HomeMy WebLinkAbout1939-02-16Meeting re
apartment
houses.
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
FEB. 18, 1939.
A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held
in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, at 7:30 P.M.
Chairman Giroux and Messrs. Potter and Rowse were present.
The Clerk was also present.
Representatives of the Appropriation Committee, Plan-
ning Board, Board of Appeals, Board of Assessors, the Building
and Plumbing Inspectors, the Town Counsel, and Mr. Alan
Adams were present at the meeting. The meeting was called
to discuss the matter of changing the Zoning Laws to allow
apartments in other than C.1 zones.
Chairman Giroux called the meeting to order iat 7:45
P.M. He requested Chairman Greeley of the Planning Board to
head that Board to report on the matter. Mr. Greeley read the
report, which said first that the problem had three chief
angles. First, apartments have a relation to tax revenue,
and this relation should be studied to determine whether it
is favorable or unfavorable; second the relation of apart-
ments to the life of the commuhity, and third, their relation
to existing real estate. Mr. Greeley said that this was not
a final report.
It was the feeling of the Planning Board that apartment
houses were important to Lexington in order that young
married couples could afford to pay the rent asked and re-
main citizens of Lexington. The report said that there were
several zones in which apartments might now be built, and if
an owner should wish to build an apartment elsewhere, the
Planning Board had in its files a model by-law, which it
prepared in 1933, adapted to apartment zoning.
The report said that the Building'Law which we now
have included the State Tenement House Law, which permitted
apartment buildings of 2j stories or less to be built of
wood construction. If higher than 2j stories, they must
be fireproof. The report stated that it was now possible
under our Zoning Laws, to alter a one -family dwelling to
accommodate more than one family, if a permit is granted
by the Board of Appeals.
Mr. Greeley said that some of the requirements of the
Tenement House Law were onerous and would increase the ex-
pense. For instance, that law requires a +shiwaey for each
kitchen, and now that we have so many all -electric homes,
this is not necessary. However, the only way that the
Tenement House Law can be modified is by a Special Act of
the Legislature.
Mr, Clyde E. Steeves said that a 2j story limit would
be detrimental to an apartment house. '
Mr. Greeley said that this problem came up in Cambridge,
and they found that they could build thirty or forty -apartment
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houses with 2j stories more economically than the higher
ones. Newton has consistently been opposed to many -'storied
apartments, and is not so opposed to low apartment houses.
The fewer -storied apartment house is more harmonious with
neighboring houses. Mr. Greeley said he believed that the
high apartment buildings would be detrimental to the sale of
neighboring properties.
The Chairman said he thought a low building would cost
more, if only for the land alone. Mr. Greeley said that the
cost of construction increased the higher a building went,
for service, such as elevators, which are very expensive to
buy 'and maintain.
Mr. Steeves asked whs.t type of construction the apart-
ments in Cambridge were, and Mr. Greeley said that they were
second-class construction.
The Town Counsel said that he recently read over the
new plumbing bur -law and he believed that the Committee
recommended some requirement on chimneys. The Plumbing
Inspector said that the Committee recommended a separate flue
for gas, and also for the heating boiler.
Mr. Sheldon of the Appropriation Committee asked why
there had not been a move on the part of contractors to
build apartments in Lexington. Mr. Greeley said he tried
himself to do it three times, but was not able to put in
the equity, and could not find anyone in Lexington who wanted
to make that investment. Mr. Bowker said that he understood
at the last meeting that there was someone in Lexington who
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was interested in building an apartment house._ Mr. Wright-
ington said he understood that someone was interested in
building one on the Valentine property, but he was sure
that that lot was only 100 feet deep, and it probably would
be necessary to change the zoning law.
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Mr. Greeley said that the Planning Board felt that
instead of trying to set apart a number of zones throughout
the town for apartment houses, it would be better to take the
things up upon application.
Mr. Rowse asked why it was necessary to consider the
matter of apartments now if there was no legal question.
Mr. Greeley said that if someone wanted to build one now in
an R.1 District, he could not do so without a change in the
Zoning Law. He said that it was the reeling of some that
the Town should undertake to construct some apartment zones
In Lexington without waiting for people to request them,
Mr. Rowse said he thought that might tend to increase
the sale price of those zones.
Mr. Greeley said that also there was some talk of set-
ting up an apartment zone 100 feet in depth in the rear of
the business zones, adting as sort of a buffer between the
R.1 and C.1 zones.
Mr. Merriam said that there were several requirements
in the tenement house act which made it very impracticable
to build apartment houses in Lexington and live up to the
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law.
Mr. Leland H. Emery said that in Arlington they had
several very successful apartment houses, but Wellesley has
four or five apartment houses, wne of which have done very well.
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Apartments in Winchester have done very well. The Chairman
asked why apartment houses succeeded in Arlington and not
in Wellesley, and Mr. Emery said that he tried to find out,
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and the answer was plenty of capital and good management.
Mr. Stbeves said that under the present law it would
be necessary to have a chimney, even though everything was
electric. He said that was not good. Mr. Greeley said it
depended on how one looked at the matter; he would hope
that each apartment would have a fireplace.
Mr. Glynn said that the meeting was called to discuss
the matter of increasing our assessments. If a person were
to build apartment houses in isolated sections of the Torn,
he thought it would decrease the assessments on properties
In the neighborhood.
Mr. Greeley said that he had found in four or five
instances that people wanted to be conveniently located near
stores, bus lines, etc.
The Chairman asked how many people were in favor of
establishing apartment zones outside of those now legal, in
advance of applications. Five were in favor and fourteen
were opposed.
Mr. ]Merriam asked the Chairman to ask the Planning
Board+s feeling on the matter of deferring action on the
establishment of apartment zones until applications have
been redeived.
The Chairman, Mr. Greeley, said that their idea was
to create a new kind of zone for Lexington, by creating an
apartment zone.
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The Chairman asked how many were in favor of dealing
with the question of apartments only when a request was made
for a location outside of the existing business zones.
Nineteen voted in favor and no one voted in opposition.
Mr. Emery said that the idea of the Assessors in
bringing this up was to get additional income for the Torn.
They wanted to encourage new building to replace some of
the old buildings in town.
Mr. Longbottom said that the tenement house act re-
quired a back yard of twenty-five feet. Mr. Merriam suggested
that the Board of Assessors go through the Act and give
their opinion on it.
The Chairman said it might be a good idea to appoint a
committee to go through the Tenement House Law and make
recommendations. He asked how the Planning Board and
Assessors felt about it, and Mr. Greeley and Mr. Steeves
said they thought it was a good idea. Mr. Greeley said he
felt that the Committee should be made up of outsiders, and
not Chairmen of various boards. Mr. Merriam said he thought
that one member of the Planning Board and one member of the
Board of Assessors should be on the Committee.
Mr. Wrightington moved that the Board of Selectmen
appoint a Committee at some future meeting for the study of
the Tenement House Act for Towns in relation to apartment
buildings, and that said Committee present its recommenda-
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tions to the Selectmen at some future meeting. Mr. Rowse
seconded the motion, and it was so voted.
' The Town Accountant came in and discussed informally Tax rate
the tax rate for 1939.
The meeting adjourned at 9=30 P. M.
A true record, Attest=
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