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Home My WebLink About1926-12-271 1 December 27, 19266 F. I,. Finery, Esq., 50 Congress Street, Boston, Mass, Dear Sir: The Planning Board has considered the following matters daring the year 1928; School house site. Drainage Act, Sewer assessment provisions. Veteranst Hospital. Parking arrangements, Tz%bino Development, Utica Street, Massachusetts Aves at Oak St, curve reduction. Extension of Business . Zone est Waltham. Street and Vine Brook Roads Schofield & Boss,(dropped). Vine Brook drainage and betterment assessments. Business Zone, Lowell & Vorth`�ts,. Hearing, etc, Swan Development. (Vine St. & Sayes bane). East St. Improvement and new road from Adams St. to Nort',z Hancock Street, Massachusetts tive, sot -back releases, Woburn Street to Town Hall. Through Traffic Highway developments Establishment of numerous street lines by county commissioners,asked of Selectmen. Filling Stations, general attitude toward, Pilling Stations, Grapevine Cornsr,Capper land, "4. P. Gorman development, Lexington Parke Hinchey road, North Lexington. F. L. Emery, Esq. I-D!,T: F 4. 2 Meady & Gorman land, Reed & Bedford Streets. Business Zone, Mass. Ave, & Marret Street, Petition and Hearing. Bacon Property, Maple Street, Shurtleff Park plans, streets, drainage, and Ryder development. Engineering facilities. Bill Hoards. Restoration of grass plots,etc, by public utilities disturbing same for construction* Building Linea, :Massachusetts Ave,, Fast Lexington, Business Zone, 115 Massachusetts Avenue, petition of Justin Shea. Very truly yours, Clerk, Report of the Planning Board for the Year 1926. As in previous years, the Planning Board has met two or three times ' a month throughout all but the midsummer months, and has been called up- on to consider the usual variety of problems. The Board has been ser- iously handicapped in its work by leek of engineering assistance. Un- less this assistance can be furnished, the Planning Board will be un- able to protect the Town as it should be protected against ill consider- ed and destructive development. In the opinion of the Board, the Town should provide an engineering force of not less than six men, a thoroughly experienced engineer whose experience and judgment would command a salary of from four to five thousand dollars a year, one competent to consider the various problems in a large way and to suggest plans for solving them, a second competent eng¢neer and at least four men capable of doing field work and drafting. Such a force would be capable of furnishing all engineering data requir- ed by the Town properly to control its development in various directions, and at a much lower cost than will result if we are to go outside to pri- vate firms, as will otherwise inevitably be necessary. Any money spent on engineering during the next ten or fifteen years will, in the opinion of the Board, be more than made up to the Town dur- ing the same period and in the years following. In our report for the year 1925 it was stated that the Board felt the Town to be insufficiently protected in the matter of provisions governing acceptance of streets, and stated its purpose to propose an amendment to the by-laws to meet the situation. Such an amendment to the by-laws was proposed to the Town at the March meeting, but was lost. We are glad to say, however, that the Selectmen subsequently adopted a set of rules defining the requirements and rules of procedure for accept- ance of streets which, to a large degree, provides what was sought to be had by an amendment to the by-laws. -2-� r Considerable attention has been given to the matter of a selection of site for additional school buildings, in pursuance of request from the Selectmen, and the recommenda- tions men, a Board is about ready to make definite recommen a tions with respect thereto. The bills for amending the Drainage Act and to correct the method of assessing costs for sewer extensions, referred to in our 1925 report, both became laws during the year 1926, much of the time of the Planning Board being required in assisting the framing of the bills to meet the requirements of the Legislature and in securing the passage of the same. The Town has already benefited to the extent of many thousands of dollars as the result of the new method of sewer assessments. In connection with the drainage of the lower areas and particularly those to the south of Massachusetts Avenue drained by Vine Brook, a res- ponsible firm of private engineers have been engaged to make necessary surveys and to present a preliminary report presenting tentative plans - for draining the lowlands and, to that end, deepening Vine Brook where it passes under Massachusetts Avenue and the railroad, and to furnish preliminary plans and estimates of cost which, it is hoped, will be laid before the Town during the spring or summer of 1927 for definite action by the Town. Mr. A. A. Shurtletf, landscape architect, is cooperating with the engineers, and it is hoped that,simultaneously with the en- gineers' report upon the drainage, there may be presented to the Town a comprehensive plan for improving the lowlands, particularly in the park area, which, if adopted, will make certain that any fillings or roadways done or built hereafter shall be in pursuance of definite plans, so that no money will be wasted. The amendment to the Drainage Law above re- ferred to, provides for assessment of betterments to cover the cost of this drainage and improvement work, if and when the same is carried out. The planning Board obtained the necessary releases to mage possible the establishment of a building line from and including the Town Hall ' lot to Fletcher Avenue on the northerly side of Massachusetts Avenue, whereby the Town is protected against new building construction that would add to the cost of widening the avenue to a full hundred feet, should it ever be deemed necessary to have the avenue so widened. The Planning Board is now at work upon the establishment of further building lines in the business zones on Massachusetts Avenue, with a like end in view. Among the other matters considered by the Board, usually upon pe- tition of interested property owners, are the following: What is known as the Trebino development on Utica Street, definite recommendation made; proposed extension of business zone on Waltham Street near nine Brook load, adversely reported and dropped; business zone at Lowell and North Streets, upon which hearing was granted, favorably recompftended ait passed by the Town; what is known as the Swan development at Vine Street and Hayes Lane, still under consideration; East Street improvement and new road from Adams Street to North Hancock Street, the latter definitely recommended and in process of construction; the matter of additional filling stations at Grape Vine Corner on the Capper property, suggestions submitted; W. P. Gorman development, Lexington Park, still under consid- eration; Hinchey Road, North Lexington; Meady and Gorman land at Reed and Bedford Streets, still under consideration; business zone at Massachusetts Avenue and Marrett Street, hearing granted and adversely recommended; Bacon property, Maple Street, still under consideration; and business zone at 115 Massachusetts Avenue upon petition of Justin , Shea, hearing granted and adversely recommended. The important subject of through traffic highway development is still held up for want of adequate engineering data, and must be held up until such data is obtained, and this notwithstanding it is one of the -4 - most important features for the Town to consider for control of future developments. The Board has recommended to the Selectmen the establishment by the County Commissioners of numerous street lines, all for protection of the Town and individual property owners in connection with further building on those streets. The administration of the Zoning By -Law is definitely placed in the hands of the Building Inspector, and requires easeful consideration of 'a competent and a broad -gauge man. The necessary man, and time cannot be had for the small sum -- less than one thousand dollars, now paid for Building Inspector. In our opinion, two thousand dollars should be ap- propriated for the purpose. It is recommended that the scale of fees charged for building permits be raised, so as to make possible the pay- ment of the sum here recommended, otherwise the full benefits of the Zon- ing Law will not be obtained. This report is closed, as it was begun, with an earnest plea to the Town to appropriate the necessary sum for an adequate engineering force, in order that the Town's development may be made to fit the requirements of the Town rather than to modify the Town's requirements to fit the hap- hazard development by individuals. Respectfully submitted,