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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1961-01-161 1 1 PLANNING BOARD MEETING January 16, 1961 A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board was held on Monday, January 16, 1961 at 7:40 n.m. in the Board's office, Town Office Building. Present were Chairman Burnell, members Mabee, Meyer and Soule, and Planning Director Snow. Approved by the Board were the minutes of its January 3, 1961 meeting. Approved for payment was the bill for $30.00 for 1961 dues for the Board's membership in the Massachusetts Federation of Planning Boards. MINUTES BILL Considered next by the Board was the follow- ing Form A application for determination of Planning FORM A Boars. jurisdiction: #61-1, submitted January 13, 1961 by John J. White; plan entitled "Plan of Land Lexington, Mass.", Scale: 30 feet to an inch, dated Nov. 17, 19601 Josenh Selwyn, C.E. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously VOTED: that the Lex4n7ton Planning Board determines that the plan accompanying Form A appli.ca.- tion. #61-1 does not require approval under the Subd.i-vision Control Law, and that said plan be so endorsed. Approved also b7, the Board was the draft of its Annual Renort for 1960. With reference to Dr. Short's rezoning pro- posal which was presented to the Board at its Special Meeting on January 7, 1961, the Planning Board annroved the draft of a letter to Dr. Short setting forth its decision in regard to his pro- posal. (See addendum.) Mr. Snow called to the Board's attention Mrs, IdIlliam Roger Greeley's letter of January 6, to Mrs. Morey, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and the Planning Director's reply of January 17 to Mrs. Greeley's letter with reference to the status of A 1 district development in Lexington The Board's attention was called to a notice ANNUAL REPORT REZONING PROPOSAL SHORT A-1 DISTRICTS MFPB MEET TI G 1-16-61 of a Region 5 B Planning Boards, said meeting to cluster zoning. meeting, Massachusetts to be held in Weston discuss conservation, i Feder tion of on January 26, open areas, and Town Counsel Stevens met with the Board from BOARD OF 8:00 until 8:15 p.m. and discussed, at its request, APPEALS the proposed re -subdivision of the Finney property numbered 52 Fottler Avenue. (See minutes of January FINNEY 3, 1961 Planning Boar(, Meeting.) From 8:15 to 9.00 p.m. Messrs. Daniel G. REZONING Wheeler, Vice President, and Paul P. Shepherd, Asso- PROPOSALS ciate.. of Cabot, Cabot & Forbes Associates, Inc. met with the Board to discuss that organization's plans C.C.& F. for development of certain lands in Lexington and to request that these lands be rezoned for special com- mercial districts or light manufacturing use. Mr. Wheeler exhibited sketch plans of all the lots in the vicinity of Hartwell Avenue which C.C. & F. owned or had signed or verbal options to acquire, He said that the corporation now owned the former Linehan, Reiss and Saumsiegle lands and had an op- tion to purchase from Mrs. Hinchey her residential property located at the end of Hinchey Road. (These parcels of land are shown on the nlan accompany Form A application #60-92.) Mr. `1heeler said also that C. C. & F, had acquired or had option to acquire the other four residential properties on Hinchey Road and the rear portion of the abutting Davenport land fronting on Bedford Street; had options to acquire the Chin Ming Fee land fronting on Westview Street and bounded b -•r the Boston & Maine Railroad and the West- view Cemetery; the MacDonald property fronting on Wood Street and bounded by Hartwell Avenue and Hanscom Field; and with the exception of a parcel 300 feet deep, the Cosgrove property fronting on Wood Street and bounded by Hartwell Avenue. Mr. Wheeler stated that C.C. & F. had not been able to acquire options to purchase the lands owned by John J. O'Connor and by Tropeano and Nylander. . It was stated that C.C. & F. had acquired this land because it was close to the airport, had rail facilities and was in close proximity to Route 128. Mr.. Wheeler asked that all the lands discussed which were not presently zoned for (M 1) light manufacturing use be re' zoned for this use and that warehousing be permitted and more land coverage be allowed in manu- facturing districts. He pointed out that his corpora- tion's building restrictions would give adequate pro - 1 1 1 1-16-61 tection as far as building standards were concerned. He cited the Needham industrial district located on Route 128 as an examnle of a district having zoning and building restrictions which he considered desir- able. He also recuested that the former Rinaldo nroperty now owned by C.C. & F. and fronting on Marrett Road and bounded by Route 128 be re -zoned for (C 3) special co7.mercial district use. Mr. '.wheeler concluded by stating that he would like to have the planning Board's opinion in regard to the oroposals which he had presented. The Board took the matter under advi.sement. From 9:05 to 10:00 p.m. the following repre- sentatives of the Follen Hill Estates Association met with the Board to discuss the nroposal to extend Buckman Drive to connect with Moreland Avenue: Messrs. Alan S. Hodges and rregory L. Gallagher of 21 and 214. Dawes Road, respectively, and Messrs. Felix J. Conti, George TT. Matheson, Jr. and Dr. John J. Brennan, Jr. of 47, 62 and 73 Buckman Drive, .respectively. In commenting; on the proposal Mr. Hodges stated that he believed it was a mistake and that such an extension would jeopardize the neighborhood ' and serve as a short cut from Marrett Road to Pleasant Street. He stated what he believed would be a danger to the children who lived in the area and who, he said, had no playground on which to play. He stated that he thought it would be a long time before the Follen Hill Estates land the town had voted to acquire for recreational purposes would be available for use. Dr. _3rennan added that he lived in a very de- sirable neighborhood which would deteriorate If it were connected to Moreland Avenue. He said that with the joining of the neighborhoods involved there would be more traffic on the roads. He stated that in his estimation the pronosal had no advantage to the town and was one only which was initiated by those people living in the Moon Hill area. He concluded by saying that he thought there were other ways to solve that group's problem of a second access from their area, mentioning the extension of Summit Road and the use of so-called Milli_can Road. Members of the Board pointed out that the pro- nosal was not initiated by residents living in the Moon Hill Road and Fern Street area but was one which ' had been considered by town officials since 1947. Mr. Burnell then read excerpts from the minutes of the Boarc of Selectmen's meeting held on October 27, 1917. -3- BUCKMAN DRIVE 1-1E-61 -1�- It was noted that at said meeting the Selectmen negotiated for a water easement fifty feet wide through ' the land of Mr. Pasquale Luongo so that when it became necessary at a later date to construct a street over the easement there would be no existing building to pre- vent an extension of Buckman Drive. Members of the Board pointed out that at the time Buckman Drive was ex- tended they would recommend that Summit Road be extended also so that there would be no concentration of traffic on Buckman Drive. In answer to Mr. Conti.'s remarks that he had not heard one good reason for the extension of Buckman Drive, members of the Board stated first, that there was nothing personal in the proposal, nor was any attempt being made to jeopardize the neighborhood. It was pointed out, however, that under the Subdivision Control Law which the Board was obligated to administer some of the purposes of the law were to provide adequate access to a subdivision by ways which are safe and con- venient for travel, for lessening congestion on such ways and for securing safety in case of fire and other emergencies, and for co-ordinating the ways of such sub- divisions with those in neighboring subdivisions. It was likewise noted that in addition to Fern Street be- ing blocked so that no access was available to Pleasant Street the Board was concerned with the possibility of the intersection of Dawes Road and Buckman Drive being blocked also. In the latter case 45 families living on Lantern Lane, Philip Road, the westerly end of Dawes Road and the southerly end of Buckman Drive would have no means of access to Follen Road.. Various possible means of access to the Moon Hill - Fern Street'area were discussed. Tt was pointed out that so-called Mi.11ican Road was not a way in fact, was too narrow and too steep to develop and, even if desir- able as a means of access to Moon Mill Road, would cost too much in terms of land damages and road construction. Tt was emphasized, however, that the Millican Road - Pleasant Street intersection was too dangerous to recommend because of the poor sight distance and the volume of traffic on Pleasant Street. Estimated costs of extending Summit Road and Buckman Drive were discussed. The Follwn Hill repre- sentatives were informed that the Sunt, of Public Works had estimated that it would cost about ',17,500 to con- struct the private way portion of Summit Road connect- ing the town way portion of said road to Moreland Ave. It was also stated that the Superintendent's estimate to extend Buckman Drive from its terminus to Moreland Avenue w -s about $4,000. When some of the representa- tives pointed out that the cost of acquiring the land for the extension of Buckman Drive would have to be added to the cost of construction to obtain a true cost of this proposal, members of the Planning Board indi- cated that they understood that it would be possible to exchange with Mr. Luongo tax title land which the town now owned for the land necessary to lay out Buckman Drive over the present water easement. The Board then held a general discussion of other problems currently before it and adjourned its meeting at 11:30 n.m. Irving H. Mabee, Clerk, ADDENDUM Dr. Leonard V. Short 1433 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington 73, Mass. Dear Doctor Short: -5- January 17,1961 The Lexington Planning Board has considered carefully your proposal to rezone the Short land on Waltham Street in order to create an office park. The Board was pleased to see such well d esigned preliminary plans and the fine model which Mr. Gensemer presented. It is the unanimous opinion of the members of the Board, however, that general business should not be permitted in the �Ialtham Street area adjacent to the Lexington town line, that this land shoilld not be rezoned for C 2 use which would permit renera.l busiress. 'The Board agrees with you that your parcel of land has insufficient area for a C 3 zone. Tn anv event, the Board feels there is insufficient area in- volved to provide adequate vehicular parking for the rent- able office space proposed in the plan. The Board in general is not in favor of establishing a special zoning district just to accommodate a single small parcel of land and does not wish to make an exception in this case. The Board intends to review the land use for the general area including 'Tour parcel and in so doing will keep your proposal in mind. Yours sincerely, cc: Mr T;aniel L7rndh /sl Levi G. Burnell, Chairman Mr.Jack rensemeT, Bd. of Appeals Td, of selectmen