2000-02-15-MGWG-min.pdf - Laserfiche WebLink

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Thursday, February 24, 2000 Fwd:Draft Minutes-Feb 15 Page:2 o Planning BoardOs build-out study is a valuable reference. o Median housing price in Lexington is $335,000 (1998) o There are 227 acres of vacant land and 1407 acres of "undeveloped" land. o Teardowns have become the primary method for new home construction. o Economic trends are leading to larger, more expensive homes. Commercial Development (presented by Karl Kastorf) : o Lexington is an attractive site for commercial developers. o Historically Lexington has tried to concentrate commercial development to well-defined areas such as Hartwell Avenue and Hayden Avenue which are separate from residential areas. o Tax revenue from commercial and industrial property has dropped from 20.8% of the tax base in 1984 to 11.3% in 1997. This is largely due to decline in assessed values. Some recovery in assessed values seems to be underway. o Commercial tax rate (per thousand dollars ) is 66% greater than residential rate. Town Center (presented by John Frey) : o Lexington Center is an upscale, thriving commercial center that attracts people from local businesses and surrounding Towns as well as Lexington. o Noted shortcomings are litter and poorly organized parking. o Satellite commercial centers are also important: East Lexington, Countryside, Marrett Road/Waltham St. intersection, etc. o Residents are interested in pedestrian access, bicycle accommodation, adequate parking, variety of uses, retention of historic buildings, and protection of adjacent neighborhoods. Transportation/Accessibility (presented by John Andrews) : o Transportation uses or heavily impacts over 20% of the TownOs area. o Transportation impacts include air quality, noise, road runoff, wildlife habitat fragmentation, degradation of safety, and loss of social interactions along .treets. o More than one-fourth of current Lexington residents are disadvantaged with respect to access to amenities in an auto-dependent community. This population includes the elderly, the poor, the handicapped, children parents with only one car, and people who chose not to own a car. o Traffic impact is often at the heart of controversies over growth, rezoning, and commercial expansion. o Amount of future traffic impact will depend upon whether new housing and commercial expansion requires more vehicle trips, or whether means are provided for people to have access to amenities by walking, using public transportation, etc. Environmental Quality (presented by Gary Fallick) o Average Lexington residential water usage is 74, 800 gallons per household per year. o Non-point source pollution accounts for more than half of New EnglandOs water pollution. o Air pollution in Middlesex County seldom reaches current EPA warning thresholds, but EPA is attempting to lower thresholds due to scientific findings that health damage is occurring below these thresholds. o The average household generates 15-20 pounds of toxic waste per year. o Electromagnetic fields are currently below standards, but trend is for exposures to increase and for standards to fall. o Environmental quality can be improved by encouraging individual efforts to reduce toxic material use, recycle and reduce waste, reduce pesticide use, etc. o Expansion of Hanscom Field is a major issue with regard to noise and impacts of commercial development. Open Space (presented by Karen Longeteig) : o About 10.8%of Lexington is currently conservation land. o The Lexington Conservation Commission identified 20 parcels of unprotected land comprising about 498 acres that were considered to be "critical" open space < which, if mailbox:/Macintosh%2OHD/System%20Folder/ Preferences/Netscape%20Users/