The proposed redevelopment of 310 The Great Road – the former Papa Gino’s – continued to work its way through the regulatory process Wednesday.
The Conservation Commission will resume a public hearing in mid-July on plans for stormwater management and compliance with local and state wetlands protection at the site.
Following a detailed presentation by project engineer Matt Hamor of LandPlex at the commission’s virtual meeting Wednesday evening, Jeff Summers, Bedford’s conservation agent, had a few questions.
But none of them seemed like a game-changer, and the answers were promised before the commission’s continuation at a meeting in mid-July.
The owner, Lexington Holdings, is proposing a three-story building with retail and office on the ground floor and two stories of residential condominiums. Parking is proposed for the side, the rear, and under the building. The Planning Board has approved the site plan.
The 36,500-square-foot site has featured a fast-food outlet for more than 50 years. The parcel is adjacent to Elm Brook on the west boundary.
Atty. Pamela Brown, representing the developer, said the work on the site will result in a net positive environmental impact. “Overall, there is very little if any stormwater management here,” Brown said. Runoff from the roof will be directed to subsurface infiltration chambers, and parking lots will drain into catch basins with sediment and oil separators.
Brown noted that plans call for a reduction of more than 2,600 square feet of impervious surfaces and a small increase in green space. Existing vegetation along the brook will remain, except for installation of an “outlet structure” to provide some drainage access. “The site is really flat so we needed to make that limited intrusion into the buffer zone,” she said.
Hamor explained details of the efforts to comply with wetlands protection and drainage requirements, including soil composition, reliance on dry wells and infiltration systems, and installation of porous pavement.
Summers acknowledged that the plans represent “a vast improvement, considering reduction of impervious surface, water treatment, and additional green space.”
He questioned the consistency of stormwater management plans with the location’s inclusion within the Shawsheen Road wellfield aquifer protection district. “I understand you can’t meet all of the standards all of the time, but there is some missing information here we should address,” he said. “If certain standards can’t be achieved, we need an explanation.”
Hamor questioned whether the site is actually part of the aquifer “Our intention is to provide every means feasible to incorporate the best management practices.” He said he would provide data to address other questions about specific features of the system and stormwater calculations.
Asked about plans for snow removal and storage, Hamor said if snow can’t be accommodated at the place designated on-site plans, it will be hauled away. Summers also said he would like more time to review newly submitted comments from engineers at the Department of Public Works.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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