HomeMy WebLinkAbout1944-12-290
BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING
December 29, 1944
A meeting of the Board of Appeals was held in
the Selectmen's Room on Friday evening, December 29,
1944 at 8:20 p.m. Chairman Glynn, Messrs. Locke,
Bowker, Associate Members Redman and Lynah were
present. The Clerk was also present.
At 8:20 p.m. hearing was declared open upon the
application of Fulton Brown for permission.to continue
the use of the property located at 9 Muzzey Street,
Lexington as a blacksmith shop for making articles
from horseshoes.
The following persons were present at the hear-
ing: Fulton Brown, Harold C. Denham, lair. and Mrs.
Daniel E. Davis and a woman who did hot reveal her
name, representing Mr. Henry S. Raymond.
The notice of the hearing was read by Mr. Bowker.
Mr. Brown stated that he would like to continue
using the building at 9 Muzzey Street as a blacksmith
shop. He informed the Board that he is not a black
smith, but that he designs articles to be made from
old horseshoes and then has blacksmiths, in their own
shops, make them. The articles are assembled by Mr.
Brown and he advised the Board that the operation was
not noisy. He said that he makes horseshoe scrapers,
horseshoe bells, horseshoe doorstops, etc.
The Chairman asked what equipment would be re-
quired in this business and Mr. Brown replied that
he would use the same forge that had been used by the
blacksmith previously in business at this location, a
drill press and a grinder.
The Chairman asked how long there had been a
blacksmith shop on this site and Mr. Denham, owner
of the property, replied about thirty years.
Mr. Locke asked whether or not there would be
any spray painting and Mr. Brown replied that the
articles would be Parkerized in Cambridge, but that
he would do some dipping.
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Mr. Bowker inquired as to the hours the shop would
be open and Mr. Brown stated that ordinarily it would
be open from 8:00 a.m. until five or six in the evening.
Mr. Locke asked if the parts were to be welded to-
hether rather than soldered and Mr. Brown replied that
he would use an electric welder.
Lir. Lynah inquired as to the number of employees and
Mr. Brown informed the Board that he would not employ
anyone. He stated that he designed the articles and had
them made at different blacksmith shops. They are then
finished by him at his own shop.
Messrs. Brown and Denham retired at 8:30 p.m.
Hearing was then declared open upon the petition
of Daniel E. Davis for permission to operate a machine
shop for light manufacturing of experimental work for
the United States Government, on the premises located
at 5 Muzzey Street, Lexington.
The notice of the hearing was read by Mr. Bowker.
Mr. Davis stated that he has four bench lathes, one
milling machine, three small drill presses, one band
saw, one disking machine and tool grinders. He said
that all of the machines are small. He informed the
Board that he is at present engaged in war work for the •
United States Government on special experimental pro-
jeets which consists of lathe work. He said that he
has small units for which he makes different parts
which are assembled together. He further stated that
he never makes more than twenty or thirty pices of any
particular item. Once the unit is worked the way it
is ordered, it then goes to a larger plant where units
are made by the thousands.
The Chairman asked what material was used in making
the parts and Mr. Davis replied that he uses brass, solid
silver and bakelight.
The Chairman asked Mr. Davis how long he had been
operating at 5 Muzzey Street and he replied that he had
been there since the first of September.
The Chairman asked if the work was noisy and Mr.
Davis replied in the negative.
The Chairman asked how many people were employed and
Mr. Davis replied that he now employs thirteen, working
in two shifts; from 5:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and from
5:00 p.m. until 1;00 a.m. He said that in emergencies
he and one or two other men occasionally worked on Sun-
days.
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Mr. Locke asked if the employees lived in Lexing-
ton and Mr. Davis stated that the majority of them did.
Mr. Lynah asked if the business was operated by
Mr. Davis as an individual and he replied in the affirm-
ative stating that he had recently purchased the pro-
perty.
Mr. Lynah asked Mr. Davis if he had planned to con-
tinue the business after the war and Mr. Davis replied
that he hoped to continue and to do experimental work in
aeronattics.
The Chairman asked if there was anyone present
opposing the granting of the petition. A woman, who
did not reveal her name, stated that she was represent-
ing Mr. Raymond of Clark Street. Mr. Raymond would
object to a permanent manufacturing business being
operated at this location, but he would have no objec-
tion if it were operated for the duration of the war only.
The hearing was,declared closed at 8:40 p.m. and
the group retired.
The Chairman read a letter from the Lexington Trust
Company relative to varying the Zoning Law with respect
to the premises at 5 and 9 Muzzey Street. The Executive
Committee of the bank expressed the hope that if the-
change
hechange in zoning were allowed, it would be limited for
not longer than six months after the duration of the
present war and that the activities of the business would
be confined to the buildings in which they are now carried
on
Upon motion -of Mr. Bowker, seconded by Mr. Locke,
it was unanimously voted to grant the Fulton Brown peti-
tion in the following form:
BOARD OF APPEALS PERMIT
The Board of Appeals, acting under the Lexington Zoning
By-law and General Laws, Chapter 40, Sections 25 to 30 as
amended, having received a written petition addressed to it by
Fulton Brown a copy of which is hereto annexed, held a public
hearing thereon of which notice was mailed to the petitioner
and to the owners of all property deemed by the Board to be
affected thereby as they appear on the most recent local tax
list and also advertised in the Lexington Minute -Man, a news-
paper published in Lexington, which hearing was held in the
Selectmen's Room, in the Town Office Building on the 29th
day of December, 1944. Two associate and three regular members
of the Board of Appeals were present at the hearing. A certi-
ficate of notice is hereto annexed. At this hearing evidence
was offered on behalf of the petitioner tending to show:
That he wished to have the premises located at 9 Muzzey Street,
Lexington, operated as a blacksmith shop for the purpose of
making specialty articles from horseshoes; that the equipment
used is mostly that common to blacksmith shops, including a
small drill press and a small grinder; that the property has
been used as a blacksmith shop for over thirty years; that
at the present time there are no employees; that the hours
are ordinary business hours with the exceptions during
occasional rush seasons. some work is done in the evening;
that much of the work done consists of assembling and fin-
ishing material that has been partly wrought elsewhere.
Ra one appeared in opposition, but one opinion was
expressed by letter that the permit should not extend
materially beyond the duration of the war.
At the close of the hearing the Board in private session
on December 291, 1944, gave consideration to the subject of
the petition and voted unanimpusly in favor of the following
findings;
1. That in its judgment the public convenience and
welfare will be substantially served by the making of the
exception requested.
2. That the exception requested will not tend to
impair the status of the neighborhood.
3. That the exception requested will be in harmony with
the general purposes and intent of the regulations in the
Lexington Zoning By-law,
4. That owing to conditions expecially affecting the said
parcel but not affecting generally the Zoning district in which .
it is located, a literal enforcement of the provisions of the
Lexington Zoning By-law as to the locus in question would involve
substantial hardship to the petitioner and that desirable relief
may be granted without substantially derogating from the intent
or purpose of such Lexington Zoning By-law.
Pursuant to the said findings, the Board hereby unan-
imously decides that the application of the Lexington Zoning
By-law is hereby varied so far as may be necessary to permit
H. C. Denham to maintain and have operated on the premises at
9 Muzzey Street, Lexington, a blacksmith shop used principally
for the fabrication of specialty articles made from horseshoes,
subject to the following conditions;
That there shall be no structural changes or enlargement
of the premises; that there shall be no change in the general
type of business conducted; that the equipment used shall be
that commonly found in blacksmith shops; and a drill press and
small grinder; that there shall be no storage or use of in-
flammable materials; that there shall be no noise that would
be more disturbing to the neighbors than that which ordinarily
occurs from a blacksmith shop; that the premises shall be kept
in a neat and orderly condition.
The Board hereby makes a detailed record of all its pro-
ceedings relative to such petition and hereby sets forth that
the reasons for its decision are Its findings hereinbefore set
forth and the testimony presented at the said hearing, including •
that herein summarized, and directs that this record immediately
following this decision shall be filed in the office of the Town
Clerk of Lexington, and shall be open to public inspection and
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• that the notice of this decision shall be mailed forthwith
to each party in interest.
BOARD OF APPEALS OF LEXINGTON
(Acting under the Lexington Zoning
By-law and General Laws)
C, Edward Glynn
Winthrop H. Bowker
Thomas G. Lynah
Lester T. Redman
Errol H. Locke
I. Hazel J. Murray, Clerk of the Board of Appeals of Lexington,
appointed under General Laws, Chapter 40, Section 27, hereby
certify that I sent by postage certificate of mailing on the
14th day of December, 1944, to Daniel J. O'Connell, Lexington
Trust Company, George E. & Helen S. Smith, Ralph H. Marshall,
Albert F. & Marion P. Douglass, Gertrude R. Hadley, Henry S.
Raymond, Fulton Brown, H. C. Denham, and also advertised in
the Lexington Minute -Man on December 14, 1944, a notice of
which the following is a true copy.
Hazel J. Murray
C1erk,Board of Appeals.
• December 1, 1944
Lexington Board of Zoning Appeals
Town Office Building
Lexington, Mass.
Gentlemen:
The undersigned hereby petition the Lexington Board of Appeals,
appointed under General Laws, Chapter 40, Sections 25 to 30 as amended,
to determine the application of Section 9D of the Lexington Zoning
By-law with respect to the premises at no. 9 Muzzey Street, owned by
H, C. Denham of 8 Jackson Court, by permitting the following: To
continue using this as a blacksmith shop, making articles from
horseshoes.
Fulton Brown
24 Arlington Street
Winchester, Mass.
NOTICE
Lexington, Mass,
December 141 1944
The Board of Appeals will hold a hearing on the matter of
varying the application of the Zoning By-law by permitting on the
premises owned by H. C.Denham, and located at 9 Muzzey Street,
Lexington, the operation of a blacksmith shop for the purpose of making
articles from horseshoes, under the Lexington Zoning Law or in ac-
cordance with Chapter 40, Section 27A of the General Laws and
amendments.
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The hearing will be hald on December 29, 1944, at 8;00
P. M. in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, Lex-
ington, Mass.
C. Edward Glynn
Chairman, Board of Appeals
Upon motion of Mr. Locke; seconded by Mr. Lynah, it was
unanimously voted to grant the Daniel E. Davis petition in the
following form:
BOARD OF APPEALS PERMIT
The Board of Appeals, acting under the Lexington Zoning
By-law and General Laws, Chapter 40, Sections 25 to 30 as
amended, having received•a written petition addressed to it by
Daniel E. Davis, a copy of which is hereto annexed, held a
public hearing thereon of which notice was mailed to the
petitioner and to the owners of all property deemed by the
Board to be affected thereby as they appear on the most recent
local tax list and also advertised in the Lexington Minute -Man,
a newspaper published in Lexington, which hearing was held in
the Selectmen's Room, in the -Town Office Building on the 29th
day of December, 1944. Two Associate and three regular members
of the Board of Appeals were present at the hearing. A certificate
of notice is hereto annexed. At this hearing evidence was offered
on behalf of the petitioner tending to show: That he wished to
maintain and operate on the premises at 5 Muzzey Street, Lex-
ington, a small machine shop for doing experimental work in
connection with new developments of the U. S. Air Corps; that
the articles made were constantly changing because the work
had to do with new developments which, when perfected, were
manufactured elsewhere by larger units; that much of the work
was in brass and other non-ferrous metals; that the equipment `
consists of four bench lathes, milling machine, three drill
presses, band sawm disking machine and small tool grinders;
that thirteen men are employed in 2 shifts from 8:00 A.M. until
6:00 P. M. and from 5:00 P. M. until 1:00 A.M*; that at the time
of emergencies a lesser amount of work is sometimes done on
Sundays. No one appeared in opposition, but opinion was ex-
pressed verbally and by letter that the permit should•be granted
only for the approximate duration of the war.
At the close of the hearing the Board in private session
on December 29, 1944, 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 be substantially served by the making of the exception re-
quested.
2. That the exception requested will not tend to impair
the status of the neighborhood.
3. That the exception requested will be In harmony with
the general purposes and intent of the regulations in,the Lex-
ington Zoning By-law.
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4. That owing to conditions especially affecting the
said parcel but not affecting generally the Zoning district
in which it is located, a literal enforcement of the pro-
visions of the Lexington Zoning By-law as to the locus in
question would involve substantial hardship to the petitioner
and that desirable relief may be granted without substantially
derogating from the intent or purpose of such Lexington Zoning
By-law,
Pursuant to the said findings, the Board hereby unanimously
decides that the application of the Lexington Zoning By-law is
hereby varied so far as may be necessary to permit Daniel E.
Davis to maintain an operate, on the premises -at 5 Muzzey St.,
Lexington, a small machine shop equipped with approximately
the same type of machinery as now exists, as listed above,
and to be used only for approximately the same type of work as is
now being done; that such work be exclusively for use of the
armed forces of the United States, subject to the following
conditions;
That there shall be no enlargement or structural changes
of the property; that the number of people employed shall not
increase materially from the thirteen now employed; that there
shall be no inflammable materials used or stored on the premises;
that the premises shall be kept in a neat and orderly condition;
that this permit shall continue only to a period six months
after the termination of organized hostilities in the present
conflict.
The Board hereby makes a detailed record of all its pro-
ceedings relative to such petition and hereby sets forth that
the reasons for its decision are its findings hereinbefore set
forth and the testimony presented at the said hearing, including
that herein summarized, and directors that this record immediately
following this decision shall be filed 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 APPEALS OF LEXINGTON
(Acting under the Lexington Zoning
By-law and General Laws)
C. Edward Glynn
Winthrop H. Bowker
Thomas G. Lynah
Lester T. Redman
Errol H. Locke
I, Hazel J. Murray, Clerk of the Board of Appeals of Lex-
ington, appointed under General Laws, Chapter 40, Section 27,
hereby certify that I sent by postage certificate of mailing
on the 14th day of December, 1944, to Daniel J. O'Connell, Lex-
ington Trust Company, George E. & Helen R. Smith, Ralph H.
Marshall, Albert F. & Marion P. Douglass, Gertrude R. Hadley,
Henry L. Raymond, Daniel E. Davis and also advertised in the
Lexington Minute -Man on December 14, 1944, a notice of which
the following is a true copy.
Hazel J. Murray
Clerk, Board of Appeals
December 11, 1944
Lexington Board of Zoning Appeals
Town Office Building
Lexington, Mass.
Gentlemen:
The undersigned hereby petitions the Lexington Board
of Appeals, appointed under General Laws, Chapter 40, Sections
25 to 30 as amended, to vary the application of Section 9D of
the Lexington Zoning By-law with respect to the premises at 5 Muzzey
Street, owned by Daniel E. Davis of Lexington, by permitting
the following: A small machine shop doing light manufacturing
on experimental work for the United States Government.
N O T I C E
Daniel E. Davis
8 Plainfield Street
Lexington 73, Mass.
Lexington, Mass,
December 14, 1944
The Board of Appeaks will hold a hearing on the matter
of varying the application of the Zoning Law by permitting
on the premises owned by Daniel E. Davis, and located at
5 Muzzey Street, Lexington, the operation of a machine shop
for light manufacturing of experimental work for the United
States Government, under the Lexington Zoning Laws or in
accordance w ith Chapter 40, Section 27A of the General Laws
and amendments.
The hearing will be held on December 29, 1944, at 8:10
P. Me in the Selectments,Rooms Town Office Building Lex -
ington, Mass. ,
C. Edward Glynn
Chairman, Board of Appeals
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0 Mr. Locke retired at 9;00 P. M.
Hearing was declared open upon the application of B. Gleason,
45 North Hancock street, Lexington, for permission to convert a
single car garage into a two car garage, which will not have the
required distance fromthe lot line.
No persons appeared in favor or in opposition.
The Clerk telephoned the petitioner and was advised that she
is moving from Lexington and, therefore, no longer interested in
the proposed change. The application was declared dismissed.
The records of the meeting held on December 8, 1944, were
declared approved.
The meeting adjourned at 9;30 P. M.
A true record, Attest;
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