HomeMy WebLinkAbout1960-04-04 PLANNING BOARD MEETING
April 4, 1960.
A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning
Board was held on Monday, April 4, 1960 at 7:35 p.m.
in the Planning Board' s office, Town Office Build-
inr. Present were Chairman Burnell, members Grindle,
Mabee, and Soule, and Planning Director Snow.
The Board approved the minutes of its March MINUTES
14, 1960 meeting
The Board ' s attention was called to the Town
Clerk' s endorsement of the Green Valley, Sec . de- GREEN
finitive subdivision plan certifying that no notice VALLEY
of appeal had been received during the twenty days SEC . 5
next after the Town Clerk ' s receipt of recording of -
notice from the Planning Board of the approval of BUSA
said plan . The Board endorsed the definitive plan.
Mr. Snow was asked to prepare it in final form for
recording* in the Registry of Deeds and to giveit to
the Town Counsel to hold for said recording until
such time as the latter had obtained from Antonio
Busa properly executed grants of easements in said
subdivision .
The Board's attention was also called to Mr.
John J. Carroll' s letter of March 31, 1960 describ- SUB. RULES
ing and enclosing typical cross sections of streets, & REGULATIONS
sAid cross sections having been adopted on March 17,
1960 by the Town Dept. of Public Works as its stand- STREr'1 CROSS
ards for streets to be constructed in nroposed sub - SECTIONS
divisions
As had been previously requested by the Plan-
ning Board, there were nresented for its considera- BOARD OF
tion drafts of letters in regard to the McCormack APPEALS
and Corcoran petitions to be heard by the Board of
Anneals on Anril 5, 1960. The Planning Board
approved said drafts which were signed by the Chair-
man . (See addendum )
The attention of the Board was called to the
Town Accountant ' s memoranda of March 31, 1960 noti- 1960
fving the Planning Board that the following appro- APPROPRIA-
pri_ations were voted at the annual town meeting for TIONS
the use of the Planning Board during 1960 . Personal
ervices-410, 191, General Expenses-43,550 ; addi-
tion to Ontions Account-4500 - Total $14,241.
Considered next by the Board was the draft of
a letter addressed to the Town Counsel and dated
April 4, 1960 requesting a ruling in regard to yard
MAPLE ST & regulations set forth in the !Zoning By-laws under
WALTRAM ST . garden apartment districts . The Board anproved said
GARDEN draft which was signed by the Chairman and given to
APARTMENT the Town Counsel when he met with the Board from 8 :30
DISTRICTS to P :45 p.m. to discuss various matters currently
before the Board . (See addendum. )
Read to the Board and considered by it were
two letters from the Board of Appeals, the first , dated
March 31, 1960, notified the Planning Board of the
receipt from Vine Brook Realt•T Trust of a petition
accompanied by plans for approval of site and building
plans for the Waltham Street garden apartment district,
and transmitting said n Tans to the Planning Board for
a report thereon. The second letter, dated April 1,
1960, was similarly worded with reference to a petition
from Messrs . Ippolito and Longo In regard to plans for
the Maple Street garden apartment district. The Board
reviewed said plans, decided to study them further at
an informal meeting in the Planning Board' s office on
April 9, 1060 at 10 .00 n.m. , and o ask the Board of
Appeals to meet with the T'lann.ing Board to discuss the
plans In a general way.
Mr. Snow gave a report of his conference with
ITEK John Carroll, Supt . of Public larks, in regard to the
CCRPORATTON site plan for Itek Corp ' s proposed development to
Lexington ' s light manufacturing district. Mr Snow
was asked to draft for the Board ' s consideration at
its next meeting a letter addressed to said corpora-
tion setting forth the recommendations which he and
Mr . Carroll had made in regard to said plan.
Considered next was a letter dated April 1+,
L0PITIG HILL 1960 from Messrs . Blodgett and Outhet requesting
ESTATES an extension to and including Monday, April 25, 1P60
SEC . 3 of the time within which the Planning Board should
act upon their application for approval of the Loring
OUTHET Hill Estates Sec . 3 definitive subdivision plan.
REALTY TRUST U*,on motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously
VOTES : that pursuant to the written request from the
applicants the time of annroval of the defini-
tive subdivision nlan entitled "Loring Hill
Estates Section Three Lexington , Mass. ' , dated
Oct , 10, 1059, be and hereby is extended to
and including April 25, 1960 .
The meeting adjourned at 10 :45 n .m.
Irving H. Mabee, Clerk
-3-
Board of Appeals ADDENDUM
April 4, 1960
Town Office Building
Lexi_-lmton 73, Mass Re M J. McCormack petition
Gentlemen .
The Planning Board has given consideration to the peti-
tion of m. J. 11cCormack to subdivide a parcel of land
numbered 475 Concord Avenue into two lots and as part
of said consideration members of the Board have viewed
the parcel and clans of adjacent parcels and lots of
land.
It appears to the Board that while a variance to sub-
divide the parcel into two equal lots having a uniform
width of about 118 feet would in no way impair the
status of the neighborhood, a subdivision as shown on
the plan accomnanyine the petition would be a derogation
from the intent and purpose of the zoning by-law. In
this case it appears that irregular shaped lots as pro-
posed bY the petitioner are not justified even though
there is in existence an old garage around which a lot
line has been drawn. It was observed that the barn was
beim used as a garage and that the garage marked on the
plan was being used for other purposes. In addition it
seemed apparent that the garage is of such condition
that it is of little worth economically and that there
would be little if any hardship involved in either mov-
ing or destroying it so that a lot line could be drawn
through the building' s present location. The Planning
Board recommends , therefore, that the petition be de-
nied until ,uch time s the garage is removed and there
can be createdtwo equal lots as described above
Sincerely yours,
LEXINGTfN PLANNIyG BOARD
/s/ Thomas S. Grindle, Vice Chairman
Pnril 4, 1060
Board of Anneals
Town Office Building Re: ailliam J. Corcoran
Lexington 73, Mass Welding Shop petition
Gentlemen
Reference is made to the petition of 'illiam J. Corcoran
for permission to operate a welding shop at 36 rear Waltham
Street, Lexington . The Planning Board has considered this
petition and presents herewith for your further attention
1L-4-60 -4-
the following comments anc recommendations
A welding shoe , commercial welding, or the storage of weld-
ing equipment and supplies are all classified as light in-
dustrial or manufacturing use Such uses are not listed in
C 3 districts under our present permitted uses It is
recommended, therefore, that a light industrial or manufac-
turing use such as the Corcoran petition not be granted
another matter to which the Planning Board wishes to call
to your attention is the partial conversion of an accessory
building, in this case a garage, into a use which is no
longer accessory to the principal building used for resi-
dential purposes The Planning Board does not know the
history of this conversion. It does believe, however, that
it violates the intent of the Town ' s zoning by-law and in
the opinion of the Board should not be extended.
Sincerely yours
LEXINGTON PLANrTING BOAPD
/s/ Thomas S. Grirdle, Vice Chairman
April 5, 190
rir. Harold T Stevens
Town Counsel of Lexington
84 State St . , Boston, "lass .
Dear Harold :
You will perhans recall that at one of its meeting some
time ago the Planning Board had an informal discussion with
You in regard to Yard regulations in garden apartment dis-
tricts as set forth in Sec . 8 (f) 1 a. (2) of the Zoning
By-law The question of how to interpret the particular
paragraph in regard to these regulations has arisen again,
particularly in regard to the nreliminary site plan for the
Maple Street garden apartment district . A print of said
site plan which has been submitted to the Planning Board is
enclosed and illustrates a point which the Board has in
mind, namel-r, the minimum distance which it is thought can
be required between buildings. Believing that the matter
can be interpreted in at least two ways, the Board requests
a ruling from you in regard to the -card regulations in an
A 1 district in general and, in particular, the minimum dis-
tance for side yards which must be maintained between build-
ings
Sincerely Yours,
/s/ Levi G. Burnell, Chairman