1934-12-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Letter was received from J. Pollard Hayden in which he opposed the operation of the club on past experiences with ' clubs in that location. The Board in private session, gave consideration to the matter and voted to deny the petition in the following form: The Board of Appeals, acting under General Laws Chapter 40, sec. 27, having received a written petition addressed to it by The Castle Club, Inc.,, John E. Harrington, Pres., a copy of which is hereto annexed, held a public hearing thereon of which notice was mailed to the petitioner and to the owners of all property deemed by the Board to be gffQcted thereby as they appear on the most recent local tax list, and also advertised in the Lexington Minute -Man, a newspaper published in Lexington, which hearing was held in the Selectmen's Room, in the Town Office Building, on December 7,. 1934 at 8:00 P.M. A majority of the members of the Board of Appeals were present at the hearing. A certificate of notice is hereto annexed. At this hearing evidence was offered on behalf of th= petitioner tending to show: that Mr. Ryder was unable to obtain any income from the property and that Mr. Harrington had made an application to Mr. Ryder to rent the premises on behalf of the Castle Club, a club chartered under the Massachusetts Laws, with an entrance fee for members of ' $25.00 and annual dues of $10.00. There is also a provision for voting members who hold stock of the Club. The Club now had a location at Gardner, Mass._ and had formerly been located in Westminster, Mass; that no one other than members and their guests would be entitled to the use of the facilities of the club; that they propose to use the property as a dining and social clubhouse serving food and liquor. Evidence was offered on behalf of citizens opposing the granting of the said petition tending to show that they had purchased homes in the neighborhood with the idea that it would be maintained as a strictly residential district; that they had been greatly annoyed when the property had formerly been occupied by clubs from automobiles leaving the premises late at night; that Cary Avenue and'Shade Street are narrow streets without sidewalks and would be more dangerous with many automobiles leaving the club at night. There was also objection raised to permitting the sale of liquor in a district of so many homes and so many children, and to the erection of a Neon sign. At the close of the hearing the Board in private session gave consideration to the subject of the petition and voted unanimously in favor of the following findings: 1. That in its judgment the public convenience and ' welfare will not be substantially served by the making of the exception requested.