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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1955-09-19 PLANNING BOARD MEETING September 19, 1955 A regular meeting of the Planning Board was held in the Town Engineer' s Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, September 19, 1955 at 7:50 P.M. Chairman Adams, Messrs. Abbott, Grindle, Hathaway, Irwin and Jaquith were present as was also Mr. Snow, Planning Director, Mr. Stevens, Town Counsel, was present from 8:20 to 8:30 P.M. Mr. Jaquith moved, Mr. Grindle seconded the motion and it was unanimously VOTED: that Mr. Irwin be temporary chairman. The following bills were presented for payment: BILLS Robert L. Higgins, for professional services, Sept. 6 through Sept. 16, 1955 - $100.00; H. B. MeArdle, for one ream of mimeograph paper - $2.75. Mr. Grindle moved, Mr. Hathaway seconded the motion and it was un- animously voted that the bills be approved as presented. The Board then took under consideration Form A applications for determination of Planning Board jurisdiction. #55-70, #55-71 and #55-72 were sub- FORMS A witted on September 19, 1955 by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, F. J. Murphy, Trustee, were each accompanied by tracings having the same follow- ing title but marked Sheet 1 of 3, Sheet 2 of 3 and Sheet 3 of 3, respectively: "Plan of Land in Lex- ington, Mass. owned by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, " Scale 1 in. : 20 ft. , dated Sept. 15, 1955, John J. Carroll, C. E. At 8:00 P.M. Mr. Hathaway moved, Mr. Grindle seconded the motion and it was unanimously VOTED: that the tracings accompanying applica- tions #55-70, #55-71 and #55-72 be signed bearing the endorsement "Lexington Planning Board approval not required under subdivi- sion control law". Mr. Adams arrived at 8:02 P.M. At this time the Board discussed a plan concerning which the Middleby Realty Trust requested an informal opinion. The plan was a revision of the one accompanying Form A applica- tion #55-66 and which the Board endorsed on August 23, 1955. Since the plan proposed lotting over the Vine Brook easement, it was decided to obtain first a copy of the instrument by means of which the Town was granted an easement, to determine exactly the purposes for which the easement was granted, and then to refer the plan to Mr. Stevens for an opinion. The Chairman next read Mr. Stevens' letter of TOWN AGREEMENT September 16, 1955 transmitting, at the Board's re- WITH LEXINGTON quest, a copy of the agreement dated September 22, ESTATES TRUST 1907 between the Town of Lexington, acting by its Board of Selectmen, and the Trustees of Lexington• Estates Trust. The Board read portions of the agree- ment taking special note of the provision obligating the Town to construct a street from Waltham Street to a point on the boundary line between the land taken by the Town by eminent domain and the ruining land of the Trust. Mr. Snow was asked to keep the agree- ment for ready reference in view of the fact that Mr. Baskin had purchased the Trust property and was planning to subdivide the land at an early date. LETTER FROM In reply to the Board' s request of August 10, STATE DEPT. OF 1955, the Chairman next read a letter from the State HEALTH RE: Department of Health stating that in its opinion SITES FOR both the old reservoir property on Marrett Road SWIMMING and the North Street gravel pit were unfit for pub- lic swimming and recommended consideration of a new slimming pool facility as an answer to this particu- lar phase of the Town' s recreation needs. With the letter the Department enclosed a brochure on muni- cipal swimming pools. Mr. Stevens arrived at the meeting at 8:20. He left shortly thereafter, the Board having no special problems for him to consider at that time. In reply to the Board' s request of September 7, SELECTMEN'S the Chairman read the Selectmen' s September 12 reply LETTER RE: to the effect that most of the tax title property TAX TITLE which has been sold has been individual lots of an PROPERTY area much too small to be used for recreation; that, if possible, there be presented to them a plan of areas in the Town which the Board believes desirable for recreational purposes; and that, if these par- ticular locations contain tax title property, the Selectmen will notify the Planning Board before tak- ing any action on offers to purchase land in these particular locations. The Board did not find this reply quite satis- factory in that its park and recreation plan was not ' completed and there might be sold some small but impor- tant tax title lots next to larger potential areas. After some discussion the Board authorized Mr. Snow to discuss the matter further with the Selectmen stat- ing that the Planning Board would appreciate receiving a notification from the Selectmen every time an offer is made for a piece of tax title property and explain- ing that this is only a temporary expedient until the park and recreation plan is ready. Mr. Snow next introduced the subject of obtaining STUDENT HELP the services of a student to work on the engineering FOR BLOCK department surveying crew so Mr. Litchenberg could be PLAN & BASE relieved of that work, as he had been during the summer, MAP REVISION to continue to prepare town block plans and maps. It was reported that Mr. Newman in charge of the North- eastern University co-operative program for civil en- gineering students stated that it would be difficult to obtain such a student under that program until April. With some $1700 still available from the money approp- riated under Article 38 at the annual town meeting, it was thought that this money ought to be held over for another year and that an engineering firm be hired to draft a new 800-scale town map. It was suggested that II Mr. Litchenberg be hired to do the work on a contract basis, he working on such Saturdays as he desired. At 8:55 P.M. the Board took under consideration CERTIFICATE the signingof a certificate of a roval for the sub- OF APPROVAL division, inuteman Highlands, Section 3. The Chair- MINUTEMAN man read a letter from Mr. Stevens, dated September HIGHLANDS, 12, 1955 and enclosing copies of easements which had SECTION 3 been obtained in behalf of the Town. Mr. Stevens hav- ing prepared the certificate for signatures and all the necessary conveyances of easements and utilities being granted, Mr. Irwin moved, Mr. Hathaway seconded the motion and it was unanimously VOTED: that the Planning Board of Lexington sign the Certificate Approval with ref- erence to the subdivision plans of Minuteman Highlands, Section 3. The Board also took under consideration the sub- LEDGELAWN AVE division connecting previously developed sections of EXTENSION Ledgelawn Avenue. The definitive plans being in order and a performance bond, Form F, having been duly filed by Dianne Estates and secured by a certified check, Mr. Grindle moved, Mr. Jaquith seconded the motion and it II was unanimously VOTED: That the definitive subdivision plan entitled "Plan of Lots in Lexington, Mass. , owned by Dianne Estates, Inc. ," dated July 23, 1955, which was sub- mitted to the Board by Dianne Estates, Inc. on August 8, 1955, accompanied by an application for approval of defini- tive plan, Form C, dated August 3, 1955, be and hereby is approved. REPRINTING Discussion was held concerning the methods of re- ZONING BY-LAWS printing and binding the zoning by-laws, the methods of adding amendments, revising zoning map, etc. Mr. Snow was asked to prepare a dummy copy of the way he thought the by-laws should be assembled and to ask Spaulding-Moss to visit the Board with samples of this type of completed work. The Board likewise entered into a discussion con- WORTHEN ROAD corning Worthen Road, the counts of traffic through town, design of intersections where Worthen Road is proposed to cross other town ways, etc. Mr. Snow was asked to make a careful study of the whole problem of Worthen Road and its relation to other elements of the proposed long-range plan. The meeting adjourned at 10:00 P.M. Charles T. Abbott Clerk