The Raynham Channel

Planning Board 12/04/2025

• Raynham

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(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)

A long-empty big-box space is about to get smarter, safer, and far more useful. We walk through the approval of an abbreviated site plan that transforms 59 New State Highway into a Tractor Supply, and we focus on what actually changes for drivers, pedestrians, and neighbors. From a fresh facade and relocated entrance to a fully restriped parking lot, the upgrade blends practical engineering with clear conditions that protect sight lines, keep lighting on site, and reduce fire risk where it matters most.

The details matter here. Conservation signed off with a stormwater operations and maintenance plan given the site’s proximity to the river. Fire requested the removal of combustible mulch and added bollards around propane storage, and those are now locked in. Police pushed for a right-turn-only at the east exit, which appears with circulation arrows and signage. We also add crosswalk signage to guide drivers who’ve used the plaza for years, helping them adapt to pedestrian routes that will now be more visible and better protected. Outside sales areas get a firm framework: see-through black chain-link fencing, no slats, no barbed wire, and a minimum ten-foot set back from the curb to preserve the line of sight along Route 44.

Operations get clarity too. Tractor Supply’s typical hours run from early morning to evening, with store lights shutting down within 30 to 45 minutes after closing. Parking lot lighting is enhanced using existing poles and conditioned to prevent spillover onto adjacent properties. Snow storage is kept away from the building and fenced zones, dumpsters are enclosed with black metal screening, and building-adjacent parking receives protective bollards. These are simple, measurable steps that lift safety and curb appeal without slowing the project.

After the vote to approve and refund an unused peer review fee, we pivot to policy: tuning our accessory dwelling unit bylaw to align with state guidance and preparing to restart the mixed-use bylaw work with SERPED after the holidays. It’s a through-line from site design to long-range planning—get the conditions right today, and set the code to support better projects tomorrow. If you care about practical planning, retail revitalization, and the small rules that deliver big public benefits, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who follows local development, and leave a review with the one condition you’d add next time.

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SPEAKER_05:

This is December 4th, 2025 meeting. You can join us in person. We also have live broadcasting meeting on the Radium Channel, Comcast Channel 98, and Verizon Channel 34. 6 p.m. We call the meeting to order. First thing the minutes from our last meeting of November 6th, 2025. I would entertain a motion to waive the reading and approve the minutes.

SPEAKER_03:

So moved.

SPEAKER_05:

Seconded. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. We have a public hearing on 59 East State Highway. It is a site plan. It requires four votes. We have two of our members out tonight. That leads us to three. So I entertain a motion to have our alternate Matt Andre sit in as a voting member. So move. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Okay. We have someone for the petitioner.

SPEAKER_01:

You want to read it into the record three public, a public. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh yep, yep. Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. Okay. The Rainham Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, December 4th, 2025. It's uh 6.01 p.m. at Rainham Veterans Memorial Town Hall, 558 South Main Street, on application for abbreviated site plan approval. Rainham allowed section at 350-13.2 special permit to allow renovation of exterior and interior of building, including relocating front entrance, improving facade, repairing and restriping parking lot, adding outside sales areas, dumpsters, ballards, and loading dock, all at 59 New State Highway, Assessors Map 14, lot 234-0, Rainham, Massachusetts. Application is submitted by Gerald Cohen, President Rainham Crossing Limited Partnership. Copy of the application and plan are available for viewing at the Town Clerk's Office and Planning Board Office, 558 South Main Street Rainham during usual scheduled business hours. Any person wishing to be heard or interested in a submittal should appear at a time and place designated.

SPEAKER_04:

Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. My name is Ed Brennan. I'm an attorney with an office of 174 Dean Street in Taunton. I represent the applicant at Rainham Crossings. With me tonight is uh Scott Rogers from Homebrew Engineering, uh Jerry Cohen, owner of uh Rainham Crossings, and Matt Darling from Tractor Supply, representing the future tenant building. What we well I think you're all familiar with the site. It's an old building that was constructed probably in 1959 or 1960 for Fernandes grocery store, uh, and it's had many uses over the years. Uh currently, uh the last tenant in this particular space, which is about 26,000 square feet with big lots. Uh, attractor supply is interested in entering into a lease for the property. In order to accomplish that, we have to make certain improvements to the property, uh, certainly all of which are a benefit to Rainhand because we're going to improve the site. Uh the interior, there'll be interior renovations made, which uh I'm sure the board's not really concerned with those. Uh the exterior, there'll be a new facade and main entrance. There will be re-striping of the parking lot. There will be some new concrete pads in the back. You know, put ballards in parking spaces in particular areas and generally restripe the parking lot and improve the visibility. There will be outside storage towards the Route 44M, about 14,000 square feet of enclosed space, which they use for outside sales, and about 1,400 square feet for the sale of trailers. We met with the department heads from the town. Uh they voiced various concerns and questions, all of which we were able to address, uh, and they're all highlighted in blue on my sketch there. The uh fire department wanted us to replace any mulch with stones because mulch has caused fires and uh more than I realized. They wanted us to make sure we put bollards around the propane tank, and they want us to coordinate the alarm system and the security camera in the storage area. That part will take place during construction. So on the plan, we've shown the mulch being replaced and we've shown bollards around the propane tanks. Uh the police department wanted us to take no left-hand turn out of the exit on the east side near the bowling alley. So when you come out on that side, they wanted a right-hand turn only. So we've incorporated a sign into the site plan to satisfy the police department. COMCOM CONCOM, we were there last night and they approved the plan. They wanted a stormwater management plan, operation plan, operation maintenance plan, and that was submitted to them last night, and the CONCOM approved the work that we want to do because we're in proximity to the river. Uh predates the River Protection Act, but we are within the 100 and 200 feet. So CONCOM entertained that last night and gave us a positive uh result. The water department wanted us to repair a fence along the westerly boundary, which that is shown on the plan that we will do. Uh building inspector wanted us to coordinate traffic on site, present a color rendering at the public hearing, and make sure that we do address the concerns of the of the other departments, which you've done. Board of Health just said there may be some annual permits required for the sale of uh live, you know, rabbits or chickens, or if there's any food for sale on site. So that would come post-construction. Uh so we've incorporated all of those uh requests by the town departments into the plan. Uh you can see what it will look like when we're done. We have uh attract the supply that's after the renovations are done at the front of the building with the new entrance and new facade, and down below it you can see what the existing elevation is. Is this going to affect any of the other tenants? No. The uh restaurant and boys both stay there, and there's a small nail salon on the west little west hand corner of the building. That stays isn't there anymore. Sorry? Oh, okay. Yeah, the boys are still there. Uh it was the job lots that went out. We're going into that space. Uh so no disruption of the other tenants. We we satisfy parking, we comply with the required number of spaces. Uh and we've satisfied CONCOM, and we've satisfied the department heads. So now we're here. I'm concerned with the parking lot. Could you show us some of your storage, storage area? I'm just orientating myself, is in the cross-tached area out front here. So even when you eliminate those spaces, you still comply with quite a number of spaces. Right under the street. It is. And what are you going to have up there? It's a fenced in area. They have fencing, they have different supplies. I can I can get more detail from just the back of the track of supply if you might be here. Until then, I suspect that's another question. No, I don't have any right now.

SPEAKER_02:

Are they gonna do any work over there? Yes. They are need to get in touch with the sewer, which they have any.

SPEAKER_04:

Uh correct. Okay. Yeah, right. Was that the meeting of this?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. So wasn't there so they're gonna need because they do have a lateral coming out of that building, and there is uh clean outside. It should all be marked.

SPEAKER_04:

We we did notice it is busy there with some easements and utilities and stuff. Yeah. One of the questions, one of the comments by the public is use caution back there. Oh, yeah. That was the water department. Uh use caution when excavating it's that's that's been part to our zek.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

It's my understanding with abbreviated site plan that you can't relocate the main entrance to the building.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh is that not true. No, I don't know, that's not that's no. Part of the reason one of the one of the criteria to come in front of the board for site plan approval is a relocation of the main entrance. And in an existing building, usually it's an abbreviated site plan approval because the existing building is there. You know, we're not doing we're not doing ground-up construction.

SPEAKER_07:

So how will this interact with the garden patch on the side? They have the garden patch, the retail store. Are they gonna remain? Because I know that some of their parking, I know the guy with the garden patch van parks right where that uh enclosure is set to be. I just didn't know what type of parking they share with the garden patch. Yeah, like uh along the uh left-hand side of that parking lot. So I know the garden patch occupies that whole strip. They have like a loom pile off to the side, and then a lot of their customers park right in that that storage area. I didn't know what designated parking, if any, they had in that plaza. And then the only other thing I would recommend would be I I'm assuming that gray area that extends from the building to the storage area, that's like a walking path. Correct. From south to north? Correct. It possibly might be nice right at the curb to do one of those signage, the double the double-sided signages that says walkway, just so that people that aren't used to coming through that plaza for so many years, knowing that there's a walkway there.

SPEAKER_04:

So having that signed for drive for not for the pedestrians, but for the drivers.

SPEAKER_07:

The drivers, yeah. Just so that, because it's been there existing, no one's ever gonna, if you're not accustomed to it knowing that there's a walkway there, it might be nice to have, you know, a a sign there that says pedestrian walking caution or something like that. Just so that the people can get accustomed to the new flow of traffic.

SPEAKER_04:

Right now, they I guess that they'd be going that way to get to their cars currently. But this is we should dress it up and put the signs in.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, just so that you know, people can get accustomed to the change of pace.

SPEAKER_04:

Right.

SPEAKER_07:

But that other than that, I would say.

SPEAKER_05:

Any new crosswalks?

SPEAKER_04:

That is cross-hatched here.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:

Anything more for Mr. Brennan or want to hear from the engineer?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh can you can you speak to the sales trailer? I don't think we we discussed a sales trailer in the Benson area. Did you speak about a sales trailer outside? Or just a trailer low trailer area? Is a trailer sales area?

SPEAKER_04:

That's for the sale of trailers.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's not a a trailer where you're gonna be making sales? No, right. Okay, all right. Just wanted to confirm that.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, that's that and that's yeah, that's for someone. We're gonna start trailers there if someone's interested in buying a utility trailer.

SPEAKER_01:

And so it's a ten-foot high fence. So you're gonna be able to maintain a minimum of ten feet off the roadway so that you don't impact any line of sight? Yeah, no issue. You're good with that? And uh you're not you're not putting any slats in in this fence? You're gonna be able to see through the fence, it's gonna be four four-inch chain length.

SPEAKER_05:

That's our preference. What the town wants is the four thing.

SPEAKER_01:

So I would say this, I mean it's up to the board, but I would say the screening would be more detrimental, especially when you're up against the roadway. Yeah, we're gonna be. If you were off the roadway, I'd say screening would be appropriate, but I don't think in this circumstance it would be appropriate.

SPEAKER_07:

Is it galvanized or black?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh it's galvanized.

SPEAKER_07:

No barbed wire at the top?

SPEAKER_00:

No. Okay.

SPEAKER_07:

Black would be super.

SPEAKER_01:

You can choose your color, I guess.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, I I'm I'm I'm more you know, of a black fence. It just doesn't stand out as much, especially by the street. Um especially if you're doing the parking lot over, it might blend in nicer, but you can see you'll code the parking lot before you strike it.

SPEAKER_02:

Um black sounds fine with you guys.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

It's yeah, it's virtually just yeah, it just looks clean from the other road stuff. Yeah. I mean you guys saw it, so I guess. Yeah. We have a problem.

SPEAKER_04:

No, no, no, no. No, no, we should write down the checklist with fine.

SPEAKER_07:

The hours haven't changed outside of what the big lots were, I'm assuming, correct?

SPEAKER_04:

I don't know what they were.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, what they left out. Our power supply hours are basically uh 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Sunday before we'll always move out of the year. Matt, would you mind? Yeah, okay, sorry. Yeah. Uh my name is Matt Darley. I'm actually an independent consultant for track supply. I've I've developed stores for them for the past 20 years. Um so the the the the question I think was um but we we talked about the fencing, that's no problem. The the the trailers that we talked about uh are just low landscaping trailers, they're they're they're not box trailers. Um and heaven helped me, the reason why I come up here to answer a question, I've already. Oh, yeah, thank you. The hours of operation are basically 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They oftentimes close around 7 p.m. on Sundays, but you know, as any business needs some flexibility within that time to be able to open or close as their customers choose to come shop at their store. So if there's uh moment of flexibility within that time range, there shouldn't be any problem. Um not a not really a residential area, but it does come up, you know, their their parking lot lights, you know. Well, actually, here is shopping center, but uh their their store lights will turn off around uh half an hour after the store closes, sometimes 45 minutes, give or take. If it was an independent store, that the parking lot lights would turn off a little earlier too, but here's shopping center, so that's a little different situation.

SPEAKER_05:

Um, there's going to be any more lights than currently available. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't think we'll probably enhance the uh lighting on this. Could you come up to the on the existing pole? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06:

Jerry Cohen from uh Random Crossing. Um we've enhanced the lighting, and if it's not completed, it will be completed with the existing poles.

SPEAKER_05:

Enhance.

SPEAKER_06:

Improve the quality of the uh lighting. Brighter lighting out into the street, no, into the down the parking lot. Just in the parking lot.

SPEAKER_01:

Any other questions for me?

SPEAKER_07:

No.

SPEAKER_01:

You want to address the lighting as a condition of approval?

SPEAKER_05:

Um I think so. I think we should do that all the time.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh I will I will like to bring something up to the attention of the of Jerry. Um you had a fire there about a year and a half or two years ago now, and at that time the fire department asked you to remove the mulch. Mulch is still there. They're very um very unhappy that it's still there, so maybe you can work on that in the next couple of days.

SPEAKER_04:

That's all I have.

SPEAKER_05:

And I understand you've had a chance to review them. I have. Installation of fenced areas shall be a minimum of ten feet from the roadway curving and shall not impede the lines of sight existing on the property. Chain link fence shall be see-through, no barbed wire shall be installed without proper approval from CBA. No snow storage to be allowed between the building and the fenced area. All snow to be removed and relocated to an appropriate location. Any parking spots adjacent to the building shall have a protected following installed. All mulch beds along the entire front of the building shall be removed and replaced with a non-combustible material. All state and local permitting shall be in place before any construction renovation work shall commence. Circulation arrows shall designate proper traffic flow shall be in place and parking lot completely restriped before the temporary or final occupancy permit is issued. All signage shall meet the requirements of section 350-6.6 of the rain and zoning bylaw. All dumpsters shall be fully enclosed and screened by metal fencing.

SPEAKER_01:

And um how do we want to word the lighting? Uh all parking lot lighting shall not uh shall stay on the property, not cast onto adjacent properties.

SPEAKER_05:

That's a good one.

SPEAKER_03:

Anything else for them? Should we change the last one? No, not the lighting one, the metal fencing to just include like black metal fencing.

SPEAKER_01:

So what's your language?

SPEAKER_03:

All dumpsters shall be fully enclosed and screened by black metal fencing. And then should also say that. Black channel fence, yeah, or one and two.

SPEAKER_07:

So just doing a separate line. I mean, just say all fencing used on the property to be coded in black.

SPEAKER_01:

So you can uh vote to approve the s uh previous site plan with those conditions if you like.

SPEAKER_05:

So it entertained such a motion to approve the Rainham Crossing LTD Partnership Site Plan by JK Holmbrin Engineering LLC dated November 5, 2025. Subject to the conditions that I have read in with the two small changes to black fencing and the lighting issue. So move discussion. Nope.

SPEAKER_07:

Um also I just remembered too if we can put um where the circulation arrows in addition to signage for crosswalk.

SPEAKER_05:

Okay. That's an additional.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, thank you. I just don't know what I'm saying. Sorry, I had a lot of things.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, okay. Yeah, it's not escape review.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh so we don't have a peer review fee. No, we paid we submitted$1,000, but it wasn't used. Okay, so we can we we can give that back to you at some point.

SPEAKER_04:

Okay. If it takes a vote of the board, I'd like to get that vote to I can waive waive the peer review fee that we file. You don't need any peer review at all?

SPEAKER_02:

None of that. Okay. Well, we want to take care of this for us. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:

Well, I said I'd entertain a motion. I think I got a motion. Did I get a second? Second. Any further discussion on the site plan? Hearing none all in favor? Aye. Aye. And uh a peer review fee was paid by the applicant. I understand it's not going to be needed, so I make a motion, excuse me, I entertain a motion to return the peer review fee to the applicant. All moved. Hearing none, all in favor.

SPEAKER_04:

Thank you very much, General. Thank you.

unknown:

Stay warm. You have to pay the engine. I thought that worked right. Oh, I think that's that job. Thank you. Well, I guess take another word.

SPEAKER_01:

It'd be a good location.

SPEAKER_05:

General business. Invoices bills payable. We had one went in your direction. Um we got three signatures, that's what we need. So tomorrow ring with that. Old business, new business.

SPEAKER_03:

That's a 2%.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

And we have a 303 on that.

SPEAKER_01:

I'll do old business, new business, and planning reporting update at the same time. How's that? We'll get us through. Uh which is uh very short. Um, I reworked the ADU bylaw that was kicked back. Uh basically just removed what the AG didn't want in the bylaw, and I sent you a clean copy of the new bylaw. Um that's basically the same language that we had. I'm not sure if you want to dig into this deeper. Um, a lot of towns don't have as much in their ADU bylaws as we do. There are some towns that have a longer bylaw. Not sure how far to take this. We're already about 17 ADUs deep since February. Uh those are the ones on record. I'm sure there's some that we haven't put on record yet, and there's a couple in the pipeline. So I would imagine as the years go by, we're going to be seeing 20 to 30 of these uh each year, and the numbers are gonna creep up. So um at some point we're gonna have to have a public hearing again, redo the bylaws, send it back to town meeting. Hopefully we'll get it done this winter and have it ready for a spring town meeting. But I'm I'm I put it out for you guys to give me some uh some guidance as to you know what you'd like to see, what you won't like to see. The state is very lenient, as you can see, about these KDUs. Um they don't want too much restrictions put on them. So we can put all kinds of restrictions and make our bylaw 30 or 40, you know, bullet points deep. It's a lot of it's gonna get kicked back. So um send me your ideas individually in an email, and I'll compile them. If I don't get anything, I'm just gonna move forward with what I sent you already. Is that okay?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, fine with voices. Yeah. Other than that, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Other than that, we we're gonna have to uh reignite the uh 138 mixed use bylaw uh with SERPED. I'm gonna reach out to them the next couple weeks, probably after after the holidays, because nothing happens in the next couple weeks typically, and then try to get them on an agenda where we can re-ignite that, clean up a couple of things that we add to loose ends, and put that together so that we can bring it to town meetings also.

SPEAKER_03:

Hopefully in the spring.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it'd be it'd be nice just to get it out of off the table and out of the way instead of having things in there. So yeah, so those are the two things I got for you. Other than that, um we're we're caught up. And uh things if things happen, I'll let you know.

SPEAKER_05:

Project review account closures. Okay, correspondence none. Planning coordinator updating surf with update, nothing tonight. Public comments and input, nothing and move plans plans to be signed. No, agree no good meeting. Anybody have anything to add? Or we've uh I just end a motion to adjourn. So moved, seconded, seconded, all in favor? Aye