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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-03-26-HATS-min HANSCOM AREA TOWNS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING Held at 7:30 PM on March 26, 2009 At Lincoln Town Offices PRESENT: Jeanne Krieger Lexington Board of Selectmen Sara Mattes Lincoln Board of Selectmen Anne Shapiro Concord Board of Selectmen Mike Rosenberg Bedford Board of Selectmen Richard Canale Lexington Planning Board Wendy Manz Lexington Planning Board Robert Domnitz Lincoln Planning Board Fred Watkiss Concord Planning Board Dorothy Steele Massport/OGCA Sara Arnold Massport Hanscom J.C. Corcoran Hanscom Air Force Base, Community Relations Lou Sidereris Minuteman National Historical Park Andrew Friedlich Lexington Town Meeting Member 7:30 PM INTRODUCTION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS The Chairman introduced the Selectmen and outlined the agenda. She announced that a meeting to initiate work on a corridor management plan for the Battle Road Scenic th Byway will be held on Tuesday April 14 at 3:00 PM in the Cary Library in Lexington. ACTION: All interested J.C.Corcoran reported that Building 1606, an old Air Force building at the base, is being torn down and work will begin soon on constructing a replacement. 7:35 PM WORKSHOP: PROPOSED CHANGES IN STATE ZONING CODE The discussion of the proposed Land Use Partnership Act was continued from the previous month. Richard Canale recapitulated that LUPA is based on the work of the Governor’s task force; previous attempts to reform state zoning laws had been led by planners’ groups and they were trying to regain attention. He reported that MAPC had been expected to discuss and vote upon the proposed legislation shortly but it has now postponed this matter in order to concentrate on transportation finance issues. HATS members felt that it would be useful in the meantime to identify items in LUPA (or in the previous CPA II) that the towns would support or oppose. Bob Domnitz said that he had looked at LUPA with a view to its assumptions, aims and workability. One assumption appeared to be that communities are stifling economic growth, which he questioned. Sara Mattes commented that the state had previously been receptive to assertions that young people are leaving the state due to the cost of housing and that the solution was to increase supply, whereas research has found that many of the people who leave go to other high-cost growth areas. It was agreed that quality of life factors are important for attracting highly skilled workers, and that this may point in favor of land use regulation and public transport provision. Mike Rosenberg commented 1 that the MetroFuture strategy of strengthening urban cores made a lot of sense, and this was agreed to be preferable to encouraging development regardless of location. Fred Watkiss commented that the Act may offer some useful zoning tools. Sometimes the state defines model zoning types that towns can make use of, such as cluster development and form-based zoning. It was agreed that these can be beneficial provided they are optional. There was concern about the bundling of items in the opt-in section of the Act; if ideas are good they should not need to be tied to preconditions. Mr. Watkiss commented that more items seem to be moving into the generally-applicable section and there may be little incentive for towns to opt in. He noted, however, that communities further west may face different issues, for example more problems with ‘Approval Not Required’ lots, and also that in some cases the quality of zoning decisions may benefit from a clearer framework. He was sympathetic to developers’ need for greater certainty about impact fees and similar costs. Site plan review was discussed. Some felt that its lack of definition in legislation was a problem but Lincoln felt that the process works quite well and there may be more danger in losing the framework that has been developed in case law. The idea of moving from a two thirds to a simple majority for zoning changes was discussed briefly; some felt that the two thirds requirement is justified by the seriousness of the matter. A related question was raised as to the procedure or majority that will apply to the opt-in portion of the Act. Mansionization was recognized as a problem in the HATS area; greater ability to control the size of new houses might be welcomed. Case law does not favor it, although floor area ratios and setbacks can be used. HATS members recognized that existing owners of small lots tend to resist changes that would limit the scale of rebuilding, due to the effect on property values. Jeanne Krieger compared overall housing densities in each of the HATS towns and noted that they vary significantly. The idea of reducing zoning freezes was thought to make sense, although it may be less important in this area than in undeveloped areas. It was suggested that the Chairman invite Mark Bobrowski, a planning attorney and professor who is a member of the Concord Planning Board, to participate in a more ACTION: Chair detailed discussion later in the year. In the meantime it was agreed that Richard Canale and Bob Domnitz will draft a position paper, in consultation with the planning boards. ACTION: Mr. Domnitz and Mr. Canale 8:35 PM 128 C3/ MAGIC TRANSPORTATION ISSUES The Route 128 Central Corridor Coalition has not met since the last HATS meeting. th Sara Mattes reported on the MAGIC meeting which was held in Lincoln on March 12. Transportation Under Secretary Jack Mullin attended and 128 C3’s ideas were raised in discussion. 8:45 PM HFAC REPORT Mike Rosenberg reported on the recent HFAC meeting. The State of Hanscom Report of March 2009 was presented by the Director. It documented a continuing decline in activity over the last year. Jeanne Krieger commented that current activity to expand the infrastructure does not seem to fit the circumstances. 2 8:55 PM VEGETATION MANAGEMENT Mike Rosenberg reported from a meeting the previous night, based on notes by Selectman Colao. The Jordan Conservation Land in Bedford has been the subject of discussions between Massport, the Conservation Commission and other interested parties. Six acres with 400 trees are affected by Massport’s proposals to reduce vegetation for aviation reasons. It was agreed that the deciduous trees need only be topped; the conifers are more problematic. The Conservation Commission is considering possible mitigation measures. The project will go through the Notice of Intent and approval procedures, and could potentially trigger the need for an Article 97 state legislature vote. The meeting was useful to explore parameters. The next meeting will be in April. 9:05 PM MINUTES The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the January meeting. They also voted unanimously to accept the record of the February meeting, with corrections, as notes rather than minutes due to lack of a quorum. 9:10 PM NEW BUSINESS: Lexington Citizen’s Petition Andrew Friedlich, a Lexington Town Meeting Member, distributed copies of an article placed on the warrant for Lexington’s Town Meeting by citizens’ petition, and a related more detailed proposed resolution. The article reads: “To see if the Town will vote to adopt a resolution that reaffirms the original Lexington 1997 Town Meeting vote regarding development and use changes at Hanscom Field and calls upon the Governor and Congressional delegation to prevent current expansion proposals until a comprehensive regional multi-modal sustainable transportation plan is developed, or act in any other manner in relation thereto.” The proposed resolution references goals agreed by all four towns in 1997 for Massport’s use and development of Hanscom, and contrasts them with Massport’s current proposals. It calls for environmental review of corporate jet traffic growth and a moratorium on infrastructure expansion, including the use of federal stimulus funds, until a regional multi-modal transportation plan is developed. It proposes seeking the support of the Governor, US senators and the FAA. Mr. Friedlich asked for the endorsement of the terms of the article and resolution by the representatives of the other HATS towns. The HATS selectmen indicated that they would need to consult their boards, but th that they should be able to respond before the Lexington Town Meeting on May 6. ACTION: Selectmen The Chairman commented on the lack of progress on planning for Route 128 over the last ten years or more, and encouraged the other towns to consider the article. Mr. Canale noted that the Romney administration started work on a state transportation plan but that Governor Patrick has not taken this up. Ms. Mattes noted that Lincoln’s selectmen have taken the view that stimulus money should not be used to encourage more corporate jets. She was concerned that the money seems to be heading for short term 3 repairs rather than planned improvements, and pointed out that 128 C3 is trying to identify a way forward on one piece of the picture. Transportation Finance Mr. Canale drew attention to the fast-moving situation on transportation finance decisions. A meeting will be held in early April concerning the remaining stimulus ACTION: All interested money and Mr. Canale urged attendance. Critical decisions are also being made about the state’s organizational structure in the transportation field. The Senate has indicated that it will not support a gas tax until reforms are made. Future HATS Meetings rd The next meeting will be on April 23. For the May meeting, the discussion topic will be regionalization. The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM. Submitted by Catherine Perry Approved April 23, 2009 4