The Planning Board reviewed a preliminary minor site-plan proposal from Cornerstone Engineering for a Valvoline Instant Oil Change to be sited at 361 Turnpike Road. The applicant described a 1.1-acre lot with a proposed drive-through service building, access from Flag Road, an on-site septic system, and an infiltration-based stormwater system intended to capture and infiltrate runoff from paved surfaces and roofs.

Why it matters: The site sits at a busy Route 9/Flag Road intersection. Board members raised concerns about traffic and turning movements, truck access under an existing Flag Road truck-exclusion sign, queuing on sloped terrain, and lighting and landscaping that the applicant must address in revisions to the plan.

Key points from the discussion:
- Access and traffic: Applicant’s engineer said Flag Road access offers safer turning geometry for customers entering and exiting the site; board members asked the applicant to provide traffic estimates and, if appropriate, to show turning templates for delivery/truck vehicles. Planning staff and the building commissioner flagged an existing truck-exclusion restriction on Flag Road; the applicant was asked to confirm whether typical delivery vehicles for the franchise would comply with the restriction or require special routing.
- Stormwater and septic: The applicant said on-site percolation tests showed favorable conditions and that the proposed septic and infiltration system should work. The board asked the applicant to provide test data and design details to the peer reviewer and the board of health.
- Lighting and landscaping: The applicant provided an updated lighting plan during the meeting; board members requested lower correlated-color-temperature (≤3,000K) fixtures, fully shielded wall packs, and clarification of site-area illumination especially for staff parking along the north side. The board’s landscape reviewer noted that planting sizes and species lists need correction (several items labeled as “native” were cultivars or nonnative species, and planting sizes on the plan did not meet the bylaw’s minimums); staff asked for a revised planting plan showing required buffer trees and shrubs along Route 9 and Flag Road.

Outcome: No formal vote was taken; the board requested additional materials — traffic counts/estimates, confirmation on truck-exclusion applicability, detailed septic/percolation test results, a corrected lighting plan with fixture specifications and color temperature, and a revised landscape plan with corrected species and sizes. The applicant expects to return with those materials and to address peer-review comments already forwarded by the town.