1938-06-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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179 of the Town, and they would be opposed to the variance of the Zoning Laws. The hearing was declared closed at 8:17 P.M. At 8:18 P.M. hearing was declared open upon the application of the Lexington Savings Bank for permission to subdivide the existing lot at 45 Hancock Street into three lots. The notice of the hearing was read by the Clerk. Mr. Edwin B. Worthen, representing the Savings Bank, said that the frontage on Hancock Street would remain at 125 feet, the depth would be 150 feet, and the area would be 20,000 square feet. The Somerset Road frontage would be divided into two parts, one having a frontage of 72.65 feet and the other a frontage of 72 feet. The latter would have a depth of 102.04 feet, and the other depth would exceed that. The lot with the 72 foot frontage would have an area of more than 7650 square feet, and the other lot would have an area of over 11,500 square feet. The land with the ex- isting buildings is now assessed for 012,630.00. The Savings Bank took its loan on the Macurda property in January, 1926 and foreclosed in 1934. In 1926, Mr. Macurda was in rather excellent financial circumstances, the the property was assessed for more than it is now. The Bank had every reason to believe that Macurda would see the loan through, but that did not happen. They have not made progress in being able to do anything with the property. They have made an effort to buy land on either side of the Somerset Road frontage without success. There seems to be no immediate prospect of the sale of the house and land as it now stands. They believed that if the property was divided, there would be an opportunity to dispose of the three lots within a reasonable time, and the construction of, modern homes would be preferable to what is there now. The Chairman asked if the Bank intended to take the pres- ent building down, and Mr. Worthen said that that would depend upon the outcome of this meeting, somewhat. No one else appeared in favor of the granting of the petition. Mr. A. Edward Rowse of 38 Somerset Road said that he felt to divide the property on Somerset Road into two lots would reduce the value of the property on the street, and also, although the change in lot size requiring 12,500 square feet is not legal at the present time, it did not seem to him that it was quite fair to the Town to make a division of lots smaller than that. He thought the feeling was that although the change in lot size had not been approved by the Attorney General, it was merely a technical error, and would merely take another Town Meeting to pass it. The article in the warrant was not worded correctly, and there would not be a change in the intent, but the vote would be a confirmation. He said that he was talking to the Chairman of the Planning Board the other night on another matter, and asked what the feeling of that Board was on the sub -division of land. He thought it would not be right to subdivide property into lots of less than 12,500 square feet.