HomeMy WebLinkAbout1960-12-31REPORT OF THE PLANYTNG BOARD
December 31, 1960
To the Citizens of T,exi_ngton-
Lexington's population growth continues to increase as
Indicated by the following census data;
Year
Population
1950
17j,335
1955
22,256
1960
27,920
New subdivisions approvgd 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 location of future
streets or for playground and recreational purposes. -
1. Lot ll, about 31,230 sq. ft. in area, for recreational
purposes, the lot fronting on Holton Road in Patriots Forest
subdivision;
2. A -oarcel 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 Fast Street and for an addition to the proposed
North Street-Vi.ne Brook recreational area;
3. A -parcel of land, 19.38 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.;
!�. A ne_rcel of land about 14.5 acres in area for play-
ground and recreational purposes, said parcel situated on
G -rove Street and abutting_ Grove Street school land and the
narcel of land described under item 3;
5. Q- lot of land with building thereon numbered 572
Massachusetts Avenue for the future location of Emerson Road,
the lot raving an area of about 10,318 sq. ft.;
6. A parcel o" lana 4.0 feet wide having an area of about
61294 sq. ft. situated between lots 4.8 and 50A in the Peacock
Farm subdivision, said parcel connecting Peacock Farm Road
['annual 'eno„t. rr >ntr�
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with town -owned land acquired for a school and playground
site;
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 'Moods, the wooded 6ortion 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 Fmerson Road,
Summarizing the above information, the town acquired
during 1960 approximately 44.6 acres of additional land for
street, playground and recreational purposes.
At the December 123 7.960 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 Zon=ing By-law so as to eliminate trucking and ex-
press business as a nermi_tted use in residential districts. ,
Under Article 53 of the 1960 Annual Town Meeting Section
I4 of the Toning Bir -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,
In June the Waltham Street garden apartments site plan
was given tentative approval by the Planning Board.
The outstanding accomplishment which tookplace in 1960
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 Tlarrett Roads. A transfer
of funds from the Excess and Deficiency '+account to the Plan-
ning Board's General Expense Account enabled the Board to
emololr 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 Denartment and Recreation Committee relative to
Annual (%ntid)
-3-
facilities for and n secondary school and
an elementary
community recreation was made after conferences with
representatives of these a7encies, other Lexington
officials, and trustees of the Hayden Recreation Center.
A detailed. orogram was prepared and used as a basis for
developing a long-range plan dor the area described
above.
The major components of the plan are those of a
secondary school site at the end of Muzzey Street in the
area between lialtham and Clarke Streets, an enlargement
of the present center playground and high school for
nh--sical educational classes and general recreational use,
a team snorts area on the land now partly used as a town
dump, an elementar.g school area southwesterly of Middleby
Woad, ^nd a community recreational facilities area between
Middleby and -'larrett Ponds, The plan envisions the loca-
tion of .Worthen Road as the boundary between the Hayden
Center and the land to be used for physical educational
classes and 7eneral recreation, the fencing and appro-
priate planting along ?Worthen Road, an exchange of land
between the Town and Haz7den Center, the elimination of
Par'{ Drive, the construction of a service road along
Vine Brook between [Worthen and Middleby Roads, and the
eventual construction of a Dedestrian pass over Worthen
Road between the high school grounds and the team sports
area. Tf carried out as proposed there would be no need
of eliminating the oresent football field, track, tennis
courts, or swimming pool until such time as these facil-
Ities are no longer adequate for town needs and the present
town dumo 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
Waltham Streets and appropriating funds for the prepara-
tion of nreliminary plans for the expansion of the high
school.
It is the hope of the Planning Board that the 1961
Annual Town Meeting will approve an addition to our staff
of a planning assistant. Tt becomes more evident each vear
that i_f we. ^.re to perform nronerly the duties required in
th.e 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 loa.d is too heavy for
one person, !e believe th^t the next ten years will be the
most critical for long-range planning in Lexington and so
request this additi_onnl help that we may accomplish the
best for o�_lr Town.
44.4 - 4f &'L.�� I
Levi. G. Burnell, Charman
Thomas Ste,-rsrl.fe, Vice Chairman
and H. Soule
i
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