HomeMy WebLinkAbout1956-12-26 PLANNING BOARD YT'ETING
December 26, 1956
A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board
was held on dednesday, December 26, 1956 at 2 :00 p .m.
in the Town Engineer ' s Room, Town Office Building.
Present were Chairman Hathaway, members Abbott, Adams,
Burnell and Jaquith, Planning Director Snow and the
secretary, Mrs. Milliken.
The following bills were presented and approved
and presented for oaYment• Foto-Beam, Inc . , white BILLS
prints and office supplies--x;6.79; GBC Sales P- Service,
Inc , binders-- 31.92; H.B.McArdle, diary--16.20; Anne
H. Milliken, secretarial service for December 17--95.00
Nary G Campbell, secretarial ^ervices for period end-
ing December 21, 196-- 25.00.
Considered next and approved by the Board were
the minutes of Its meetings held on December 17 and MINUTES
19, 1956.
Approved by the Board and signed by the Chairman
was a letter addressed to Arthur D. Little, Inc . of TRAFFIC
' Cambridge thanking the corporation for its valuable SUPVEY
contribution of nrocessinr and tabulating the data of
the Town Center traffic survey held on October 25,
1956. In the letter it was stated that the work of
the corporation had aided Lexington ' s traffic study in
a most decisive way by speeding the results of the
analysis of the data and by saving the Town both man-
power and expenditure.
At 8:20 p m. Town Counsel Stevens met with the
Board in response to Mr.Snow' s letter of December 19 ROBINSON
to advise ontheproper procedures to be followed in HILL
having the definitive pians of Sections Two and Three SECS. 2
of the Robinson Hill development modified. He ex- and 3
plained that the first step should be the nreparation
of a plan as he outlined modifying a portion of the
Robinson Hill Section Two plan by eliminating a por-
tion of Childs Toad and Diana Lane at the same time
retaining on said nlan lot 17 as presently recorded.
He said that the Board should request Leeland Con-
struction Co. , Inc . to have such a plan prepared for
approval by the Board and for recording in the Regis-
try of Deeds. Mr. Stevens said that when the plan was
in proper order be would draft for the Board' s consid-
eration a vote modifying the Section Two definitive
plan as shown on the new plan.
The Town Counsel indicated that the second step
in correcting the present situation should be prepara-
tion of a plan for a new lot, perhaps to be numbered 1117A, which extended the northeasterly sideline of lot
17 along the newly defined sideline of Childs Road so
that the new lot would have the required 12[ feet of
frontage on said road. Mrl Stevens said that the new
plan could be submitted with a Form A application for
recording after the modified Robinson Hill Section Two
plan was recorded. He said it then would be in order
to consider what action the Board wished to take in
regard to the Section Three plan . rsing prints of said
plan which had been disapproved by the Roard, he pointed
out all the changes needed to take into consideration
the modified Section Two plan. Mr. Snow was asked to
transmit all this information to Mr. mcConchie of the
Leeland Construction Company together with m-rked prints
showing lust whht would be required in new and revised
plans.
Mr. Stevens called the Board ' s attention to a
SUBDTVTSTON problem which he and Mr. Snow had been discussing to-
PLAN TITLE - gether, namely, the different titles found on the various
POLICY sheets which comprise a subdivision plan. He requested
that the Board adopt a policy in regard to these titles
in order to eliminate the confusion which existed. He
suggested that each subdivision have an official title, 111such as "Robinson Hill Section Two in Lexington, Mass. ",
that this title appear on each sheet of the plan and
that in addition each sheet have a subtitle such as
"Lot Layout Plan," or "Plan and Profile of Childs T'.oad , "
to indicate the type of plan within the particular sub-
division. Mr. Stevens said that he noted Mr. Snow had
further suggestions which would facilitate administra-
tion of the Subdivision Control Law and requested these
be considered also . The Board accented the Town Coun-
sel ' s proposal and requested Mr. Snow to draft a memo-
randum to be sent to engineers and subdividers advising
them of this policy.
The Town Counsel left the meeting at Q:OO p .m.
Considered next was Mr . John T. Cahill ' s appli-
cation for tentative approval of the Highland Glenn
nreliminary subdivision plan. After due consideration
it was moved, seconded and unanimously
VOTED- that the preliminary subdivision plan entitled
"Highland Glenn Lexington, Mass ", dated Oct . 9,
106, submitted to the Board nn December 10,
1956, be and hereby is disapproved for the rea-
sons that (a) the design of a number of street
intersections are unsatisfactory, (b) the pro-
posed names of the streets are not acceptable
-26-56 -2-
and (c) the plan shows a proposed section of
'reen Brook Water in a southerly direction by
a distance of more than 500 feet from High-
land Glenn Drive
The revised plans for the so-called Seabury
Motel were taken under consideration, Mr . Snow 'riving SFABUPY
a verbal report and making recommendations about MOTEL
said elan and sunnlementary documents. After the
Board had studied the same and compared the differ-
ences with the original set of motel plans which
had been submitted rrnviouslY, it was decided unani-
mouslY that another public hearing was In order un-
der Section 5 (g;) of the Zoninf* B•*-law for the fol-
lowing reasons (1) the building has been relocated
on the site, (2) there is no restaurant shown on the
recently submitted plan, (3) substantial changes have
been made in the interior of the building and (tb) both
the materials used and the facades nronosed alter the
exterior design of the hotel. Mr Snow was asked to
draft for the Board' s consideration at its next meet-
ing a letter addressed to Mr Groden, attorney for Mrs.
Frida Semler SeaburTr, settinr forth the Board 's decision
and reasons therefor and asking that certain ad_ditio^al
material be submitted before or at said nubile hearing.
Mr . Snow rave a report of a conference he had
held earlier in the day with Mr. John E. O 'Donnell TOWN MAP
of the firm of Wright and Pierce, Civil Tngineers,
Topsham, Maine working on a new town man for Lexington
Mr. Snow was asked to prepare for the Board 's consid-
eration at Its next meeting a written report regarding
progress on the work, said report to be in the form of
a letter addressed to the Board of Selectmen from the
Planning Board
There being no further business to transact at
the time, the T',oard adjourned its meeting at 10 00
m.
/ 2 /
Levi G. Burnell, Jr I
Clerk
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD
December 31, 19.56
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen
Lexington, 'Massachusetts
Gentlemen:
Your Planning Board has experienced a very active year on several
different fronts. Contrary to the expectations of some of our citizens,
the volume of new subdivisions has not lessened as a result of the 1953
change to larger minimum lot sizes. The load of paper work has shown a
material increase, due mainly to the additional duties imposed on the
Board under the revised Subdivision Control Law. The proposal for the
Historic Districts legislation required considerable time and study. Other
studies during the year have concerned such matters as changes in zoning
districts; State Department of Public Works highway plans; petitions re-
lating to construction within the A-1 District; additional recreation sites.
In an effort to keep abreast of the current work load the Board
found it necessary to schedule extra meetings during the last months of the
year. In spite of the relatively heavy administrative load, the Board is
able to report material progress in its planning function. An effort has
been made to define more clearly the general policy of the present Board
in several major fields of its activity. Among other things, requirements
for approval of subdivision plans have been strengthened in certain aspects
where deemed to be in the best interests of the Town.
Appended to, and made a part of, this report is that of our Planning
Director, Samuel P. Snow. His accounting offers greater detail on many
aspects of Board activity. We feel that Mr. Snow is doing a real service
for the Town, and is making satisfactory progress on the Master Plan de-
spite continual administrative interruptions. If the Board is successful
in securing an appropriation for an office secretary, it appears certain
that a much greater proportion of his time may be devoted to the planning
function. During the past year, an increasing percentage of his total
effort has had to be expended on administrative and routine duties.
Our Board has made every effort to cooperate with other Town depart-
ments, officials and agencies, and has received willing assistance from them
where our problems and projects have overlapped. The increasing complexity
of Planning Board problems has made it desirable to call upon Town Counsel
for frequent guidance and advice. de express our appreciation to all who
have assisted us during the year. It appears that the Board may anticipate
an equally active year in 1957, and looks forward to the continued assist-
ance of citizens of the Town as they may be able to render service for the
good of all concerned.
Respectfully submitted,
III
LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD
Donald D. •Chalan-
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C . Abbott , n
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Alan G. Adams 1
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Levi G. Burnell, Jr.
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Thomas V. Cirindle
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ilbur M. Jaquith
III
REPORT OF THE PLANNING DIRECTOR
Lexington Planning Board
Gentlemen:
I submit herewith a report of my activities for 1956 as Planning
Director for Lexington. In brief, it can be said that of these activities,
administrative work continues to be "the tail that wags the dog."
Meetings
Sixty-four regular and special meetings were held this year, including
one hearing in regard to the Board's proposed zoning changes. The number of
meetings represents a 28.7% increase over the number held last year and a 321.6%
increase in the total elapsed time of the meetings themselves. I attended all
these meetings at which time, among other things, under the subdivision control
law action was taken on 103 Form A applications--a 6.2% increase over last
year, 7 preliminary and 15 definitive plan applications and 2 modifications of
definitive plans. In addition I attended over 30 evening meetings of various
organizations and agencies.
-2-
Conferences
During regular office hours I have had over 300 conferences with land
developers, realtors, engineers, citizens, town officials, citizen boards,
and others regarding subdividing land, filing Form A applications, zoning,
recreation areas, school sites, regular planning board activities, town
affairs, etc. Over 60 conferences with town officials and citizen boards
and many other conferences with individuals have required in excess of 15
minutes per meeting. In addition to these I have not attempted to keep an
account of the numerous telephone conferences which have been of equal
duration.
It is estimated that almost half of the conferences noted above have
been in connection with various aspects of the subdivision control law. Many
individuals discussed procedural problems or sought informal opinions in re-
gard to subdivision design. The checking of applications and plans, prepa-
ration of advertising, sending of notices to abutters, and the other routine
work for each individual subdivision involved considerable work also.
Subdivision Plans
The process of approving, disapproving, or modifying a subdivision
plan might be classified as administrative work. However, the duties in-
volved in checking proposals and relating them to neighborhood and major
street plan concepts is really a planning function. While oftentimes a con-
siderable amount of my time has to be devoted to these studies, I consider
that it is some of the most valuable spent. Adoption of the studies as
Board recommendations and compliance by the land developers means that another
part of the long range development plan for Lexington is effectuated.
Town Maps
In addition there are certain services which we offer other town
agencies and the public. One of these involves town maps, concerning which
as far as new streets and developments are concerned the Board has the
greatest knowledge. I spent about a week last spring revising a street and
precinct map and street guide for the town, combining these into one pub-
lication and eliminating the necessity of preparing three publications of
different sizes. The expenses involved were shared equally by the Selectmen
and the Planning Board, the Selectmen's office having charge of the sale and
distribution of these maps.
Committees
A third phase of may administrative duties has concerned itself with
serving on or with committees. Included in the statistics are numbers of
meetings or conferences I have held with these committees. The conferences
include assisting the school sites committee with suggestions and data. I
was disappointed that my time was so limited that I could not aid the com-
mittee to the degree I thought I should. I have also served with Mr. Gayer
and Chief Rycroft as Lexington's Traffic Committee.
Board of Appeals Petitions
A fourth administrative function has involved gathering information
and preparing recommendations regarding petitions to be heard by the Board
of Appeals. During the year the Planning Board took action on 23 of these
petitions.
Secretarial Duties
Another phase of my administrative activities has centered around what
might be classified as secretarial work. The combination of administrative
and planning work is such that I usually arrive at the office 45 minutes to
an hour before 9 a.m. and stay the same length of time after 5 p.m. Addi-
tional work in the evenings and on week-ends has enabled me to keep up with
the more important demands on my time. To give you some idea of how con-
suming this has been, I took several random three-week samples from my diary
to discover that I have averaged approximately 56 hours a week on regular
planning board work. The Board's December decision to hatie .its office open
only during mornings and Friday afternoons during the week has helped in con-
centrating administrative work during these hours and in allowing additional
time for planning work.
Planning Assistant
In spite of the dominance of administrative duties, there has been
substantial progress in planning work. This has been brought about to a
large degree by the employment of a planner during the latter half of the
year. The Board has been fortunate, indeed, in obtaining the services of
Bruce Howlett, a graduate student in planning at Harvard. Mr. Howlett has had
some previous planning experience in Canada and in addition is very capable,
cooperative, of pleasing personality and is willing to assume responsibilities.
With the minimum of guidance he has been able to translate into effective
schemes my ideas and notes on plans for Lexington, at the same time contribut-
ing many suggestions of his own. I feel greatly encouraged by the situation
and trust that during 1957 we will be able to continue to work together until
the late summer months at which time it is hoped that an over all preliminary
will have evolved. The degree to which this is completed will depend largely
upon how much relief I can obtain from the present administrative work load.
Land Use
In the same order as listed in the master plan outline adopted by the
Board, following is a statement of the accomplishments of our broad scale
planning program. The preparation of a land use map in presentation form
was the first task accomplished. This undertaking meant assembline land use
survey notes, obtaining additional data in the field and mapping all informa-
tion according to a standard classification. The completed map gave in-
creasing emphasis to the fact that residential and commercial development has
mostly taken place along Lexington's old road system and that one of the
town's greatest immediate planning needs is a major street plan.
Base Map
An engineering firm was engaged to prepare a completely revised base
map of the town to be drawn at 400 scale and to be based upon the State
Coordinate System. The preliminary map is completed; it is expected that
the map in final form will be ready this coming spring. Using the base
map we will be able to reproduce photographically at small or large scales
such maps or portions of the same as are needed for all planning purposes.
We will also have an accurate base upon which to superimpose overlays of
basic data, studies and proposed elements of Lexington's master plan.
Migration Pattern
To obtain a better idea of one of the components of Lexington's popu-
lation. growth, a study was undertaken to ascertain the migration pattern of
persons coming to live in the town. A period of three years was studied in
which the age, sex and occupation distribution of in-migrants was deter-
mined. At a later date this study will be extended and integrated with other
population data and trends. The implications in terms of needed public
facilities and services is already very evident from the limited data ob-
tained.
Traffic Surveys
Major emphasis has been placed upon a comprehensive study of Lexing-
ton's traffic problems, beginning with the preparation and conduction of a
town center and supplementary survey this past summer and autumn. The suc-
cess of this undertaking can be largely credited to the Town Planning Study
Group of the League of Women Voters who rallied other League members and
citizens in the town to assist in obtaining the needed traffic counts. Dr.
Richard H. Battin of Arthur D. Little, Inc. volunteered and prepared with his
colleagues an extraordinary amount of work in preparing punch cards and tabu-
lating data by means of IBM equipment.
Major Street Plans
Analysis of traffic volumes and movements from the collected data is
almost completed. Completed also is a study and analysis of the town's
accident pattern. A study of existing roadway widths in Lexington is par-
tially completed. Additional information relating to traffic has been
gathered from State agencies and the impact of the State highway program on
Lexington is now being considered in relation to the town's existing traffic
pattern. A preliminary study of conflicting street names was completed this
past year also and a program adopted whereby recommendations were and will
be made at each town meeting to eliminate the more urgent problems in con-
flicting names. All this work has as its ultimate objective of course, the
preparation of a Major Street Plan for Lexington. Part of this network study
is completed.
Street Options
In order that this plan may not be blocked by residential development,
special attention is being given to obtaining street options where needed.
One known example is the options for easements for the extension of Eldred
Street from Justin to Grove Streets. Several others are under considera-
tion.
Public Recreation
There has been prepared in rough form a preliminary plan for the organ-
ization of a comprehensive system of public open spaces for recreation in
proper relation to all other elements that comprise the town. In order to
carry out this plan, land between Wyman Road and Route 128 was obtained as
a gift for playground purposes from the late John Baskin. For the same pur-
pose land between the Maria Hastings School and Route 128 was obtained from
Mrs. Seabury in exchange for a sewer easement. Adjacent land from the same
party is under option for purchase for playground purposes so that all land
between the school and Route 128 may now be assembled into one parcel.
In addition to these areas there is being prepared a plan of land now
owned by the DeVries Construction Co., Inc. and situated easterly of the Sun
Valley development between Lowell Street and the Winchester town line. Mr.
George DeVries has agreed to give as a gift to the town this land for a
recreation area. The site includes the highest land in Lexington and affords
a panoramic view of the countryside.
School Sites
In an effort to integrate school and playground facilities I have moon-
, mended the acquisition of portions of the Andrews and Smith properties be-
tween Robinson Road and Grove Street as a site for a combined neighborhood
playground and elementary school. I have also recommended the acquisition
of portions of the Lidberg and adjacent properties for a combined town play-
ground and junior high school site. Prior to and after the appointment of
the present School Sites Committee, I have attended several meetings and
held many conferences with various individuals and committees in regard to
recommendations I have made, making special studies where necessary and ob-
taining additional data to aid in evaluating the sites. This work is con-
tinuing both in regard to the acquisition of recreation areas in themselves
and in combination with school sites and, in my opinion, is aiding consider-
ably in effectuating this phase of the Master Plan.
Historic Districts
With the introduction by Boston and Nantucket and approval by the
Massachusetts Supreme Court of proposed historic districts legislation, the
Board was encouraged to develop its own bill to carry out the intent and
purposes of its section of the master plan outline entitled "Arthitectural
Plan." Studies were made of three proposed districts for Lexington and the
bill drafted by Mr. Jaquithts diligent efforts. Speaking for myself, I feel
the preparation of the bill, its enactment into law and its adoption by the
Town is a real credit to the Planning Board and all those who assisted in
this work. I have aided the newly created Historic Districts Commission to
organize its work with data on final map preparation and general commission
procedure and will continue to give those concerned any assistance they may
need.
Zoning
In regard to zoning, a study was undertaken to determine the best
existing practices for industry throughout the cokntry. This was done with
the thought in mind that it is insufficient to allocate for industrial use
those areas best suited for such without a guiding plan. Observed were the
III regulations and ordinances for many cities and towns in addition to those
located along Route 128. These were related to what were thought to be
Lexington's needs particularly in regard to obtaining adequate controls for
potential development. In addition, existing practices and restrictive
covenants and controls on unified industrial areas were studied to deter-
mine their effect on industrial location. As a result of these studies,
proposed revision of that portion of Lexington's zoning by-law having to do
with N 1 districts was presented to the Board. The proposed revision repre-
sents what was thought to be the latest thinking in industrial zoning
techniques and was designed to protect the townspeople from undesirable in-
dustry as well as to encourage developments of a suitable nature.
Public Relations
There are a number of other projects under way but I believe that what
has been written gives sufficient indication of the comprehensiveness of my
work during 1956. I would like to add, however, that on my own time I have
made a special effort to foster understanding and support of the Board's
work, informing many individuals of our mutual program of studies. I have
found a very real desire on the part of many to understand the nature of
planning board work and town planning in general. Because of this situation,
I have made a special effort to inform the Town Planning Study Group of the
League of Women Voters of the problems in connection with the development
and administration of a master plan. I believe that work of this nature
should be expanded further by each member of the Board. In my estimation
there is a tremendous lack of knowledge of the Board's work.
I close with a personal note by stating that I have very much enjoyed
our association together in planning for Lexington. I look forward to the
continuation of our mutual planning work during 1957.
Respectfully submitted,
fetA-utAtif
Arming Director