HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985-03-11PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
MEETING OF MARCH 11, 1985
The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board, held in Estabrook Hall, was called
to order at 7:45 p.m. by the Chairman, Mrs. Smith, with members Cripps, Flemings,
Sorensen, Uhrig, Planning Director Bowyer and Assistant Planner Delori present.
PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED ZONING AMENDMENT
The Board conducted a public hearing, as required by Chapter 40A, on the petition
of Woodhaven Realty to amend the zoning map for an apartment development off
Woburn Street.
The hearing was concluded at 9:05 p.m. and the Board recessed and moved the
meeting to Room G-15, Town Offices.
The Board reconvened in Room G-15 at 9:25 p.m.
PLANS NOT REQUIRING SUBDIVISION APPROVAL
60. Wellington Lane Avenue -Garden Avenue, Conrad Philipson, Form A-85/5: The
Board reviewed a plan showing the transfer of a sliver of land, with 212 square
feet, from DiLuna to Philipson so that the lot would have more than the 15,500
square feet required. Mr. Sorensen said he thought there was an understanding
' between the Planning Board and Mr. Philipson that the Garden Avenue problem would
be resolved. (See Item 202, October 15, 1984 minutes) Attorney Dennis Lowe said
they had not been able to work out a solution to the fact that part of the John-
son house, at 50 Wellington Lane Avenue, is located within the right-of-way of
Garden Avenue, which is classified as a paper right-of-way. He said this land
transfer between Di Luna and Philipson was a separate matter as the lot in ques-
tion was always a separate lot from the other land of Philipson which fronts on
the Garden Avenue paper right-of-way.
The Board was not pleased with this sequence of actions because it thought Phil-
ipson was under some obligation to resolve the Garden Avenue problem. It recog-
nized that it did have to act on the plan presented to the Board.
On the motion of Mr. Sorensen, seconded by Mrs. Uhrig, it was voted unanimously:
The plan entitled "Subdivision Plan of Land Located in Lexington, Mass.,"
dated March 4, 1985, by Medford Engineering and Survey, certified by Angelo
B. Veneziano, Registered Land Surveyor, with application Form A-85/5, by
Dennis Lowe for Conrad A. and Elizabeth C. Philipson, does not require
approval under the Subdivision Control Law.
ARTICLES FOR 1985 TOWN MEETING
61. Article 12, Conversion of One Family Dwelling: The Board reviewed a draft
of a report dated March 8. Members noted some confusion in the table comparing
the proposed amendment and accessory apartments; it was agreed to add the exist-
ing Section 5.3 to the comparison. Mrs. Flemings thought the proposed amendment
should be liberalized to permit more older houses, on lots with less than 15,500
square feet, to be converted. Mrs. Uhrig was uneasy about that provision because
Planning Board Minutes: March 11, 1985 2
it would most likely result in a concentration of conversions adjacent to Lexing-
ton center where many of those older houses are located. Mr. Sorensen, Mr.
Cripps, Mrs. Uhrig and Mrs. Smith favored leaving the minimum lot area and floor
area provisions as is.
Several editorial changes were agreed to and the staff was requested to prepare a
revised draft.
62. Article 16, Congregate Living Facility: The Board reviewed a draft of a
report dated March 8, 1985. The general criticism was that the report appeared
to give more attention to the congregate living provisions in Article 11 than it
did to the proposed amendment contained in Article 16. Mr. Sorensen was in favor
of the amendment proposed by Mr. Weiss. He thought lots could be subdivided to
avoid the requirement for a "tract" in Article 11 and, thus, Article 11 could be
circumvented. other members thought the practical effect of Article 11 would be
that a rezoning would be required to develop a congregate living facility. They
noted some technical problems with Mr. Weiss' proposed amendment and thought the
maximum limit of 12 persons was arbitrary.
63. Housing Needs Advisory Committee: Acting Chairperson Eleanor Klauminzer,
Joel Adler, Eric Clarke, Tina Dirks and William Spencer were present. Mrs.
Klauminzer reported that the Committee had discussed proposed rezoning articles
and wanted to comment on two in particular. They recommended a favorable recom-
mendation for Article 21, the multi -family development off Woburn Street because
' it meets a need for rental housing and, particularly, affordable rental housing.
They stressed their recommendation was based on a housing point of view only and
did not include the other considerations that have to be taken into account for a
rezoning decision.
They recommended indefinite postponement for Article 12, the conversion of one
family dwellings, because the amendment would not permit the creation of addi-
tional housing. Compared with the existing provisions, it would substantially
reduce the number of apartment units that could be created. They were concerned
about the negative effects of the amendment both on affordable housing and the
increase in the supply of rental housing regardless of its price. Mrs. Smith
pointed out that a reduction in the minimum lot area or floor area would likely
result in a concentration of conversions in the area around Lexington center; the
Board had not been able to identify a rational system fot preventing the concen-
tration of such conversions in one area in the town.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:22 p.m. /
C Judith J. U14fig, Clerk
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