HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Board Minutes 1990-03-05 PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
MEETING OF MARCH 5, 1990
The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board held in Room G-15, Town Office
Building, was called to order at 7 38 p.m. by the Chairman, Mrs. Wood, with
members Klauminzer, Sorensen, Uhrig, Williams, Robert Domnitz, Member Elect,
Planning Director Bowyer, Assistant Planner Nordby and Secretary Peters
present.
***************************** REPORTS **********************************
47 Planning Director
a. Capital Budget Mr. Bowyer reported his portion of the work is
completed, and he will begin work on Planning Board reports for the
zoning articles next week.
b. Affordable Housing Options Committee Meeting Mr. Bowyer reported
the staff will have a preliminary report on affordable housing sites
ready for the Committee's meeting this Thursday evening.
c Middlesex County Land Report: Mr. Bowyer reported the Selectmen
will discuss the report, previously distributed to the Board, and be
looking for comments from various Town boards and committees at 7 45
p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room next Monday evening.
d. Valley Road. In response to a question from Mr. Williams, Mr.
Bowyer reported he will prepare a draft letter, outlining the Board's
Ill position, reached after it received Town Counsel's recommendations.
************* ADMINISTRATION OF LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS ********
RECOMMENDATIONS ON APPLICATIONS TO THE BOARD OF APPEALS
48. Hearing Scheduled for March 8 1990 Gulf Oil 324 Marrett Road. Mrs.
Klauminzer reported that the request for a determination by the Board of
Appeals that the sign change was a minor revision, substituted a new internal-
ly illuminated sign for an existing internally illuminated sign, not for an
externally illuminated sign, as the Board had thought. The Board agreed this
was a minor revision. On the motion of Mrs. Klauminzer, seconded by Mr
Sorensen, it was voted unanimously to rescind the vote, taken at the February
25 meeting, and to make no comment on this case.
SUBDIVISION OF LAND
49. Rollout of Plan Recently Submitted. The Board reviewed, prior to staff
review, a preliminary plan, showing a two lot subdivision at 246 Concord
Avenue by George Issaians.
*************** ARTICLES FOR THE 1990 TOWN MEETING ***************
50. Article 40 - Bed and Breakfast The Board discussed the letters received
following the February 21 meeting with Bed and Breakfast operators at Mr.
William's home, and the public hearing held on the article February 26, 1990.
•i
Minutes for the Meeting of March 5, 1990 2
r-m Mr. Bowyer commented there now appeared to be four options to the Town
1) if the Town Meeting does not approve any amendment that could be
interpreted as meaning the Town Meeting believes the operation
of a Bed and Breakfast would continue to be illegal;
2) adopt a simple matter of right process, along the lines recommended by
Frank Sandy, i.e revise the definition of roomers and boarders to
include bed and breakfast operations, and add Bed & Breakfast operations
as an allowable accessory use in Use Table A;
3) allow the use upon the issuance of an occupancy permit, with such
regulations as the Board may wish to include in the Zoning By-Law, to be
administered by the Building Department; or
4) require a special permit from the Board of Appeals allowing the opera-
tion of Bed and Breakfasts, with such regulations the Board may wish to
include in the Zoning By-Law, as per the present draft before the Board.
Mrs. Uhrig and Mr. Williams reported the comments and questions, from Bed and
Breakfast operators who attended the February 21 meeting, as the Board review-
ed and revised the draft article, as of January 23.
A straw vote of the Board preferred Option 3, allowing the accessory use with
the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, from the Building Department,
after it determines the regulations included in the Zoning By-Law have been
met. The certificate would be in effect for three years.
********************** AFFORDABLE HOUSING ********************************
51. Middlesex County Land Report Mr. Williams thought the Planning Board
had not been given sufficient opportunity to provide input into the prepara-
tion of the report; that its only exposure to the preparation was to attend a
Selectmen sponsored informational meeting and hear a report from the Select-
men's Advisory Committee. The Board agreed the report did not appear very
detailed.
Mr. Bowyer commented that the report did not provide much of an evaluation of
the site. He observed that the two options identified that had residential
development relied on access from Walnut Street, a narrow street. He recom-
mended that the study explore access from Trapelo Road through the Hospital
grounds to potential development sites.
*************************** REPORTS **************************************
52. Planning Board. Subcommittees
a. Cambridge Reservoir Watershed Advisory Committee Mr. Williams
reported the committee will meet this Friday to hear the final committee
report.
b. Recognition of Karsten Sorensen's Service to the Town: Mrs. Wood
read a Resolution adopted earlier that evening by the Board of Selectmen
(copy attached) recognizing Mr. Sorensen's ten years and two terms of
Ldedicated service on the Planning Board. Mrs. Wood noted that the Board
did not have a formal resolution with a lot of "whereas's," but they
Minutes for the Meeting of March 5, 1990 3
agreed fully about Karsten's contributions to the Board. The Board
presented Mr. Sorensen with a leather brief case and other mementos in
recognition of his service on the Board.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. kilt—r---1, /]
David G. Williams, Clerk
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RESOLUTION
WHEREAS. The Town of Lexington will no longer have the services
on the Planning Board, of a conscientious and dedicated
resident, Karsten Sorensen, after two terms and ten
years of committed service; and
WHEREAS: The Board of Selectmen, on behalf of the citizens of the
Town, wants to acknowledge his contributions to the
Lexington community; and
WHEREAS: He has brought his considerable skills to clarify
complicated zoning and subdivision issues at Planning
Board meetings, public hearings and at Town Meeting;
and
WHEREAS: He has given countless hours of his time to serve two
1 1 terms on the Planning Board, which included long and
difficult meetings working with developers, residents
and other Town committees, where his abilities to
clearly articulate the Board's position were well used,
and will be sorely missed; and
WHEREAS: Karsten has been steadfast in his belief that the Town's
regulations and standards should be uniformly and
consistently applied; and
WHEREAS: He has consistently set a high moral tone, leavened
with his own brand of Scandinavian humor, to the
Board's meetings;
NOW, THEREFORE: We, the Board of Selectmen, on behalf of the community
say:
"Thank you, Karsten Sorensen, for your unselfish and
faithful service to the Lexington community".
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March 5, 1990 n
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