2019-06-12-PB-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF JUNE 12, 2019 A meeting of the Lexington Planning Board, held in Selectmen’s Meeting Room, in the Town Office Building was called to order at 7:02 p.m. by Chair Richard Canale with members Ginna Johnson, Charles Hornig, Robert Peters, Bob Creech, and planning staff Carol Kowalski and Lori Kaufman and Kevin Batt, Town Counsel. **********************DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION*********************** PUBLIC HEARINGS: 7 Hartwell Avenue, proposed change to zoning district designation to the CSX District: Chair, Mr. Canale, opened the public hearing at 7:03 p.m. with approximately 20 people in the audience. Mr. Peters said pursuant to advice from the State Ethics Commission, Attorney of the Day he is filing a Disclosure of Appearance of Conflict of Interest as required by Massachusetts General Laws and will be participating in this matter. Present were Kristine Hung and Robert Buckley from Reimer and Braunstein. Ms. Hung presented the reason for requesting the CD-1 zone be rezoned to a CSX District. The Russian School of Math (RSM) has been in Lexington for 10 years and would like to remain here and it took them two years to find a building that they could use. The current zoning is too restrictive and using the CM District would not work because the site is too small and does not meet the dimensional standards. If the CSX District was approved it would be more flexible and the applicant would provide restrictions on uses that would be considered noxious with a restrictive covenant or deed restriction which would run with the land. BSE Engineering was hired to do a traffic study and hope they will be here to address traffic concerns at the next hearing. The client filed a petition with 337 signature and now has 500 signatures in support which will be provided. Individual Board Member Comments:  There was discussion regarding the rezoning, and it was explained that the RSM was an acceptable use but did not want the CSX District due to some inappropriate uses by right and the zoning would likely only be temporary here due to the Hartwell Avenue rezoning initiative and that needs to be taken into account. Ms. Hung said it would be fine to be subsumed with whatever initiative that would take place.  Is this property totally surrounded by public streets and public ways so it cannot be expanded to a larger site by a future owner? Yes.