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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983-08-05-CRC-min t ,r ( rl CENTER REVITALIZATION COMMITTEE MFETINC August 5, 1983 The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Marge Battin at approximately 12 00 Noon Attending members of the C R.0 were Marge Battin, Karsten Sorensen, Laura Nichols , Robert Sacco, David Wells , Jacquie Bateson, Joe Trani. and Jack Powell Attending members of the Land Use Sub-committee were Norma Bogen and Judith Newman Attending in the audience were Robert Bowyer, Wally Tonaszuck, Angelo Frick, Galo P Emerson, Jr (Putnam Pantry) the agenda for the meeting consisted of the following items 1 Parking on Worthen Rd and Forest St 2 Traffic on Harrington Rd 3 Discuss MAPC Marketing Analysis 4 Progress report - Land Use Committee Also, Mr Emerson of Putnam Pantry appeared before the Committee to present his petition to the C R C for our review and recommendations PARKING ON WORTHEN ROAD Mr Tonaszuek stated the case for eliminating parking on the westerly side of Worthen Rd from Mass Ave to Stratham Rd - basically traffic safety Parked vehicles narrow down that portion of Worthen Rd , contributing to congestion and, in some cases, traffic accidents The Committee agreedito the elimination of park- ing in the above discussed area TRAFFIC ON FOREST STREET Mr Tonaszuck presented a large map of existing parking regulations applying to the Center Business District Forest St (residential street) now has parking on the south side Parked vehicles are primarily all day parkers He stated com- plaints from residents have been registered in regard to 'street too narrow' for passing with parked vehicles and difficulty getting into driveways and turning at corners There are approximately 15 - 17 parking spaces in Forest St between Clark and Waltham Streets Discussion followed, and these comments were brought out Mr Trani proposed as a possible solution - make Forest St one-way (east) between Clark and Mass . Avenue The Planning Board will investigate that possibil- ity Mrs Nichols and Mr Wells suggested restricting parking at the corners of Forest and Clark/Forest and Waltham Streets to allow for more turning area Mr Sacco asked about installing 10-hour parking meters on Forest St as a possibility Mr Bowyer explained the fee rates as regard to use of residential streets (see Summary of Parking Programs , Sept 15, 1981) Mrs Battin read a letter from Dun Olson stating his thoughts on the Forest St parking situation Park Drive was mentioned as a possible 'assist ' to alleviating congestion on Forest St After further discussion, it was agreed that the C R.0 will defer to Mr Nor- man Abend to study the parking situation on Forest Street -2- 1 TRAFFIC ON HARRINGTON ROAD Chairperson Battin asked Mr Tonaszuck to present the case of traffic flow in and around the Bedford Street/Harrington Road intersection He stated that diverting traffic by re-opening Cammelia Place could create strong objections from neighbors and that the project needs professional study and guidance to determine the overall effect Mr Bowyer agreed that extensive study is needed in that area Mr Sacco and Mr Wells stated the possibility of re-opening Han- cock Ave . to Worthen Rd. and to set the 'wheels in motion' to inform Mr Gschwend- tner of the C.R C 's efforts to alleviate the problems at Bedford St and Harring- ton Rd Chairperson Battin accepted Mr Tonaszuck's offer to do an in-house study for a traffic plan November, 1983, was decided upon as a target date for all. traffic input Chairperson Battin discussed briefly the Baptist Chruch Parking Driveway plan and stated it was not within the jurisdiction of the C R C She suggested that Mr Tonaszuck talk with the concerned parties in the Church Mr Sacco made a recommendation that a sub-committee, consisting of Mr Tonas- zuck, Mr Bowyer, Mrs Bateson and himself be formed to discuss the parking survey recently conducted by the Lexington Chamber of Commerce Chairperson Battin asked that we interrupt our regular agenda to allow the Putnam Pantry representative to present his peititon for our review She introduced Mr Cala P Emerson, Jr. , President of Putnam Pantry Candies Mr Emerson proceeded to give us a brief history and background of his com- pany and its.development to date He reviewed his progress in becoming a tenant of the Lexington Square complex Of special interest to the C R C was the construc- tion of a fence at the rear of the Lexington Square parking area, the proprosed closing time of Putnam Pantry and the inclusion of take-out windows (2) at the rear of his establishment. Mr. Emerson stated that based on their past experience re- garding numbers of cars in their parking lots , he sees no parking problem develop- ing There will be from 1 to 6 employees on duty at any time - workers usually do not drive to their jobs - most traffic in shop during evening hours (7 to 9 P .M ) He wants the take-out windows as a convenience to customers Questions were then asked by various board members Mr Sorensen expressed concern about foot traffic and parking in the rear of the Square if the windows are permitted. Mr Wells asked if the take-out windows would really make a dif- ference in people congregatLng outside the premises Chairperson Battin suggested the hours of the window he restricted Mr Sacco requested information on the hours of the other similar establishments in Lexington in order to offer Putnam Pantry the same opportunity for serving its customers After all the information was available to the Committee, a vote was taken by Chairperson Battin. Recommendations of the C R C are as follows 1 C .R.0 unanimously agreed to the inclusion of a fence at the rear of Lexington Square 2 Voted 5 - 3 to eliminate take out windows 3 Voted - 6 in favor of allowing Putnam to remain open until 11 P.M Voted - 2 in favor of allowing Putnam to remain open until 10 P M -3 Mr Emerson thanked the Committee for their considerations and attention and left the meeting DISCUSS MAPC MARKETING ANALYSIS Chairperson Battin, in general terms, stated how pleased show was with efforts of MAPC to develop its preliminary draft of the Lexington Center Market Analysis Taking into account the difficult times that MAPC has endured the past year the report is a job well done, said Mr Bowyer He also agreed with Mrs Bogen's con- cerns on the need to include in the MAPC report "trends that effect market - High Tech - perhaps improve on its static appearance' - and better summary Mr Bowyer called upon the participation of knowledgeable people to assist in finalizing the report Mr Wells spoke for all when he noted the report stressed the parking problem in Lexington PROGRESS REPORT - LAND USE SUB COMMITTEE Mrs Nichols presented the formats to be utilized by the Land Use Sub-commit- tee They included the Lexington Center Parcel Data, listing all information per- taining to each center business address She also requested the Lexington Chamber of Commerce to provide her with a copy of its recent Parking Survey Mr Bowyer provided sample table sheets of parcels in the Center Business District He reviewed the technique that will be used to obtain necessary data. Information available from the Town's records will be utilized to show intensity of uses, economic factors, factors effecting re-use of the Center Business District The meeting was adjourned at 2 30 P.M The next meeting is scheduled for Respectfully submitted Jack Powell