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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973-01-02PLANNING BOARD MEETING January 2, 1973 The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board was called to order at 7:40 p,m. by the chairman Mrs. Brown with members Graham, Clarke, S. Brown, Costello, planning director Briggs, consultant Charles E. Downe and secretary Mrs. Snow present. Also in attendance were John Davies, DAC and Frank Sandy, CLC. As arranged by Mr. Zehner, a photographer was present and a PLANNING BD. picture of the Planning Board, Mr. Downe, Mr. Briggs and PHOTO Mr. Davies, to appear in the 197.2 Town Report, was taken. TOWN REPORT Mrs. Brown informed the members that all Planning Board sponsored and recommended Articles were submitted to the Board of Selectmen on Dec. 29, 1972. In addition to those enumerated VILLAGE CIA. in the minutes of Dec. 26, 1972, a recommendation for insertion OPEN SPACE of an Article accepting two lots in Village Circle subdivision ARTICLES was also sent. Mr. Downe reported on progress of the mapping work being done by his firm relative to the Wetland Protection Districts Article. MAPPING WORK Completion date of Jan. 8, 1973, was given for identification of WETLY ART• wetland areas on the set of 56 maps. Verbal description of the areas for inclusion in the text of the Article are also being prepared. Mr. Downe read one of these descriptions to the memhers and displayed an example and explained processes of the mapping i, work. It was decided that a meeting will be held in the Planning "--� Board office at 10:00 a.m. on Jan. 10, 1973, with Mr. Downe and Mr. Briggs for explanation and review of the completed preliminary maps with overlays to which representatives of Town boards and staffs will be invited and asked for comment. A second meeting of the Planning Board and Conservation Comm. in the same vein will be scheduled at a later date. Mr. Downe informed the Board of tel/con with Mr. Robert Morehouse, TOPHET SWAMP Soil Conservation District, regarding progress of the Tophet Swamp study requested in a letter dated Oct. 5, 1972, by the Conservation Comm. Mr. Morehouse indicated that the requested study should be complete within a few days. Mr. Downe informed the Board of the availability of a study prepared by the Corps of Engineers for the Town of Bedford in 1968 on the Concord and Shawsheen rivers. A copy will be obtained for the Planning Board office. Minutes of the Planning Board meeting of December 26, 1972, were MINUTES 12/26 reviewed and approved as corrected. Mr. Brown reported on his conference with Mr. Walker of Eco -Systems MUNROE BROOK regarding the draft summary of the Munroe Brook Meadows Area Study. STUDY DRAFT Suggestion by Mr. Downe, who was also present at the conference, for additional maps in the summary was noted and the maps will be included in the revised draft which will be forthcoming shortly. Draft by Mrs. Brown of the Annual Report of the Planning Board was reviewed. Suggestion for editorial changes were made and PL. BD. ANNUAL Dr. Clarke agreed to revise portions of the draft to incorporate REPORT these changes. A section on transportation willbe•composed by Mr. Graham. The completed revised draft will be reviewed at the work session meeting scheduled for 9:00 a.m, on Saturday, Jan.6,1973. Regarding the St. Brigid RH rezoning proposal, Mr. Briggs reported on his research on previous Board of Appeals action at time of ST. BRIGID REZONING ' construction of St. Brigid's Church and Kennedy School which included variances for inadequate yard areas but none with respect to land use, and his concurrence with accuracy of the fact sheet prepared by the proponents as compared to the sub- mitted plans. Mr. Jon Truslow, Archdiocese Planning Office, is to be advised of the requirement for 100 signatures on a petition to the Planning Board to hold a public hearing, date for which has not yet been set. Mr. Costello requested that metes and bounds, as well as contours be indicated on an 1 fl engineering map of the site and that exact locations of existing and proposed buildings be shown. Mr. Briggs reported on his efforts to obtain information on government funding for a TAMS parking study under TOPICS program. Apparently no monies will be available to Lexington for either a study or construction of additional parking spaces in CBD. Value of a parking study to substantiate need for extension of the Meriam St./RR lot and methods of financing such a study were dis- cussed. Mr. O'Connell will be invited to meet with the Board for discussion of procedures for implementing a parking study and of the Planning Board's 1973 Work Program. Mr. Graham informed the Board of the forthcoming meeting of the Middlesex Bicentennial Liaison Council in January at the North Bridge Visitors Center in Concord, at which time committee members will report on planning progress in the member town, to be incor- porated in a State report scheduled for the end of January. Mr. Briggs will contact Mr. Roland Greeley, Lexington Bicentennial Committee, to plan a work session for discussion of Bicentennial Planning Policy Questions in the near future. page 2 1.2.73 ST. BRIGID (CONT'D) TAMS PARKING STUDY BICENTENNIAL MIDDLESEX LIAISON COUNCIL Mr. Graham reported on the meeting with the Selectmen which he SILC TRANSP. and Mr. Costello had attended earlier in the evening. A SILC STUDY proposal had been discussed that an Article be inserted in the 1973 Warrant for Lexington's contribution of $5000 to a $200,000 study of transportation needs in the bicentennial.years.. Mr. Graham had recommended against the proposal to the Selectmen. Mr. Nickerson, Chairman of the Board of Appeals, joined the meeting briefly to request a Planning Board statement of position on the Snow petition (hearing 1/2/73). Upon a motion duly made and seconded, it was VOTED: To go into executive session for discussion of matters the disclosure of which could adversely affect the reputation of EXEC. SESSION any person. Following discussion of the Board of Appeals request, open session was resumed at 10:30 p.m. Mr. Briggs reported on his conference with Mr. O'Connell regarding communication and retationships between the Planning Board,planning staff and Town Manager and discussion of priorities for proposed Planning Board programs as well as those of other Town agencies, stressing need to avoid duplication of effort. The meeting adjourned at 11:09 p.m. Thomas F. Costello, Clerk