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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983-09-19PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 19, 1983 The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board held in Room G-15, Town Offices, was ' called to order at 7:38 p.m. by the Chairman, Mrs. Smith, with members Flemings, Nichols, Sorensen, Uhrig and Planning Director Bowyer present. PLANS NOT REQUIRING SUBDIVISION APPROVAL 171. Muzzey School Property, Massachusetts Avenue, Town of Lexington: Form A-83/8: The Board reviewed a plan for the division of the Muzzey School property showing the Town retaining a 1.06 acre parcel for recreation purposes. Mr. Bowyer explained that the Town Manager and the developer were working on an agreement for the land- scaping of the area. On the motion of Mr. Sorensen, seconded by Mrs. Uhrig, it was voted unanimously that: The plan entitled "Plan of Land in Lexington, Mass." dated August, 1983, by Merrimack Engineering Services, Andover, Massachusetts, certified by Steven E. Stapinski, Registered Land Surveyor, with application Form A-83/8 by Robert M. Hutchinson, Town Manager, does not require approval under the sub- division control law. 172. APPLICATIONS TO BOARD OF APPEALS Mrs. Uhrig presented an oral review of the cases to be heard by the Board of Appeals on September 22, 1983. On the motion of Mr. Sorensen, seconded by Mrs. Nichols, it was voted unanimously that the Board would make no recommendations on the following cases: ' 420 Bedford Street, M. Zuckerman: SP modification, sign 12 Doran Farm Lane, Aldo Simeone: SP revision, addition 18 Mason Street, Eugene Achter: Variance, side yard The Board agreed at its August 1, 1983 meeting to make no recommendation on: 421 Lowell Street, Lexington Savings Bank: SP, addition 10 Oxford Street, Ronald Bulger: SP, Variance, side yards: The Board agreed to recommend that the applicant demonstrate a hardship before a variance is granted. SUBDIVISION OF LAND 173. Willow Ridge, Worthen Road East, Definitive Subdivision Plan, Special Permit Shirley Byrne, of 5 Meadow Brook Avenue, said that a member of a previous Planning Board had proposed to name the connection from Wellington Lane Avenue to Barrett Road as Charlotte Way in memory of Mrs. Byrne's mother. While she appreciated the gesture, she did not want to have her mother's name used for that connection. Chairman Smith proposed that the discussion of the definitive subdivision plan be broken into two parts, one dealing with the length of the cul-de-sac and the con- nection of Barrett Road to Wellington Lane Avenue, and the other dealing with other waivers and design features. As for the connection of Barrett Road to Wellington Lane Avenue, Mrs. Nichols commented that this plan, which shows Lot B (the land connecting Barrett Road to Planning Board Minutes of September 19, 1983 2 Wellington Lane Avenue) as being deeded to the Conservation Commission, is a radi- cal departure from the subdivision plan approved by the Planning Board in 1979. That plan was a compromise which called for the construction of a footpath while leaving the option to construct a street later, if needed. If Lot B were deeded to the Conservation Commission rather than to the Town for general public purposes, it could be very complicated for the Town to construct a road at a later date. She could not support that designated ownership of land. Mrs. Smith reported that the Conservation Administrator, Cliff Prentiss, had told her that Lot B was not essen- tial for the protection of wetlands and did not have other outstanding natural fea- tures that made it important for conservation purposes. Mrs. Nichols also said that inasmuch as the 1983 Town Meeting had voted to lay out and construct Meadow Brook Avenue and Wellington Lane Avenue and, in view of the recommendation from the Police, Fire and other Town departments, she was against Barrett Road being a dead end street. Mr. Sorensen noted there was not an alterna- tive for a street connection between the Barrett Road -Worthen Road East neighbor- hood and the Blossomcrest-Wellington Lane Avenue neighborhood; this was the only practical location for such a connection. Mrs. Smith commented that it was the Planning Board's responsibility to join streets where possible because of the prob- lems that dead end streets present in providing access for public services and the inconvenience to residents. Subdivision streets should be seen as part of a larger system. Mrs. Flemings said she was against any plan which could result in increasing traffic on Allen Street and Blossomcrest Street, both of which are narrow. Mr. Sorensen responded that the connection could result in better access to Blossom - crest Street from the east and might result in the reduction in the use of Allen Street. Mrs. Uhrig commented that the projections were not for heavy traffic and there would be little impact on residential streets. On the motion of Mr. Sorensen, seconded by Mrs. Nichols, it was voted 4-1, with Mrs. Flemings opposed, to deny the request for a waiver for the maximum length of dead end street, and to deny the use of a "hammerhead" layout. The four members of the Board favored the extension of Barrett Road through to Wellington Lane Avenue as part of a definitive subdivision plan. Mr. Sorensen observed that because Barrett Road and Blossomcrest Street now have, and Meadow Brook Avenue -Wellington Lane Avenue will have (when constructed), a pavement width of 24 feet, it made sense to approve the waiver for the width of right-of-way and width of pavement. On the motion of Mr. Sorensen, seconded by Mrs. Nichols, it was voted unanimously that the Board is in favor of granting waivers: 1) to reduce the width of the right-of-way from 50 feet to 40 feet, 2) to reduce the width of the street from 30 feet to 24 feet and 3) to not construct fire alarm circuits (based on the recommendation of the Fire Chief), for an approved definitive subdivision plan. The Board agreed there were two other important issues, grading and the sewer connections to three houses. William Place, engineer, said that although three houses would have cellar levels which would be below the sewer line, the sewer connection could be through the basement wall and still comply with code require- ' ments. Those houses would not be able to have plumbing fixtures in the basement. As for the grading, Mrs. Nichols thought there should be spot elevations at the corner of each house and positive drainage away from the house should be shown. Planning Board Minutes of September 19, 1983 3 ' It was agreed the staff would prepare Action and Special Permit denying the a draft of decisions on the applications. Mr. Sorensen Certificate of suggested that language be inserted that correction of the deficiencies enumerated would not • guarantee Planning Board approval of a resubmitted plan which must comply with the subdivision Rules and Regulations. COMMUNICATIONS 174. MinuteMan Regional Vocational Technical High School re: Hotel/Conference Center: The Board reviewed a letter dated September 8, 1983, from Ron Fitzgerald, Superintendent -Director of the school district. Mr. Fitzgerald's letter outlined the current status of the proposal, invited representatives of the Town to partici- pate in an advisory committee and pledged cooperation with the Town. Mr. Sorensen said that Mr. Fitzgerald's letter did not address the two major issues: 1) whether that is an appropriate location for a hotel/conference center in view of the traffic congestion, and 2) the zoning procedure to be followed and what are the legal limits for commercial activity in relation to an education use permitted in a single residence district. It was agreed the Planning Board would communicate to the Board of Selectmen that the legal issues are still important even with the pledge of cooperation. It was agreed that Mrs. Uhrig, who is familiar with the problems of the area because of her participation in the HATS committee, would represent the Planning Board with the school district. ARTICLES FOR 1984 TOWN MEETING ' 175. Land off Garden Avenue: Attorney Dennis Lowe and Conrad Phillipson, of 4 Garden Avenue, were present to explain a complex series of land transactions on land facing Wellington Lane Avenue and Garden Avenue. There was an illegal subdi- vision of land, by others, in 1960, that resulted in Mr. Phillipson owning an undersized lot and his own house with frontage on what the Planning Board classi- fies as a paper street. Mr. Lowe suggested that a possible solution would be to change the zoning district designation from RO to RS and for Mr. Phillipson to file a subdivision plan for the construction of Garden Avenue. Shirley Byrne of 5 Meadow Brook Avenue, a neighbor, indicated she would support such a rezoning pro- posal. The consensus of the Planning Board was that the proposed moving of the zoning dis- trict line helped to correct the problem. The Board would not be opposed to the rezoning but would not commit itself to support it until after the public hearing was held. 176. Projects for 1984 Town Meeting The Board reviewed a priority ranking of zoning amendments and agreed to delete the notation "if time permits" after Group Three. On the motion of Mrs. Uhrig, sec- onded by Mr. Sorensen, it was agreed that the following would comprise the Planning Board's work program for the 1984 Town Meeting. Work Program - Planning Activities: Housing analysis, housing element of comprehensive plan, zoning inclusionary policy South Lexington Center Business District 06S 1 1 Planning Board Minutes of September 19, 1983 Projected Zoning Amendments: Group One: CB off-street parking (requested by Town Meeting) Rewrite of parking section CR, intensity of development re: trip generation Group Two -- implements housing policy: Cluster development RD development Group Three: CR, Tracer Lane Lot frontage Housekeeping amendments Group Four -- Dependent upon Board member initiative Lot width Buffer strips Deferred until subsequent years: Standards for conversion of one family dwelling SPS traffic capacity Home occupation Service stations (unless the Building Commissioner requests earlier attention) PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS' DEVELOPMENT 4 591 177. Citizen's Guide to Zoning: The Board discussed Chapters 6-8 of this book. Mrs. Flemings thought it was time for a review of the division of responsibilities for the granting of special permits between the Planning Board and the Board of Appeals. The responsibility for granting special permits is largely a holdover from the prior zoning statute which allowed only the Board of Appeals to grant special permits. The Planning Board may be a more logical special permit granting author- ity for plans involving site planning and major planning issues. It was agreed the Board of Appeals should continue with responsibility for variances. REPORTS 178. Planning Director a. Meeting with Board of Health: Mr. Bowyer reported that the Board of Health had indicated a willingness to meet with the Planning Board on Monday, October 17. The Board agreed to do so. The meeting was adjourned at 10:28 p.m. udith J. Uhr' Clerk LO N O co W Q 1 PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 26, 1983 The meeting of the Lexington called to order at 7:35 p.m. Nichols, Sorensen, Uhrig and 179. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Planning Board, held in Room G-15, by the Chairman Mrs. Smith, with Planning Director Bowyer present. 235 Town Offices, was members Flemings, The minutes of the meeting of September 12, 1983 were corrected and on the motion of Mrs. Nichols, seconded by Mr. Sorensen, were approved unanimously as corrected. On the motion of Mr. Sorensen, seconded by Mrs. Nichols, the minutes of the meeting of September 19, 1983 were approved unanimously as written. SUBDIVISION OF LAND 180. Willow Ridge, off Worthen Road East; Definitive Plan, Special Permit: The Board reviewed drafts of decisions on the definitive plan and the special permit. Corrections were made to each. On the motion of Mrs. Nichols, seconded by Mr. Sorensen, it was voted unanimously to not approve the Willow Ridge definitive subdivision plan and to not approve the application for a special permit for a conventional subdivision, and voted the Cer- tificate of Action, as corrected, for the definitive subdivision plan and to approve the decision, as corrected, for the special permit. The Board signed each document. Mrs. Flemings clarified that her vote in favor of granting the waiver for the dead end street was a vote on one issue in the subdivision; she voted against the appro- val of the whole subdivision plan because of other deficiencies it contained. COMMUNICATIONS 181. Letter, Julian Bussgang re: Parking on Forest Street: The Board reviewed Mr. Bussgang's letter to the Board of Selectmen dated September 15, 1983. Mrs. Uhrig thought the Planning Board should recommend to the Board of Selectmen that the same regulation that applies on Vinebrook Road and other residential streets should apply on Forest Street. It was agreed the Planning Board would like to offer its support to the neighborhood. Mr. Bowyer will check as to where the issue now rests, with the Center Revitalization Committee or with the Board of Selectmen. COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, POLICIES 182. Housing Analysis Acting Chairman Eleanor Klauminzer, Sherry Edmonds, and Ruth Nablo of the Housing Needs Advisory Committe, Margaret Rawls from the TMMA Executive Committee and Assistant Planner Arslan and Planning Intern Mary Trudeau were present for dis- cussion of the draft of the Housing Analysis. Mrs. Smith thanked Ms. Arslan and Ms. Trudeau for their extraordinary efforts in producing such a complete report. Mr. Bowyer suggested a sequence of review in which initially the Board concentrates on improving the readability of the report so that it can be readied for publica- tion. Subsequently, the Board can concentrate on the issues posed by the report and lead into preparation of the housing element of the comprehensive plan. Planning Board Minutes of 9/26/83 2 237 Planning Board members and members of the Housing Needs Advisory Committee made a number of suggestions such as preparing a summary, including an index to tables; a glossary of terms; including more raw data on Lexington housing characteristics; highlighting data on Lexington when presented with the other nine communities; or- ganizing the observations in a similar sequence; providing a map of the SMSA; pro- viding an index, or at least an explanation of the sequence of each chapter; and more care in the use of abbreviations in charts and graphs. The meeting was recessed at 9:01 p.m. so that the Board and the Housing Needs Advi- sory Committee could meet jointly with the Board of Selectmen on the sale of the LOMuzzey School property and the Lexington Housing Assistance Board. u 1 The meeting was reconvened at 10:29 p.m. with Mrs. Nichols chairing. Mrs. Smith was N absent as she was attending an Executive Session with the Board of Selectmen. REPORTS coW 183. Planning Board Members, Subcommittees Q a. Lexington Square, Baptist Church: Board members commented on articles and letters in the MinuteMan which showed a misunderstanding of the Planning Board's responsibilities in the Lexington Square development and in the con- struction of the parking lot at the Baptist Church. it was agreed that letters should be drafted clarifying the Board's role in those two matters. b. Housing Needs Advisory Committee - Manual Trillo: The Board received a ' letter dated September 23, 1983 from Manual Trillo submitting his resignation from the Housing Needs Advisory Committee. On the motion of Mr. Sorensen, seconded by Mrs. Nichols, it was voted unanimously to accept with regret the resignation of Manual Trillo from the Housing Needs Advisory Committee due to the press of business and to thank Mr. Trillo for his fine service to the Town. c. Board of Appeals Hearings of September 22, 1983: Mrs. Nichols reported the most noteworthy case was the application of Lexington Savings Bank for an automatic teller machine at its branch bank at 421 Lowell Street. The bank representatives did not appear well-informed about previous variances or the treatment of the required buffer strip. The Board of Appeals had limited the operating hours from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. The meeting was adjourned at 10:37 p.m J udith J. Uhri Clerk