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PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
<br />MEETING OF MARCH 3, 2004
<br />The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board held in the Clarke Middle School auditorium, 17 Stedman
<br />Road, was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Harden with members Davies, Galaitsis, Kastorf,
<br />Manz and planning staff Garber, McCall - Taylor, and Tap present.
<br />Mr. Harden welcomed Wendy Manz to the Planning Board. Mrs. Manz was elected to a three -year term
<br />in the Annual Town Election on March 2, 2004.
<br />He briefly explained that the basis of the public and Board review in a rezoning proposal is a Preliminary
<br />Site Development and Use Plan submitted by the petitioner, who can make revisions until 7 days before
<br />Town Meeting. At the request of the Planning Department, several people with expertise in bio- research
<br />safety, Mr. Jim Feamside and Dr. Wendy Heiger- Bernays of the Lexington Board of Health, and. Mr.
<br />Scott Harrison of MassDevelopment, formerly with the biotech firm Genzyme, were in the audience and
<br />prepared to answer questions.
<br />* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** ARTICLES FOR 2004 TOWN MEETING * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **
<br />Article 10 CRO and RO to CD 125 131 141 Spring Street Patriot Partners Public Hearin : Mr. Harden
<br />opened the public hearing on the petition of Patriot Partners to rezone land at 125, 131 and 141 Spring
<br />Street, formerly the site of Raytheon headquarters, from CRO, Regional Office and RO, Single Family, to
<br />CD, Planned Commercial Development, for the purpose of establishing a technology park. There were 25
<br />people in the audience. The development team was present: Mr. Stephen Rice and Mr. Joseph Zink of
<br />Patriot Partners; Mr. Rick Bryant, traffic consultant, Rizzo Associates; Mr. Robert Buckley, attorney, of
<br />Riemer and Braunstein; Mr. Edmund Grant, local attorney.
<br />Mr. Rice announced that Patriot Partners would be hosting a tour of their property at 125, 131 and 141
<br />Spring Street, former Raytheon headquarters, on Sunday, March 7 from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Everyone is
<br />invited. Characterizing Cambridge as the nexus of biotech research in the United States, he said that
<br />Patriot Partners believes that the need for biotech facilities is spreading out beyond the metropolitan area
<br />and the Spring Street site is ideally placed for this.
<br />He described Patriot's Partners' plans for a bio - technology- oriented business park on the 96 -acre site at the
<br />intersection of Spring Street, Route 2 and Route 125. They will ask Town Meeting to rezone the property,
<br />most of which is currently zoned CRO, Regional Office, and six acres along Shade Street currently zoned
<br />RO, One - Family Dwelling, to CD, Planned Commercial Development. The CD zoning would permit
<br />biotech manufacturing. A Preliminary Site Development and Use Plan, dated December 29, 2003, was
<br />filed on December 29, 2003, with a revision filed on January 12, 2004.
<br />Mr. Rice indicated that Patriot Partners is marketing to biotech companies, which typically have fewer
<br />employees per 1,000 square feet of space and less traffic impact than office uses. But if necessary, they
<br />would rent to office uses and they plan to hold an area in reserve for more parking if it is needed.
<br />Mr. Bryant presented the results of his traffic impact study and introduced what he called an innovative
<br />transportation management plan for the development, which he hopes will become a model for future
<br />commercial projects. It includes setting traffic management goals, a system for monitoring their success,
<br />and a range of penalties if they are not meeting goals, e.g., pay more to support Lexpress or provide more
<br />mitigations. The TDM program includes:
<br />• Join 128 Business Council
<br />• Subsidize Lexpress
<br />• Provide a shuttle to Alewife station
<br />• Provide accommodations for bikers/bikes
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