1967-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Planning Board Massachusetts General Laws provide that the annual report of a town planning board must contain information regarding ' the condition of the town, plans and proposals for its development and estimates of the cost thereof." With 1965 median income per household of $14,689, Lexington residents are near the top of income range of Metropolitan Boston and Massachusetts municipalities. According to Massachusetts Taxpayers Association our tax rate is also high, only eight cities and five towns among 351 Massachusetts municipalities have adjusted tax rate higher than Lexington. The accompanying table shows Lexington's position among neighboring or comparable towns along Route 128. Rezoning more land for business and industry will not in itself change the land use or reduce the tax rate. Vacant land in Lexington now includes the following: four acres zoned for retail business, 177 acres zoned for research and offices and about 182 acres zoned for light manufacturing. We encourage entrepreneurs seeking Lexington location to use land already zoned, rather than attempt rezoning of additional residential land. This policy has proven successful, stimulated largely by the planning board - sponsored relaxation of lot size and yard requirements in Hartwell Avenue area. The following new firms have located in Lexington since 1966: Amicon, Hewlett - Packard, Honeywell, Instrumentation Lab and Weston - Rotek. The Ginn Company has an- nounced its intention to build in Lexington and several other research and office operations of the same high caliber are now negotiating and may be expected to announce the move to Lexington in 1968. As a general policy, until the available land already zoned for industry and business is largely utilized, the planning board does not expect to support proposals for additional rezoning unless there is assured immediate demand which cannot be met by land already zoned non - residential; unless the rezoning proposal is for a location and a type of use which will not be seriously detrimental to the surrounding areas, either now or in the future; and is in a location such that it will not put extra heavy demand on town services or streets, com- pared to other areas which could be utilized. The implementation of this policy is intended to control and guide the development of the town in a desirable manner and according to long -range plans. It is the belief of the planning board that Lexington should consider what it can do to help alleviate the housing situation in core cities in metropolitan Boston. The board is studying zoning amendments designed to facilitate moderate - income housing. To the extent that such housing may be provided by individual lots, the planning board believes that such small lot developments must be properly planned with adequate nearby open space and that the continued building on small lots laid out long before the emergence of modern concepts of decent housing is not the answer. Green open spaces are one of the most desirable characteristics of Lexington. Their preservation is an important task and an urgent one, as pressures for land development make it economically feasible to build on sites considered unbuildable ten to fifteen years ago. The Personal Services Expenses Staff as of Dec. 31 Five Year Trends in the Planning Board 1963 1964 1965 7,533.81 9,320.83 12,373.86 7,704.47 5,009.25 5,232.14 1 1/2 1 1/2 1 1/2 22 1966 13,061.58 6,445.41 1 1/2 1967 17,355.17 3,535.84 1 1/2 1