2024-02-26 SB Packet - Released - Laserfiche WebLink

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Land Use Housin� and Develo�ment: • This week, Dave Pinsonneault, John Livsey, Karen Mullins, Jim Kelly, Julie Krakauer Moore, Carol Kowalski and myself, met regarding amending our groundwater and stormwater regulations and procedures to address the impact on residents. This is an item that the Town sought to address in 2019 with bylaw changes, but staff have identified that was not successful and have not addressed resident's concerns. This information is being provided as background for a potential 2025 ATM warrant article. The changes would include: o Potentially remove the building permit exemption from the earth fill and removal bylaw, and o Change rules on re-grading, mounding of lots, retaining walls and other changes to the natural flow, making them subj ect to special permit, and o Require a third party engineering review to meet standards for stormwater management o Include impervious surface stormwater runoff management in the revised regulatory approach o Strengthen the Groundwater Bylaw to remove exemption allowing less than 2 feet separation from estimated seasonal high groundwater. Possibly increase in depth to seasonal high groundwater o Investigate methods to address groundwater/stormwater issues after the fact. • The Housing Feasibility Study is now posted to the Town website on both the Land Use, Housing & Development page, and the Planning Office's Housing page. The announcement will be included in Link to Lexington, and in the Town's social media, and shared with Lexington housing stakeholders. Public Works: • The Town Engineering Department has reviewed several design guides regarding the concerns raised at the last Select Board meeting regarding the detectable warning panel along the bike access ramps. They identified several sources that are all consistent with our design (and no contrary sources). Some examples of sources are as follows; o NCHRP (National Cooperative Highway Research Program) research report 834 entitled `Crossing Solutions at Roundabouts and Channelized Turn Lanes for Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities' 2016 section 6.1.4 o MassDOT guidelines for the Planning and Design of Roundabouts 2020 o NCHRP research report 672 entitled `Roundabouts: an Informational Guide' section 6.8.2.2 including exhibits 6-67 and 6-68 The Town Engineering Department has identified the current design is the standard and accepted practice. The angle and steepness of the ramp along with the panel at the top of the ramp are all indicators that these are not pedestrian curb cuts and additionally are designed to slow bikes that are entering the sidewalk. BETA and VHB, the Town's engineering consultants have also confirmed that this type of design is required.