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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1956-01-09 PLANNING BOARD MEETING January 9, 1956 A regular meeting of the Planning Board was held in the Town Engineer's Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, January 9, 1956 at 7:40 P .M. Chairman Adams, Messrs. Grindle, Hathaway, Irwin and Jaquith were present as were Mr. Snow, Planning Director, and the secretary. Mr. Stevens, Town Counsel, was present from 8:40 until 9:55. The Chairman read the following bills which had been presented for payment: Sanborn Map Company, for BILLS a Lexington insurance atlas, $94..80; Anne H. Milliken, for secretarial services, $9.38; Louise M. Baker, for secretarial services, $4.90. It was moved by Mr. Grindle, seconded by Mr. Irwin and unanimously voted that the bills be approved as read. The minutes of October 24, 1955 and December 19, MINUTES 1955 were then taken under consideration. It was moved OCT. 21. by Mr. Hathaway, seconded by Mr. Grindle and unanimously DEC. 19 voted that these minutes be approved. Messrs. Skinner and Woodworth of Walter Channing, Inc., Realtors, met with the Board at 8:00 P.M. to dis- cuss the possibility of re-zoning a portion of the RE-ZONING Seabury property between Marrett Road, Massachusetts SEABURY Avenue and Route 128 from a residential to a limited PROPERTY commercial use. Mr. Skinner spoke in behalf of a large company which he did not name but which was interested in erecting a large office building of a type similar to that of Boston Manufacturers Mutual Insurance Com- pany in Waltham. He said that the company for which he was speaking only wanted to erect one office building on the 30-acre tract which they considered to be a prestige location, that the tract appeals to the com- pany because it affords certain natural protections and that the company was receptive to any reasonable restriction in regard to the use of the land. Members of the Board reveiwed some of the past experiences in regard to the difficulties of convincing the town's people of the merits of some re-zoning pro- posals and the time it took to act upon such a proposal from the date of application for a change to that of action by the Attorney General. It was also pointed out that when the time came to make application for re-zoning of the tract, the company would have to reveal its name and come forward with satisfactory answers to such questions as to the present and ultimate number of the company employees there would be, the type of business transacted, where and how many cars were to be parked, where access and egress to the tract was proposed, etc. Mr. Skinner stated that he felt that the company could satisfy all requirements, that it would not need to plan to build for about two years, that the poten- tial number of employees would involve 50 to 60 sec- retaries and clerks and a small number of salesmen and that the company might not need a cafeteria if Mr. Seabury's motel were built. . Members of the Board also raised questions as to what control there would be over the type of structure erected after the land was re-zoned and what was to pre- vent under the present zoning by-law a number of small office buildings which would not be desirable. To this Mr. Skinner thought that the Building Inspector would control the type of structure and the amount of acreage of land to be built upon. He also thought the expense of the project itself would be a safeguard and that no bank or finance company would accept anything but a large and reputable company on a project like such as proposed. Messrs. Skinner and Woodworth left the meeting at 8:50. Mr. Stevens arrived at 8:140 P.M. and after the above-named gentlemen left, discussed several matters GOULD & DEWEY pending before the Board, the principal one having to ROADS SUB- do with the Watson Realty Trust. A letter was read DIVISION from Mr. Watson asking the Board to reconsider the trust 's application for approval of the subdivision, WATSON REALTY stating the reason for not being able to file the TRUST necessary bond earlier, and enclosing said bond with the letter. Mr. Stevens thought that the Board could recon- sider its previous vote and that it was not necessary to repeat the usual procedure of advertising. Ascer- taining that all references had been checked and found to be in order, it was moved by Mr. Irwin, seconded by Mr. Hathaway and unanimously VOTED: That the December 19, 1955 vote of the Planning Board disapproving the definitive subdivision plan entitled nSubdivision Plan of Land Court Case No. 5982E in Lexington, Mass. , " dated August 8, 1955, be and hereby is rescinded. Thereupon Mr. Hathaway moved, Mr. Grindle seconded the motion, and it was unanimously VOTED: That the definitive subdivision plan en- titled "Subdivision Plan of Land Court Case No. 5982E in Lexington, Mass.," dated August 9, 1955, submitted to the Board on November 7, 1955, accompanied by an application for approval of definitive plan, Form C, dated November 7, 1955, be and hereby is approved subject to the condition that the name "Dew Street" be changed to Dewey Road and that Lot 19 shall not be built upon without prior consent of the Board of Health. Mr. Stevens left the meeting at 9:55 P.M. at which time representatives of the Recreation Committee met with the Board at its request. Mr. Ernest J. Crerie, Chairman of the Committee, Mrs. Ruth Morey, and Mrs. Merrill, secretary of the Committee, were present. PROPOSED Mr. Snow stated that in preparing a Park and Rec- PLAYGROUND reation Plan for the Town, there was a particular tract of land the Board would like to recommend for acquisi- BUSA LANDS tion as a neighborhood playground and would like to dis- AT "A" ST. cuss with the Committee, namely the former Daley tract, access to which can be had from Rawson Avenue. Mr. Snow further stated that several months ago he had discussed with Mrs. Daley the possible acquisition of this tract but learned that she was committed by a sales agreement to convey the property to Antonio Busa. Very recently Mr. Busa had acquired title to the land and planned to add it to his farm land as part of a proposed subdivision. As soon as he had knowledge that the title to the tract had passed to Mr. Busa, Mr. Snow discussed with him the possibility of acquiring the tract for a town playground. It was understood that Mr. Busa thought the playground idea a good one and was willing to sell the land to the town for that purpose. It was pointed out that there was no recreation area in East Lexington except for the one at the Adams School and that from Brandon to Bow Streets and from the railroad to Rawson Avenue, the proposed playground site is the only one remaining which it is felt can be developed into a satisfactory recreation area. The State census showed that 150 family units with a population total of 595 persons lived in the neighborhood as of January 1, 1955. Since the census, at least 6 permits have been issued for residences in the area. In addition it is understood that Mr. Busa plans to build approximately 28 houses on his farm land. It was thought that the proposed playground would eventually service over a thousand people from the railroad to Lowell Street. Mr. Snow reported that Mr. Busa wanted to know very soon what was to be decided in regard to the Planning Board proposal. It was agreed that Mr. Snow should draft a letter to be sent to the Selectmen incorporat- ing information discussed and recommending that the tract be acquired. Mr. Crerie said that there certainly was a need for a playground in the area and that the Recreation Committee approved the Planning Boardts proposal. He also stated that the Committee received a letter from Mr. Oliver setting forth the need of a play area in the vicinity of Pollen Hill and said that a copy of this letter would be sent to the Planning Board. The Recreation Committee left the meeting at 10:20 P.M. at which time the secretary to the Board was ex- cused. The Board then reviewed details of the proposed Historic Districts legislationsuntil it adjourned at 10:46 P.M. (lece ci. Alan G. Adams Chairman I