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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-11-28 PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF NOVEMBER 28, 1988 The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board held in Room G-15, Town Office Building, was called to order at 7 39 p.m. by the Chairman, Mrs. Uhrig, with members Klauminzer, Sorensen, Williams, Wood, Planning Director Bowyer, Assis- tant Planner Nordby and Secretary Peters present. 297. Review of Minutes The Board reviewed and corrected the minutes for the meeting of November 7, 1988. On the motion of Mrs. Klauminzer, seconded by Mrs. Wood, it was voted 5-0 to approve the minutes as amended. The Board reviewed and corrected the minutes for the meeting of November 14, 1988. On the motion of Mrs. Wood, seconded by Mrs. Klauminzer, it was voted 4-0 (Mr. Williams abstained as he had not attended the meeting) to approve the minutes as amended. ***************** ARTICLES FOR 1989 TOWN MEETING ***************************** 298. CD Proposal, Sheraton Hotel, The Flatley Company, Marrett Road Senior Vice President James O'Neil, from the Flatley Company, reviewed the proposal with the Board. Present were Project Directors Lisa Bass and Peggy West , from the Flatley Company, TMMA Liaison to the Planning Board, Jacqueline Davison, and Precinct 9 officers Stella Liu and Margaret Coppe. Mr. O'Neil presented the site plans showing the addition and renovations propos- ed. He noted the Flatley Company will own and operate the hotel. They are planning the addition of 80 rooms (from 115 to 195 rooms); renovation of most of the public areas; addition of an indoor pool/recreation area; and an increase and upgrading of the service areas. They estimate they will spend approximately $5,000,000 and expand the building from 80,000 sq. ft. to 150,000 sq. ft. They propose a new access road from Marrett Road, permitting right turns only, in and out. They have met with the Conservation Commission and received their Order of Conditions. They also have sewer and water connections. In response to a question, Mr. O'Neil reported their tax bill would about double. In response to questions, Mr. O'Neil said the present building has an FAR of . 11, and the FAR of the new building would be around .22 maximum, probably less , which is why the proposal must be brought to Town Meeting as a CD rezoning. Mrs. Coppe asked what would be the size of the building if they were required to conform to the .15 FAR in the By-Law. Concern was expressed about the loss of approximately 10 mature pines located where the additional parking required for the addition will be. The Board suggested the applicant reexamine the parking and see if there is not some way to avoid this loss of trees. They noted Town Meeting members did not generally favor parking lots replacing trees. Concern was also expressed about the .22 FAR proposed. Mr. O'Neil responded that he felt the FAR of .15 was more directed toward office buildings, since they usually contain more people p per sq. ft. and generate more traffic than a hotel, especially during peak hours. Minutes for November 28, 1988 -2— It was noted the article for Town Meeting must be filed with the Selectmen by December 28-29, and the final plans filed with the Planning Board by the second Monday in January. ****************** ADMINISTRATION OF LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS ************* SUBDIVISION OF LAND 299. Grassland Development, Philbrook Terrace, Robert Phelan The Board re- viewed a memo from Town Engineer Francis Fields to Conservation Administrator Kevin Mendik stating the drainage calculations appear adequate and that they are satisfied that the revised plans show the necessary changes in the con- struction of the drainage system. The memo also stated the pipe railing may be eliminated if the slopes abutting the wall are no greater than 2 1 maximum. Mr. Phelan asked for and received permission to eliminate the pipe railing with the condition that the slopes abutting the wall are no greater than 2 1 maximum. On the motion of Mrs. Wood, seconded by Mrs. Klauminzer, it was voted 5-0 to 1. Approve, as a field change, the change in the construction of the drainage system, as approved by the Engineering Department and docu- mented in their 11/15/88 memo to Conservation Commission and the Planning Board; 2. Lift the Stop Work Order; and 3. Release Lot 4. 300. Trinity Covenant Estates, Clematis Road, Theodore Freeman, release of final surety The Board reviewed a memo from the Town Engineer to the Planning Director, dated November 28, 1988, recommending the Board release all remaining surety held by the Town on this subdivision. On the motion of Mrs. Wood, sec- onded by Mrs. Klauminzer, it was voted 5-0 to release the remaining surety held by the Town for this subdivision. RECOMMENDATIONS ON APPLICATIONS TO THE BOARD OF APPEALS 301. Hearing scheduled for December 8, 1988 277 Bedford Street, minor revi- sion to a special permit. Mrs. Klauminzer gave an oral review of the applica- tion, reporting that they wished to add a third small sign to the approved signage. The Board agreed it was a minor change, and that they would make no comment on the application. 302. Hearings scheduled for December 15, 1988 Mrs. Klauminzer gave an oral review of the following applications scheduled to be heard on December 15, 1988 150 East Street, Doran Greenhouses, Inc. , renewal of a special permit to continue the operation of a roadside stand for the sale of flowers, plants , and other nursery and farm goods, and for the seasonal sale of Christmas trees and wreaths. The Board recommended the renewal of the special permit be granted for two years, with the same conditions that were contained in the original decision. 60 Wood Street, Stephen K. Johnson, variance from required lot area in an RO zone to allow an application for a special permit to create an accessory apartment in an accessory building. The Board saw two conflicting problems with this application. On the one hand, they have supported the need for Minutes for November 28, 1988 more accessory apartments and proposed revisions to Section 5 of the Zoning By-Law, that were passed under Article 41 at the 1988 Town Meeting, to allow the creation of an accessory apartment in an accessory building, under certain conditions. However, an important condition of the adopted revision was that the lot area must be at least 10% greater than what is required for the zoning district. The Board noted that this variance would allow an accessory apartment on a lot that does not even conform to the lot area of 30,000 sq. ft. required for the zone. The Board agreed this newly adopted amendment to Section 5 of the Zoning By-Law should not be circumvented. Town Meeting voted to adopt these revi- sions under Article 41 on the basis of conditions, such as this one, that they believed were essential for the regulation of an accessory apartment in an accessory structure. The Board found no basis, such as hardship shown, for granting a variance on this application, and recommended to the Board of Appeals that the variance be denied. The Planning Board agreed to make no comment on the following applications scheduled for December 15, 1988 22 Fair Oaks Drive, Bill & Lisa Lahey, Variance; 11 Wachusetts Drive, Peter & Bernadette Shapiro, Variance; 3 Paul Revere Road, Nicholas Alex, Variance or Special Permit; 16 Round Hill Road, Byron & Paula Blanchard, Variance. 303. Proposed Policy to provide "Guidelines for the Regulation of the Concen- tration of Subsidized Housing Mr. John Kay, 21 Earl Street, discussed his proposal, as outlined in his letter of November 18, 1988, with the Board. He said he was particularly concerned about the potential overdevelopment of subsi- dized housing in the Meagherville site, and asked why this neighborhood had been targeted. Mrs. Klauminzer agreed that affordable housing should be dispersed throughout the Town, and said that the Town was working toward this goal. He said his primary concern was for the use of rental units in which poor people would be brought in from out of Town who do not maintain their homes or suffi- ciently control their children. It was pointed out to him that this was not necessarily a problem in subsidized rental housing only but could occur anywhere in Town. Mrs. Uhrig thanked Mr. Kay for taking the time to express his concerns to the Board. ******************************** REPORTS ************************************** 304. Planning Board, Subcommittees a. 870 & 880 Waltham Street Mr. Sorensen asked that it be made clear to applicants that when the Board endorses a plan as not requiring approval under the Subdivision Control Law (Form A), this is no determination as to the legality of the lot as a building lot, He asked that the Building Commissioner also be informed of this. Minutes for November 28, 1988 -4- b. Pheasant Brook I, Kahn-Quinn Mrs. Wood requested an update, at the next meeting, on the status of the road work being done there. c. Housing Development and Open Space Conference, held 11-16-88 Mrs. Klauminzer and Ms. Nordby reported on the various seminars they attended at the conference. Mrs. Klauminzer commented that the conference purpose, bringing advocates for producing more affordable housing together with advocates for more open space, was a noble one. d. HATS II Mrs. Uhrig reported their next meeting will be held next Thursday, December 15, 1988, in the Selectmen's Meeting Room at 8 00 p.m. The Air Force will present their plans for a 1,000,000 sq. ft. office addition. All four adjoining towns plan to attend. Mr. Bowyer asked that the Planning Board and the Town keep in mind Jack Eddison's recommendation that funds be provided by each town to pay for technical consultants to monitor this development, as needed. e. Future Planning Board meetings The Board agreed to schedule meetings for December 5, 12, and 19, 1988 and January 9, 23, and 30, 1989. 305. Planning Director a. Amendments to CH 774 Mr. Bowyer reported the Mass. Association of Planning Directors will be working with the Land Use Coalition on proposed legislation to produce amendments to 774 that will more equitably credit towns for various types of affordable produced. b. Wilson Farms, complaint to Building Commissioner A letter was received from an attorney representing residents in the neighborhood adja- cent to Wilson Farm, urging the Building Commissioner to enforce the Town's zoning laws with respect to expansion and improper operation of Wilson Farms. The letter states the farm now operates "in blatant disregard of both the conditions of its Special Permit and the Town zoning laws". Copies of the letter will be available to the Board next week. The meeting was adjourned at 10: 32 p.m. l # , /cJ Fac ) %' Eleanor Klauminzer, Clerk