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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1967-02-271 1 PLANNING BOARD MEETING February 27, 1967 A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board was held in its office, Town Office Building, on Monday, February 27, 1967. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Greeley at 7:30 p.m. with members Campbell, Fowle, Riffin, Worrell, and Planning Director Zaleski present. Minutes of the meeting of February 20,1967 were approved. MINUTES Plans submitted with Form A applications as follows, were reviewed and endorsed as not requiring approval under the FORMS A Subdivision Control Law: #67-4, submitted February 24, 1967 by Benjamin Franklin Homes, Inc., by H.S.B.White; plan entitled "Peacock Peacock Farms -Section VI," dated Feb. 15, 1967 by Boston Sur- Farms,Sec.4 veyors. #67-5, submitted February 2.7, 1967 by Daniel F. Gleason; plan entitled "Plan of Land in Lexington, Mass.", dated Gleason Feb. 23, 1967 by John J. Sullivan, C.E. & Surveyor. Selectmen's Minutes of February 13, 1967 were noted and placed on file. Letter from H. Sasaki relative to professional assist- ance by landscape architects in subdivision layouts was read and noted. Letter from Mr. Chatterton to the Building Inspector relative to a zoning violation at 4 Wheeler Rd. was read and placed on file. Mr. Zaleski was authorized by a vote of the Board to represent Planning Board at the hearings of the State Legis- lature on bills of concern to the Planning Board. Messrs. Louis and Ralph Bianchi, Mr. Bernard Lange, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly, Messrs. Tomayan and Ralph Mandell met with the Board to object to the proposed acquisition by the town of Lot I between Spring St. and Tufts Rd. Their objec- tions were based on the probable damage to their homes by placing a playground in the proximity, on the fact that the residents of the neighborhood have no wish for a playground and that it should be located elsewhere, and on the late notice of the intent to buy. CORRESPONDENCE Sasaki 4 Wheeler Rd. Violation HEARINGS TUFTS RD. ACQUISITION ' Mr. Morin met with the Board to ask for the Board's reaction to his proposal to erect two 4 -apartment buildings APARTMENTS - on Cottage St. and backing to the railroad. The Board re- MORIN viewed the plans presented by Mr. Morin. The Board was not in favor of the proposed layout and so advised Mr. Morin. 2-27-67 -2- Mr. Benjamin Zerbey, Supt. of the Minute Man AMHERST ST. National Park, and Mr. Schumacher met with the Board next to , EXTENSION discuss the proposed subdivision along an extension of Amherst St. Mr. Zerbey agreed to give the town a letter confirming that the Park Service has no intention of closing access from Hayward Ave, to Mass. Ave. in the Park until another adequately paved access had been provided. Mr. Zerbey displayed a plan of the future development of Fiske Hill northwest of Rte. 2-A. Mr. Schumacher then displayed two additional layouts of his subdivision which were reviewed and discussed by the Board. The layout with two dead-end streets was considered by the Board to be the best of the three and Mr. Schumacher was encouraged to use it as a basis for the final subdivision. Mr. Fowle recommended the provision of additional accesses to the open land. The Board was also in favor of Mr. Fowle's recommendation that the brook be left open and the land along the brook be made a part of the re- served open area. The meeting adjournedat�pi'/ %��i'►i- "_'-- Evert N. Fowle ' Clerk * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Drafts of Planning Board reports on town meeting articles TOWN MEETING 31, 66, 67 and 76 were reviewed. Reports on articles 31, 67 ARTICLES and 76 were approved as amended. The Board voted unanimously to recommend indefinite postponement of Art.66 in view of the opposition of the property owners affected. It was decided to advise the owners of this decision and of the intent of the Planning Board to continue trying to find a satisfactory solu- tion of this problem. , The Board then adjourned to the office of the Selectmen MEETING WITH for a joint discussion in executive session of Central Block SELECTMEN at Mass. Ave. and Meriam St. The Selectmen indicated their intention to postpone the acquisition of Lloyd property off Freemont St. Resuming open meeting the Selectmen discussed the connection of Worthen Rd. to Rte. 2 laid out by the State D.P.W. Resuming the meeting in its office, the Planning Board TOWN MEETING discussed and approved with amendments the draft of report o n ARTICLES - Emerson Rd. at Adams St. (Art.57). No report will be sub - REPORTS mitted on Art.67 if the Selectmen decide to postpone action on it. It was decided to have Mr. Zaleski prepare the report on Art.65 (Lot A Peacock Farms, Section VI). Planning Board report on Art.63 (land for Worthen Rd. at Marrett Rd.) was amended and approved. Report on Art.75 (Beautification) was approved with minor modifications. It was decided that the Board will go on record as favoring the sub- stance of Art.61 (Clarke St. land). The meeting adjournedat�pi'/ %��i'►i- "_'-- Evert N. Fowle ' Clerk * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2-27-67 ADDENDUM ' Planning Board Report on Article 31 -3- Under Art.31 of the Warrant for the 1967 Annual Town Meeting the Planning Board is requesting that the appraisal and option fund for land acquisition be restored to the Planning Board. Until the year 1963 the Planning Board was authorized to negotiate, obtain appraisals and options for the acquisition of land for street, playground and other public pur- poses. The Selectmen were, and still are, authorized to actually purchase the land for which the options were secured by the Planning Board. In 1963 the option fund was transferred to the Selectmen. The Planning Board finds itself handicapped in obtaining appraisals, negotiating and securing options for land which the Board recommends to be acquired by the town for future streets, recreation areas and the like. A request to the Selectmen in 1966 to approve the expenditure of a small amount from their fund has not been complied with, severely impeding and delaying the negotiations for a playground area. In the highly sensitive area of land acquisition it is often essential to obtain an appraisal and plan a purchase well in advance of any official action and for that a small available fund is a must. The amount requested is $2,500 and any money unused will of course re- vert to general funds at the end of the year. LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Roland B. Greeley, Chairman Joseph A. Campbell Evert N. Fowle Natalie H. Riffin Francis T. Worrell Planning Board Report on Article 57 Article 57 would provide for the laying out as a town way of a section of Emerson Road between Adams St. and the existing Emerson Rd. in the Adams Estates subdivision. As proposed now, Emerson Rd. would enter Adams St. some 250 feet to the southwest from the location which was proposed two years ago and where a house has since been built. This 250 foot offset would incidentally reduce the eventual construction cost to about 1/3 of the 1965 estimate by avoiding the crossing of a hill. Emerson Rd. is an old concept, but greatly altered since its first appearance a decade ago, and notably changed since the issuance of the Planning Board's Summary Report, Phase One. We conceive of Emerson Rd. as an important intra -town collector street, cutting across three inordinately large superblocks. In this capacity it would extend from Emerson Gardens, at Maple St. across Woburn St. and Adams St. to Burlington St. Eventually it might extend on to Grove St.; we are not sure, but we question its de- sirability in that area in the foreseeable future. We do not recommend, or foresee, its extension around the Great Meadows to Mass. Ave. and beyond. Each of the three superblocks at issue is a mile long. There is no like- lihood that unguided and unaided private development would open up streets across these blocks with any rational continuity. We believe most insist- ently that the long-range development of these residential neighborhoods 2-27-67 -4- must include continuous spines across them, to help the local traffic ' circulation, to give ready means of access from one neighborhood to the next, and to bring about a semblance of design and order to what otherwise might become a chaotic situation. The major elements of order which can now be detected in the residen- tial areas of the Town seem to result from the relationship of the new, typically short and curved street patterns to the main old radial streets: Woburn, Hancock -Adams, Bedford, etc. We believe that transverse streets, such as Hill Street and Revere St. and Marrett Rd. between Waltham and Lincoln streets, are also essential. We view the Emerson Rd. proposals as performing this type of function. The question will arise as to demonstrated volumes of traffic to be served by Emerson Rd. There are none. There is without doubt some demand for inter -neighborhood traffic flow now, much of which follows such streets as Coolidge Ave., Meriam and York Sts., East St., etc. But most of the users of Emerson Rd. will be cars with origin and/or destination within the three superblocks involved. Question has also been raised about the double intersection which will result at Adams St. crossing. This has advantages as well as disadvan- tages. The continuity of flow along Emerson Rd. will be interrupted, very slightly lessening its efficiency as a major collector street. At the same time, there is no question but that safety'will be appreciably en- hanced. Those who fear excessive use of Emerson Rd. as more than a local collector may find minor consolation in the discontinuity. ' Article 57 calls for "laying out" the street. It makes no reference to probable date of construction. We anticipate that construction may be de- ferred for some time: in any case the request for Town appropriation will come before the Town Meeting before construction is initiated. Unless the street is laid out now, the chances are overwhelming that future decision to meet this very real need will have to cope with the problem of new houses, like the one which has already been built at the site of the Plan- ning Board's earlier proposal. Developers don't wait. We urge the Town to act now. LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Roland B. Greeley, Chairman Evert N. Fowle Natalie H. Riffin Francis T. Worrell Planning Board Report on Article 61 Under Art. 61 of the Warrant the Selectmen seep an authorization to acquire a lot with a house on it numbered 12 Clarke St. and located next to Cary Memorial Library. The provision of municipal parking facilities in the area between Clarke and Muzzey streets is high on the list of recommendations of both the Planning Board and of the consultant who had studied the ways to improve , Lexington center. Such parking would include parking for library patrons. The acquisition of #12 Clarke St. will provide some of this badly needed 2-27-67 -5- parking space and will permit some expansion of the library, expansion which otherwise would be impossible without taking the land of the Douglass Funeral Home and interference with the plans for an interior municipal parking lot in the Muzzey-Clarke St. area. The Planning Board is unanimously in favor of the acquisition de- scribed in Article 61. LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Roland B. Greeley, Chairman Joseph A. Campbell Evert N. Fowle Natalie H. Riffin Francis T. Worrell Planning Board Report on Article 63 Art. 63 proposes that the Town acquire a parcel of land on the northerly side of Marrett Rd. at the place where -Worthen Rd. is proposed to intersect Marrett Rd. The Planning Board favors the concept of Worthen Rd. as a by-pass around the Center, and feels completion of Worthen Rd. as far as Marrett Rd. to be an important step in alleviating traffic conditions in the Center. We believe that if this parcel is not acquired soon, it may be built upon, thereby making eventual acquisition costs much greater. The. Planning Board, therefore, unanimously recommends that the Town acquire sufficient land at this point to guarantee access of Worthen Rd. to Marrett Rd. LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Roland B. Greeley, Chairman Joseph A. Campbell Evert N. Fowle Natalie H. Riffin Francis T. Worrell Planning Board Report on Article 65_ Under Art. 89 of the 1966 Annual Town Meeting the Town Meeting approved the exercise of an option to buy West Farm off Oak Street, in- cluding a pedestrian access from the southernmost portion of the farm to Massachusetts Ave. near house 1556. The Planning Board has felt that it is highly desirable to continue this pedestrial path further south to the Peacock Farms development. In subdividing the land between Peacock Farms and West Farm, the developers agreed to convey to the town for this purpose a strip of land 50 ft. x 400 ft,., containing 19,988 sq.ft. for the sum of $2,000. This land, des- ignated Parcel A, provides a connection between West Farm and a nature preservation area, including a pedestrian path easement, which will be granted by the developers to the town at no cost. Parcel A therefore be- comes an essential link in the system of pedestrian paths between Mason St. and the original Peacock Farms development at one end and Massachu- setts Ave. near Oak St. at the other. z -t7-67 -6- The Planning Board is of the opinion that this pedestrian connec- tion in its attractive natural setting of brook and trees and avoiding the heavily travelled Pleasant St. will be increasingly valuable to both children and adults of this developing area. It is not intended to install a paved walk or do any other work beyond the minimum needed to keep the connection passable on foot. The Planning Board, by a unanimous vote, recommends that Article 65 be voted upon favorably by the Town Meeting. LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Roland B. Greeley, Chairman Joseph A. Campbell Evert N. Fowle Natalie H. Riffin Francis T. Worrell Planninz Board Report on Article 66 Under Article 66 of the Warrant the Planning Board proposed to acquire for neighborhood recreation purposes all or part of 2.82 acre tract of -land between Tufts Rd. and Spring St. The Planning Board has prepared a town -vide Recreation Plan calling for the acquisition and development of a number of neighborhood recreation areas, each a few acres in size. The 2.82 acre tract pro- posed in Art. 66 was chosen in consonance with this plan. It has not been possible, however, to work out before this Town ' Meeting a plan for a playground satisfactory to the residents of the area. The Planning Board has a continuing interest in establishing a recreation area in this neighborhood, but feels that more time is re- quired to work out an acceptable plan for acquiring the necessary land. Hence the Planning Board will move that Article 66 be indefinitely postponed. LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Roland B. Greeley, Chairman Joseph A. Campbell Evert N. Fowle Natalie H. Riffin Francis T. Worrell Planning Board Report on Article 75 Under Art. 75 of the Warrant for the 1967 Annual Town Meeting, the Planning Board requests that the Town: 1. Approve the preparation of a Town -wide beautification program; 2. Establish a committee to prepare a program within the coming year; and 3. Authorize the committee to apply for federal grants or recommend that the plan be financially implemented with local funds. Throughout the years Town Meeting and Town Boards have approved many components of a beautification program. Town Meeting has established historic districts and has imposed aesthetic controls over them. It has 2-27-67 -7- approved the Zoning By -Law which regulates set backs of buildings, yard ' depths, building heights, buffer. strips, and in certain zones requires site review. The Building By -Law and Sign By -Law also include many aesthetic requirements. Through the Subdivision Control Law the Plan- ning Board sets up design standards for developers. The Town Meeting annually votes funds for a tree planting program and for maintenance of our local parks. At the past two annual town meetings, funds were voted for the improvement and beautification of the central business district. The League of Women Voters Community Attitude Survey of 1966 rates civic appearance as one of the qualities most important to Lexington residents. The time has come to consolidate the seemingly isolated yet related programs with additional desirable components into a coordinated town - wide beautification program. In order to prepare a program by 1968, Article 75 requests the estab- lishment of a committee which would define program objectives, relate them to existing conditions, and then evolve a total program to achieve the desired goals. The Planning Board recommends a seven -member com- mittee made up of one member or designee each of the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, Design Advisory Group, Historic District Commission, League of Women Voters, Chamber of Commerce and Field and Garden Club. Recommendations for the method of financing a beautification program would be one of the responsibilities of this committee. The Planning Board believes that the cost of a coordinated town -wide beautification program would require an expenditure no higher and possibly ' lower than the portion of the budget currently being spent for this pur- pose, particularly if the program is administered with the aid of federal funds. Only through a coordinated community oriented beautification program can we ensure an attractive future environment which will contribute to both high standards of living and to enhanced property values: LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Roland B. Greeley, Chairman Joseph A. Campbell Evert N. Fowle Natalie H. Riffin Francis T. Worrell Planning Board Report on Article 76 Article 76 of the Warrant for the 1967 Annual Town Meeting would eliminat e T 1 Trunk highway service station districts. The required public hearing on this amendment of the zoning by-law was held on March 6, 1967, in the office of the Planning Board. There was no opposition to this amendment. T 1 districts were introduced in 1936 to permit gasoline service stations along Rte. 2 (Cambridge -Concord Highway) which at that time had ' no access limitations. The recent widening and reconstruction of Rte. 2 have a two -fold impact on T 1 districts. By making the highway "limited access" the State made it impossible for T 1 districts to carry out their 2-27-67 -8- function of serving the highway user. In the course of the widening, the last such existing T 1 district at Watertown St. was destroyed; , two-thirds of its area has been taken by the State and the remaining 12,500 sq.ft. were made subject to an easement and access to it barred from both Watertown St. and Rte. 2. Since these takings have been officially made, the rezoning to R 1 of this land, which is no use to anyone except the owners of the two adjacent lots, will not harm the owner. The rezoning was discussed with the owner and his attorney and they had no objection to it. The proposed rezoning will not have any practical effect on the use of land, but it will eliminate an outdated concept and reduce the likelihood of a new service station district being established on some heavily -travelled street. By a unanimous vote the Planning Board recom- mends the adoption of the zoning amendment contained in Article 76. LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD Roland B. Greeley, Chairman Evert N. Fowle Joseph A. Campbell Natalie K. Riffin Francis T. Worrell 1 1