape designer but considering the Rhythm along that side of the street doesn't really have a lot of landscape front yards this would sort of be a anomaly if you will along that side so moving the building forward would actually allow us to create a little bit more of green space and parking in the back as opposed to trying to you know shrub and plant in front that really doesn't match anything else along that side of the street so sliding It Forward although not compliant with the setback would address I think two issues one add some more usable open space in the back and green space but also have adequate parking facilities for the two spaces so H happy to explore that thank you um I sort of have a totally different view of this I do not want parking in this building I want the green space in the front because there is no what is M the bill it's not like we walking down Commonwealth Avenue and looking at you know house after house house house it is a pretty street but it would even be better if there was if you want consistency there's no parking in anybody so we should we we should make the street completely parking and since every city in America now is getting rid of parking requirements I we but we Overlook that but I also love the I mean you can move it up a little bit but I love the idea that this building will be an anomaly that we can show what can Chelsea build on a lot with green space without parking requirements I agree that the design is needs a little more than a little tweaking needs some work but but I love the idea of you walk down and then you could put a you could put a tree that would grow that would in 20 years would be spectacular you could it doesn't have to be you know I I think putting parking in the back is just going to be a freaking nightmare it's just going to be the building they're going to it when it snows and and you're going to have gravel all over the place and what would be better nice than this is a family home what would be nicer to have a kid play in the backyard or even put a fence out front I think this could show this could be a flagship for what Chelsea could do on a small little lot without parking requirements so I would like to well when we get to it I would recommend no parking and come back with a big design review because this building need but I think it could be very interesting to see what you can do and might Inspire other people to do other things and it would look exact with getting rid of the the curb cut well help you know the letter was I right now people are using as a parking lot I expected people would not want to give up the parking nobody ever wants to give up the parking lot so but that's my recommendation thank you I agree with everything I prefer open space and area to put like a pi next table or else it's just turning it all into a concrete jungle only thing I disagree with I think the facade is fine it's pretty plain it isn't controversial at all but I'm probably pretty plain or pouring I don't know I think the facade is okay I uh just want to add I um uh maybe I hear you on sort of consistency on this street but one of my observations about Chelsea is we're so strapped for parking everywhere there isn't even enough parking spaces on Library Street for the existing residents so to put extra I actually truly believe that there is value in adding their parking spaces off Street and maybe even potentially creating two more for some existing residents on that street I honestly think you should consider moving that building forward at least five feet green everything else and you'll still have room for some green space in the back if there's only two parking spaces in addition if that building moves forward and that that's my thought process on that and I definitely would like you guys to seriously consider that facade and have it be much more in harmony with the buildings that exist um there's a lot of historic buildings there and it doesn't have to look like a his building but could be at least considered in the design process yes absolutely but no one sees the parking spaces no one will see the green space I want people to see I want people walking down that street and stopping at this house and saying oh my goodness look at this that's what I want I I understand that parking is two spaces is not going to impact anything on Library Street if we were talking about the 120 people coming in and you know I agree that there's this this building is probably going to have four cars attached to it and it's you know that's an issue we need to deal with but if I'm trying to figure out like what are we're going to do in 10 15 years and when this building after it's completely redesigned um will just be great I think it I mean it would be just so nice to see a little bit of green space and like I agree with Eric like it' be nice to have a picnic table out front maybe your neighbors would gather out there you know Library street is you know has issues sometimes it's it's just we need you know some maybe they'll PL plant a vegetable garden out front or in the back but no it's you know putting a drive you know your neighbor on your left will or your right will get to see some grass when they look outside the window instead of seeing a car chugging along or at night you know lighting I I don't see any two parking spaces it just doesn't make much sense you can move the building 5et four 5 feet is nothing I I think the green I'm such a component of the green space I actually kind of like the fact that it has a gable roof I want the buildings to look different I don't want it to look uniform uniform I I'd like to see some different types of architectual come uh views come in and fortunately think ER doesn't have the same vision that I have but um yeah so that's just me yeah and like just to clarify we aren't adding two parking spots we're kind of just creating a single parking spot because we're also we're also subtracting a parking spot off of street parking and I don't think a single parking spot is worth sacrificing all this green space am I incorrect in Reading if you cut the carb space down you actually increasing on street parking as well as two in the back yes so we would be offering more parking spaces full stop so the frontage is at about 44 and a half fet I driveway I believe is Max 10 12 is the max but 10 is sufficient so you'd have about 34t roughly maybe maybe about 30 ft that's correct that' be correct that's correct yeah go ahead John comment I don't agree with that statement that if you look at the plan it shows a 44 and A2 foot Frontage and it shows a fence extending to about half that Frontage so that leaves about 22 feet that's about one space maybe one and a half I don't think you're going to gain any more than one and a half uh spaces but not the two to two and a half does that cut go belong I thought the cut went the current cut is longer than the the propos however there's a fence there which means that you you're not using that current cut you're only using a portion of it therefore technically the cars can park up there I don't see details okay I I just no no I'm saying it's that you're you'd be introducing at least one space back to the street agree I don't want to um like you're overestimating the number of spaces that could be on Street question about is the sidey conforming is it a 10 foot setback the requirement um have you looked at how your building like the the views to and from your building from other neighboring Windows because if there were one facade that didn't have Windows versus the other I would be you know I'd advocate for giving a little more breathing room to that that side I mean so we're looking at 26 ft from the other building which is pretty pretty significant setback and then roughly around 15 or so feet from the other building um I don't think if we want to jump John to the elevations I I actually don't think there are a lot of Windows on the side elevations I can't I can't recall I think it's more front and back we to the next one yeah minimal windows on that side uh this side's a little bit more but this is the side that faces the bigger setback okay can we see the existing conditions photo from like view from the street yeah I think next one back yeah there we go that's it so there's there's some vegetation on the left side for the buffer in between the left of butter and the right side has you know a number of windows I don't I can figure out where that alignment would be but I think we could certainly work on that and have you reached out to or has your um client reached out to the abuts not not yet um prior to the board of appeal hearing we weren't actually anticip we were supposed to be on the board of appeal a few weeks ago we accelerated this because I had a conflict with the meeting but just to keep the process moving so we were anticipating doing that before the board of appeals thank you thank you uh not to uh beat a dead horse but one more just to underscore the facades in that building are astonishing and not in a good way and I that's an interesting word to use but I don't speak for myself I I no matter what the setbacks or landscaping or parking or any other consideration would not vote for this proposal just but that's just me yeah understood and I think it's clear we need some work to do on that I don't know who the AR well I don't know who the designer was but I would recommend that that person just take a morning or even a couple of hours and walk up and down Library Street and take a look understood that that really is pressing the edges of imagination and not in a good way you're being kind understood other questions of the petitioner motion it seems like overall are pretty split on creating two parking spots or open space so I think this is an interesting conversation on our preferences I think it's okay for in in the spirit of areas of agreement though I think we uniformly agree we would like to we would see some we'd like to see some design conditions on this property theoretically not totally oppose the development a lot at all but it needs to look far different than it does um I think we probably all agree on that much the probably the lingering and more controversial question as pointed out was the the parking for my piece of that I don't think that parking adds anything to this project that's a dense neighborhood adding one or two parking spots you know that are private an enviable isn't really going to add anything to that neighborhood and what we're talking about here is new construction and so whatever happens there should be an improvement to the neighborhood not just an easy blend in or a net neutral we we should see something nicer there yeah I think we're perfectly amenable uh to design review for this I think hear hear the board loud and clear on the design and certainly leaves something to be desired so no no issue with that well I'd like to make a motion that we pass with no parking big design review lighting review Landscaping review uh as well as uh other the other standard conditions that are applicable uh oh we need a drainage plan I didn't even see that um we also want to make sure that they understand that they won't be able to par participate in the parking uh program they won't be able to to uh it's not a short-term rental they have to be in the in the units for a year and uh uh and look at fencing as well but that's my proposal that's my motion I'll second it made motion made in seconded to approve with conditions including a design review uh all in favor I I I any oppose yes I want the condition no you just vote against yeah okay so the so 23 six seven in favor and two oppose is that a win motion is carried thank you very much have a good evening thank you for your time thank you so we'll see you back here February 11th yes okay the case 24 and 25 uh we can listen to both cases at the same time for presentation however we have to vote uh on each case separately so sir introduce yourself and uh good evening Mr chairman thank you uh my name is James Christopher from 686 Architects with the business address of 10 Forbes Road in brry Mass uh here tonight on behalf of the petitioner uh for sister projects at 57 and 75 Palmer Street essentially uh the proposal before you tonight is to uh for a driveway easement between the two properties uh 57 Palama was recently approved for two units with two garage spaces uh accessed off of a previously paved driveway we had originally included this parking easement for 75 in the original application but through the process it was removed and filed separately at this point the uh 7 5 and 57 were originally owned in common so 75 used 57 for parking as a part of the terms of the sale the agreement was that 57 would create an easement to create parking for 75 along with the development the development for the two-unit building is in permitting now we hope to secure that permit very soon um and we're here tonight to seek the uh uh special permit for uh side yard parking for 5 ft within the property line for both properties the easement that will be created is a a 7x 50t easement between the two buildings um there is currently about 4 1/2 ft on uh from the face of the building at 75 Pama to the property line then we'll have the uh 7ot easement and then another additional foot and some change to the to the existing building so that we have uh tandem parking spaces for at least two cars uh for 75 Pama the curb cut is existing uh so we won't be changing that it it it exists on the site that way now um and the new construction will happen independent of the easement so with that I'll answer any questions could you help me understand a little bit better where the parking is going to be here sh I have to take the mic um so this here is 57 Palmer we have the two uh driveway for the two cars we have a about a foot buffer between the building and the driveway and then we have this 50 by uh 7t X 50t easement and again we have about 4T and 3T so 75 between the building and the property line at 75 Palmer and 57 will be granting that 7 foot easement to create the 8 fo8 parking space between the buildings oh okay so you're going to park between the two buildings and then this is an easement that'll service both the driveway and the parking space that's correct understood and only Services 75 57 is served off of its own driveway and and curb cuts and the construction at 75 that's forthcoming is going to eliminate the D the garage space that's there right now and build something new the new construction will and these lots are no longer the same ownership so the parking isn't subservient the way that it was before so as this is our process to give the parking back to 75 while still developing the site with plenty of parking for 57 thank you thank you what are you proposing to use for a um Paving permeable pavers uh We've we've proposed permeable pavers on the new driveway at 57 so we'll match at 75 terrific anybody motion I'll make a motion to approve um with a standard conditions as applicable and the the use of permeable pavers seconded all in favor I any opposed I wish they were all that easy thank you very much have a nice night folks thank you for coming in um let's let's have that for 57 Palmer and now a motion for 75 Palmer your motion I'll make a motion um to approve 75 Palmer as noted with standard conditions and also permeable pavers agreed seconded made and seconded to approve 75 Palmer for a case 242 case 2024 25 all in favor I any opposed thank you very much okay case 2025 SL1 which is approval not required an anr uh is going to happen at our next meeting do we need a motion to okay I'll make a motion to continue or to move um 469 Washington a to next month's agenda I second all in favor I I all right open space and Recreation plan hello hello sorry I'm short uh hi my name is Emily granoff I'm the deputy director of Housing and Community Development for the city of Chelsea and I am here to talk to you about our draft open space and Recreation plan next slide uh an O our open space and Recreation plan is the process by which we determine our goals for our parks and Open Spaces we're required to do it by the state every seven years um I will say at the front one of the requirements for this plan in addition to like really broad Community engagement is a letter uh commenting on the draft from the planning board from our regional no from the city manager so I am very much here to solicit your input I know will shared the full plan it's a few hundred pages long uh so I just thought that I'd walk through some of the highlights here to kind of refresh everyone's memory and then I would love to get your feedback um like I said we do this every seven years it's an important part of our eligibility for both state and federal grants uh the grants that this plan is required for have cumulatively over the last 20 or 30 years given Chelsea millions and millions of dollars and are responsible for a huge portion of our ability to renovate parks in open spaces so it's something that we really want to make sure we're paying attention to and doing right because this guides what we're applying for what we're doing in our Parks uh required components include public engagement over the course of the plan and includes an ADA assessment uh which is looking at you know what parts of our parks are accessible what are not what do we need to do to fix things that are not accessible uh it includes goals and objectives for our parks for the next seven years and an action plan as to how we accomplish that uh so we started the plan last spring we kicked it off with a listening session at a green Roots monthly meeting that had attendance in excess of 60 or 70 people uh there were a lot of older adults parents kids there who were really excited to tell us what they like about Chelsea's open space what they think could we could do better what we're missing maybe um we also conducted a survey online this Summer that got 55 responses in English and Spanish uh and we attended community events once we had sort of draft goals to get people's feedback on uh that included the Boston Park ribbon cutting another another green Roots meeting and this is also something that just over the course of the Year whenever we were doing engagement about parks and Open Spaces whether it be for Bellingham square or Chelsea Square or the new Redevelopment we're doing at palonia Park we would bring these along to be like as we're thinking about this park in particular what do you think about our Parks generally uh all materials for the plan were available in English and Spanish and we had interpreters present for events uh one part of the plan uh is an analysis of need basically looking at what do we have in our parks and what do we need uh this includes the Ada assessment uh which this year uh we've made a lot of progress from seven years ago when we were already doing pretty well um our parks are by and large very accessible there are things that we can be doing better like having more accessible play equipment for kids and wheelchairs uh which we have a project underway to improve the vog park Tot Lot to do that uh also like garden cemetery currently no Ada accessibility and we already have a project underway to create Ada accessible walking paths so we're really glad to see that like the highest priority things in the Ada assessment are already things we're working on uh we found one thing we did find is that we are kind of lacking in things like water fountains and water bottle fillers and bathrooms and Parks things that allow people to stay there for longer uh and that was also something that we heard from folks throughout the engagement process that that was something they really wanted to see and that would help them make better use of our Parks we also heard and kind of found through the assessment process that uh residents want more spaces designed for teenagers older people adults uh there was a perception that there's a lot of playgrounds like most parks are aimed at sort of younger kids uh and people wanted to see that expand we also did hear a lot of parents say like it is great that there are different options for playgrounds around the city uh we also heard just people want more trees in green spaces uh that's we're a pretty dense Community uh we're very Urban and people wanted to see more of that sort of grass and trees expanding out both in parks and expanding out from the parks to sort of extend the benefits of the open space and the shade uh you can see here one graphic from the plan that just shows you know the availability of splash pads the dark blue circles are anywhere within a quter mile of a splash pad the light blue is anywhere within a half mile you can see almost all the city unless you're at like the forb site is within half a mile of a splashpad uh and that's something that we're really proud of we think we're doing it well because those are an important part of how families and kids are staying cool in the summer so we got came up with three goals and objectives that sort of defined and tied together what we heard from folks we should be working on uh the first one is Environmental Quality this is looking at how can our Parks help our City's climate goals uh primarily the things we struggle with in Chelsea are heat and flooding so a lot of this is you know how can we increase the tree canopy how can we increase the diversity of plantings to help our ecosystems uh can we create more connection to the water because even being next to the water has big cooling benefits uh the reason it says safe and appropriate there is because Chelsea Creek is obviously an industrial shipping Lane and we cannot encourage people to be boating there so it's a question of like how can we create a connection to the water that doesn't encourage or let people get in the water and uh one thing we heard is that people want us to keep kind of working on that and promoting the ability to go boating at places like Mario Mali where it is safe and possible uh also introducing green storm water features were appropriate so our Parks can help absorb stormm water flooding so that that isn't you know staying on our streets or getting into anyone's basement the second goal is around active Recreation and programming uh people really voiced a desire for active recreational programming for folks of all ages again there was a little bit of a perception that that was focused on the younger generation uh in talking to the rec department one thing we found is that this might be sort of an issue of PR as much as program in because our rec department really does have a huge variety of programming for folks of all ages but the fact that we found there was a perception that it was really aimed at younger kids things like little league um suggest that like we just need to talk about that more we need to get that in front of more people because that's something that came out in our goals and objectives that we think we're already doing pretty well uh we also heard that we need to create more spaces for teens and young adults possibly focusing on athletic spaces is again that like moving expanding Beyond just playgrounds and play gyms uh diversifying options in each neighborhood so that people have different uses for the open space around them and partnering with Community groups to expand programmatic offerings where possible uh our third goal is to enhance Parks as Community spaces and that this is that one that's really looking at things we heard about like if great if the park had a bathroom it'd be great if the park had a grill people in Chelsea don't have huge houses they don't have huge backyards if they want to have a birthday party for their toddler and invite 30 relatives you got to do it in a park and it's nice if the park has all the amenities you need to be there for a few hours especially with young kids uh this also includes things like cooling features like the splash pads water bottle fillers that help people stay cool in the summer uh we also heard folks want a simplified per in process for community events to do those birthday parties without feeling like they need to learn how to navigate City Hall uh we hearded a desire for increased public art in the Parks and that folks want more opportunities for community members to actively participate in maintaining the parks and really develop a feeling of ownership around them the map here is how far you would be from a public restroom anywhere in the city from a restroom in a park uh there are currently only two parks that have public restrooms at Highland and at vog Park so we are in discussion with the DPW about what it would look like to Pilot some additional public toilets that is not a city park no no no very reasonable um for this purpose we did not count it because DCR sometimes opens it and sometimes doesn't and we have no Insight or control into that so there you're correct there's a bathroom facility there we just haven't heard folks to find it very reliable yes that is privately owned and there is no bathroom facility there uh I just took a few polls from the action plan which outlines how we plan to achieve these goals and objectives so Environmental Quality uh some ones you might not expect that you'll find in there continue working on separating our sewer and storm water systems that that'll both improve water quality in the water around us to make it more possible for people to go boating and it'll make it a safer and better idea to tie any green infrastructure into our storm water system because we won't be running the risk of overflowing the storm water system and creating a combined sewer overflow uh we also want to continue working towards the 2016 Chelsea Waterfront visioning plan which was a really detailed and thorough examination of how we can maintain a working Waterfront while providing a little more Public Access and use of all of our Waterfront in Chelsea to our residents uh in active Recreation continuing to expand recreational programming for all ages and publicize the programming we already have and partnering with organizations like paddle Boston maybe at Mario Mali where there's already a dock or will be as soon as DCR repairs it um to provide additional recreational opportunities and then for Community Access provide infrastructure for community events we're we've always got two or three Park projects going on in hcd uh and as we kind of get started up for this year we're looking at where could there be a bathroom where would that fit what would it look like for DPW to need to maintain that um and then exploring multi-use path connections those like planting more trees around the parks to try and draw out like the shade and cooling benefits as I mentioned at the start we need a letter of comment from the planning board uh in response to the plan uh I would love to hear your thoughts today and then have them in written form as well uh we'll take that integrate them into the plan and then promulgate a final version that we can send on to the state so with that I would love any questions comments thoughts that you guys have to share I'll start um really like the priorities here I think you're headed in a generally great Direction with the kind of progress we're looking for here in kind of keeping with the changing community that we've got here um I also want to take the opportunity to kind of echo some of the sentiments that were on there I think one of the things that's true about recreation and parks around here in general is there's a perception that it's aimed at young children primarily because the facilities look that way and so if we were to think about adding more you know uh facilities aimed at uh more diverse groups older people teenagers adults all of that I think we've got to kind of think about what we're putting in those Parks as much as anything else so I know that there's plans for example a skate park to be put under the Tobin Bridge over at the Mystic Overlook um a good opport a good example of how a new form of Park might achieve a lot of these goals I've been a part of that project too and you know there's a lot of talk about how some of these drainage issues and larger storm water runoff and you know Green space and all of that can be implicated by these plans too so what I would say is keep going the way you're going and kind of keep integrating those Concepts into the parks that you build and I think we'll be headed in a nice place with this excellent thank you yes there's a public meeting going on right now actually about the potential future Mystic Overlook skate park uh which would be right under the Tobin Bridge there and help both solve a lot of the drainage issues like Nick mentioned but also provide a new kind of amenity we've also got a couple passive recreation parks at Ada Clinton Street which just finished development and another one next to the Chelsea Street bridge that is a few years away from opening related to this a couple questions do we have any more concrete plans to build specific facilities in any of these Parks I know there was a renovation to the soccer field done last year talk about the skate park here so and you know other any other specific facilities planned potentially a swimming pool we don't have other plans right now for additional active facilities like sports facilities in part because there just isn't space uh I know I have heard interest around the city from there being a swimming pool somewhere I think that we're very open to seeking funding for and managing that project it's just a question of where would it go like where could we put it uh similar to the question about you know in bringing in some organization to run a team Center or something like that uh there's just a question of real estate cost money one final question about that I know that there's been some friction between uh the department of Parks and Recreation and the schools Department around using the fields over at Chelsea High School and things like that is there any resolution in sight around those issues I think that that continues to be sort of an ongoing discussion the schools have what unfortunately I think we can agree are some reasonable security concerns in this day and age about letting anyone into the schools uh without being supervised and that creates cost for the rec department that they don't necessarily have the budget to handle so I think that both parties there have very reasonable and realistic concerns and I think that the city manager and the superintendent are continuing to sort of work through and negotiate if there's a way we can meet both of them um the school department I think reasonably feels that uh the safety risk that they'd be running is too high to be comfortable with I I completely see why that's frustrating it's just something we're going to have to continue discussing understood thank you uh a few things I'd love to to I don't know if they've I I did not get to finish reading the entire the entire uh massive part of the plan I've read all of the overview do we have any um has there been discussions about what type of trees we're planning on adding into Chelsea Parks as a general whole have we thought about incorporating um flower plantings on a seasonal basis that involve Community uh which might be nice we seem to our parks are wonderful but don't have a lot of um we just don't have a lot of flowers we just have Shrubbery or or trees primarily so we love to see that sort of somehow incorporated into all of our Green Space or in the ones that work and potentially even a community tie in with that um slash gardening you you know some sort of ability uh incorporate educating people on connecting with whatever Green Space we have here um trash worried about trash and enough trash receptacles at the parks um that seems to occasionally be quite the problem uh safety especially if you put bathrooms in how do we you know have we thought about what we're doing with that uh and how we manage that um when are the bathrooms locked at a period in time is there some sort of key system or you know you know what what is the story about that have we thought about pickle ball and disc golf in any of our Parks or any of these new things that get especially pickle ball seems to be really popular with a certain generational um our older generation it might be I don't think we have any facility right now I know we've got tennis courts down in vul but that are they so one thing the plan actually does speak to specifically is a recommendation that we add pickle ball striping to The Courts at voke Park okay great to make them sort of multiuse rather than are there tennis are um does Highland also have have ten tennis or yes okay it is that something we can incorporate there too I think the Plan Focus like the plan specifically called out the voke park courts yeah uh because I'm I'm going to need you to go through your list of questions for me again but um sorry to kind of loop at least one in uh this year the DPW hired the first Parks and Rec parks and open space manager uh who would be the person to answer questions about species of tree we did not speak to species of tree in the plant yeah okay um but I'm sure he would be delighted to have that conversation with you uh he also uh I Look to Him as the expert on like what condition these different courts are in and which one would be a better fit for pickle ball lines uh and his opinion was vog Park we thought we'd try it at once see how it goes we don't want to make people who play tennis feel like they're being run out of town awesome um uh plantings yes yes I think that fits very well under our goal of having like Community engagement in maintaining the parks that is something that like first response would be DPW doesn't have Manpower for that but if it's a community-led and community-driven initiative that's obviously different it's something we'd love to see and maybe that's also an opportunity for like some new wreck programming in like a garden program um I think that would would be really cool to see and having it in the open space and Recreation plan gives us some bolster when we go to seek funding for that kind of thing to say look we talked to so many people about it this fits multiple different goals um in terms of gardening uh that's a little bit more challenging just because of maintaining it if the food goes bad we have concerns about wraths if the I meant more not not for not not for people growing vegetables for themselves but more in learning like PL you know plants and putting in bulbs or you know what I mean just kids touching Earth and learning about it and worms and all the absolutely I wasn't sure how much it was flowers and how much it was like Urban farming I I know we have a couple of community gardens around town but I mean maybe that is something that could be considered as well but just just more that you've people connecting with with with sort of green and Earth yeah and then I I had um bathrooms bathrooms yeah and safety yes so the specifics about the bathroom idea is there's a product called a Portland L which I don't know if anyone's seen this it's the size of a parking space uh it's open at the top and the bottom so it's not insulated the only Illumination in it is blue which is good because you can't see your veins if the light is blue uh and these are the product that we would think about putting in uh in a park because they are designed specifically to address safety concerns you can't hide if you're in there because it's open at the top and the bottom there is plumbing and Sewer but it's not somewhere that would be comfortable to sleep um as to when it's locked how it's maintained that's the ongoing discussion with the DPW part they're definitely open to it but there are a lot of operational questions we've never had to answer are those seasonal no those are year round like if you're willing to go to the bathroom at it in the winter it would like other places where they are they are open in the winter okay so they they're called the Portland L from Portland Oregon is that where they that is where they were developed yeah okay sorry I had one more thing I'm hoping that we could maybe potentially consider which is that if we are engaging with public art um that we highly consider sculpture and that we consider incorporating Community we have a lot of artists who live here and and that public art is maybe even set out almost as a competition or something that could be decided on by the public is winning submissions and they get incorporated into our Park system so that it's a it's a it's an ongoing Loop potentially we have a Foundry here too so that may even something we have a Foundry bronze casting Foundry here and so that could be something where we could actually have permanent public art that you know maybe some artists want to go that far that we have funed for so we actually not to keep but there's another new position in the city this year that is the creative economy manager I think um sorry I don't remember the exact title but she's our sort of go-to for public art and uh at another Park project we're doing in Chelsea Square there's that empty plinth um and we've already started talking to her about like what might go on that putting out a call for artists exactly like that um so I think that we are very much thinking same wavelength the the only issue with public art and sculpture is uh because I used to do the planning for the recreation and run the park management uh reconstruction plans is we looked at sculptures too the only problem is there is such a extended lead time that it didn't work with the um schedules that the uh public uh funding sources gave us we apply for the funding in June of one year you get the funding uh notice in December you don't get the money until January and then the park has to be completed by June 30th so it just didn't work we we went to The Foundry up there and we tried to work with them John is that something we can I mean this might be a question for you is that something we can look at as a community where if we're sort of tied on sort of compliances on funding and money that we have funds in our um right uh in the capital Capal we've both funds in there we also have some for for Community for development you know our our sidebar funds on that that it could be used and then returned back into that fund if if it's something where it's it's a public art situation that's time sensitive we won't receive funds it'll tie it up but we need it that we can be creative about how we approach it and still be fully compliant unfortunately the state does not like creative financing um we and Chelsea have gotten in some trouble for that before uh no but they don't they will not reimburse for any cost that is incurred before you sign their contract so there's no way to get started early there are John makes a very good point with this uh We've looked at potentially some more like flexible sources of funding like if we're not getting it from the state if we're getting it from a private Foundation potentially even our own Community preservation committee um the deadline is less strict it's just a matter of like the state is there and wants to give us money for our Parks Community preservation committee isn't exactly there for art they're there for open and like the connection is there we can do it it's just every funding source has its own difficulties you know related to this and maybe this might be a non-starter given all that's been said here is but um given the desire for public art and the desire to butress these recreational opportunities that we thought about functional art you know uh fixtures and features Within These parks that would serve a recreational purpose unto themselves things kids could climb on use for other purposes is you know anything along those lines yeah you know beautified benches benches that maybe serve more than the purpose of just seating let's say but you know let the artist be the the guide on that but has that been a part of the thought process no that hasn't come up in this plan but it's certainly a really interesting idea and I forone I'm very intrigued by it when you started saying functional art I was thinking John of the sculptures at Island Den Park the like wind features that I know are like they're very pretty to see they tell the park is there um but I don't think there's been any discussion to date about like benches as art but that certainly could be really cool I actually have some resources about that I'll send you you'll send you those things off to the side but it's something to think about it's uh an approach that's taking some route in other cities so yeah especially in places where your park space your feature space is limited you know things that are integrated into you know more public squares things like that like say outside of maybe even this building you know things that might just exist that you know could be engaging if if uh was one was so inclined yeah uh to take your idea on double purpose um you had mentioned floodable zones I think at some point in your oh flood zones well floodable zones meaning designated areas within a park like say it's a skate park you know most of the time and then when there is a big flooding event there's a place for water to go um it's something that's been adopted in like SC Scandinavian countries it's it's wellknown thing um but also just s incentivizing uh land owners to plant trees and um I maybe there's a way that they can host retention Chambers or something to deal with these big flooding events um let's see uh as far as we keep hearing about the state it is there a liaison with um DCR that we can have better collaboration with and and you know discuss some of these long range goals and some of the hurdles we're experiencing and just being able to use their property whether it's Mariel malet park or the pool it seems like we should um you know it's occupying a very important part of our Waterfront and if we don't have easy access to it then it's more of a hindrance than a asset I mean you know I I just think there's a real opportunity there for better for improved collaboration um let's see and the pool for instance the season could be longer than it is because the hot season is you know doesn't begin in July and end in um at the end of August I mean we we need a few months on either side of that I don't know if they would object to so I will say From dcr's perspective they're constrained by when they can hire high school students and college students to be lifeguards at the pools and that's why they're usually constrained to that two-month period okay yeah um well just along those same lines can we have better like surveillance and you know certainly Foster more accountability and and stewardship of these Parks but if they don't have to turn into it fense because the locals are really um you know helping to perform some of those roles that might make it more um you know we did definitely hear concerns about trash and cleanliness throughout this process and one of the things coming out of it is sort of a renewed mandate to DPW that people want the parks to be tidy they want the parks to be clean okay also um there's a digital sign out kind of program I don't know if if that's active in Chelsea but just if you want to book your baseball game for instance there's some way to um do that so that you know people are aware of the different pieces of property that they'd be able to use um and just one last thing is just the overall long-term vision of how we can reacquire some of our Waterfront I mean are we going to have a salt pile From Here to Eternity I mean as oil and gas and salt become less relevant are we still going to be looking at this can can we look at how we can phase out of some of these restrictions that the DPA is putting on us yeah so it's an interesting question and I completely hear where it's coming from the tension there is that if industrial uses leave our Waterfront that is prime targets for gentrification which spreads out back into the community from the Waterfront so while it is not pretty the city's current policy is inclined to retain industrial uses at the waterfront where we can preferably ones that don't plute our air or cause havoc in the water uh but they retain good paying jobs and it prevents the gentrification that you see in places like East Boston the 2016 Waterfront Vision plan was the city thought out attempt to say how can we have a waterfront that is industrial that is working uh but also isn't completely restricted from public access the way it is now uh and we've since then uh we have built one and we are building another new park on the waterfront we're working uh with property owners to help them meet their chapter 91 requirements which requires public access to tital waterways uh in ways that don't adversely conflict with the uh industrial use um to try and maintain the industrial use but provide access to the water and all the benefits it brings so will we have a salt pile forever I don't know uh but the city's policy right now is that if the salt pile leaves we want another industrial use there I have no objection to that I think you know we've proven in other parts of the harbor that um and Industry and you know residential and Commercial zones can play nicely together so that's not my concern but um there are some nonwater dependent uses that really don't need to be there like well I won't get into specifics but um I you know we we hear the term water dependent use but there's plenty of businesses that aren't that do they really have to occupy you know valuable space can't they can't we um you know in a longer range plan try to move some of those um purposes or some of those um I don't know something that involves a lot of trucking or whatever it is that in other parts of the city so it's not cutting off the Waterfront because that's what we're looking at right now and with some of these projects that we've recently approved we're only reinforcing Trucking routes that are only cutting us off further from pedestrian access to the Waterfront so I'd like to see a a comprehensive plan that that looks at how we can over time attain some of these goals yeah and I will say I feel a little silly uh shouting about this Waterfront Vision plan when John's over here because John was in charge of the department when it was created so please chime in if at all you would like to but I would encourage you to take a peek at that plan because I think that that speaks to what you're saying so honestly I don't even remember it fair enough so I do want to say this is actually really amazing um you know what you guys are doing especially moving our future for open Parks uh for the city of Chelsea um so I'm on this Facebook page called uh what's happening in Chelsea um some people actually posted out there that they want to see also a few more spots of dog parks because there is a lot of um you know residents that owns dogs you know especially Chelsea doesn't have enough Green Space for dogs to actually you know to enjoy um to go outside get some fresh air um the majority of residents I know they have to go to Riv go to winth or go to Malden sagas somewhere where they do have doc Parks but it's not fair for the city of Chelsea like residents like oh my gosh I really have to travel just with my dogs like you know um does this plan have something for that for them in the future so dog parks was not a need specifically called out during our engagement I will say I mentioned earlier we're doing a redesign of ponia park that has that is a park that has had some tension between being a playground for kids and a dog park for many many years uh and as part of this redesign we're just sectioning off a third of the park to be a dog park uh it is obviously very close to the Mystic Overlook dog park which I know there are some mixed feelings about we're working to make some improvements there as well or try to make it more dock friendly for everybody yeah um but where it makes sense and there's a clear demand in the neighborhood like at palonia that is something we're just making part of the design yeah probably an easier suggestion but given that Chelsea is a community of immigrants can we ensure that all signage is in English and Spanish yes um I think that that is DPW policy already if a sign comes down and it takes a little while to replace it it might be only in English or only in Spanish for a while but um every Park should have you know the park rules and and at uh in English and Spanish great I one more um just a thought process on um uh fountains and water like if we're if we're thinking of using our storm water is there a way to incorporate some of that into into public Fountains of any kind or not not really or or just even considering fountains as an attraction for something beautiful in parks and maybe to create just Serenity Birds you know all that kind of Joyful things yeah um stormw like if we're going to have a fountain that people are running through it needs to be treated in a specific way because it might be I didn't necessarily mean that that that not like a splash pad even if it's a fountain that's GNA be recirculated it needs to be water still needs to be treated yeah it needs to be treated because it's going to be going around and around and around and if it doesn't get treated like the fountain in Chelsea Square there's a whole underground system that like treats the water like between its Cycles through the fountain um my first response to the Fountain suggestion is that that sounds very expensive uh I I love it I think that like I love sitting in a park with a fountain they are very very expensive um and that is something that uh we have a hard time including those very expensive elements in our park because like we do have a sip but also we are a low-income immigrant Community for the most part we don't have Brook Lin's money um that being said it's a fun idea and they're always coming up with new products that even like water features of some kind that aren't ridiculously expensive like like underground fountains well that's Rees build ifri has more money than they don't and that's a little bit what like splash pads are for kids to run through but also like we do a lot of them that are like set into the ground so that space so they can be turned off and that space can be used for like adult Gatherings and it can have a similar effect no I'm glad you did yeah I'm I'm across the street from uh the park on Eden Street and the kids go absolutely crazy for that Splash Pad so yeah they go in most Parks we redesign at this point because they are such a huge hit with everyone I just want to say one more thing I I really do I think longterm want you guys even if it doesn't happen at this point in to consider some sort of Community Center or teen center that's part of you know it's a wraparound of incorporating our Green Space and our youth and Community yeah um for what it's worth I know that's a priority of the city manager's office that that's something they're really actively working towards Emily you said that you would like a respond a letter from the board what's your deadline and what format does that take and how was the board going to prepare it um I was hoping for a like February 20th March 1st kind of deadline um I am happy will I assume you've been taking minutes you've been taking minutes thank you um I am happy if you want to give me those to write the letter incorporating all of your comments and submit it to your staff for your edits and signature um like you guys have said I think all the things that you would say in response to the plan and I'm happy to take that and turn it into a letter if that sounds appropriate I don't think I can just send them your minutes but like if you guys are willing to sign off on that if that works for the board yeah that works for us so you'll prepare it we'll review it we bring it for the Chairman's signature and then okay Fe by February 20th okay uh send me the minutes when you've got them and I will do that yeah it work we also live on Facebook so you can rewatch if you forget some few things I cannot wait to do so I love hearing myself speak uh anything else thank you thank you so much I really appreciate all of your time and your comments do we need to make some some sort of motion about this or we okay so historic preservation Plan update yes so uh this really is just an update here just to keep everyone in the loop uh the Chelsea historical commission has been uh in the process of uh pursuing the development of a historic preservation plan for the city uh I've been working on the Grant application and we'll be dropping that off um by the end of this week There's a whole kind of pre-application process and we went through that and we were invited to submit a full application which is what I've been working on um and uh the state Massachusetts historical commission I think is very excited to work with Chelsea um because I would say our historic preservation efforts have been a bit more ad hoc um or underdeveloped in some other you know in another term so I think they're very excited that the Chelsea historical commission is moving forward with this um I think this really is an opportunity to develop a vision for historic preservation in the city and a vision that includes elements of sustainability you know how do our historical re uh assets and resources um relate to you know issues of like flooding um or are they using sustainable materials uh things like that and also Equity um I think trying to create a more comprehensive understanding and picture of the history of Chelsea which been mentioned in a couple of the past um agenda points you know we are an immigrant community so um how do the different diverse groups of people that live in the city uh add to the history of the city itself uh so um and also this preservation plan would you know identify uh other historical preservation needs um how can we strengthen our policy um we do have three uh federally designated historic districts which serve to be more of a symbolic designation versus having any sort of real kind of power to um influence development in those areas so you know the preservation plan could lead to um you know insights into strengthening those districts and how to um navigate that so just to keep everyone in the loop um the Chelsea historic commission is pursuing this effort so I think it's very exciting um if anyone has any comments or questions feel free to ask that now what would be the process if someone who came before our board was um looking for historic guidance on one of their properties like do do we have some way of um you know guiding them through that even if it's not in a protected Zone like what what is the process right now so I think the process right now is whenever whenever a development um application or case comes our way and Falls within the historic districts John and I bring them to the historical commission to receive some sort of design review or some sort of comments in that way um if there are folks who like our or a case comes through and doesn't reside in the historical districts but is looking for historical guidance then I think we would just bring them to the historical commission but I also think the hisor preservation plan is to try to help is to help identify and bolster a process you know like possibly even create a new process to address those kinds of things um but currently that's sort of what we do and how we operate um I see John trying to get I was just I think that's a a good segue to the next update that you are going to tell them the design that right so also currently um I I guess actually last year uh the historical commission engages in section 106 reviews so anything that I uh any sort of project that requires some sort of federal funding or federal agency um if there's uh you have they to move forward with that you need to look for sensitive receptors one of them being historical assets or historical uh resource and so anything that falls within the historical districts um and is using any sort of federal funding to rebuild or rehab or you know construct um has to go the commission for a section 106 review and I guess last year during one of those reviews members on the historical commission basically asked for some guidance like how do we do a design review what are we actually looking for what is actually historic in our districts and what do we actually want to preserve what features what elements of buildings and structures um and so um John and Omar Miranda who's in the Housing and Community Development Department wrote a grant um and we actually received $25,000 to develop design review guidelines and so the commission is also just beginning this process of developing design review guidelines for our historical Assets in those historic districts um we will hopefully have those guidelines um by the project needs to be done by the end of June of this year so that will be done by then and so that'll that's also an element to help bolster our process to make it a bit less subjective and a bit more like here's some here's a framework uh to evaluate and assess a historic structure and what we actually are trying to uh preserve um so yeah so we're currently engaging in that project right now like finalizing a scope of work and going to start doing that work over these next couple of months um the historic preservation plan timeline um would be if we were to receive our funding this would start ideally or hopefully um this September uh and would have to be done by uh the end of June 2026 quick question for you what are what are what are our current designated historical districts so uh currently we have three federally designated districts it's the uh Chelsea Square historic district then there's Bellingham Square Bingham Square historic district and then the third one I forget the exact name but it's the residential I think it's Chelsea Square residential neighborhood uh a historic district they're all centered around the downtown yeah and um you know the the current map we have is also feel is needs to be improved I would say and so we are also in the process of updating our zoning maps including this Historic District map just to look make it look a bit more professional and uh actually designate like which Parcels fall Within These um other than the handdrawn map that we have for it yeahor addition to these three districts there's some like oneoff Parcels right yes so also the state has um a tool called macas where um if you if you were to look up like macis or Massachusetts you know State Historical commission mackas and go to Chelsea it does have a map that pinpoints different properties um whether they're in those districts or not um that receive some sort of uh historic designation whether and this is also something that I've been learning as I've worked with the historical commission that you can be designated at the federal level of having a stor property but maybe not designated at the local level so there's different scales of designation um but there is that tool and we are um I at some point will be trying to look through that and basically creating some sort of spreadsheet some sort of to get a better understanding yeah uh so there is a map online um but uh just trying to understand like where are our historic properties um specifically the ones that fall without outside of those districts thank you thanks Master Plan update so the city will be starting its master plan on Thursday um I pushed hard to have the planning board included and Sarah has been designated as the planning board's um appointment to the steering committee so um we uh the state has chosen The Firm of util to conduct the study uh our first meeting on Thursday they will be more or less just to uh identify uh the the people who will be playing a role what the role of the stering committee will be what the time frame is and what our next steps will be and then we will'll proceed from there but both Sarah and I will be on the steering committee and then because Sarah will be a representative uh we think it would be good to have a u agenda item on each meeting uh where Sarah will bring your up to date on what's happened on the um on the planning effort sounds great and finally yes so um just an update on our planning board meeting schedule uh so I will send out an updated schedule once we file it with the city clerk but if you remember from last meeting um we were in September we were scheduled to have our planning board meeting on the 16th uh which is not the 4th Tuesday of the month because of a potential election um I think it was a state primary election um that was scheduled for the 23rd of September uh turns out the state is actually going to schedule the primary on the 16th of September so we are going to move our planning board meeting back to the fourth Tuesday of that month which would be September 23rd um we just need to update our our calendar get it filed with the city clerk and then I will send that out to you all but just wanted to give everyone a heads up that we will now be meeting on in September we will meet on Tuesday September 23rd at 6 pm and that's all good presentation do I hear a motion to adjourn IID like to make a motion to adjourn somebody like second all in favor I I thank you e