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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-05-PB-min PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF JANUARY 5, 2022 Minutes of the Lexington Planning Board Held on January 5, 2022, Virtual Meeting at 7:00 pm Present: Charles Hornig, Chair; Robert Peters, Vice-Chair; Michael Schanbacher, Clerk; Robert Creech, Melanie Thompson, and Michael Leon, Associate Member. Also present were Eve Tapper, Administrative Interim Planner. Charles Hornig, Chair, called to order the meeting of the Lexington Planning Board on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at 7:07 pm. For this meeting, the Planning Board is convening by video conference via Zoom. LexMedia may broadcast this meeting live and will record it for future viewing. Detailed information for remote participation by the public may be found on the Planning Office web page. Mr. Hornig conducted a roll call to ensure all members of the Planning Board and members of staff present could hear and be heard. Mr. Hornig provided a summary of instructions for members of the public in attendance. It was further noted that written materials for this meeting are available on the Town's NovusAGENDA dashboard. *******************DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION******************** 12 Summit Road, Continued Public Hearing Public Benefit Development Special Permit: Mr. Hornig opened the continued public hearing and present was Mr. Fred Gilgun, attorney. Mr. Gilgun said the applicant was requesting the public hearing be continued to March 2 and the information would be submitted the first week in February. Ms. Tapper said the next meeting for the Historical Commission is January 19 and recommended that applicant request to meet with them at that time. Robert Peters moved that the Planning Board continue the public hearing for the special permit application for 12 Summit Road to Wednesday March 2, 2022. Michael Schanbacher seconded the motion. The Planning Board voted in favor of the motion 5- 0-0 (roll call: Bob Creech – yes; Robert Peters – yes; Michael Schanbacher – yes; Melanie Thompson – yes; Charles Hornig - yes) MOTION PASSED **********************BOARD ADMINISTRATION************************ REVIEW OF MBTA Communities Multi-Family Zoning Requirement Draft Guidelines: Mr. Hornig gave a presentation on the draft guidelines and timelines he and staff created. Board Member Comments and Questions:  Mr. Creech asked if Town Meeting would have to approve this? Page 2 Minutes for the Meeting of January 5, 2022  Mr. Peters said there would need to be a lot of work to consider this especially when bus lines can change over the years. There are a lot of things to consider and he looked forward to the discussion.  Ms. Thompson would like to have a greater discussion on the guidelines to see where things would end up and will look at the website and then see where it goes from there.  Mr. Leon was concerned about the Commonwealth’s ability to give guidance or rulemaking on in the area of housing and other issues. These guidelines can change significantly after feedback from other communities. What would be the consequences if the municipality does not meet the requirements. We should look into this and see if we can achieve the requirements. Public Comments:  There was concern expressed that bus routes can change over time and we should consider looking at the Lexpress routes that can be changed by the Town. ***************************TOWN MEETING***************************** Amend Special Act to permit the Chair of the Planning Board to participate in Town Meeting deliberations. Mr. Hornig presented the draft proposal:  Mr. Schanbacher had no questions or concerns.  Mr. Creech expressed concern that an unelected person would have too much influence over Town Meeting. He thinks that what the Planning Board does is not at all like what the School Committee does. Nevertheless, he understands the practical aspect of this proposal. As an example he mentioned that, in the future, there may be appointed members of the Planning Board. He wanted his colleagues to know that he is still thinking about the proposal.  Mr. Peters said this makes sense in case no members of the Board were Town Meeting Members and that could be especially challenging. He said the three other Boards have that status so this makes sense.  Ms. Thompson agreed this makes sense and does not know why this was never brought forward before. She had no objections to this.  Mr. Leon said this is practical to have. Amend Zoning Bylaw for Technical Corrections: Mr. Hornig presented the draft proposal and explained that this has not yet been reviewed by Town Counsel. Board Members and the audience had no questions or comments on this draft proposal. Amend Zoning Bylaw for Open Space Residential Developments (OSRD): Mr. Hornig presented the revised proposed OSRD Zoning Bylaw amendment for Town Meeting. Board Comments: Minutes for the Meeting of January 5, 2022 Page 3  Mr. Schanbacher asked if this revision addressed the concerns of the small number of votes that it lost by at the Fall Town Meeting.  Mr. Creech still had a major concern that this was by-right instead of a special permit.  Mr. Peters had no questions.  Mr. Leon believed this should be determined by special permit and not site plan review. Public Comments:  There was concern expressed about the by-right portion of this zoning amendment which was felt to be problematic and should be done by special permit. Amend Zoning Bylaw and Zoning Map for Mixed-Use Developments and Multi- Family Housing: Mr. Hornig said there is no detailed proposal for this article to Amend Zoning Bylaw and Zoning Map for Mixed-Use Developments and Multi-Family Housing and wants to understand where the board stands on this before having staff prepare a proposal. The Board discussed the concerns and location this for potential proposal and decided that they would review a concrete draft proposal at the next meeting and decide at that time if they want to bring this zoning amendment forward for the Annual Town Meeting or just start to introduce it to the public for a future Town Meeting. Landowner and Citizen’s Petitions: We have two public hearings on February 2, 2022 for landowner petitions for 475 Bedford Street and 95 & 99 Hayden Avenue. There is one citizen petition with the public hearing to be held on February 16, 2022. **********************BOARD ADMINISTRATION************************ Review and Approve Moderate Housing Policy: Ms. Elizabeth Rust Director of the Regional Housing Services Office presented the Town of Lexington Moderate Income Units Guidelines. Board Comments and Questions:  Mr. Schanbacher did not have any questions at this time.  Mr. Creech was happy with this format and asked for clarification on asset limits for retirement assets.  Mr. Peters asked for clarification on what 150% AMI is in today’s market. He asked if any communities are using more than 150% of AMI.  Ms. Thompson asked for clarification on how inflation would impact the value of the properties to make sure the units stay affordable in the future.  Mr. Leon asked if the AMI numbers were calculated annually. Robert Peters moved that the Planning Board adopt the Town of Lexington Moderate Income Units Guidelines as presented as a policy. Michael Schanbacher seconded the Page 4 Minutes for the Meeting of January 5, 2022 motion. The Planning Board voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0 (roll call: Bob Creech – yes; Robert Peters – yes; Michael Schanbacher – yes; Melanie Thompson – yes; Charles Hornig - yes) MOTION PASSED Work Plan: The Board reviewed and discussed the revised workplan of December 29, 2021. This will be reviewed again in a few months. Board Member Updates: Mr. Creech gave an update on the CPAC status which has new working groups that have been assigned for sustainability and diversity. The CPAC is coming to our meeting on January 19, 2022. Mr. Hornig said there is work on the Hartwell Avenue TMOD Plan and an update. The SPRD Committee is meeting next Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. There is a webinar for the DHCD/ MBTA Communities guidelines next week. Upcoming Meetings: th The Planning Board briefly discussed upcoming meetings for January 19 with two site-sensitive developments at 69 Pleasant Street and 75 Outlook Drive, we will be hearing from the CPAC, and we will look at a concrete proposal for a mixed-use zoning bylaw amendment for a possible public hearing on February 16 for the Annual Town Meeting. February 2 will be four public hearings for zoning amendments for Town Meeting. March 2 will be the continued public hearing for 12 Summit Road. Review Meeting Minutes for December 1, 2021: Robert Peters moved that the Planning Board approve the minutes of the December 1, 2021 Michael Schanbacher seconded the motion. The Planning Board voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0 (Roll call: Bob Creech – yes; Robert Peters – yes; Michael Schanbacher – yes; Melanie Thompson – yes; Charles Hornig – yes). MOTION PASSED. Adjourn Robert Peters moved that the Planning Board adjourn the meeting of January 5, 2022. Michael Schanbacher seconded the motion. The Planning Board voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0 (Roll call: Bob Creech – yes; Robert Peters – yes; Michael Schanbacher – yes; Melanie Thompson – yes; Charles Hornig – yes). MOTION PASSED Meeting adjourned at 9:42 pm Lex Media recorded the meeting. The following documents used at the meeting can be found on the Planning Board website in Planning Board packets. MBTA Draft Guidelines:  MBTA Community Housing Draft Guidelines Overview presentation dated December 29, 2021 (10 Pages).  Memo from Carol Kowalski on MBTA Requirements dated December 17, 2021 (2 Pages). Town Meeting: Minutes for the Meeting of January 5, 2022 Page 5  Annual Town Meeting Request to the Select Board dated December 23, 2021 (2 pages).  Proposed draft warrant language dated December 23, 2021 (3 pages).  Revised proposed draft warrant language revised by Town Counsel dated January 5, 2022 (2 pages).  Draft proposed language for Zoning Bylaw Amendment for Technical Corrections (1 page).  Revised draft proposal to Amend Zoning Bylaw for Open Space Residential Developments dated December 8, 2021 (3 pages). Moderate Housing Policy:  Draft Proposed Moderate Housing Eligibility dated December 21, 2021 (3 pages).  Moderate Income Eligibility from RHSO dated December 22, 2021 (1 page). Updated Work Plan:  Updated planning Board Work Plan dated December 29, 2021 (2 pages). Michael Schanbacher, Clerk of the Planning Board