HomeMy WebLinkAbout1960-04-29PLANNTNG BOARD I,EETIATG
April 29,1960
A Special Meeting of the Planning Board was
held on Friday, April 291 1960 at 3:00 p.m. in
the Planning Board's office, Town Office Building.
Present were Chairman Burnell, Messrs. Grindle
and Yabee, and Planning Director Snow.
The our -nose of the meeting was to consider
the draft of a report to the Board of Appeals in
regard to the application of Vine Brook Realty Trust
for aprroval of the site plans and building design
for the nrorosed ?^'altham Street garden apartment
district. After due consideration of said draft,
unon motion dulv made and seconded, it was unani-
mously
VO`" D: that the Lexi_n Tton planning Bo, -rd, under
provisions of Section 5.(g) 5. of the Zoning
By-law, recommends disapproval of the site
plans and building designs specified in
three separate site plans and a set of build-
ing plans of various dates drawn by Arthur
G. Manaselian, architect, and accompanying
the Vine Brook Realtor Trust a-pplication,
dated March 21, 1960, and proposed for the
A 1 district described in Section 4.(g) 4.
for the reasonsset forth in said Board's
report, dated April 29, 1960, a copy of
which report is incorporated and made a
part of this vote. (See addendum.)
The attention of the Board was called to a
letter fro -I the Board of Appeals to the Planning
oard, dated Ao_ril 29, 1960, notifying the Plann;_nQ
Board that the principals of the pronosed Maple
Street (garden apartment district had withdrawn their
petition dated March 311 1960 for annroval of the
Maple Street garden apartment site plans and build-
ina design, .requesting that the drawings submitted
to the planning Burd for consideratior be returned
to the Board of Anneals.
There being no further business to transact,
tre meeting was adjourned at 3:30 n.m.
Irving H. Mabee, Clerk
VINE BROOK
REALTY
TRtTST
WALTHAM ST.
GARDEN
APARTMENT
DIST"ICT
MAPLE ST.
GARDEN
APAR TIM,
DISTRICT
�!-20-60 -2-
ADDENDUM
--- April 29, 1960
Board of Appeals '
Town Office Building
Lexington 73, Mass. Re: Vine Brook Realtv Trust
Waltham Street garden
apartment development
Gentlemen :
Reference is made to your April 1, 1960 letter and its accom-
panying application and set of plans from the Vine Brook
Realty Trust with respect to a nr000sed garden anartment de-
velopment on T,Faltham Street. In reply to said letter the
Planning Board herewith submits its final report and recom-
mendations in accordance with Sec. 5 (g) 5. of the Zoning
By-law.
The Planning Board is very much concerned with the lack of
progress made with the developers of this garden apartment
project, especially the turn of events during the past two
months. As recently as March 17, 1960, the Town Counsel,
Superintendent of Public Works, and Planning Director met
with Mr. Reenstierna, trustee of Vine Brook Realty Trust to
discuss at his request the preliminary site plan dated Febru-
ary 29, 1960. This same nlan was again discussed with Mr.
Reenstierna when he met with the Board on March 22. On both
occasions the inadequacies of said site plan and a solution
which it was understood would be accentable to all were dis- '
cussed. It was further understood that Mr. Reenstierna was to
have this solution prepared for the Planning Board's consider-
ation. Instead of receiving this solution for discussion the
Board was notified on Anril 1 the site plan of February 29
with no changes but with the aOdition of water and sewer lines
and some contours and spot elevations was submitted as the
final site plan, but dated March 14, 1960, to the Board of
Appeals and forwarded to the Planning Board as referred to
above. That this has been done is most disapnointinF to the
Planning Board to sag the least especially since so much time
and effort have been involved by the Board and its staff in
the preparation of a site plan which was believed to be suit-
able.
In the opinion of the nlannina Board tre site nlan, Drawing
SP -1, is unacceptable for the following reasons:
1. It is not presented in what should be its final form, hav-
ing pencil additions added to the print, inaccuracies and
lack of detail. As a specific instance thereof the man-
ning Board calls to the attention of the Board of Appeals
that the dimensions of at least two of the buildings
marked F differ from that of other buildings so marked
and have a width anproximately ten feet less than that of '
the floor plan of said building. Trawinv these buildings
to the cor-ect dimension would necessitate some r earrang-
ing of buildings on the site plan.
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' 2. The design of Capt. Parker Lane needs revision to provide
for a connection directly opposite the proposed extension
of John Poulter Road and at the same time eliminating the
reverse curve at t?,e southeasterly terminus of said lane.
As now proposed the reverse curve would connect with a
proposed extension of John Poulter Road where another re-
verse curve is proposed by the Trust but has not been
ap-proved by the Planning Board.
The design of the lane also needs to provide for a future
connection to the southerly portion of the Trust's unde-
veloped rand on the westerly side of the proposed location
of Worthen Road. This access needs to be provided for the
development of said land whether for future single family
residential or garden apartment use for the reason that
there is only sufficient frontage for the access of one
road on the westerly side line of 7.4orthen Road as proposed.
The peculiar shape of this tract of land will require some
other means of access to it other than the one which can be
provided from Worthen Road.
3. The des_gn and location of the parking areas need further
study. The location of some would definitely detract from
the overall appearance of the development itself. There is
doubt that as presently laid out automobiles could be mangy
euvered into position in some of the stalls without great
' difficulty.
• With reference to the buildings themselves, the Planning
Board in general approves of their exterior appearance.
In one case, however, the Board believes that the end ele-
vation of the building masked "A" needs additional windows
or other openings to relieve its severellr simple appearance.
It is felt that this addition to the end elevations is es-
peciall-v needed on the buildings as seen from Worthen Road
and 7.4alt1nam Street. It is thought that windows or doors
leading from the second floor bedrooms onto the roof of the
one story end unit might balance somewhat the front and rear
elevations and at the same time provide additional egress
from the apartments involved in case of fire or other emer-
gency.
In addition to the above the Chiar Engineer of the Fire
Department has called the Planning; Board's attention to the
location of chimneys in buildings C and D. These no doubt
will need relocation to correspond with the location of base-
ment boiler rooms and so alter the exterior appearance of the
roof lines on said buildings. He has likewise called this
Board's attention to (1) the need for certain fire walls, (2)
access to the inside of roofs from above the ceilings of
' second floors or from outside the roofs themselves, anc? (3 ) air
supply and exhausting of hot ai.r in boiler rooms. It is recom-
mended that these matters be attended to b efo-e submission of
final building plans.
In view of the above, the Planning Board recommends that the ,
application and clans be disapnroved. However, rather than go
through the formality of holding a hearing on the application
and plans, the Board suggests --if the applicant is willing to
do so --that the application and plans be withdrawn for a period
of a few weeks so that further conferences can be held and a
site nlan developed which will be acceptable to all. If this
is done, and the plans revised as needed, then the necessity of
a second public hearing would be eliminated and much time saved.
It is the "lanninp! Board's oninion that it would be unfortunate
to hold a hearing now on the present application and plans when
a suitable site elan and accompanying building plans are so
nearly at a point of completion.
Sincerely yours,
L],,XIT7GTON PLANT71\7BOA?M
Isl Levi G. Burnell, Chairman
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