1986-04-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PLANNING BOARD MINUTES OF APRIL 7, 1986 The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board, held in Room G-15, Town Office Building, was called to order at 7:03 p.m. by the Chairman, Mrs. Uhrig, with members Cripps, Klauminzer, Sorensen, Planning Director Bowyer and Assistant Planner Rawski present. Mrs. Wood arrived during item 99. ********************** ARTICLES FOR THE 1986 TOWN MEETING ******************** 99. Article 47, RD, Waltham Street; Choate-Symmes: Thomas Huebner, Executive Vice President of Choate-Symmes Life Care, Inc., and consultant Robert Yasher, presented two site plans of the revised development plan. There was a perspec- tive drawing which they said showed the building was not monolithic or institu- tional, but had numerous courtyards, projections, indentations and changes in elevations that broke up the size of the building. They showed changes in the facade as seen from Waltham Street. Mr. Sorensen asked whether the entrance -escrow fee could be drawn down to the point that the occupant would have to leave the development or the estate would not receive any money back. Mr. Huebner responded that is highly unlikely because there is a large reserve within the endowment fees to carry patients who can no longer pay their nursing home costs. In the exceptional case, if a person had a prolonged stay in the nursing home and could not meet the monthly payments, ' the entrance fee might be drawn down, but the individual would not be evicted from the nursing home. Mr. Sorensen asked whether the parking spaces provided on the site would permit the Haynes Management Company to expand its office buildings on Waltham Street. Mr. Bowyer responded that when the Haynes office buildings were built in the early sixties, there was a condition in the special permit that allowed them to have less parking than was then required. He did not think that Haynes could expand, but the staff would check further. In any event, specific language should be included in the preliminary site development and use plan to state that the parking on the Choate-Symmes site could not be credited toward the expension of those office buildings. After review of the revised site plans an informal poll of the Board was taken. Mrs. Klauminzer said she was pleased with the reworking of the site plan and would vote for a favorable recommendation. She wanted to continue discussion with Choate-Symmes on providing housing affordable by moderate income households. Mr. Cripps, Mrs. Wood and Mrs. Uhrig are now in favor of the proposal; Mr. Soren- sen is not in favor. The staff was requested to prepare a draft of the report to the Town Meeting containing a favorable recommendation on the proposed amendment. 100. Article 45, Building Height: Mr. Bowyer outlined a further refinement in the definition of "half storydealing with the construction of dormers. This had been developed with the Building Commissioner. As the Planning Board report on this article had already been distributed to Town Meeting Members, it was decided that the Board would itself offer this as an amendment after the main motion was made. It would not be a good idea to include this change in the main motion presented to the Town Clerk as it might cause confusion with Town Meeting Members.