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Home My WebLink About1957-12-09 PLANNING BOARD MEETING December 9, 1957 A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board was held in the Town Engineer's Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, December 9, 1957 at 7:40 p.m. Present were Chairman Grindle, Members Abbott, Burnell, Jaquith and Soule, Planning Director Snow, and the secretary. Town Counsel Stevens was present from 9130 until the end of the meeting. Approved by the Board were the minutes of the December 2, MINUTES 1957 meeting. The Board also approved payment of the following bills: BILLS Postmaster, Boston, postage stamps, $15.00; stamped envelopes, $78.00--total $93.00. Taken under consideration next were the following Form A FORME A applications for determination of Planning Board jurisdictions #57-101 - same as liated in Dec. 2, 1957 minutes. #57-102, submitted December 6, 1957 by John Carroll for the Town of Lexington; plan entitled "Plan Showing Part of Junior High School Site at Burlington & Hancock Ste. Lexington, Mass.", Scales 1" • 40', dated Nov. 22, 1957, Richard J. Gayer, Town Engineer. #57-103, submitted December 9, 1957 by Stephen T. Russian, attorney for Nellie M. Norris; plan entitled "Plan of Land in Lexington, Mass. Battleview Park Nellie H. Norris- Owner", Scale: 1" • 60', dated December, 1957, Richard L. Savage-Reg.Eng. With reference to application #57-101, Mr. Snow reported MILLYAN that he bad met and talked with Mr. Millyan who indicated willingness to cooperate with the Town in obtaining said property. Mr. Millyan stated that he had purchased the property for $17,000 but felt that because of expenses incurred in repairing same, and future expenses which might be involved, a fair sale price to the Town would be $28,900. It was de- cided that the Board would hold the plan until the application had been signed by Mr. Millyan. It was moved, seconded and unanimously VOTED: that plans accompanying Form A applications #57-102 and #57-103 be signed bearing the endorsement Ol xingten Planning Board approval not required under subdivision control law." DeIELXCE Mr. Soule arrived at 7150 p.a. at which time the Board moldered, then approved the draft of a letter, later signed by the Chairman, advising Mr. Frank DeFelioe that his request for permission to divide his land into lots constituted a sub- division. (See addendum.) FOLSOM The Board next discussed the petition of Mr. Edward S. Folsom for a variance to subdivide lots at the corner of Bell- flower and Homestead Streets, said petition having been denied by the Board of Appeals on November 26, 19$7. It was under- stood that at the hearing in regard to this petition four property owners in the vicinity had objected to the granting of said petition, claiming that they had each assembled several lots into one building lot having a frontage of 100 feet. Mr. Snow stated that during the previous week Mr. Smith, attorney for Mr. Folsom, had coma to the Planning Board office to dis- cuss the case and to inquire if said Board night be willing to recommend the granting of a variance if a petiticx#rere sub- mitted again. The suggestion vas made that a letter might be written to the effect that it was the Planning Board's recom- mendation that, if a variance be granted, A house should front on Homestead Street and that, with this limitation, the variance might be desirable. The Planning Board reached no decision in regard to the matter. REGIONAL At 800 p.m. Messrs. Lincoln P. Cole, Jr., Donald M. SHOPPING Fifield, Donald R. Grant, Robert C. Merriam, Vernon C. Page, CENTER Harold E. Roeder, A. Edward Rase, Jr. , and George C. Sheldon, they being representatives of the Lexington Home Owners Committee, met with the Board to discuss Filene's proposal for a regional shopping center in Lexington. Mr. Grindle pre- faced the discussion by giving a background of the Planning Board's activities to date in regadd to said proposal and the Board's reasons for its decision last June that it could not submit to a Town Meeting a recommendation of favorable action on the amendments to the zoning by-law as proposed in the notice of the public hearing on the regional shopping center. Particularly discussed were the Board's activities in devel- oping a scheme which would solve, to the Planning Board's satisfaction, traffic problems arising out of a location of a shopping center as proposed. Mr. Rowse said that it was his understanding that quite a few people were surprised at the way the Planning Board handled the regional shopping center amendments to the Zoning By-law at the public hearing held on said amendments. Mr. Rowse stated that a majority of the committee agreed that the decision in regard to such a proposal was an important one for the town as a whole, that it was the desire of the committee to protect the town's interest in re-Boning the Swenson property by holding a town meeting so the proposal could be voted upon, and that it was hoped a positive vote could be obtained on the matter so that it could be voted upon at a referendum. 12-9-57 -2- Kr. Sheldon said that Filene's options would soon expire, that there should be a special town meeting held on the matter either in January or February, that if it were not held then it would be too late to hold one later. Mr. Rowse said that the committee felt unnecessary delay was taking place in preparing an acceptable proposal and that the coasgittee was greatly disturbed by it and was of the opinion that various problems raised by the Board could be solved later. Mr. Rowse asked if the committee could expect to receive zoning by-law amendments which the Plan- ning Board could support and which would recommend that the Swenson property be rezoned for regional shopping center use. In considerable detail Mr. Jaquith then discussed the prob- lems which arose in drafting amendments for the regional shopping center proposal. He stated that the by-law was drafted as Filene's representatives thought they had to have it, that they were drafted with Filene's attorney, and that neither the Planning Board nor Filene's were committed to said amendments even up to the day they were drafted in final form. Mr. Sheldon stated that the committee was putting on pres- m re indirectly because it believed there was a majority of people in town who want a shopping center. He stated that the shopping center was going to be located in Waltham or Burlingtea if not in Lexington and that Lexington was going to get its share of the center traffic no matter where said centering located. After a lengthy discussion of the traffic problem he further stated that the committee would like to have Roland Greeley meet in joint session with the Board and committee and bring some suggestions for solving the proposed shopping center traffic problem. The Board agreed to hold such a meeting after Mr. Snow had met with representatives of the State Department of PublicWorksand the Board was informed of the results of this conference. In answer to the question of whether or not an amendment could be developed that the Planning Board would be willing to recommend, Mr. Jaquith stated that it was the feeling of the Board that it should not commit itself on this point at this time. He said that this was not saying that the Board would not support a zoning change because the Board at the present time did not know what future problems might arise. Mr. Grindle stated that with certain restrictions the Board was in favor of solving the problem. Mr. Sould stated that the Board had met for two hours on Sunday afternoon to discuss thhegional shop- ping center proposal and that the whole essence of the discus- sion was that all other matters being equal the Board was in favor of the project. The meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m. kae-i°0C-4eA-4.44-124/\--- Levi G. Burnell, Jr. Clerk ADDENDUM December 9, 1957 Mr. Frank DeFelice, 57 Taft Avenue Lexington 73 Mass. Dear Mn.. DeFelice: In reply to your letter of November 13, 1957, the Planning Board had reviewed your plan with the Toon Counsel and has decided that dividing your tract into two lots as you propose is a subdivision. If you wish to subdivide your property in this way, it will be necessary for you to lay out a portion of Ann Street as a way since it is not constructed now in a satis- factory manner. You may have an engineer prepare the plans needed and file these with an application for approval of a definitive plan. A copy of the Rules and Regulations Governing the Subdivision of Land in Lexington may be obtained for $1.00 at the Planning Board office. Yours very truly, LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Thomas S. G indle, Chairman 1