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Home My WebLink About1981-11-30MINUS S OF PLANNING BOARD MEETING November 30, 1981 The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board, held in Room G-15, Town Offices, was called to order at 7:36 p.m. by the Chairman, Mr. Sandy, with -members Nichols, Smith, Sorensen, Wheaton, and Planning Director Bowyer present. 224. Approval of Minutes 224a. Meeting of November 16, 1981: Mrs. Wheaton requested changes in the minutes. On the motion of Mrs. Nichols, seconded by Mrs. Wheaton, the minutes of the meeting of November 16, 1981, were approved unanimously as corrected. 224b. Telephone Poll, Adams -Russell Case, SP: On the motion of Mrs. Wheaton, seconded by Mrs. Nichols, the Board voted unanimously to include in the minutes that a poll of the members was taken by telephone on November 17, 1981, on whether to submit a new recommendation to the Board of Appeals, based on information presented at the November 16, 1981 meeting, about the petition of Adams -Russell Company for a Special Permit for a tele- vision studio in the Munroe School. The results of the poll were that Mr. Sandy, Mr. Sorensen, and Mrs. Wheaton did not favor changing the recommen- dation from that voted at the meeting of November 2, 1981, Mrs. Nichols did favor a new recommendation, and Mrs. Smith abstained from voting be- 1 cause she was not present at the discussion. R' SUBDIVISION OF LAND 225. Ingleside, near Maple Street: Request for Reduction of Surety: On the motion of Mr. Sorensen, seconded by Mrs. Wheaton, it was voted unanimously that the amount of surety necessary to complete the Ingleside Subdivision be reduced from $69,000 to $11,000 and that amount shall be in effect for not more than two years unless otherwise approved by the Planning Board. 226. Policy re: Section 7.9, Fire Alarm Circuits: Mr. Sandy reviewed corres- pondence from the Town Manager which stated, in part, that the installa- tion of fire alarm boxes in new subdivisions does not provide the public safety assumed and are not cost effective. The Town Manager also stated that the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager are responsible for the public safety of the citizens of the Town and he requested that the Plan- ning Board not require the provision of fire alarm boxes in new sub- divisions. After discussion, the majority of the Board agreed: 1. To have the staff prepare a list of all approved subdivisions which have not yet been completed for which the certificates of action re- quire the installation of fire alarm circuits so that those certifi- cates of action can be amended to delete the requirement ,for fire alarm circuits, and j2. To consider waiving the requirement for fire alarm circuits in the two subdivisions currently under consideration, and 2 11/30/81 3. To prepare an amendment deleting the requirement of fire alarm cir- cuits from the "Subdivision Rules and Regulations" when that document E is amended in the near future. Mr. Sandy and Mrs. Wheaton did not agree with the action of the majority. 227. Cormier Subdivision, off Grove Street: Preliminary Subdivision Plan: Mr. Sandy turned the chair over to the Vice -Chairman to preside during discussion of.this item. Mr. Sandy is an abutter and is abstaining from voting on this subdivision. Mrs. Wheaton stated that it was contrary to Planning Board policy to take any action on a preliminary subdivision plan until an informal meeting had been held with neighbors. It was agreed to hold such a meeting on Decem- ber 14 at,9:00 p.m. Mrs. Wheaton expressed concern about lot 20, which appears to be mostly encumbered by a proposed water retention area. After the discussion, Mr. Sandy resumed the chair. POLICIES, COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING 2_28. Guidelines and Policies for Petitions for RD, CD Zoning Amendments: The Board reviewed a preliminary draft of the guidelines and policies, dated November 30, 1981. Mrs. Wheaton moved to table discussion of the whole policy; her motion failed to receive a second. A number of suggestions and amendments were made which will be incorporated into a revised and updated copy. On the motion of Mr. Sandy, seconded by Mrs. Smith, it was voted unani- mously: That the Planning Board adopt the following fees: "That the applicant for the rezoning of land to an RD or CD district shall pay the cost of conducting the public hearing, including the cost of the legal notice which appears in the newspaper, a fee of $35.00 for the rental of the public building in which the public hearing is held, and a fee of $750.00 for the costs of review of the proposal by the Planning Department and other Town departments. On the motion of Mrs. Smith, seconded by Mrs. Nichols, it was voted unani- mously: To adopt the "Guidelines and Policies for Petitions for RD, CD Zoning. Amendments" as set forth in the draft dated November 30, 1981, and "' amended at this meeting. This action shall be considered as a prelim- inary approval and the 'Guidelines and Policies' shall be circulated to Town boards, departments and committees, those involved in real estate development, and other interested parties, and that a public informational meeting shall be held on these 'Guidelines and Policies.' G 3 11/30/81 On the motion of Mr. Sandy, seconded by Mrs. Wheaton, it was voted 4-0, ` with Mrs. Smith abstaining: That the Planning Board adopt the following fees: "That the applicant for the rezoning of land to a district other than RD or -CD shall pay the cost of conducting the public hearing, including the cost of the legal notice which appears in the newspaper, a fee of $35.00 for the rental of the public building in which the public hearing is held, and a fee of $750.00 for the costs of review of the proposal by the Planning Department and other Town departments." The Board agreed to adopt fees for review of proposals for the rezoning of land in order to reduce expenses to the Town. The cost of these fees to a developer is recognized to be part of the business of land development. 229. Rezoning and Traffic, Bedford Street/Hartwell Avenue: The Board reviewed a draft of a suggested revision, dated November 25, 1981, to the Planning Board policy on "Relationship Between Additional Traffic and the Rezoning of Land in the Bedford Street/Hartwell Avenue Area." It was agreed to delete the section requiring that building construction be done in stages so that at least 25% of the proposed floor space is deferred. Mr. Sandy moved to delete the section stating that limitations on peak hour travel shall remain in effect until January, 1988; the motion was not seconded. It was agreed to change that section so that the limitations on peak hour travel would remain in effect until January, 1992. I` On the motion of Mrs. Nichols, seconded by Mrs. Smith, the Board voted ` 3-2, with Mr. Sorensen and Mrs. Wheaton in opposition: !i To consider a revision of the Planning Board's policy on "Relationship I' Between Additional Traffic and the Rezoning of Land in the Bedford Street/Hartwell Avenue Area" as set forth in the suggested revision to that policy dated November 25, 1981, and as amended at this meeting. ` The proposed revision will be the subject of a public meeting at which time suggestions will be received from other Town boards, committees. departments, and from the public. It was tentatively agreed to hold a public informational meeting on this i, revision on Tuesday, December 15, 1981, at 7:30 p.m. with that date I subject to confirmation by members as to their availability. E r 230. Policy on Including Low- and Moderate -Income Housing in New, Higher Density Developments: The Board began to review a draft of a statement on the implementation of the housing policy, dated November 22, 19811 prepared by Mr. Sandy. As some of the copies were illegible due to the vicissitudes of xerography, it was agreed to defer discussion of the subject until the next meeting. It was agreed to ask several people knowledgable about housing to join with the Planning Board at a meeting on December 7 at 9:00 p.m. 4 11/30/81 REPORTS 231. Planning Director's Re ort Assistant Planner: Mr. Bowyer reported on the status of the selection process for the Assistant Planner. It was agreed that the Board would ask Steve Asen to join them at a dinner in recognition of his service to the Board, particularly during the period when there was no Planning Director. 232. Reports by Members A. Hanscom Area Traffic Study: Mrs. Smith reported that a joint presen- tation will be made to the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen of positions developed by the Hanscom Area Traffic Study Committee. b. Board of Appeals Cases: Mr. Sorensen reported on the hearing on the Adams -Russell proposal for cable TV in the Munroe School. He indi- cated there was concern expressed by the neighborhood= the Board of Appeals granted the special permit by a vote of 4-1. Mrs. Wheaton informed the Board that she would not attend the Board of Appeals hearing in December. The meeting was adjourned at 11:17 p.m. Karsten Sorensen, Clerk T