2004-04-13-PB-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF APRIL 13, 2004 The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board held in the Planning Office, Town Office Building, was called to order at 7:35 p.m. by Chairman Harden with members Davies, Galaitsis, Kastorf, Manz and planning staff Garber and McCall - Taylor present. Also present were Michael Roberts and Elizabeth Smith of AvalonBay, Michael Thomas of DCAM, Loren Wood and Bob Bicknell. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** ARTICLES FOR 2004 TOWN MEETING * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Article 13 — Redevelopment of the Metropolitan State Hospita - Mr. Harden began the meeting by setting a goal of having the written report on Article 13 available for distribution. to Town Meeting members on Monday, April 26. In order to meet that goal he outlined issues that would need to be addressed, including whether there were any outstanding concerns that need to be addressed before the Board members could support the project. Concerns - Mr. Galaitsis said he had no major concerns; it was only details that needed to be addressed. As to the funding that would be provided to see the Town through a difficult five years he wondered when the guarantee would kick in, would it be at a certain percent of occupancy? Mr. Harden said that he though the concerns about fiscal impacts could be addressed as conditions. He added that revenue neutrality was a goal rather than insurance and that the projections reasonably achieve that goal. Ms. Manx thought that the Board would have to present it more positively. She thought that the $750,000 was great and should be prominently featured. Mr. Galaitsis said he had doubts that the project will be revenue neutral but the other positives are worth the small cost and the Town will have five years to plan for any impacts. Mr. Kastorf said he looked at the work behind the numbers and with a project this size there are no guarantees but he saw nothing to indicate problems. He said it would be great if the assessor could say the numbers were good but he understood that that was not possible. He said he saw nothing to challenge in the numbers. Mr. Harden said he had looked at the numbers closely and had done his own spreadsheet and was comfortable with the numbers from AvalonBay. He indicated that whether the fiscal impact came out as minus $40,000 or positive $20,000 was not that important, it was a good fulfillment of the goal, Mr. Kastorf commented that a number had struck him was that there was an average of 1.56 children per house in Lexington. He felt this would lead to a reasonable assumption that people do not fill every room and then you expect less in an elevated building, etc. Mr. Davies said that the unit mix adjustment that decreased the projected number of school -aged children to 101 gave him a comfort level. Ms. Manz said that there was a level of confidence and the Board should say the projections are reasonably accurate and that the five -year guarantee is "putting their money where their mouths are ". Mr. Harden said he wanted the report to address the fiscal analysis in as much detail as it can to reflect the Board's depth of consideration. Conditions - The Board then discussed possible conditions that they would want to consider recommending as part of the approval of the Met State development. Mr. Galaitsis said he would want to see a good look at the actual plans to ascertain the actual number of rooms. He did not want to see rooms marked as studies or rec rooms if they could be used as bedroom. Mr. Kastorf said that that would be part of the recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals as that sort of detail would be included in that application. Mr. Harden asked Michael Roberts what would be presented to Town Meeting, and would it include a typical unit. Mr. Roberts said they do have conceptual floor plans. He said they defined bedrooms as an enclosed room with a closet and a window. There are units that have lofts that are open but they would not allow them to be used as bedrooms. Ms. Smith said they do have lofts in other developments and they monitor the units. In the lease all the residents of an apartment must be listed. She said it is AvalonBay's rule of thumb that there be no more than two people per bedroom. Mr. Roberts said there would be lofts in the Manor homes and in the Medical Building, which is age - restricted, and