HomeMy WebLinkAbout1960-12-31 REPORT OF THE PLAN?`?TNG BOARD
December 31, 1960
To the citizens of Lexington
Lexington ' s population growth continues to increase as
indicated by the following census data
Year Population
1950 17,335
1955 22,256
1960 27, 920
New subdivisions approved by the Planning Board for 1960
added 14.8 lots for single family residential use and a total of
14 ,123 linear feet of roadway to the town 's street system In
addition there were created under Planning Board jurisdiction
35 lots for single family residential use, these lots fronting
on existing ways .
During the past year the following parcels of land were ac-
quired by the Town of Lexington for the 1-)cation of future
streets or for playground and recreational purposes .
1. Lot 11, about 31,230 sq. ft. in area, for recreational
purposes, the lot fronting on Holton Road in Patriots Forest
subdivision;
2. A parcel of land, about 34,200 sq. ft in area, fronting
on East Street and abutting Vine Brook, the parcel to be used
for the extension of Emerson Road from the existing portion of
said road to cast Street and for an addition to the proposed
North Street-Vine Brook recreational area ;
3. A parcel of land , 1P 38 acres in area, for playground
and recreational purposes, said parcel fronting on Turning Mill
Road and abutting Grove Street school land and the parcel of
land described under item 4.:
L. A parcel of land about 14..5 acres in area for play-
ground and recreational purposes, said parcel situated on
'"-rove Street and abutting Grove Street school land and the
parcel of land described under item 3;
5. lot of land with building thereon numbered 572
Massachusetts Avenue for the future location of Emerson Road,
the lot having an area of about 10, 318 sq. ft ;
6. A parcel o" land 40 feet wide having an area of about
6,294 sq. ft. situated between lots 48 and 50A in the Peacock
Farm subdivision, said narcel connecting Peacock Farm Road
nnun 'n.,t _0_
withtown-owned land acquired for a school and playground
site;
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7. A parcel of land having an area of about 9 acres
situated on Hathaway Road and abutting town-owned land known
as Willard' s Woods, the wooded portion of the nine-acre
parcel to be added to the Willard' s Woods property and the
unwooded portion of the parcel to be used in part for the
future location of Emerson Road.
Summarizing the above information, the town acquired
during 1960 approximately )4 .6 acres of additional land for
street, playground and recreational purposes .
At the December 12, 1960 Special Town Meeting there was
rezoned from R 1 single family residence to C 3 special com-
mercial use approximately 7.6 acres of land fronting on the
westerly and southwesterly side of Wood Street and a butting
Hanscom Field. The land now owned by Father James and Miss
Marie Maguire is to be conveyed to the Mass. Institute of
Technology for the purpose of constructing a building to be
used for a vital government defense project
Upon recommendation of the Planning Board the 1960
AnnualTownMeeting under Article 52 voted to amend Section
5 of the Zoning By-law so as to eliminate trucking and ex-
press business as a permitted use in residential districts ,
Under Article 53 of the 1060 Annual Town Meeting Section
I4 of the Zoning Br-law was amended increasing the number of
associate members of the Board of Appeals to a total of five
Itek Corporation site plans were approved earlier this
year and this concern has proceeded with the building ,of a
major office building and electronic research facility.
Tn June the Waltham Street garden apartments site plan
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was given tentative anprov 1 by the Planning Board
The outstanding accomplishment which tookplace in 1060
was the completion of a general development plan for a
central school and recreational area on town-owned land from
the Waltham-Muzzey-Clarke-Lincoln Street area to Marrett
Road, including the high school property, Center playground,
area used for a town dump, and the tract (including the old
reservoir) between Middleby and Marrett Poads A transfer
of funds from the Excess and Deficiency Account to the Plan-
ning Board' s General Expense Account enabled the Board to
emnlov an additional graduate student in landscape architec-
ture to assist the Planning Director, himself a landscape
architect, in developing the comprehensive scheme first pro-
posed by the Director in his 1957 annual report to the Plan-
ning Board . A detailed analysis of the wants and needs of
the School Department and Recreation Committee relative to
nnual Rennrt (Cort :d ) -3-
facilities for an elementary and n secondary school and
community recreation was made after conferences with
representatives of these agencies, other Lexington
officials , and trustees of the Hayden Recreation Center
P. detailed program was prepared and used as a basis for
developing a long-range plan for the area described
above
The major components of_ the elan are those of a
secondary school site at the end of Muzzey Street in the
area between 4altham and nlarke Streets, an enlargement
of the present center playground and high school for
nh--sical educational classes and general recreational use ,
a team snorts area nn the land now partly used as a town
dump, an elementary school area southwesterly of Middleby
Tnad , and a communitY recreational facilities area between
Middleby and Jarrett roads 'he plan envisions the loca-
tion of .aorthen Road as the boundary between the Hayden
renter and the land to be used for physical educational
classes and reneral recreation, the fencing and appro-
priate planting along Worthen Road, an exchange of land
between the Town and HaArden Center, the elimination of
Par'{ Drive, the corstruction of a service road along
Vine Brook between Worthen and Middleby Roads, and the
eventual construction of a pedestrian pass over Worthen
Road between the h gh school grounds and the team sports
area Tf carried out a - pronosed there would be no need
of eliminating the present football field, track, tennis
courts, or swimming Wool until such time as these facil-
ities are no longer adequate for town needs and the present
town dump is abandoned The Special Town Meeting held on
November 28 began to put the comprehensive plan into
effect by laying_ out Worthen Road between Lincoln and
lialtham Streets and appropriating funds for the prepara-
tion of preliminary plans for the expansion of the high
school
It is the hope of the Planning Board that the 1q61
Annual Town Meeting will approve an addition to our staff
of a planning assistant It becomes more evident each year
that if we ^re to perform nronerly the duties required in
the areas of long-range planning and the administration of
the Subdivision Control Law, that there will be needed an
additional staff member properly versed in city planning
We have made much progress since establishing the position
of Planning? Director but the work load is too heavy for
one person le believe thct the ne-rt ten -ears will be the
most critical for long-range planning in Lexington and so
request this additional help that we may accomplish the
best for our Town
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4;01
Levi G.G. 'Burnell, Chairman
. AWN r
homas . e, Vice Chairman
ng H. Maeee , Clerk
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R.bert 7. Meyer
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ard P. Soule
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