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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-12-18-HATS-min HANSCOM AREA TOWNS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING Held at 7:30 PM on December 18, 2008 At Lincoln Town Offices PRESENT: Sara Mattes Lincoln Board of Selectmen (Chair) Jeanne Krieger Lexington Board of Selectmen Anne Shapiro Concord Board of Selectmen Mike Rosenberg Bedford Board of Selectmen Lisa Mustapich Bedford Planning Board Richard Canale Lexington Planning Board; MAGIC Margaret Coppe Lexington Robert Domnitz Lincoln Planning Board Mark Whitehead Lincoln Town Planner Lou Sideris Minuteman National Historic Park Sara Arnold Massport Hanscom Dorothy Steele Massport/ OGCA Sue Felshin West Concord Task Force Catherine Perry Lincoln Planning (minutes) 7:30 PM INTRODUCTION The Chairman welcomed attendees and outlined the agenda. She explained that the main item for the meeting is a discussion of parking and its role in managing change. 7:35 PM ANNOUNCEMENTS nd The next meeting will be on January 22, when the workshop topic will be youth services, recreation and the role of local government in these areas. Mike Rosenberg will coordinate the discussion. 7:40 PM WORKSHOP: PARKING Robert Domnitz, Chairman of the Lincoln Planning Board, led the workshop. He distributed copies of a discussion note organized under five headings: village centers; office buildings and office parks; parking for mass transit; shopping centers; and isolated neighborhood business clusters. Mr. Domnitz noted that the four HATS towns seem different but some of the differences may be because they are at different stages of evolution in their development. Discussion was lively and included the following points. Village Centers The balance between municipal and private responsibility for parking was discussed. Concord has three commercial village centers: the main center, Thoreau Street around Concord station, and West Concord. The main center has two town-owned lots. The prime issues here are proximity, and employee versus customer parking. A management plan and the possibility of satellite parking at busy times have been discussed. Only on-street parking spaces are metered. Sue Felshin reported that in West Concord the main parking issue is that parking areas are hidden or hard to access. 1 Mr. Domnitz noted that when towns set parking standards in their zoning, most existing businesses will be non-conforming, which may constrain their development. Parking ratios were discussed. Lincoln’s ratio is high and often sends applicants in to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Catherine Perry pointed to a copy of the MAPC 2009 calendar which includes a map of parking ratios by town; there is wide variation but several suburban towns have high ratios. Lexington commented that businesses sometimes make arrangements to use off-site spaces and that this causes complications with the counting of spaces. Bedford has encountered similar complications with dual use of spaces. Lexington has an attended parking lot that maximizes use of the available land and helps to offset the scarcity of private spaces. The group discussed whether towns sometimes use parking as a tool to control the intensity or type of development, rather than dimensional and use controls. Jeanne Krieger mentioned that a UCLA professor argues that off-street parking should be limited and charged for. Mike Rosenberg commented that, if a town is aiming to protect its town centers, such a policy may be counterproductive. Some towns receive complaints about inadequate parking when, really, the issue may be proximity. There seems to be a different perception of distance in local centers compared to large mall developments. Different types of centers were discussed. Bedford’s centers are 1950s-style shopping centers or strip malls, rather than “traditional centers.” A renovation is planned for the center that is based around Whole Foods and Marshalls. The new center will incorporate outdoor seating and landscaping, but currently no housing is proposed, and public transportation is limited. West Concord is believed to attract people who wish to live close to services. Lexington and Bedford feel that they have lost diversity in their retail stores, in favor of banks and coffee shops. Office Buildings and Office Parks Mr. Domnitz asked whether towns have any policies to limit traffic demand. Lexington has a policy that requires developers to use measures to reduce vehicle trips. There was uncertainty about its effectiveness; there may be a need to ask employers to take more responsibility. Different parking ratios may be appropriate for different types of business. Performance measures, such as modal split or percentage of multi-occupancy vehicles, were suggested. Targets may incentivize businesses. It may be necessary to involve developers and tenants in finding solutions. Flexible hours can spread the peak traffic flow but may operate against carpooling. A large employer in Lexington uses shuttle vans from Alewife and has a significant number of employees who cycle to work. The Hayden Avenue area is well-served, but Hartwell Avenue is more problematic. Higher density development may encourage carpooling and shuttles. On the question of whether demand management requirements deter developers, Richard Canale suggested that transparency and consistency in the requirements are more important than cost. Mitigation fees can be required as a condition of a special permit and can be used for infrastructure or transit access. If a planned development has to go to Town Meeting, mitigation fees can be part of the package. Anne Shapiro noted that a van shuttle to the railway station would have been beneficial in connection with a recently-approved Ch 40B housing development in West Concord, but the town did not require it. Lexington’s Avalon development contributes to a shuttle to Alewife. The developers were initially reluctant, but have found it to be a marketing point. Parking for Mass Transit In West Concord, the MBTA controls station parking. The level of fees appears to affect 2 usage. There is a small resident-only section that is operated with season passes. Many people walk to the station. Parking by commuters on local streets is deterred by enforcement action. In Lincoln there is an MBTA lot and a free lot for residents. Some train commuters are believed to use the Mall parking; enforcement is the responsibility of the Mall management. Richard Canale reported that a study of parking at stations has shown that, although most towns perceive there to be a large amount of parking by “outsiders,” in most cases the majority are town residents. He ACTION: Richard Canale agreed to supply copies of this data. Anne Shapiro mentioned European studies which have looked at managing pricing so that people will park at the nearest facility to home. Shopping Centers and Strip Malls The issue of parking at the front versus the rear of shops was discussed. Strip malls often have parking at the front for marketing reasons; motorists can see that it will be easy to park. This arrangement disadvantages walkers, and aesthetic arguments often favor placing shops closer to the road. However, there may be a dilemma as to which way the stores should face. Dorothy Steele reported on the successful redevelopment of Marshfield center with rear parking and walkways between buildings. Where there is a continuous lively street, it is natural for stores to face it. Stores may have additional rear access points, but they may sometimes raise a security/ insurance issue. On the subject of employee versus customer parking, it was noted that some employers pay or require their employees to park at a distance. 8:45 PM HFAC REPORT/ HANGAR 24 Mike Rosenberg reported that the FAA has issued a Draft Environmental Assessment on Hangar 24, with a finding of no significant impact. The FAA proposes to hold a meeting with th consulting parties to the Section 106/ Section 4(f) Review on January 28, followed by a comment period on a Memorandum of Agreement. HATS will need to consider its options at this stage and the Chairman suggested asking Marilyn Fennollosa if she would be prepared to attend ACTION:Chair the January meeting to assist with discussion. Dorothy Steele advised that the current document can be viewed on Massport’s website under ‘Publications’. Margaret Coppe reported that at the HFAC meeting, Massport was asked about the outlook for its federal funding. This year’s funding is believed to be secure but there may be a need to look at increasing income. HFAC invited the Hanscom Aerospace and Technology Museum Project to make a presentation. Sara Mattes reported that she and Nancy Nelson, Superintendent of Minuteman National Park, also met with the board of the museum project. Ms. Steele reported that via HFAC, Massport has also shared information on studies of the East Ramp, including noise and emissions. She offered to send a further copy. She reported that Massport has decided to pursue development of the East Ramp and has asked the FAA for an exclusion for it. Full buildout has been quantified. Bedford reported that it has been examining the conservation issues. The Chairman suggested that HATS invite Conservation Commissions ACTION: Chair to report to a future meeting. 9:00 PM UPDATE ON 128 CCC Jeanne Krieger gave an update on the Route 128 Central Corridor Coalition. Discussions are continuing on a multi-modal transportation center. A meeting with stakeholders is likely to be held in January. 3 9:10 PM UPDATE ON MAPC COUNCIL AND MAGIC Richard Canale reported that the MAPC Council approved a set of Implementation Strategies for the MetroFuture Plan. There are 13 strategies containing hundreds of recommendations, and there is also an executive summary. Priorities were voted upon and the top one was addressing the transportation maintenance shortfall. There was sympathy for a gas tax now that prices have fallen. The Implementation Plan will inform the work plan for MAPC staff as well legislative and lobbying activities. Comments can still be sent in and views can be expressed to towns’ MAPC representatives. Mike Rosenberg said that he now represents Bedford at MAPC and commented that although MetroFuture seems a little ungrounded in the face of a state budget crisis and a national economic meltdown, nevertheless transportation, zoning reform and economic development incentives may demand attention in the short term. Mr. Canale agreed to check the schedule and Committee members agreed to familiarize themselves with the Implementation Strategies. ACTION: HATS members The next MAGIC meeting will be in Lexington and will discuss the Green Communities Act and energy issues. 9:20 PM OTHER BUSINESS: MINUTES The committee voted to approve the minutes of the September and October meetings, and to approve the minutes of the November meeting subject to editorial changes supplied by Sara Mattes and Mike Rosenberg. CHAIRMANSHIP The Committee expressed its thanks to Sara Mattes as retiring Chair. Anne Shapiro nominated Jeanne Krieger as the new Chair and Richard Canale seconded the nomination. Ms. Krieger was elected unanimously by the Committee. It was agreed that meetings will continue to be held at the Lincoln Town Offices with minutes prepared by Mrs. Perry and recorded for television by Mr. Cunningham. The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 PM. Submitted by Catherine Perry Approved January 22, 2009 4