2006-02-02-PB-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF FEBRUARY 2, 2006 A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board held in Estabrook Hall was called to order at 7:40 p.m. by Chairman Manz, with members Hornig, Harden and planning staff Schilt and Tap present. Mr. Galaitsis and Mr. Canale were absent. ****************** PLANNING BOARD ORGANIZATION, SCHEDULE ******************* COMMITTEE LIAISONS Lighting Options Committee: Mr. Hornig reported that the Lighting Options Committee was absorbed into the Energy Options Committee. The Board agreed that it would like to receive the minutes of that group's meetings to stay informed. Senior Center Siting Committee: Mr. Hornig reported that the Senior Center Action Plan Committee is scheduled to report on its findings to the Selectmen on February 6. The recommended site will be the Monroe School Building. Center Committee: Ms. Manz reported that she attended a meeting about a feasibility study for a senior center and parking structure, either at the Depot Square lot or the lot behind stores on the south side of Massachusetts Avenue. Community Preservation Act (CPA) Committee: Ms. Manz reported that the CPA Committee asked for a letter of support from the Planning Board for the upcoming ballot question about the town accepting the CPA. The Board agreed to send a letter of support. ************************************* MINUTES ************************************** Review of Minutes: Ms. Manz asked for more detail in the minutes of the November 16, 2006 executive session. The Board agreed to review more detailed minutes at a future meeting. ************ ADMINISTRATION OF LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS ************* SUBDIVISION OF LAND Public Information Meeting, Lexington Hills Conventional Subdivision Revised Preliminary Plan (off Walnut Street, part of the former Middlesex County Hospital site): Present for the development team were Mr. Joseph Lerman and Mr. Habib Aminipour, August Realty Trust, applicants; Mr. Gary Larson and Mr. Ti Johnson, landscape architects, Larson Associates; and Mr. Edmund Grant, attorney. Mr. Larson presented a plan that he indicated responds to the Board's comments on the previous preliminary plan, reviewed on January 4, 2006, as follows: the context map includes the development across the Town line in Waltham; the amount of impervious surface is less, due to smaller house footprints and two-car garages instead of three; and, the communications tower is on a separate lot of a size to satisfy safety concerns, 90 feet from the Town line with a planted buffer. The plan is now for 18 lots, as one lot was lost in order to accommodate the size of the lot for the communications tower. Mr. Larson said that he measured the sight distances at the intersections of proposed roadway with Walnut Street, and in both directions on Walnut Street he found they exceed AASHTO parameters of 200 feet. The sewer will connect into the town system in Walnut Street via gravity feed to a pump station. He noted that all utilities are in Walnut Street. Changes in the stormwater management system allow the drainage system to handle all runoff on the property even though the designers have reduced the size of the system's underground structures. The dwellings will each have dry wells for roof runoff, which allowed the reduction in the size of the infiltration system. Erosion control measures will be applied to all slopes over 3 percent. Mr. Larson explained why creating a vehicle easement to Lot 1 is impractical, citing in particular the 40-foot grade change which would make construction of any roads financially infeasible, It could result in the loss of up to two lots in the Lexington Hills subdivision. There would be significant site disturbance to accommodate a 12 percent grade for the road. In addition, the presence of a vernal pool on Lot 1 would prohibit permitting of the road.