HomeMy WebLinkAbout1929-07-26 In
l'!IrTING, JULY 26 , 1929
A meting of the Board of Arreals was heir' at the
,,electmen 's `loom, Town Office Building at 8 P. . Messrs .
Roland . Baldry; `-'? eodore A. Custance, C. Edward Glynn,
and Curlys Slocum were present. Helen C 'hittemore was
also present.
The Chairman of the Board, Arthur N. Maddison, being
bsent Mr. Theodore A. Custance was nominated Chairman of
the meeting.
Stevenson
hearing. Hearing was c.zlled on the application of Minnie B.
Stevenson at 8 28 P. M.
The Chairman read the application of the petitioner
and also the notice sent to the abutters and to the local
newspaper, giving notice of the hearing held this evening.
Mr. Matthew Stevenson stated. that he apre-red for the
petitioner. He is no ^r li -ing in the rear of 21 Oakland
Street. Mr. Stevenson r•sve as his principal reason for
making tY 's appli^rat ion that the lot anon which he intends
to huild "a,s a front^^e of feet, and th^t this is all
the lance he coul.a get on the specified lot. Mr. Stevenson
stated that he had formerly owned the Whole lot, and he
had sold part of the lot to Richard J. Spencer. The whole
lot contained approximately 19 ,340 saua •e feet.
'hen asked w,- y he established the line as he did, he
stated that he was unable to obtain lan9 or account of the
barn when he negotiated the sale, wl' ich was made about -ay
1st The transfer of the papers was not made until the
12th of June , 1"29. lie intended to build a home upon this
lot.
Then asked low far the line of this lot is from the
building on yhe other property, ? e st ted that it was about
10 feet.
then asked if he wis familiar with thle new regulations
regarding the size of the lot at the time of the sale , he
stated that ro called 'rr. ,illiam S cc.amman , curt. of Public
Works, an he told him of the situation, and Mr. Scamman
said that it Nould be ail right.
"Ten asked if he had made any attempt to purchase a 10
foot strip of land from the party from whom he had sold the
property, he stated that he had not. Suggestion was made
that he run the line at ^ slight angle in order to include
enough land to give himthe desired amount, making the lot a
little wider in the 'Tont.
As'red what gave him the impression that Mr. Scamman was
the one to pass uron such matters , he stater' that Mr Scamman
did not refer him to anyone else but answere ' the question
right off.
The Buildin' lrsnector, John F. Tibbetts , informed the
meeting that Mr. Scamman told Mr. Stevenson this before the
law was in force.
1
Mr "tezrenson was asked if yr. Spencer was willing n =-
sell a strip of land to him, and if he was willing to pur-
chase it to make the lot 75 foot frontage and 7,500 square
feet in area. Mr. Stevenson stated that he would be willing
to if he could get it Mr. Spencer was not present at the
meeting.
Mr. ;illiam R. Greeley asked if this sale was made on
May 1st, 1929, and was prior to the date that the law went
into effect, whether or not it was legal to build on a
65 foot frontage lot. He was informed that the lot was
sub-divided after the law was passed, but that the ?.ate of
agreement cf the sale was made on May 1st, 1929, and the
papers were not passed until June 1, 1929, and this was the
date of the division of the property. Mr. Greeley stated
that if the petitioner had not tried to buy a strip of land,
he was opposed to breaking down the law unless he has made
an effort to purchase the stip, and finds that he can not
do so
No other persons spoke in favor or against the proposition,
and it was therefor decided to close the hearing.
Hearing was declared open at 8 44 P. M. upon the appli- Whipple
cation of Paul L. 'Whipple of Marlborough asking for permiss- hearing.
ion to erect a garage within the twenty foot set-back called
for in the Zoning Law, on premises bought by him at 13
Belfry Terrace .
Mr. Whipple was present , and stated that he purchased
this place for home , and that it seemed to him to be the
II only place available to put a garage , inasmuch a'! in the
bacl, of the rouse there are two a -nle trees and he also
wanted to have e flower garden in the rear of the r emises
He felt that the proposed location marker' on his nlln to be
the least conspicuous place on the property because there
are trees there and it would be hidden. Ile intended building
a single car garage .
Yr. William R. Greeley asked if it would be possible to
put the garage further bac'> on the other side of the house.
Mr. Tipple felt that it could be put back ten feet The
location is near the wire fence and where the bushes ,ere
located on the lot. Hewanted the garage down on tha street
level. Mr. Greeley st^ter' that he was opposed because he
did not see any hardship, and that there is room at the side
of the house, and there is room on the bac of the lend , and
it could he built connecting °lith the house , and that he
did not feed that the law should be v aried except in cases of
bar ship He also felt that there is a cellar and back
porch and with some study a garage might be placed under the
porch
Mr. Prescott E. French of 51 Gleason Street , Medford,
asked what 'mind of material it was intended to build the
garage of. Be was informed by Mr. 'hippie that he intended
to have a steel elapboard garage . Mr. French stated that he
IIowned 10,000 feet of lan-1 directly opposite , and he objected
to the to^ation because he thought it would be unsightly.
Furthermore , from evidence that Mr . "rhipple gave it was found
w."
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that there is a clearance of 8 feet, and he did rot see any
hardship for him to use a driveway of 8 feet, inasmuch as
he had one himself and he did not have any hardship in getting
in or out of it.
Mr. John F. Tibbetts, Building Inspector, stated that
he did not believe that he would grant a permit for a garage
of steel clapboard construction. It would have to be
concrete blocks, cement, or stone.
Mr. 'Whipple stated that he planned to put in plantings
that would entirely cover the garage.
Mr. French objected, however, to the view of the door
of the garage. Mr "hippie stated that he felt that most of
the people have to stare at the door of a gar^ge in most
any location today.
No further evidence having been presented the hearing
adjourned at 8 57 P. M.
After considerable discussion of the evidence presentee
in the hearing on the application of Minnie B. Stevenson,
and Yr. Stevenson having returned and st"ted that he had been
endeavoring to obtain his written agreements and also to
communicate with Mr. Snencer so that he could find out
whether or not he would be willing to sell him the land , it
was decided to lay this matter upon the table awaiting such
time as Mr Stevenson could present his evidence, and also
that the Board might have an opportunity to view the premises
and secure the opinion of the Town Counsel as to whether or
not the sale agreement could be considered a sale.
In regard to the evidence presented in the Whipple
case , Mr. Baldrey and Mr. Custance stated that they had
visited the premises and viewed the situation. The other
members of the Board felt that they should also do this in
fairness to Yr. 'Whipple , and voted to lay the matter upon
the table.
Meeting It Was decided to hold a meeting on Thursday, August 1st,
Aug 1. provided the Chairman of the Board could be present at that
time.
In regard to the application of alive E. Hilton, Extrix.
' Hilton of the Estate of Minnie E. Tilson, it was decided to
incorporate other evidence in the order prepared for the
matter. findings of the Board, and to have the order ready for
signature at the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 10 25 P. M.
A true record, Attest
Clerk.
See Page 7.
The 'koard of Appeals , acting under renernl Laws , Ch°pter 40,
sec 27 , having received a written petition addressed to it by
Olive E. H lton Executrix, Estate of Minnie r+. Tillson, a copy Hilton
of which is hereto annexed , held a public hearing thereon of
which notice was mailed to the netiticner and to the owners Order,
of ell property deemed by the Board to be affected thereby as
they ,,pnear on the -cost recent local tax list, end also ad-
, vertised in the Lexington Times-Minute Man, a newspaper
publi hed in Lexington, which hearing was held in the Select-
men 's room in the Town Office building on Monday, the first
day of July, 1929 at eic;ht o ' clock P. M. A majority of the
memters of the Board of Arneals were present at the hearing
4 certificate of notice i hereto annexed. At this hearing
evidence was offerer on behalf of the petiti-ners tending
to show that the building vti,ich they proposed to use if
located in LeTington at the corner of ''pass chusetts Avenue
and Plainfield Street; that the buildinc no,r on the premises
can be used for an Inn without e -ternal alteraFion aid that
only e two-car garage is to be built, and evidence wa offered
on behalf of citizens opposing the granting of the sai'
petition tending to sh w -
1. That in their judgment the rouse was of such tyle
and construction that it could readll-T be used for the
nurpose intended within that lone , Wind no har, ship would ,e
created urn The owners by asking them to use it as such
that if the variance were granted it would tend to depreciate
other prorerty in the neighborhood.
2. That in their u^'gment , the public convenience and
welfare will be materially offected by the making 6f this
exception and elloving the use of this building as an Inn to
accommodate tourists , as it would create additional traffic
hazard at a corner already baaly ^ongested.
3. That all w tnesses were objectors .
t the close of the hearing the Board in private session
gave consideration to the subject of the petition and voted
unanimously in favor of the following findings
1. That in its judgment the public convenience and
welfare will not be substantially served by the making of the
exception requested.
2. That the exception requested will tend to impair
the status of the neighborhood.
3 . That the exception requested will not be in harmony
with the general )-rposes ^nd intent of the regulations in the
Lexington toning By-Law.
4. That the erf'orcr-ment of the Lexington Zonint. By-law
as to the lo-us in question wouli not involve practical aiffi-
cultv and unnecessary hardsl-ip an the relief r quested may not
114
be granted without substantially derogating from the intent
and purpose of such Lexington Zoning B7--law.
Pursuant to said findings, the Board hereby denies the
said netition of Olive E. Hilton, Executrix, Estate of Minnie
A Tillson of Lexington, to Shari, the apnlic tior of the Lexington
-"ening By-law and instructs the Inspector of Buildings of
Lexington not to grant a permit t'-erefor.
The Board hereby makes a detailed record of all its
proceedings relative to such petition and hereby sets forth
that the »easons or its decision are its findings herein-
before set forth and the testimony pres ,nted at the said
hearing, including th -t herein summarized, and directs that
this record immediately following this decision shall be
filet in the office of the Town Clerk of Lexington and shall
be open to public inspection and that notice of this decision
shall be mailed forthwith to each party in interest.
BOARD OF APPEAL,, OF LEXI ETON
( Appointed under G L Ch. 40, sec. 27 )
Theodore A. Custance
Arthur Id ...addison
Curlys L Slocum
C. Edward Glynn
Roland "r. Baldrey.
I , Roland 'I. Baldrey, Clerk of the Board of Appeals of
Lexington, appointed under General Laws, Chapter 40, ,Section
27 , hereby certify that I sent by registered mail on the sixth
day of June , 1929 to Edward Fr Esther S Balzer, Florence
M. Daniels, Cha les H. Lowe, Tohn _d P, Bri'get 7. Cotter,
Aleah F r . nessa, Esther B. Lee , Concetta Tedesco, Gertrude
Pireee et al , rthur D. Gossom, Mary i,jrsAvin, Worse L. '" crier,
Anna L. OtHearn, George Sweetlana, Tohanna uennedy, '"'illiam
F. Fletcher Charles H. Sha _tlain illiam N RoThins , Tames
R. i+� Edward F Buttrick, Nelson . Tenno7r, 'senh Trani,
Louis T. °i. Cl''r' heynolds , Fran'; D Peirce , Roland 9 Edna
Baldrey, Tames &. "ertlha 'olt Daniel '. and Jane P Knight,
ieetropoliten `'il lire• ,,tn4-ion Inc , Jennie n . J_ylirester, et el,
Tames L. Pr, ,'lore Doyle, Ethel ' Glidden, Louise Edgar, James
Truran, Fred P ' oulton i+iebel A Rothschi' d, L-dia E •heaton
heirs of , Otis L erry, Edward G u Vera r "heaton, Hubert
I ? Verona C Coryell, Elizabeth T. Nunn, Francis F. Gray,
Kate E. Thompson, qlbert G. Ross , Annie Pierce, Tohn E. &
Tosophine R Kennedy, Francis L Buttrick, Herbert F. Howland,
heirs of Eva ",F. Ridgeway, James G. Robertson, illiam B.
Foster, Herbert i "rury, Edna H. At-ood, Luther R. Fc 'nnie
n Putne-,-, Fred C. Earle ilson E Lei 'hton, I'innie
". illiken, sward "'oxitague , ;;ary . eaffy , ^,;actin 9 Catherine
Casey, Edwar L. T ler, Charles F V lstine, Helen ,iggins,
Minnie L . Tyrer, Maria r'rurrnve, heirs of, rthur L. Tyler,
Charles H. R. Eliza 1s. ' c'-ofielr, Emily L. 17, Nelles, ()olnhus
F. Ouerlre and Minnie A Tillson an al o ublished in the
Lexing' on Tines-Minute Man on June 7, 1929, a notice of which
the following is a true copy.
NO t I C E
Lexington, Mass.
June 5, 1929
The Board of L,npeals will hnld a hearing on the matter
of varying the epplir 'tion of the zonig law by per-rifting the
use of the property situnted on the snu`,,eas'- co^ne" of
Massachusetts +'.venue and Plainfield Street, and owned by
Olive E. Hilton, Executrix, Estate of Minnie A Tillson as
an Inn to accommodate tourists , in gecordance with sub-section
2 in R 2 districts , and Section 9 of the Toning Law of the
Town o" Lexinp'ton, and Chapter T73 o" the Acts of 1924.
The be.arin will be held on June 21, 192.9 et 8 00 P. .
at the Selec'n^en 's Office , Town office Building.
Theodore ' "ustance,
Member of the Board of Arpeals.
Roland W. Baldrey. . .
• " .
. . Cle�rfc.. • . • •
Nn TI(''E OF ^ +n T�ping ''T", (, -- � I,,. flF T i ,.T � 1-r �"�
L ;.� _ �� r OLIVE E 1 10 � CLIC _i ION.
The hearing called on the apnlination of Olive L Hilton,
Executrix, Estate of Minrie Tillson, June 21 at 8 P „ ,
Towr office LTilding has been adjourned to July 1, 1929 at
the gel ectmen t s Office, Town Office Building at 8 P M.
MEETING, AUGUST 1, 1929
4 meeting of the Boar' of Appeals was held at the
selectmen's Room, Town office Building at 8 P. M. Messrs .
Arthur N. Meddison, Roland Baldrey, Theodore 4. Custance,
C. Edward Glynn and Curlys Slocum were present. Helen C.
Whittemore was also present.
The Board viewed the premises of Paul Whipple , 13 Belfry Premises
Trrace, and Minnie B. Stevenson, Vine Brook Road, so that they viewed.
II would be familiar with the matters to be discussed et this
meeting.
The following order was signed relative to the decision Tillson
made on July 1, 1929 on the annlication of Olive E. Hilto-, , order.
Extrix. , Estate of Minnie A. Tillson. ( See page 13. )
rl CZ
S. 0
Steven'on
hearing . It was voted, that the hearing on the petition of
minnie B Stevenson be re-opened.
Mr. latthew ,)tevenson and kr. Richard J. Spen 'er came
before the Board at 8 70 F . Y. and discussed the application
of Minnie B. Stevenson
Mr. Spencer stated that he refused to sell a ten foot
strip of lana to Mr. ,3teven. on as it would take nart of
his barn and interfere with the proper development of his lot
which is nart business and part residence. From the evidence
presented it appears that the agreement of sale was signed
on May 20, 1929 and th papers passed on June 12 , 1929
The hearing was closed, an-a the matter laid upon the table.
Whipple The Board discussed the application of Paul Whipple and
permit after viewing the evidence presented , decided to refuse the
refused. apnlication as there is ample opportunity to so place the
garage that it will comply with the Zoning requirements , and
if a some future time a street i extended, as is very
probable , it would be very unsightly to have the garage
so near the street line.
A true record; Attest
Qi)
.L.8
l � '(��` J
Clerk.