1932-1941 Town Records Book 17 - Laserfiche WebLink

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01 Of those Present, the petitioner and two others spoke in -- favor of the change. One .spoke in opposition. This is the second time substantially this same petition has been before the Town. Last year, the same petitioner filed a Petition for the same change in zoning of the same plot of land. she present petition asks additionally for removal of the twenty foot set back on Woburn Street . The earlier petition was reported upon adversely by the Plan- ing Board and was decisively rejected by the town meeting held on the evening of September 28,131. At the- recent haring, the petitioner was requested to state the grounds, if any,upon which the present petition should be favor- - ably recommended that did not exist upon presentation of the same petition one -;ear ago. l In reply it was stated that when the earlier petition was pre"erted the petitioner was not prepared definitely to commit him- self to the Particular use to which the lot would be put, if the zoning was changed, whereas now he was willing to bind hinself to use in part for a filling station for Automobiles and several small stores . The :;etitioner files with the Planning Board sketch plans of the proposed buildings which were explained in considerable detail by the Architect who was also present-. it was stated that the build- ings and the position thereof would be changed to any reasonable ex- tent to accomzaodate the views of the Town Officials. in was also stated that the Part of the lot, upon which the filling station was to be Placed was to be sold to tHe Jenny Oil Company which would bind itself to erect baildings in conformity with the plans, and that the stores would, also be erected i-, con- formity with the plans. tr In our report upon the former petition we said; The property itself lies on the border line between the principal business section of the Town and in an important residential section. There would seem to be no, occasion for enlarging the business section or district until all property within the present bounds shall have been so nearly utilized as to cause congestion or undue appreciation of values . That status has not yet been reached and apparently will not be reached for some years to come. :Tntil. that time is reached no reason is seen for enlarging the present business district. In the present business or C 1 district on ':"assachusetts Avenue ex- tending from heriam Street to- Woburn Street there is still avail- able for business a total of 1310 ft. frontage of property not yet availed of for business uses. Tr- in acting upon petitions for changes in zoning, the require- ments of the T, wn as a whole should be considered and not individual preferences er interests . If the wishes of individual owners were to be recognized, the Town would quickly lose its orderly develop- ment and would be covered with isolated business areas in the midst of residential areas, and isolated values on the one hand would be unduly appreciated, and on the other hand adjoining values would be depreciated. It was to avoid just such spotty development that zoning was adopted, and the whole benefit of zoning would be lost if individual petiti ns for change such as the Present are granted. rr Changes should be made when public need rea ices: No business district should be enlarged nor should a new business district be created unless and until public convenience reasonably requires the change. rr Pith the _present large frontage-of property within the pre- sent husiness district on ?. assachusetts Avenue between Meriam Street and Woburn Street now available i2or business but not yet utilized for business, it is felt that there is no Present need for amending our zoning law to provide additional business area, and while it may �--. be true that at some LL'uture time the property cowered by the present i petition, together with other properties in different parts of the Town, may in the natural and orderly growth of the Town be required rr to accommodate the demands of business, that time is probably , many hears ahead, and until then its status should not be changed." The foregoing in our opinion is still pertinent. The personal interests of the present owner and petitioner should not, in our opinion, be controlling, nor should they be re- =yarded with too much solicitude, for he purchased the property under its Present zoning and, so far as we know, wasinot induced to purchase by any encouragement that the zoning would be changed . The Planning Board has given much consideration to the area adjacent and including the Plot in question. It is probably inevit- able that some time t -e grade crossing of the railroad at Woburn Street will be done away with, and the grades seperated. Whether the