11.12.2025 City Council - Public Works & Transportation

My over

pain.

Hey pain.

Committee on public works and transportation will convene. Clerk will call the role.

Councelor Ponti here. proposal here.

Chair Pereira.

Oh, chair. My sorry.

Here.

Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium.

Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible.

Do we have any citizens input?

Um, I think I probably in line with that where we had someone at the last meeting who was objecting to this curb cut. Uh, they submitted a letter withdrawing their um, complaint.

So, I want to read that, put that into the record. Um,

Okay. Um, the chair of the committee on public works and transportation is trying to schedule a meeting to discuss the curb removal application was referred for 312 Mohawk Drive. Uh, I left the voicemail for you, but wanted to follow up with an email as well. Please reach out. Uh, hopefully you can forward this to the chair and it could serve as my response.

My objection was that it appeared the parking expansion would be for trucks and construction equipment. Since the council meeting during which this was discussed, the construction equipment has been removed and the truck traffic has been minimal. Therefore, I have no objection to this driveway expansion.

Thank you, Jeremy Yetman.

Um, second on our agenda is uh the minutes of May 13, 2025.

Motion to approve the minutes. Second.

All [snorts] in favor?

I.

None opposed. Number three is the order for the curb removal. Uh Mr. Ryan Well, 312 Mohawk Drive, Westport, Mass. Um referred 101425.

I don't know if Mr. Well is here and would like to come to the table. And I'd also like to ask our uh uh city planner and engineer, Mr. Aguia, to come to the table.

Um yeah.

Good evening.

How you doing?

I'm good. How are you?

Good.

If uh you can just give your names and address for the record.

Uh Ryan Wardell, 312 Mohawk Drive.

I'm Zoe Shay, 312 Mohawk Drive.

Dan Agui, our director of engineering and planning.

So, um, part of the reason I went forward with this meeting is because, um, I know that half the work, we'll call it, has been completed. You did do the circular driveway. You put crushed stone. Um, but now you're looking to complete that. Um, were you um, so obviously the proper procedure wasn't followed initially, which is kind of what brought us here today. Correct.

um what is your intent moving forward because it's a rather large expansion and it's a rather large area that you that you want to pave. So moving forward, what are you looking at?

So just to clarify, um I wasn't aware initially that I needed a curb cut permit. Um we went a while back in front of the council for uh to get the road adapt um accepted accepted by the city. So, uh, there was no curb over there as well. It's a loom spot. There's a Cape Cod BM. Uh, maybe a little ignorance on my part, not knowing that I still needed to apply for one.

So, once I knew that a permit needed to be um applied for, I put one in uh accordingly, and we're here now today.

Um, as far as what it's being used [clears throat] for, it's going to be used for a driveway. Um, there's probably five or six uh horseshoe driveways in the neighborhood. uh it mimics my neighbor directly across from me within four foot of the aprons uh the flare on them. So, as far as what I'm doing, it's not anything that is out of the ordinary for the neighborhood. Uh we're just looking to have a bigger

opening for our yard uh so I can park a truck on the side, still have access to my garage, and not have a car in front of the garage. Um and that's primarily it. So, when you say a truck, you're speaking like a pickup truck or I have a I have a work truck and I have a pickup truck.

Okay. Um I'll open this for the council for questions before we pursue this.

Council P.

Thank you, uh Madam Chair. So, in terms of um deed restrictions, um understanding this location a little bit more, I know that there are some homes that has some deed restrictions in this immediate area. Um Mr. Aar, do you care to speak on that?

Yeah. So, this subdivision was approved with some restrictive covenants. Um, one of them being that [clears throat] vehicles for business purposes, size of the house, there are a number of different things, uh, trailers that I think provide the protection that the neighbor would be comfortable with.

Whether that neighbor knows that those restrictions are in place or not, I don't know. But I believe our zoning requirements and these restrictions would at least eliminate any fear or should eliminate any fear that the neighbor voiced his concerns about at the meeting which is the that's why I believe we're here. Right. So it had gone through my office for the so curb opening driveway opening is the same

permit. So people don't understand sometimes when it's not a granite curb still a driveway still needs a permit.

16 feet is all you're allowed. So Mr.

Wardell did go through that process, went through traffic and then was approved there and then was found its way in front of the full council for public hearing when the opposition came about which apparently has been resolved.

Right.

It's my understanding that over the last couple of years, you've only bought the home in 22 or three and a half years.

There's been a lot of work done on the property to the house to the land itself and there may have been construction vehicles parked there for the a good part of the duration of that time. Um it appears that a lot of that work is done.

So that's probably why a lot of the trucks and materials are gone I'm guessing and that's why the the abuing land owner is now satisfied. So we have process that necessarily wasn't followed correctly at the beginning but probably would have been resolved already if a neighbor hadn't complained. So I think it's just important that the applicant understand that there are restrictions for land use through our zoning

ordinance as well as specific to this real estate which is a little bit beyond what the normal land owner would have.

Um I think you should be acknowledge those things. the amount of asphalt that's being installed. Should there be some drainage modification or mitigation proposed, that would be for you to decide. I I don't I can't govern something until it gets sent to me to govern.

So, it's gone through your office, Mr.

Aguar, already. And you did you or did you not sign off on the permit and prove the permit?

So, curbway curb and driveway opening permits get processed through my office.

I don't have the ability to give comment. It's just reporting the facts.

We get an application in. this is what they want to do. It gets sent to traffic. I I do not have the ability to give a recommendation one way or the other.

So my position is and I don't know if this is a common practice or not, but you know, understanding what Mr. Wardell has done and put into his property and he's trying to better it and recognizing that there are some restrictions in place. I I personally don't have an issue with moving forward as long as you as the city engineer planning department uh or city engineer uh has input on the

design and the approval process following the permitting from my standpoint. Um I I I think that's kind of silly personally and this is something maybe the next council can talk about filing a resolution that it runs through the planning office but you don't have an opinion or a say. he just follow checks a box and he can sign off on it which totally eliminates the process of going through your office in

the first place because you've got plenty to do. So that's certainly something that this new council should probably uh discuss through ordinance.

But Mr. Aguier if if as just one counselor if is the will of the committee as a body uh to approve the project subject to you uh reviewing and signing off on any permits would you think that's something that could be attainable and workable from from within what you're trying to do, Mr. Wardell?

Yeah absolutely.

And you intend on obviously following the the zoning and the the zoning requirements and anything that Mr. Aguar puts upon you to make sure you follow 100%.

Okay.

I don't put zoning on anybody.

Not zoning, but in ter in terms of the design of the driveway and making sure that you you don't break any of your restrictive covenants, I think is important to to recognize.

Yeah, I'm familiar with the coverage uh process and you know, I do a lot of work in the city if downspout chambers are needed and all that good stuff.

something that you can do well within the parameters. Well, within the parameters of so all right um I'll allow my colleague to speak about it but after the discussion is done I'd be okay with sending a recommendation to the full council okaying the um curb removal subject to Mr. Aar's sign off uh final sign off being the last one to sign off on the project uh to adhere to all restrictive covenants uh and any

engineering required demands. I'll put that in the form of a motion.

You yield. Oh, I'll put that in the form of a motion.

All right. Um, I'd like to amend it just a tad.

Sure. Okay.

So, um, subject to site plan review and approval for future use.

I'm okay with that, which would accomplishes the same thing essentially.

Yeah.

Um, would that you yield?

Yeah. So, I'll I'll make the I'll just to clarify the motion. I will make a motion to allow uh the curb as one counselor the curb um removal to occur subject to Mr. Aguar and site plan reviews uh approval uh to ensure that they are following all engineering and planning requirements second. [clears throat] All in favor?

I I do. You have any discussion or comments you'd like to make?

Sure.

I have so to adopt the order.

Yes.

Subject to um Mr. Aguar and site plan approval to ensure following all engineering and planning requirements which will be covered under site plan review. I know.

Okay. Thank you.

just and I know I [clears throat] spoke to you on the phone the other day, but you do have a location where you store your work vehicles and work equipment.

Yes.

Okay. I yield. Thank you. Yeah.

I think that was basically the was the main concern when they sold all the vehicles and and I did speak with your father as well who who told me that you you had removed a number of trees and rather than the equipment going back and forth back and forth, it was easier just keep it there during that process.

Um and he acknowledged that the vehicles have been removed. So, and and 90% of our neighbors are fully supportive. Um, just for the record, you know what I mean? It's not like we're trying to be a thorn in anyone's side.

We bought the ugliest house in the neighborhood. It needed a lot of love.

You know, I'm sure you're familiar. So, you know, we're trying to chip away at it within our budget. You know what I mean? So, yeah. No, and it's appreciated. And and you know, again, um it's it's it's [clears throat] just a matter of a lot of people, as Mr. Agar stated, they're not aware of all the rules, all the laws. And you're right. People assume a curb cut means you have to have a curb.

Okay. I don't have a curb either. I have a burm. So people assume you have to have a curb. And you're not doing anything wrong if you put in a driveway that doesn't have a curb. But now he's clarified it's curb driveway, right?

Um so you're probably going to be helping other people moving forward too.

Hopefully it does.

Uh so motion to adjurnn.

Second.

All in favor? I I thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.