HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-01-12-PB-min
PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
MEETING OF January 12, 2015
A meeting of the Lexington Planning Board, held in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, was called
to order at 7:20 p.m. by Chairman Charles Hornig, with members Richard Canale, Timothy
Dunn, and Ginna Johnson, and planning staff Maryann McCall-Taylor present. Ms. Corcoran-
Ronchetti was absent. This meeting was with the Board of Selectmen during their regular
meeting.
**********************************ZONING***********************************
Banks in the Center:
Mr. Levin of the Center Committee gave a brief introduction outlining what that Committee felt
about banking uses in the CB District. He pointed out the proliferation of banks over time,
growing from four banks in 1965 to 12 banks in 2015. He explained that bank use has changed
over time as well. Now banks are more office use than retail use and storefronts are being used
for office and conference rooms, not active space. He recommended that banks and credit unions
be limited to upper stories, with only ATMs with limited store frontage to be allowed on the street
floor level.
Mr. Pato explained that in the last two elections the number of banks in the center had been a
concern. He asked Mr. Hornig to explain the Planning Board’s position.
Mr. Hornig referred the members to the Planning Board’s letter to the Board of Selectmen. The
letter explained that the Planning Board had been working on the matter of banks in the center
over the summer and would like to move forward, but needed input from the Board of Selectmen
on how to proceed. What was the perceived problem? He also felt it was important to engage the
land owners in this discussion.
The selectmen talked about wanting a vibrant center and how the presence of so many banks, or
at least so much storefront devoted to banks, was impinging on the vitality of the Center. They
were aware of the possibility of unintended consequences in banning banks in the Center. After
further discussion they felt that a moratorium to allow the issue to be further studied would be
appropriate and asked the Planning Board to submit such a warrant article for the Annual Town
Meeting.
Page 2 Minutes for the Meeting of January 12, 2015
The Planning Board moved their meeting to the Planning Office in order to draft a warrant article.
The Board discussed a warrant article that would impose a moratorium on banks and credit
unions. It would be a temporary ban on banks or credit unions as allowed uses in center
storefronts in the Central Business District. Existing banks and credit unions could continue to
occupy their existing space but could not expand or relocate except where such a use currently
exists. The period of the moratorium would be used to study the effects of banks and credit
unions on the strength and vitality of a center business district and to assess the impacts of further
regulation of such uses.
Mr. Michelson of the Center Committee who was in attendance asked if this could be expanded
to ban bank and credit union uses in the CD-12 district. Board member said that imposing a
change on a CD district without the cooperation of the property owner was not something they
were willing to undertake at this time. It was a far more complicated issue.
It was voted, on a motion duly made and seconded, by a vote of 3 to 1 (Mr. Hornig in opposition)
to request that the Board of Selectmen place the following article on the warrant for the 2015
Annual Town Meeting:
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning Bylaw by imposing a temporary
moratorium ending July 31, 2016 on banks and credit unions in center storefronts in the
Central Business (CB) District.
On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 4-0, to adjourn at 8:10 p.m.
The meeting within the Selectmen’s meeting was recorded by Lexmedia.
The following documents used at the meeting can be found on file with the Planning Department:
Letter from staff to the Board of Selectmen regarding banks in the center (1 page).
Timothy Dunn, Clerk