Committee Report - L&P - 11-7-18 — File 206956

Licenses and Permits Committee Page 1 of 3 Printed 11/8/2018 November 7, 2018 REPORT OF THE LICENSES AND PERMITS COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Mary Jo Rossetti Chair Present Wilfred N. Mbah Vice Chair Absent Jefferson Thomas ("J.T.") Scott Ward Two Alderman Present Others present: Alderman Matt McLaughlin, John Long - City Clerk, Peter Forcellese - Legislative Clerk. The meeting took place in the Committee Room and was called to order at 6:00 PM by Chairman Rossetti and adjourned at 6:41 PM. Approval of the October 9, 2018 Minutes RESULT: ACCEPTED 206754: Renewing Lodging House License, Theta Delta Chi, 123 Packard Ave. Chairman Rossetti reported that she had a conversation with Mr. Rocco DiRico, the Director of Government and Community Relations at Tufts, and that he indicated that he would send a communication to the city regarding this issue. That communication, dated November 6, 2018, was sent to the City Clerk’s Office and distributed to the committee this evening. Mr. Long explained that Tufts decided to purchase the property by exercising a clause in the deed that grants Tufts an option to purchase. An inspection was performed. The Purchase and Sale Agreement is expected to be signed soon. Mr. Richard Walsh III, the Clerk of Kappa Charge of the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity, also sent a communication dated November 7, 2018, to the City Clerk regarding the pending sale of the property and requested that the lodging license hearing be continued until late December, to allow enough time for the sale of the property to finalize. Although Tufts did not request an extension of this matter in writing, it was discussed during the conversation between Chairman Rossetti and Mr. DiRico. Alderman Scott indicated that he was ready to deny the lodging house license but was willing to keep it in committee to allow time for the property transaction to take place. Mr. Long commented that Attorney Jason Grossfield, from the City Solicitor’s Office, advised him that it would be difficult to deny the one month extension since historically, brief extensions have been

Licenses and Permits Committee Page 2 of 3 Printed 11/8/2018 granted when parties are close to resolving an issue. The committee intends to act on this item at its next meeting on December 12, 2018. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206801: That the City Solicitor review the video of the October 9, 2018 Licenses and Permits Committee meeting and advise the Committee how to proceed with #206754, a Lodging House License application from Theta Delta Chi, 123 Packard Ave. See discussion of #206754. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206563: Tufts Director of Government and Community Relations submitting comments re: a lodging house license application for 123 Packard Ave. See discussion of #206754. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 204527: Requesting that Eversource meet with this city’s Administration to discuss creating a city-wide Host Community Agreement. Chairman Rossetti stated that she notified Mr. Snyder and Ms. Connor, vie email, on October 22nd that their attendance was required at tonight’s meeting to discuss this and other items on the agenda. After contacting Mr. Snyder today to confirm the attendance for this meeting, she was told that being cc’d on an email is not sufficient notice for attending a meeting. Chairman Rossetti consulted with the Legislative Clerk regarding the procedure used for attendee notification and was told that he had sent the same notification to Mr. Snyder and Ms. Connor, along with the meeting agenda, on October 23rd and that this was the normal practice used for other committee’s meetings. Chairman Rossetti expressed her displeasure with the Administration’s action in this regard, especially since they had requested additional time to pursue this item, which was originally put forth in October of 2017, and now appear unwilling to discuss this and other matters on tonight’s agenda. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206740: That the City Clerk and/or the appropriate city staff, discuss with this Board the current event permit application process for public event street closures. Chairman Rossetti explained that she submitted this order based on what she learned from community members regarding street closures. Apparently, anyone may submit an application to close a street for an event, e.g., a block party, and she is concerned about the other residents of a closed street who might not be aware of the closure. She thinks a better process is needed that includes notifying the street’s residents of the closure more than just 1 or 2 days before an event. Mr. Long commented that this is policy matter to be decided by the BOA and that it's not an out of control problem, since this year there were over 80 block parties in the city and only 2 neighbors complained about the streets closing. In most cases, applications for street closures are being

Licenses and Permits Committee Page 3 of 3 Printed 11/8/2018 submitted 3-4 weeks prior to an event. Alderman Scott noted that a current condition for approval is that flyers be distributed in advance of the event, however, no time frame is specified in the requirement. The committee discussed the notification period and agreed that a condition of the approval would be that once an application for a street closure is approved, neighbors must be notified at least 7 days prior to the event. Mr. Long will make the necessary changes to the application process. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 206816: New Outdoor Seating and Goods License, MedWell Health and Wellness, 55 Broadway, 1 A-Frame sign. Mr. Rob Durante, Chief Operating Officer of MedWell Health and Wellness presented renderings of the proposed signage. He told the committee that the sign was displayed prior to his obtaining the necessary license and removed as soon as he was made aware of that fact. The sign will only be displayed during business hours to aid clients with locating the business. Mr. Long reported that the plan for the sign has been reviewed and approved for ADA compliance. Alderman McLaughlin asked if any other business on Broadway were allowed to display A-Frame signs and if this is a typical request. Mr. Long replied that there are approximately 10-15 approved A-Frame signs around the city. RESULT: APPROVED Handouts: • Letter - R DiRico (with 206754, 206801, 206563) • Letter - R Walsh (with 206754, 206801, 206563) • Renderings (with 206816)