HomeMy WebLinkAbout1933-04-03 Repoit to Town Meeting April 3, 1933
Actin on the petition of Daniel J. O 'Connell to amend
the Lexington 'oni ib By-Laws by changieg the triangular parcel
of lend bounded oy Fletcher Avenue, !"oburn Street and the right-
of-way of the Boston and Lowell Railroad Corp from an R 1
district to a. C 1 district, the ''tannin;, Board in accordance
with the provisions of the 'oning By-Law has held a duly advertised
hearing, and after consideratio i, now reports to the Town
The 'Tannin Board has twice previously considered
requests for substantially this same change, and upon its
adverse repots the Town has twice refused to approve it
TTpon this its third consideration of the natter, the Planning
Board hes again unanimously voted to recommend to the Town that
this change be not approved at this time
It does not appet r that the fundamental. conditions affecting
the matter have eny uatcriel degree changed since it was last
considered by the Town The opposition of the Planning Board to
the proposed chane is, Ls formerly, a sed primarild upon a firm
belief that the ares already provided for business use is a„iple,
not only for ail present needs but for the needs of many years
to coxae, ana that to enlarge the area wiii necess. riiy lead to a
depreoi. tion in value of existing, business areas and a
progressive deterioration of neaiby residential properties
Beyond this primay consideratio,i, which invoiv s a
principle of far-reachi.,, imeortance affecting; the future develop-
ment of the Town with respect to its business areas, the Panning
Board in mope, oy other and more immediate considerations to
recomuend that the Town at.,least difer committing itself to a
change at this time Among t.,ese are the following,
(1) The petitioner has indicated that he has in mind re-
questine the withdrawal of certain lands on the southerly side
of Massachusetts Avenure from inthrop hoed to the Baptist Churcn
from the Business or A 1 district to an F 1 or residence district
and further tht t ae would favor the withfrawai of the land from tie
Town Buildings to Fletcher !venue from to C 1 district to Fn h 4
district Such cna n�,es, the -tanning Board feels , eserve the
serious consideration of the Town, and should be carefully cent
explored and acted upon before any new area immediately a
is set apart for business use
(2) The Russell House property involving an important tract
of land adjacent to Town property is now in the narxet and its
future aeveloement is uncertain. Being important in its influence
on general town develoenent the future of this area should not
be pre,,udiced at this time by a chane in the status of the
property involved in this petition
The Plannin Board recognizes the improvements that the
petitioner has mode in the property, and the apparent fact that
the land cannot be turned to as great profit for the owner through
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residential use PS through ousiness use, but would again point
out thE. t the lend wts accuired oy the owner vhile it was in a
residential zone with no indication on the ; rt of the Town that
its status Was to oe cheneed
leeeeectine that specific business use indicated for this
area, should, it oe changed to a business area, the Planning Board
is of the opinion that a filling station would introduce added
complications and den,ers to ootn hi,nwty and sidewale trafeic .
Seeing no euulic necessity with respect to teie special use at
this location, the Board notes th owine demand in neighooring
municipalities to exciud such uses from preas in proximity Lo
churches , schools, end public buiedings Respecting the induce-
ments offered in the way of new assessable values, the Board is
inclined to discount these considerably in view of the oroader
considerations end to contemplate tae prooability of eventual
depreciation of the va .ue of mercantiee buildings in tnis erea
owing to its peculiar location.
The Planning Board recognizes the desire of residents of
the Fletcher Avenue and "'oburn Street districts for impioved
street conditions and convenient neighborhood stores, but it
should be noted that Fletcher Avenue is now an unaccepted street
and that e uusiness urea suiteole for neighborhood stores, is
already provided on ' burn Street east of the railroad. The
future extension of Sherman Street to 'oburn Street with eeneral
rearrengements and improvements including the possible discon-
tinuance of Fletcher tvenue from the Feilroad to Massachusetts
Avenue pre seen es deveioements indicating the desirauilite of
deferring any chenee en the et tus of the Ere F invoived in the
present petition
The Planning Board regards this triangular area, dust
off the erincieal avenue between two streets and a railroad, and
oetween two preps in which the Town itself has heavy investments ,
as being of eeculiar strate,ic Importence Changes such as
mieht be involved in the elimination of the ¶oourn Street grade
crossing, or the reiayout of "rouurn -treet as e pert of a midor
state highwey development sugeest that limey/ charges for demaees
mieht well fall on the Town if this areF were to be built ueon
for business purposes .
For these reasons the Town should surely maintain at
this point the limitation of the business area as orieinally
contemplated when the 7oiing By-Law was passed . The Planning
Board aeain urees that the Town make no chane at this time in
the status of the particular area covered by the petition