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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Board Minutes 1990-08-01 PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF AUGUST 1, 1990 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. Wood, with members Domnitz, Grant, Williams, Planning Director Bowyer, Acting Assistant Planner Marino and Secretary Peters present. Mrs. Klauminzer was absent. 166. Review of Minutes: The Board reviewed and corrected the minutes for the meeting of June 25, 1990. On the motion of Mr. Grant, seconded by Mr. Williams, it was voted 4-0 to approve the minutes, as amended. The Board reviewed the minutes for the executive session of June 25, and for the meeting of July 11, 1990. On the motion of Mr. Grant, seconded by Mr. Williams, it was voted 4-0 to approve both sets of minutes, as written. ******************* ARTICLES FOR 1990 SPECIAL TOWN MEETING ****************** 167. Pine Meadow/Meaaherville Site. Affordable Housing: Town Manager Richard White was present with Assistant Town Manager Deb Radway and representatives of The Community Builders for what he described as the first in a series of meetings with Town boards aimed at the construction of 40 affordable housing units on the Pine Meadows/Meagherville site. The 1990 Annual Town Meeting had endorsed the construction of 40 units of affordable housing, partially finan- ced, if necessary, by the sale of up to 10 single-family building lots. The Town Meeting also endorsed the concept of a through road connecting Garfield Street to Cedar Street. He noted that the Town has been working on ways to achieve new affordable housing on the Pine Meadows-Meagherville site since 1988, mostly through the Affordable Housing Options Committee and the Pine Meadow/Meagherville Site Development Committee, that were both established at the 1989 Town Meeting. In January, 1990, the Pine Meadow/ Meagherville Development Committee issued Request for Proposals, and in June 1990, the Selectmen designated The Com- munity Builders, as the developer of choice to develop the affordable housing on the Pine Meadows/Meagherville site. Mr. White said representatives of Community Builders will present a brief overview of the project's current status, and how they will proceed through the review process. He reported that the developers are scheduled to meet with the Conservation Commission on August 7, and with the Recreation Commit- tee on August 15, and later meetings are contemplated with LexHAB, the Fair Housing Committee and other concerned housing groups. He also said that all Town committees and boards will have time to comment on design concepts, plan layouts and site design before the Fall Special Town Meeting. In response to questions from Board members, Mr. White said the goal was to bring the proposal to a special town meeting tentatively scheduled for Octo- ber, and that it could be in the form of either a cluster subdivision applica- tion or a rezoning petition under the RD/CD Guideline provisions. He added that the developer hopes to work with the Planning Board to decide which pro- cess should be followed. Mrs Wood commented that in either scenario, the first step should be to prepare a legal description of the boundaries of the site. She also recommended the site development and use plan be as complete Minutes for the Meeting of August 1, 1990 2 as possible, the equivalant of a definitive site plan, in order for the -1 Planning Board to comment on the plan at Town Meeting, and to avoid having Town Meeting members ask questions not answered by the material presented. Mr. White introduced Lisa Alberghini from The Community Builders. Ms. Alber- ghini said they hoped to be able to furnish all the information the Board needs to prepare its recommendation on the proposal to the Fall Town Meeting. She noted a site development and use plan would be necessary with either pro- cess, and agreed that the first step would be to prepare an accurate survey of the site, including the exact location of the sanitary sewer easement. She added that over the next two months they hope to meet with as many boards as possible including various neighborhood groups. She discussed proposed income mixes and various ways to obtain financing from state or federal programs. She reported they have received a commitment from the Lexington Savings Bank for a mortgage. They estimate around $900,000 will be needed to finance the project, and that this will probably necessitate the sale of some single family lots, and added that they will only sell as many lots as are required to close the gap between what can be raised by borrowing from the bank, and federal, state or local government sources. She then in- troduced Kathy Schreiber of Schreiber Associates, Landscape Architects, who presented the site plan. Board members questioned the isolation of all the affordable housing on one portion of the site. They reiterated the need for a detailed survey not only to locate the sewer line, that runs behind one proposed cluster of housing, [ 1 but to site the housing and road better in relation to the characteristics of the land. They also recommended that Community Builders develop some dif- ferent design alternatives for future discussion. Mr. White said that only two parts of the proposal were fixed; one is the through road and the other is 40 units of affordable housing. All other parts of the housing development are subject to discussion and further detailed planning. ************ ADMINISTRATION OF LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS **************** SUBDIVISION OF LAND 168. Wood Street Develoument. Decision on Special Permit The Board reviewed and made minor corrections to a draft of the decision disapproving the Special Permit with Site Plan Review. Mr. Bowyer reported the draft decision had been reviewed by Palmer & Dodge. On the motion of Mr Domnitz, seconded by Mr. Grant, it was voted 4-0 to disapprove the application for a Special Permit with Site Plan Review and to approve the wording, as amended, of the decision on the Special Permit. 169. Turnburry Hill. Update on Landscaping: Mrs. Wood commented for resi- dents in the audience that there is no specific matter before the Board requiring a decision and that the Board will hear a report on the status of the landscaping for the site. Mr. Bowyer reported that the developer has said the landscaping work has been completed. The site has been inspected by Marilyn Nordby, the former Assistant Planner, who is a landscape architect, and Joe Marino, the Acting Assistant Planner, representing the Planning Department, the Tree Warden and Nick Cannalonga of the Wagon Wheel Nursery, Minutes for the Meeting of August 1, 1990 3 representing the developer. They reviewed the planting and found it to be generally satisfactory. Some adjustments were made from where landscaping was placed on the approved plan, for on-site reasons. The Board questioned whether there is enough screening by plant materials around the perimeter of the property, particularly next to the Murman pro- perty. Mrs Wood noted that Condition 30 of the Special Permit refers to landscaping to be inspected by the Tree Warden after the building has been completed, and Condition 31 requires the planting of sufficient evergreens where needed to screen the development from the neighbors. There also appeared to be questions as to whether the landscaping on the site complies with the Landscape Plan, approved by the Board, and if trees marked to be saved were saved. The Board agreed to meet at the site off Hill Street and walk the perimeter on August 15, 1990 at 7 00 p.m. to determine if the screening in place is suffi- cient to meet the requirements of the Special Permit with Site Plan Review. 170. North Street Development. Final Release of Surety. The Board reviewed an Engineering Department memorandum, dated July 19, 1990, stating that the "as-built" plans for the North Street Development have been approved and that all required community facilities in the North Street Development have been satisfactorily completed in accordance with the Town's standards. On the motion of Mr. Williams, seconded by Mr. Grant, it was voted 4-0 1) that the Planning Board returns all the remaining surety, in the form of passbook #306484 from the Cambridge Savings Bank in the amount of $43,000.00, plus interest, which was being held for the completion of the community facilities at the North Street Development subdivision; and 2) that the Planning Board does not relieve the developer, and his succes- sors in title, of the responsibility to thereafter maintain the street and all utilities, street trees and other improvements in the right-of- way of Northgate Circle until it is accepted by the Town. The covenant, dated March 31, 1988, shall remain in effect and will not be released until the right-of-way has been accepted by the Town as a public street. RECOMMENDATIONS ON APPLICATIONS TO THE BOARD OF APPEALS 171. Additional Hearings Scheduled for August 16. 1990: Mr. Domnitz gave an oral review of the following applications scheduled to be heard by the Board of Appeals. 22 Spring Street, Eric Cohen, Variance, to construct a one story entry- way with the front of the entryway flush with the existing attached garage, leaving a front yard setback of 23 feet rather than the required 30 ft On the motion of Mr. Domnitz, seconded by Mr. Grant it was voted 3-1 (Mr. Williams voted in the negative) to recommend the variance be denied, since none of the statutory criteria for granting a variance, relating to soil conditions, shape or topography, has been demonstrated. Minutes for the Meeting of August 1, 1990 4 The Board also agreed to make no comment on the following application: 27 Solomon Pierce Road, Gregory and Stella Milonas, Variance, to allow certain portions of a fence, located one foot from the lot line to exceed the maximum permitted six foot height. 172. Lexington Ridge. Waltham Street. Comprehensive Permit: The Board dis- cussed the "Planning Board Position on the Comprehensive Permit Application, Waltham Street" approved by the Board on February 26, 1990, and the draft "Zoning and Site Development Analysis", recently prepared by the staff, in order to give the staff direction for preparation of the Board's recommen- dation to the Board of Appeals for the continued hearing on September 13, 1990 on the comprehensive permit. The Board agreed that the site is a good one for the housing, and they liked the lower density and building heights. They also agreed the recommendation should. 1) require that at least 30% of the units be for low and moderate income persons. Lexington Ridge Association has proposed to set aside 25%; 2) require a second access to the property, rather than one access with an emergency access; 3) require that the development be maintained as a rental development in perpetuity; 4) provide for a well demarcated access into the conservation land west of the development, for residents and townspeople; 5) ask the developer to investigate the feasibility of installing a pedes- trian crosswalk - traffic signal across Waltham Street to the Brookhaven community; 6) recommend that the main entrance into the development be located directly opposite the entrance into the Brookhaven development, and investigate the possibility of a traffic light being installed there; and 7) recommend that the applicant be encouraged to join with other private parties in the provision of mini-bus services to the Alewife MBTA station, since Brookhaven, Windsor Gardens and the South Lexington Transportation Task Force are currently providing such services. The staff was asked to prepare a draft recommendation to the Board of Appeals for review at the Planning Board's August 22 meeting reflecting its position on the comprehensive permit. ************************* REPORTS ****************************************** 173. Planning Director a. Subdivision Data Base• Mr. Bowyer reported that information relating to all subdivisions approved since 1980 is being collected to Minutes for the Meeting of August 1, 1990 5 provide a tracking system for subdivision activity. The work has revealed that several subdivisions have been closed out and their streets accepted by the Town. He recommended that the Board act to release any covenants still held by the Board on these subdivisions. The staff hopes to have a list of covenants ready for the Board to act on at its next meeting, as well as any other unfinished business the may be found in the preparation of the subdivision data base. b. Revisions to the Planning Board Development Regulations Mr. Bowyer reported he has begun preparation of an working outline for revisions to the Development Regulations. 174. Planning Board. Subcommittees a. Lexington Center Committee The Board agreed to inform David Wells, chairman of the committee, the Mr. Williams has been appointed by the Board to serve as its liaison, and that he should be added to the member list and receive all information sent to committee members. b Hanscom Field Commuter Expansion Mr. Domnitz reported that a group of citizens will meet with the Selectmen next Monday evening to ask that Lexington join other towns around Hanscom Field in sharing expenses in- curred by hiring an attorney to represent the towns who are opposing the proposed expansion. He informed the Board that he would be attending only as a private citizen, and not as a Board member. The meeting was adjourned at 10:39 p.m. o n1 (illazail David Williams, Clerk L.,