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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1960-02-29 1 PLANNING BOARD MH,t.TTNG II February 29, 1960 A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board was held on Monday, February 29, 1960 at 7:40 p.m. in the Planning Board office, Town Office Building. Present were Chairman Abbott, Members Burnell, Grindle, Mabee and Soule, and Planning Director Snow. Mr. Robert E. Meyer, candidate for membership in the Planning Board at the annual town election in March, was the Board 's guest. The Planning Board approved the minutes of MINUTES its February 23, 1060 meeting. Approved for payment were the following BILLS bills : Samuel P . Snow, February 1960 car allowance-- 20.00 ; Graphic Reproductions, Inc. , white prints-- 5.71; Comae Photocopy Corp. , duplicator sets-- .,p21.25. The attention of the Board was called to a letter dated Feb. 2 , 1960 from the Lexington Board CEDAR GLEN of Health approving the Cedar Glen definitive sub- - ' division plan subject to the conditions that no DIANNE building or structures should be built or placed ESTATES on lots 3, 4, and 5 without consent of the Board INC . of Health. All matters appearing to be in order in regard to said definitive plan, upon motion duly made and seconded it was unanimously VOTED: that the definitive subdivision plan en- titled "Cedar Glen Lexington, Mass. ", dated Dec. 17, 1959, which was submitted to the Board by Dianne Estates, Inc . on January 11, I 1060, accompanied by an application for approval of definitive plan, Form C, dated Dec. 22, 1959, be and hereby is approved subject to the condition that no building or structures shall be built or placed on lots 3, t1, and 5 without consent of the Lexirrton Board of Health. From 8.00 to 8 .50 p.m. Messrs. C . T. Morris, Facilities Manager of Itek Corporation, and Mr. M 1 DISTRICT Richard Rowe, architect of Fulmer & Bowers, archi- - tectural firm of Princeton, N.J. met with the Board IT'EK CORPOR to discuss the working drawings issued Feb. 25, 1960, TION I of the proposed site plan for said Corporation 's building to be erected in Lexington 's M 1 district. (See minutes of Feb. 1, 1960 Planning Board meet- ing. ) Mr. Morris described the boundary of the 2-29-60 -2- parcel of land which Itek Corp. owns and proposed to develop in the M 1 di -trict. Fe pointed cut that that Corporation owned to the c enter line of so-called Mellex Road but that in the first stage of develop- ment the corporation did not plan any access to the property from said road. The design and location of the parking areas, size of parking stalls, proposed points of access to public and private roads, location of future buildings, and the over-all traffic pattern were discussed. Mr. Morris requested that the Cor- poration be Informed at an early date of the Planning Board's opinion of the driveway entrances to streets for the reason that the Corporation plans to begin construction work on the site in April. The Board' s attention was called to the Selectmen ' s February 18, 1960 memorandum which was discussed, said memorandum setting forth the follow- ing action taken on the 1960 budget by the Board of Selectmen : Planning Board Department Requested Approved 1960 PER- SONAL SER- Personal Services x$10,389.00 VICES Planning Director 8,710.00 8,310.00 BUDGET Clerk 1,679.00 1,679 00 A 9,989.00 From 8:55 to 9:25 p.m. Mr. and Mrs. Reuben L. SETH AND Seth of 16 Audubon Road, Lexington, Mr . and Mrs. James MAXNER 0. Maxner of Virginia Road, Lincoln, and Mr. Arthur REZONING F. Douglass of 3 Haves Avenue, Lexington, met with PROPOSAL the Board. The Seths and Maxners stated that they would like to have their land comprising about 23 acres rezoned, that portion fronting on Worthen Road to be rezoned for general business purposes and the rear land for garden apartment use. They said that Mr. Douglass was interested in acquiring a parcel of land having about 350 feet of frontage on said road for the purpose of establishing a funeral home. Mr. Douglass exhibited and discussed a preliminary set of plans which his late father had had prepared for such a home which at one time was proposed for a location on another site. The plans showed a two- story building of residential character, having a Georgian colonial motif, with funeral facilities on the first floor and an apartment on the second. Mem- bers of the Planning Board stated that the request for a change of zoning would be considered. There- upon, the matter was taken under advisement. Considered further were the petitions to be heard by the Board of Appeals on March 15, 1060. 2-29-60 -3- (See minutes of Feb. 23, 1960 Planning Board Meet- ing ) It was decided not to write a letter in re- BOARD OF gard to the 'food petition but at the hearing Mr. APPEALS Soule be requested to speak for the Planning Board inquiring why a sign was necessary at all and stat- ing that it was said Board' s view that a real estate sign larger than two feet by three feet was not necessary. Mr. Burnell reported on the information he had obtained in regard to the Millican and Zirpolo petitions It was decided to investigate further the situation in regard to said petitions. Drafts of letters in regard to the Mitre and Raytheon petitions were considered, approved by the Board, and signed by the Vice Chairman. (See addendum. ) From 9:45 to 10:10 p.m. Mark Moore, Jr. of Moore Realty Trust met with thw Board to file pre- BURNHAM liminary plans, dated January 18, 1960, of the pro- FARMS nosed Burnham Farms, Sec . 5 subdivision and to sub- SEC . 5 mit the application for tentative approval of the - same. He pointed out that the proposed subdivision MOORE would include all or a part of the land now or REALTY formerly of Kenrick, Doran, Hotz and Bailey front- TRUST ing on East and Lowell Streets, and also that the plan followed to a large degree a schematic plan Mr. Snow had prepared in 1957 for the development of these parcels The preliminary subdivision plan was taken under advisement. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to a general discussion of proposed planning and zoning .3ROPOSED legislation before the 1960 state legislature. Mr. LEGISLATION Soule volunteered to represent the Planning Board on 1960 the following day, March 1st to speak in opposition to the following bills: Senate 281,House 1375, House 1648 and House 2423 . 'he meeting was adjourned at 10:45 p.m. 1 A;i4°.*J(144"4'(-1 chard H. Soule, Clerk ADDENDUM * March 7, 1960 Board of Appeals Town of Lexington Re: Raytheon Co, petition Lexington 73, Mass. March 15, 1960 Gentlemen 2-29-60 Upon receipt of your notice of the Raytheon Company 's petition referred to a Bove, members of the Planning Board considered said petition and visited the site upon which it is proposed to erect a temporary sign 25 feet long and 10 feet high. While the location of the pro- posed sign is further from Route 2 than was proposed in the Raytheon Company' s petition heard on November 17, 1959, the Planning Board believes that its previous state- ment in regard to said November, 1959 petition still holds true in regard to the petition to be heard on March 15, 1960. Therefore, the Planning Board sets forth again the second paragraph of its letter of November 16, 1059 to the Raytheon Company ' s proposed sign. "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 Company' 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 fur- ther 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 endeavoring to estab- lish and maintain, would serve the advertising 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 PLANNING BOARD /s/ Thomas S. Grindle, V.Chairman March 3, 1960 Board of Appeals Town Office Building Re: Mitre Corporation petition Lexington 73, Mass. March 15, 1960 hearing Gentlemen : reference is made to your February 18, 1960 notice in regard to the Mitre Corporation 's petition to use the basement of the premises at Ii 3 Marrett Road, Lexington, for the purpose of testing, experimenting and repairing various types of air-borne radar and other electronic equipment . The Planning Board has reviewed said notice and sets forth below its position in regard to the Mitre Corporation ' s petition. �-29-60 -5- The C 1 district is by definition a "Local business dis- trict" and is intended to serve the immediate local neighborhood by providing retail stores, business and professional offices, cleansing and dyeing nick-up sta- tions, barbers, hairdressers, etc. --all of which uses and services are local in character. If any exceptions are granted under Section 5(c) of the Zoning BOr-Law, the permitted uses should, in the Planning Boardts opinion, serve primarily the local residents . The Plan- ning Board believes that "testing, experimenting and repairing various types of air-borne radar and other electronic equipment does not so serve the local resi- dents, and that activities of this nature should properly be located in an M 1 or C 3 district which expressly permits "Laboratories engaged in research, experimental and testing activities including, but not limited to, the fields of . . . electronics. . " The Planning Board believes that the granting of the Mitre Corporation petition would in no way serve the interests and the convenience of the residents in the immediate neighborhood and recommends denying the peti- tion. Sincerely yours, LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD /s/ Thomas 3. Grindle, V.Chairman i