Planning Board minutes 1989-03-06

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Minutes for the meeting of March 6, 1989 2 It was noted by the staff that having weekly meetings did not necessarily shorten the length of the meetings, and that requiring agendas be ready by Thursday, 4: 30 p.m. leaves little "turn around" time between Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon, for preparation of the next meeting. ********************** ARTICLES FOR 1989 TOWN MEETING *********************** 69. Evaluation of Proposed Zoning Amendments after Public Hearings a. Article 43 - Institutional Uses: The Board reviewed the wording of Article 43, as of January 31, 1989. Mr. Bowyer reported that the FAR and site coverage data, presented at the hearings, was about all that was available from the Town's records without making interior or site inspections of the affected buildings. Mrs. Wood proposed that the allowable FAR be .40, and the allowable site coverage be 33%. The Board discussed setting FAR limits for homes, as well, since there are none in the Zoning By-Law presently. Calcula- tions indicated that .13 would be the comparable FAR for residences. The Board agreed further study was needed on these sections of the article. On the on the motion of Mrs. Wood, seconded by Mrs. Klauminzer, it was voted 5-0: to eliminate sections 3) and 4), dealing with the establishment of FAR and site coverage limits for institutional buildings, from the proposed amendment. b. Article 46, Concentration of Affordable Housing: The Board agreed it does not support the article, and to make a short report outlining the problems with this article. It is more a guideline than a zoning by-law provision. 70. Effect of Sheraton and Hilton Hotel Proposals on Town's Proposed Transportation Improvements: Mr. Bowyer reported he had met with Richard Cook, traffic consultant for the Town, to discuss how the two proposed CD rezonings will affect traffic in that area. Mr. Cook felt the intersection of Marrett Road and Massachusetts Avenue will be seriously impacted, and sig- nalization or a police officer will be necessary. He added that a police officer may improve safety conditions, but also may increase traffic conges- tion in the area, until the intersection is reconstructed with the addition of left-turn lanes. Mr. Bowyer commented that until both the signalization and the intersection reconstruction, with the addition of two left-turn lanes is completed, it is problematical whether the relocation of the entrance drive may not aggravate the problem. He added that with these two measures taken, the intersection will probably operate at Level of Service "C" as long as Old Massachusetts Avenue remains open. The Board asked that Sheraton provide them with some proposals, on paper, of what mitigating measures they are considering, before the Board makes their report to the Town Meeting. Vanasse/Hangen has been asked to further analyze the intersection, and provide a more detailed report. 3