HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Board Minutes, 1994-04-04 PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
MEETING OF APRIL 4, 1994
The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board held in Room G-15, Town Office Building,
was called to order at 7 14 p m. by Chairman Domnitz, with members Canale, Davison,
Grant, Merrill, Planning Director Bowyer, and Assistant Planner Marino present.
Mr Grant arrived during Item 64
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65 Staff Reports
a. MAPD Conference Mr. Bowyer reported that he had attended the Annual
Conference of the Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors in Amherst He
spoke on a panel with Donald Schmidt of the Executive Office of Communities and
Development who has just published "The ANR Handbook", a 75 page compendium of court
cases dealing with approval not required plans. Copies of "The ANR Handbook" are
available for Planning Board members
The MAPD has a session each year with the Massachusetts Town Counsels and City
Solicitors Association in which they review the previous year's land use court
cases. Attorney Joseph Vrabel observed that this year's cases seemed to tighten up
on persons who have "standing" to appeal. Those persons must demonstrate real
injury rather than speculation about injury. That should cut down on the number of
frivolous appeals Vrabel also noted that the courts were imposing a new standard
on non-profit, educational and religious institutions They must demonstrate, and
document, adverse economic effects from local regulations to justify an exemption
from zoning.
b Met State Reuse Plan Mr Bowyer distributed copies of the March 1 draft of the
Metropolitan State reuse plan prepared by the Division of Capital Planning and
Operations and a draft of the housing section of that report prepared largely by
Lexington but with the collaboration of Waltham and Belmont He recommended that
the Board approach this material in a structured way He distributed a question-
naire, to be completed by each member, and discussed at a future meeting, as one way
to approach the issues systematically
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66. Review of Socio-Economic Characteristics Volume I Population: Several
members commented on the breadth of information contained in the draft of Volume 1,
which they had reviewed. Discussion focussed primarily on the policy implications,
largely of dealing with an aging population, that the report highlights.
Mr. Canale observed that the average persons per household and the persons per
household by age group explained a great deal about Lexington's population The
persons by household graph may be the most important in the whole report but, as
presently displayed, is difficult to read. He suggested that it be reviewed and
given more prominence
Mr. Domnitz noted that it was not clear in the report what the solutions were to the
population questions posed. Mr Bowyer responded that policy choices for the town
can affect the population composition For instance, depending on whether the Town
is, or is not, willing to rezone for housing oriented specifically to older
Minutes for the Meeting of April 4, 1994 2
populations, the population composition may be changed. But rezoning raises land
use issues and impacts on neighborhoods Public actions to affect population
composition cannot be divorced from larger land use and development questions
Mrs. Davison thought that the number of people in older age groups may be influenced
by the amount of housing oriented to the elderly She cited the Housing Authority's
developments for the elderly and nursing homes She asked that the number of
housing units oriented to the elderly be identified.
The meeting was adjourned at 8 03 p.m.
Richard L Canale, Cleric