Hamilton Planning Board continues 133 Essex Street hearing, sets March 1 roundtable

HAMILTON -- February 8, 2022, Hamilton Planning Board unanimously continued the special permit hearing for a 50-unit senior housing development at 133 Essex Street to March 1 after a three-hour session focused on stormwater management, erosion control, and traffic. Granite Engineering principals Brent Cole and Jeff Merritt told the board the project's five rain gardens and one infiltration pond are designed to infiltrate 15,359 cubic feet of stormwater, more than three times the 4,483 cubic feet required under MassDEP policy, and that post-development peak flows will be lower than existing conditions. Town peer reviewer Peter Ellison of TEC confirmed the design fully meets all 10 state stormwater standards and recommended the board condition any approval on third-party review of the required Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. Tom Hennigan of Ransom Consulting, hired by opponents Save Chewbacca Watershed and Trails, countered that the site's extensive two-to-one slopes pose erosion risks that 12-inch silt socks at the edge of disturbance may not contain. Traffic consultant Scott Thornton of Vanasse Associates projected the development would add just 24 vehicle trips during the morning peak hour, roughly a 2.5 percent increase on Essex Street, while Board Chair Rick Mitchell announced plans to require a formal construction management plan coordinated with town police, fire, and public works before any final decision is issued.