On May 14, the Planning Board discussed two minor special permit amendments involving 62–88 The Great Road, otherwise known as The Blake Block. Owner Bruce Blake and attorney Pam Brown proposed the addition of a barrier of Japanese holly that would prevent pedestrians from inadvertently falling off the edge of the tiered sidewalk into The Great Road. Blake and Brown also negotiated the placement and capacity of bike racks on the property, ultimately receiving permission to drop the number of accommodations from 16 bicycles to 14.
Shrubbery Barrier
“The sidewalk got tweaked,” Brown briefly explained as background to the issue. “The handicap grade was compliant running down the length of Great Road, but there was a problem with the cross slope. [In other words, if] you went from the building to the curb, the percent grade was a little bit too steep. . . . Ultimately, we came up with the [solution] that you see out there, [with two sets of steps and a tiered sidewalk.] The grade difference is something like one inch on [The Fletcher Road] end and [fourteen inches] at the other [Springs Road] end.
“There’s no code requirement to have a barrier,” Brown continued. “[However, [t]his is sort of a logical request. We don’t want people wandering across the area and not realizing there’s a curb there. Bruce has proposed that we plant Japanese holly [to create the barrier].”
After discussing the matter, the Planning Board agreed to Blake’s proposal, stipulating that the shrubs be at least 18 inches tall when installed and that they be planted close enough to immediately form the desired barrier.
Additionally, the Planning Board requested that an “understory” of shorter plants be added—possibly a combination of annuals and perennials—to enhance the building’s curb appeal, particularly because of its location in the town’s center. The exact plant varieties for the understory and for the planters have been left to the discretion of the owner and tenants. Landscape maintenance will be subcontracted to The Dartmouth Group and paid for by condominium association fees, according to Blake.
Bike Racks
Of the 16 places originally agreed to in earlier deliberations, one five-bike bicycle rack has been installed to date. However, the Planning Board pointed out that because the installation of that rack was incorrectly handled, it can only be approached from one side, thus lowering its functional capacity from 5 bicycles to 3.
After close to an hour of discussion regarding style, placement and capacity of the remaining racks to be installed, the Planning Board, Blake and Brown reached agreement.
With regard to style of the racks, Planning Board member Amy Lloyd asked for consistency rather than a mixture of types around the property. “There’s a lot of patchwork, all around the building. Can we strive for some consistency?” Lloyd requested.
With regard to total number of bike accommodations, Blake said, “I don’t know any place in Bedford that has so many bike racks. [I realize I agreed to this number,] but I was foolish in a number of things and [that meeting] seemed to be a long meeting, and I guess I said, ‘Sure, okay, let’s do it.’
“[I realize my calculations for the remaining racks] only bring the count to 14, but I would ask if that’s a de minimis change,” Blake added.
Planning Board member Lisa Mustapich replied, “Now, keep in mind, the rack [already installed near Ginger] is functionally three spaces, [not five.] We’re giving you two there. Plan B would be to say, ’Yank it out and do it right.’”
“If we move that bike rack,” Blake responded, “then we irritate and create a problem for our wonderful, happy Ginger Restaurant and the people that go there. There’s not a lot of space back there. There’s not a lot of space on the whole property.”
Finally, the Planning Board agreed to lower the required number of bike accommodations to 14 with the count calculated in the following manner: the existing rack near Ginger (3), a five-bike capacity rack behind the Fletcher Street-side park bench (5), one inverted “U” at the tree on the eastern corner of the lot (2), and two inverted U’s on the Fletcher Street side of the building, near the planned healthy food restaurant (4).
The Board also agreed to waive the previously agreed upon requirement for a canopy that would have covered the five-unit bike rack behind the park bench.
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