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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1963-10-14u 11 PLANNING BOARD MEETING October 14, 1963 The Lexington Planning Board held a regular meeting in its office in the Town Office Building on Monday, October 14, 1963, at 7:30 P.M. Present were Chairman Mabee, members Bryson, Campbell, Greeley, and Meyer, and Mr. Snow, planning consultant. Considered first and approved by the Board were the MINUTES minutes of its meetings of September 23 and October 7, 1963. In connection with the approval of the minutes of PROPOSED October 7, it was decided to acknowledge the Seth and Maxner WORTHEN ROAD letter of September 30 to the Planning Board in regard to GARDEN APT. the proposal for a garden apartment district on the north- DISTRICT westerly side of Worthen Road in the vicinity of Bedford Street. The Board then approved for payment a bill submitted by Samuel P. Snow in the sum of $305.00 for professional services to the Board for the period October 7 through Octo- ber 11, 1963. Considered next were the following Form A applications for determination of Planning Board jurisdiction: #63-64, submitted October 7, 1963 by Moore Realty Trust; plan entitled "Plan of Land in Lexington, Mass.", scale': 1" = 30', dated Oct. 4, 1963, Miller & Nylander, C.E.'s and Surveyors. #63-65, submitted Oct. 8, 1963 by Stephen Aghazarian; plan entitled "Plan of Land in Lexington -Mass.", scale: 1" = 201, dated Sept. 1963, John J. Sullivan, Surveyor. ##63-66, submitted Oct. 11, 1963 by Paul B. and Olive E. Lloyd, Norman T. May, Agent; plan entitled "Plan of Land in Lexington, Mass.", Scale: 1" = 401, dated Oct. 7, 1963, Miller & Nylander, C.E.s & Surveyors. It was decided to take no action on the plan accom- panying application ##63-65 pending receipt of further in- formation of whether or not the lot shown on said plan had been previously recorded. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously ' VOTED: that the plans accompanying Form A applications ##63- 64 and #63-66 do not require approval under the sub- BILL mi7Vu�.Y:1 10/14/63 division control law, and that said plans be so endorsed. Read to the Board also was a letter, dated October T.M.M.A. 1, from the Town Meeting Members Association committee COMMITTEE ON studying the administrative structure.of Lexington's town TOWN GOVERN- government seeking a meeting with the Planning Board. Mr. MENT Snow was asked to draft for the Board a letter acknowledg- STRUCTURE ing receipt of the committee's letter and expressing the Board's willingness to meet with the committee after the conclusion of the special town meeting to be held in Novem- ber. (See addendum.) Considered next were notices of petitions to be BOARD OF heard by the Board of Appeals on October 22. It was de - APPEALS cided to take no action on the petitions to be heard on said date. -2- From 8:30 to 9:45 p.m. Mr. Henry W. Hardy of Need- ham met with the Board to present to it and discuss.a PROPOSED ZONING preliminary draft which he had prepared of proposed AMENDMENTS amendments to Lexington's zoning by-law. (See minutes of Planning Board meeting of October 7, 1963.) At the con- clusion of the conference with Mr. Hardy he was asked to prepare for the Board a revised draft, incorporating therein the changes the Board had agreed upon in conference and writing the draft in the form of zoning articles for the special town meeting scheduled to be held November 25th. Mr. Mabee attended the Board of Selectmen's meeting ROUTE 2 from 9:20 to 10:00 p.m. Upon his return the Board con- sidered the matter of placing in the warrant for the PROPOSED ZONING special town meeting referred to above an article to rezone AMENDMENT as a special commercial district certain lands situated southwesterly of Route 2 in the vicinity of Spring Street. 1 u A letter, dated October 14, from Mr. Stephen T. REZONING Russian to the Planning Board was read. (See addendum.) PROPOSAL In his letter Mr. Russian, as attorney for Dr. Short, - asked whether or not the Board would present at the WALTHAM ST. special town meeting to be held in November an article - with reference to proposal to rezone Dr. Short's land, SHORT situated on the easterly side of Waltham Street near the Lexington -Waltham boundary line, as a new commercial zone. In connection with the Board's proposed zoning amendments being drafted in final form by Mr. Henry W. Hardy of Need- ham, it was decided to include a proposal to rezone Dr. Short's land in the advertisement of hearings to be held on said proposed amendments and also to insert in the war- rant for the special town meeting an article to see if the town will rezone Dr. Short's land. Read to the Board also was a letter, dated October T.M.M.A. 1, from the Town Meeting Members Association committee COMMITTEE ON studying the administrative structure.of Lexington's town TOWN GOVERN- government seeking a meeting with the Planning Board. Mr. MENT Snow was asked to draft for the Board a letter acknowledg- STRUCTURE ing receipt of the committee's letter and expressing the Board's willingness to meet with the committee after the conclusion of the special town meeting to be held in Novem- ber. (See addendum.) Considered next were notices of petitions to be BOARD OF heard by the Board of Appeals on October 22. It was de - APPEALS cided to take no action on the petitions to be heard on said date. -2- From 8:30 to 9:45 p.m. Mr. Henry W. Hardy of Need- ham met with the Board to present to it and discuss.a PROPOSED ZONING preliminary draft which he had prepared of proposed AMENDMENTS amendments to Lexington's zoning by-law. (See minutes of Planning Board meeting of October 7, 1963.) At the con- clusion of the conference with Mr. Hardy he was asked to prepare for the Board a revised draft, incorporating therein the changes the Board had agreed upon in conference and writing the draft in the form of zoning articles for the special town meeting scheduled to be held November 25th. Mr. Mabee attended the Board of Selectmen's meeting ROUTE 2 from 9:20 to 10:00 p.m. Upon his return the Board con- sidered the matter of placing in the warrant for the PROPOSED ZONING special town meeting referred to above an article to rezone AMENDMENT as a special commercial district certain lands situated southwesterly of Route 2 in the vicinity of Spring Street. 1 u 1 10/14/63 -3 - In this connection Mr. Snow exhibited a revised map he had prepared showing proposed ramps and rights-of-way in rela- tionship to existing property lines and topography, the map being based upon the advance prints of the final design of the proposed interchanges on Route 2 in Lexington between Routes 128 and Watertown Street. (See minutes of Planning Board meeting of October 7, 1963.) Based on this map and existing correspondence to which the Board referred, it was decided to inform the Board of Selectmen that the Planning Board did not wish to present this matter at the special town meeting to be held in November because of a commitment which the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board made to the Chief Engineer, State Department of Public Works, in a letter dated March 21, 1963. (See adden- dum.) Considered next was a letter, dated October 11, from Mrs. William H. Lyon requesting that the Planning Board make its highest and best offer for the purchase of Lot 1, and, if necessary, Lots 2 and 3 as shown on a plan entitled "Plan of Land in Lexington, Mass.", dated Feb. 14, 1956, and prepared by Albert A. Miller Wilbur C. Nylander, civil engineers and surveyors. Before acting on this matter Mr. Snow was asked to obtain for the Planning Board at its next meeting the valua- tions the Board of Assessors had placed on the property under consideration and also to obtain the appraisal of this prop- erty which Mr. Henry E. Keenan of Arlington had made for the Board in connection with its interest in acquiring some of the Lyons property for municipal parking purposes. (See addendum; see also minutes of the Planning Board meetings of September 24 and November 19, 1962.) The Board adjourned its meeting at 11:00 p.m. but be- fore doing so decided to hold its next meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 21, 1963. dogeph A. ADDENDUM Mr. Reuben L. Seth 16 Audubon Road Lexington, Mass. - 02173 Dear Mr. Seth- Campbell Clerk October 15,1963 The Lexington Planning Board acknowledges receipt of the letter MUNICIPAL PARKING LYON lo/14/63 -4- addressed to it, dated September 30, 1963, and signed by you and Mrs. Seth and Mr. and Mrs. James 0. Maxner. This letter has been placed on file with other material presented the Planning Board in this case. Sincerely, LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD /s/ Irving H. Mabee, Chairman ------------------ October 10, 1963 Irving Mabee, Chairman Lexington Planning Board 25 Highland Avenue Lexington, Massachusetts Dear Irving: I thought I would promptly forward to you the legal descriptions of the R land C 1 land owned by Doctor Short on Waltham Street. Pre- sumably, you will find these useful in the preparation of the articles for zoning in the Special Town Meeting. I hope that by this time you have had an opportunity to check with your members of the Board on the question as to whether or not the Planning Board will present this , article. As I stated to you earlier, Doctor Short is prepared to pay for the costs of publishing the notice of the. zoning of this land. I would appreciate it very greatly if I could be given an opportunity to examine in detail the proposed language setting forth the new com- mercial zone which would affect this parcel. if you can let me in this regard, I will be most grateful. Sincerely yours, /s/ Steve STR:sl Enc. }------ - October 16, 1963 Mr. Homer J. Hagedorn, Co -Chairman Committee on the Structure of Government 17 Fiske Road Lexington, Massachusetts: Dear Homer: Your letter of October 1 to the Planning Board in regard to the T.M.M.A. committee on administrative structure of Lexington's town ' government has been read to the Board. It will be pleased to meet with the Committee as soon as the November special town meeting is lo/14/63 -5- concluded. Right now the Board has an especially heavy work load preparing for this meeting. In noting the membership of the Committee it is the concensus of the members of the Planning Board that the Committee may be of more assistance to the Board than the Board to the Committee. As you know, Alan Adams was a member of the Planning Board for eight years and its chairman for five; Harold Stevens as former Town Counsel worked with the Board for ten years and has an intimate knowledge of its activities;and Norman Richards both as former Appropriations Committee member and chairman, and later as a Selectmen, worked with the Board and has a knowledge also of many of its activities and problems. If you still believe the Board can be of assistance to the committee of course we shall be glad to meet with it after the Novem- ber town meeting. Sincerely, LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD /s/ I. H. Mabee, Chairman ------------------ ' Mr. E. J. McCarthy, Chief Engineer Department of Public Works 100 Nashua Street Boston 14, Massachusetts Attn: Mr. Walter Hue Dear Mr. McCarthy: March 21, 1963 The Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board express their apprecia- tion for the opportunity of holding a conference on March 20 in the office of Mr. Walter Hue with representatives of our Boards, the Bureau of Public Roads and your Department. Attached herewith is a sketch plan of otrr understanding of the Depart- ment's proposal for an interchange in the southeasterly quadrant of Spring Street and Route 2. This proposal was presented to the Lexington officials as the one representativesof the Department of Public Works and the Bureau of Public Roads would approve, provided the proposed re- zoning for commercial use takes place at Spring Street, and provided the "off" ramp located at the southwesterly quadrant of Waltham Street and Route 2 is eliminated. This proposal was discussed in detail at a meeting of the Board of Selectmen, held Wednesday evening, March 20, at which time members of the Planning Board were present. It was the unanimous decision of the members of the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board that they accept the proposal of the Department of Public Works for the southeast- 10/11/63 -6- erly quadrant of the Route 2 -Spring Street interchange substantially as shown on the attached plan. In consideration of the Department's agreement to construct an tton't ramp from Spring Street to Route 2, the Board of Selectmen voted to rescind its request made in a letter dated October 18, 1962, to you for an 'toff" ramp in the southwesterly quadrant of the Waltham Street - Route 2 interchange. Also attached herewith is a marked copy of the warrant for the 1963 Annual Town Meeting setting forth article 49 which proposes to rezone an area situated southerly of Route 2 and on either side of Spring Street outlined in blue on the attached plan. This is the zoning pro- posal which the Town understands the Department of Public Works feels will substantiate the construction of the 'tont ramp from Spring Street to Route 2. At the conference referred to above it was agreed by representatives of the Department and Lexington officials that it would not be proper on the basis of the proposed land taking by the State to rezone that portion of the land between Route 2 and the southerly side line of relocated Concord Avenue. It was further agreed that the Lexington officials would investigate the possibility of modifying Article 49 by eliminating from the rezoning proposal this portion of land. How- ever, at the meeting of the Board of Selectmen last evening, Town Counsel ' ruled that the article as set forth in the warrant could not be modified as discussed. In view of this decision, it is proposed toindefinitely postpone the rezoning article to allow the Department of Public Works time to prepare a definitive plan of the interchange proposal and make the necessary land takings for the same. It is understood that in so doing, this action will reduce the cost of land damages to the State. It was unanimously agreed by the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board that as soon thereafter as possible, the Selectmen would schedule a Special Town Meeting at which time an article would be in- serted in the warrant for the rezoning for commercial purposes the land under discussion. Very truly yours, Atts. /s/ Alan G. Adams, Chairman 1