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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1963-02-04PLANNTNG BOARD MEETING ' February 4 y 1 963 The Lexington planning Board held a regular meeting in its office, Town Office Building, on Monday, February 4, 1963, at 7:40 o.m. Present were Chairman Grindley members Campbell, Mabee and Meyer, and Mr. Snow, Planning Director. Considered first and approved, was a draft ANNUAL of the Board's Annual Report for 1962. REPORT Considered also and approved was a draft of a suggested letter to be sent'bv the Selectmen to PROPOSED the Chief Engineer, Mass. Dept. of Public Works, ROUTE 2 - with reference to the southeasterhr quadrant of SPRING ST. the nroposed Route 2 interchange at Spring Street. INTERCHANGE (See addendum.) The Board approved the minutes of its meet MINUTES ing of January 21, 1963. Approved for payment were the following bills which had been presented: Boston Law Book BILLS Co., references -44.00; Amer. Soc. of Planning Officials, Zoning Digest --.15.00; Linda M. Fern- Berger, professional services --2'250.00. . Taken under consideration next were the following Form A applications for determination FORMS A of Planning Board jurisdiction - #63 -11, submitted January 30, 7.963 by Ruth Morey; plan entitled "Plan of Lots Land in Lexington, Mass,", Scale: 1" = 401, dated Jan. 18, 1963, Miller & Nylander,'C.E.'s & Surveyors. #463-12, submitted January 30, 1963 by Hayes, Field & Hayes, attorneys for Larry Byrne;, plan entitled it of Land Lexington, Mass.'., Scale: 1 in. = 30 ft., dated Dec. 28, 1962, Harry R. Feldman, Inc. #63-131 submitted February 42 1963 by Chester Lidberg; plan entitled "Subdivision Plan of Land in Lexin atony Mass."; Scale: 1 inch 40 feet, dated_ January 23, 1963, Henry F. Bryant & Son, Tnc., Engineers. In regard to the plan accompan#ing applica- tion #63-11, Mr..Snow stated that he had referred 2-4-63 -2- the application and plan to the Town Counsel for ' an opinion. It was decided to take no action in regard to said application until the Board had received the Counsel's opinion. Thereupon it was moved, seconded and unan- imously VOTED: that the plans accompanying Form A appli- cations #63-12 and .63-13 do not require approval under the Subdivision Control Law and that said plans be so endorsed. Read was a letter, dated February 1, 1963,v STREET from the Board of Selectmen, stating that said ACCEPTANCES Board intended to lay out certain streets to be presented to the Town Meeting in March for accept- ance, and requesting advice from the Board as to whether or not the acceptance of these streets met with the approval of the Planning Board. The selectmen's letter was referred to Nr.Snow for a recommendation. (See addendum.) Attention was called to the notice of a HISTORIC hearing to be held on February 27, 1963 in regard , DISTRICT to the application of John F. MacNeil for a cer- COMMISSION tificate of appropriateness for a proposed second story on the building, numbered 19 Depot Square, which is within the Battle Green historic district. It was decided to take no action in regard to the MacNeil application. From 8:30 to 8:45 p.m. Mr. Charles H. MILLER Miller of Boxborough met with the Board to see if it would change the local business district at the southerly corner of Lincoln Street and Marrett Road so that the district line would conform to the lot on which he had built an office building. The procedure necessary for a. public hearing in regard to a zoning change was explained to. Mr. Miller. He was advised to refer the matter to his lawyer to see whether or not it might be best to take care of his problem through the seeking of a Board of Appeals variance or by means of a zoning amendment. At 9:00 p.m. a group of residents from the PROPOSED Five Fields area met briefl7 with the Board to in - ROUTE 2- quire about the Planning Board's decision in re- SPRh?G ST. gard to the discussion which representatives of ' INTERCHANGE the Board and the Selectmen had held in the Chief Engineer's office of the Mass. Dept. of Public Works. The group were informed that the planning 2-4-63 ' Board would discuss the matter later in the even- ing with the Selectmen and suggested that the group attend the joint session to hear the dis- cussion between the Selectmen and the Planning Board. Mr. Stephen T. Russian's letter of January 23, 1963 to the Planning_ Board was read with ref- erence to a subdi.vi.si.on of a parcel of land owned by the Lucky Penny Trust and situated on Grove Street. (See addendum; see also minutes of March 2 and September 28, 1959.) Mr. Snow gave a report of the studv he had made in October 1959, and the conferences which he had held with Mr. Harmon S. B. White of the Trust in regard to these studies. Mr. Snow was asked to draft for the T�oard's considera- tion a letter to the Trust with reference to the situation in regard to this proposed subdivision. The Board adjourned its meeting at 9:30 n.m. to meet with. the Board of Selectmen in regard to the proposed Route 2 interchange at Spring Street. See the minutes of the Selectmen's meet- ing of February4 for a record of this conference. 1 � L Thomas S. Gri. ndle Chairman ADDENDUM LUCKY PENNY TRUST PR EL IMINA T'Y SUBDIVISION February 1, 1963 Mr. Thomas S. Grndle, Chairman Lexington Planning Board 1625 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington 73, Massachusetts Dear Mr. Grindle: The Board of Selectmen intends to lay out the following streets to be bresented to the Town Meeting in March for acceptance: Without Betterments Brown Roa , ooseve t Road, Saddle Club Roads Douglas Road, Fulton Road, Baskin Road, Bowser Road, Burroughs Road, Cooke Road, Constitution Road, Jeffrey Terrace, Freemont Street, Alcott Road, Lillian Road, Oxbow Road, Ross Road, and Todd Road. z -L-63 -L- Linder Betterment Act I Manning Street, Eastern Avenue, Drew Avenue, Freemont Street, Ntinter Street, and Ames Avenue. 'Till -you please advise the Selectmen whether or not the proposed acceptance of these streets meets with the approval of the Planning Board. Very truly yours, /s/ Hazel J. Murray Executive Clerk, Selectmen January 23, 1963 Lexington Planning Board Town Hall Lexington 73, Massachusetts Gentlemen: The trustees of the Lucky Penny Trust have requested that I co-municate with you regarding their -proposed subdivi- sion of a parcel of land situated on Grove Street. In ' March 1959 .Your Board disapproved the nreliminary subdi- vision plan that was presented to you. At that time there was a letter sent to Mr. ?shite which stated that the Board was trying to make a study of this entire area and that after some work was completed by the Board on this account that the Board would be happy to discuss the proposed use. I know that your Board is extremely busy but would appre- ciate an opnortunity to meettwith you to discuss anew this situation. May I please hear from you at your convenience. Thank you very much. Very truly yours, Isl Stephen T. Russian STR:sl �I 2-4-63 E. J. McCarthy,Chief Engineer February 8, 1063 Massachusetts Department of Public Works 100 Nashua Street Roston 14, Massachusetts Re: '?elocati on of Route 2 Lexington Tnterch ange Dear Mr. McCarthy: Reference is made to 1rour letter of January 4 to the Board of Selectmen and to the conference a number of Lexington officials held with Messrs. Cox, Hue, Levine and Gardner In your office on January 24 in regard to requested modifi- cation for the proposed Route 2 interchanFres at Spring and Waltham Streets in Lexington. The Department's courtesy In considering modifications suggested through this Board Is greatly appreciated. You are advised, however, that Lexington officials are still completely dissatisfied with the Department's design for the southeasterly quadrant of the Spring Street interchange and -particularly in the De- partment's decision _not to allow in this quadrant a ramp from Spring Street directly to the east -bound lanes of Route 2. At the conference Department officials were shown a scheme ' which Lexington officials believe will (1) best serve the needs of present traffic originating in Waltham and future traffic originating in the proposed special commercial zone in Lexington; (2) eliminate the need of this originating traffic traveling easterly through a prime residential area (Concord Avenue); and (3)"Areserve as an integral -part of the Lexington landscape a juniper hill through which the Denartment nronoses to locate a Concord Avenue connector. Althorpt renresentatives of the Department have reneatedly rejected the idea of a ramp directiv to Route 2 as shown on this scheme, Lexint^ton officials rave never received a satisfactory ex -planation of why it has not been approved. Since this scheme Is the only 'plan of which the town - officials and all residents of the area alike - an -proves, It will be greatly apnreci.ated if the Selectmen may have a written specific explanation of whir the scheme is un- acceptable to the Department. The hill and adjacent lowlands to the south and east are part of this town's recreation and open space master plan. Because the plant association found on this hill is the only one of Its kind remaining in Lexington, it is es- pecially desirable that it be preserved. The Department's estimate of a cut for the connector about twenty feet deep the entire width of the right of way and with necessary side slopes would not only ruin the hill itself but the narticula r plant association which is planned to be saved with it as a conservation measure. I MI It is understood at the conference that the Department would give further consideration to a modification of the , Concord Avenue connector. On the basis of this understand- ing it is especially requested that under any circumstances this connector r -o around the northerly side of and not trrough the juniper hill. It is desired to preserve this hill as a whole, not only as a proposed visual barrier for a-oroposed special commercial zone west of the hill but, more imuortant, to preserve it in its entirety as part of Lexington's landscape. It should be noted that there is no provision made for a left hand turn to allow off -ramp traffic from Route 2 to enter Concord Avenue. In lightofthe discussion held at the conference this scheme could be modified by elimi- nating any possibility of maki.np; a right hand turn from Spring Street to the Concord Avenue connector. In this scheme east -bound traffic from Route 2 to the-Fi.ve Fields residential area would have to use the Waltham Street Inter- change - a desirable feature from the standpoint of residents living in the area. In this scheme also east -bound traffic from Waltham heading northerly on Spring Street would have to cross over Poute 2 and use frontage road A (northerly of Route 2) to get to the 14altham Street 4nterchange. We sincerely hope that the Pepartment will give the proposal shown on scheme submitted favorable consideration because all officials of the town and the citizens of the area affected approve of the n rorosal. Very truly yours, /s/ Alan G. Adams, Chairman cc: planning Board Five Fields, Inc. Francis A. Gallagher John J. Carroll 1