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Home My WebLink About1959-11-16Ll 1 PLANNING BOARD MEETING November 16, 1959 A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board was held in the Planning Board's office, Town Office Building, on Monday, November 16, 1959 at 7:30 p.m. Present were Chairman Abbott, Members Grindle, Mabee and Soule, and Planning Director Snow. Town Counsel Stevens was present from 7:45 to 8:15 p.m. The Board approved the following bills which had been presented for payment: Frederick A. Peterson BILLS & Son, installing wooden shelves for office --$19.50; Minute -man Publications, Inc., advertising --$4.90. Considered next by the Board was the following Form A application for determination of Planning Board jurisdiction: #59-76, submitted November 16, 1959 by Louis V. Bianchi and Phyllis A. Lange; plan entitled "A Revision of Lots 330-331 - L.C.Case No. 6962 Land in Lexington, Mass.", Scale: l" = 401, dated Oct. 26, 1959, Miller & Nylander, C.F..'s 2. Surveyors. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously VOTED: that the Lexington Planning Board determines that the plan accompanying Form A application #59-76 does not require approval under the Sub- division Control La.w, and that said plan be so endorsed. Mr. Stevens attended the meeting from 7:115 to 8:15 p.m, and discussed with the Board several matters it had under consideration. From 8:20 to 8:40 p.m. Mr. William L. Potter 12 21 Fair Oaks Terrace met with the Board. He showed the Board L.C.Plan No. 18315H and discussed his pro- posal of zoning a small portion of Lot 10 as a nark- ing district adjacent to Lots 7 and 8, the latter two lots being in a local business district fronting on ',ialtham Street. Mr. Potter stated that he owned all of said lots and in addition had an agreement to pur- chase a fifteen -foot strip of Lot 5 where it bounded Lot 7. He said that he would like to construct on Lot 7 a building having a floor area of between ten and twelve thousand square feet. Mr. Potter also said that FORM A PARKING DISTRICT PROPOSAL POTTER 11-16-59 -2- no concern would consider leasing the building for use as a food store unless there was an absolute minimum , parking ratio of four to one, a five or six to one ratio being preferable. He said it was on this basis that he was seeking additional parking space and asking that the Board consider means of providing the same. Mr. Potter was informed that the Board had this matter under general consideration as would be described in its forthcoming report and also that it was planned to give the matter detailed consideration after the publication of said re- port. Read to the Board and discussed by it was Mr. CENTRAL Maloney's November 120 1959 letter to the Planning SCHOOL Board requesting that Mr. Snow be asked to prepare a de - PARK sign for a central school and recreation park on town PROJECT land from the Waltham-Muzzey-Lincoln Streets area to and including the old Marrett Road reservoir. Mr. Snow was asked to investigate the possibility of obtaining a com- petent graduate student to assist him in preparing pre- liminary plans for the project. (See addendum.) The attention of the Board was called to the sub CEDAR mission of the application of Dianne Estates, Inc. for GLEN tentative approval of the proposed subdivision shown on the plan entitled "Cedar Glen Lexington, Mass.", and DIA17NE dated Oct. 5, 1959. Mr. Snow was asked to study the plan, ESTATES discuss it with the Supt. of Public Works, and recommend for the Board's consideration action in regard to said plan. Richard H. Soule, Clerk , The Planning Board considered next the draft of a BOARD OF letter to the Board of Appeals in regard to the Raytheon APPEALS Manufacturing Company's petition for permission to erect a sign on the petitioner's property. The draft was RAYTHEON approved and signed by the Chairman. (See Addendum.) At PETITION the hearing in regard to said petition Mr. Mabee was asked to represent the Planning Board, to present said Board's opinion, and to file said letter with the Board of Appeals. It was decided to meet informally on Wednesday LOT STUDY evening, December 3, 1959 to study and discuss Mr. Norton's - "Special Report on Subdivision Practices and Lot Shapes." NORTON (See October 19, 1959 Planning Board minutes.) After holding a general discussion of current matters before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m. Richard H. Soule, Clerk , 1 1 1 11-16-59 ADDENDUM November 12, 1959 Mr. Charles T. Abbott, Chairman LexinL^ton Planning Board Town Office Building LexirTton 73, Massachusetts Dear Mr. Abbott: At the November 91 1959 meeting of the Board of Selectmen there was discussed, and at the time Messrs. Clark, Blaisdell, Spiris and John Carroll were present, Mr. Snow's proposal for a central school and recreation park on town land from the Waltham-Muzzey-Lincoln Streets area to and including the old Marrett Road reservoir. It was felt that the neces- sity of developing a concrete nrogram for this general area is a matter of great urgency in terms of the school program and in terms of the nronosal for laying out Worthen Road. Funds for laying out said road will be requested at the 1960 Annual Town Meeting. The recommendation was made that rather than employ outside nrofessiona.l services for this project, Mr. Snow be requested through the Planning Board, to prepare a design for the area. We trust that tTou will approve of this proposal. It was felt that he is the most logical person to do this work and at the same time work to best advantage with various Town agencies involved. We realize that a project of this nature will occupy a sub- stantial amount of Mr. Snow's time. We believe, however, that such an undertaking is one of the Town's major projects. It was decided that, subject to the Planning Board's ap roval of this recommendation, we would ask for a transfer of 1200 from the Reserve Fund to the Planning Board Account to enable Mr. Snow to hire the services of a graduate assistant to work under his direction to o repare preliminary -plans for the project. M:m Very truly yours, /s/ ?Pulliam E. Maloney Chairman, Selectmen 16 November 1959 Board of Anpeals Town Office Building Re: Raytheon Company Lexington 73, :-lass. Petition for sign Gentlemen: Reference is made to the Raytheon Manufacturing 11 -1b -5c Company's petition for permission to erect a sign 25 feet long and 10 feet high on the petitioner's property, said sign to be located approximately 300 feet distant from Spring Street and 20 feet distant from Route 2. After very careful consideration by the Planning Board, it was the unanimous opinion of its members that the Board go on record as being opposed to the granting of the Raytheon Compan-r's petition. It is the Board's belief that the interests of the Town would best be served by not permitting; so large a standing sign to be erected even if the sign is to be of a temporary nature as is indicated by the site plan filed with the petition. It is believed further that a sign erected under Art. III, Sec. 2.A.g.(2) would be more dignified, would be more in keeping with the environmental standards Lexington is en- deavoring to establish and maintain, would serve the ad- vertising interests of Raytheon, and at the same time set a standard for other commercial and industrial firms who plan to locate in this town. Sincerely yours, LEXINGTON PIANNING BOARD %sl Charles T. Abbott, Chairman 1