HomeMy WebLinkAbout1970-05-06 HISTORIC DISTRICTS COMFffSSION
MIANTES OF A MEETING H~ HAY 6, 1970
The Historic Districts Commisaion.hsld a mating on Wednesday, May 6,
1970. in the Selectmen's Room, Toxn Office Building, Lexington. Members
present xere Comadsaioners Wilbur M. Jaquith, Chairman; Philip B. Parsons,
Secretaxgi Max H. 3trawf and Associate Cometissioners George W. Tmsry and
Franklin C. Hudson. 1~. Jaquith appointed Mr. Hodson to serve for_George
E. Graves xho was not present and Mr. Emery to serve for Georgia H. tili7liams
xho xaa unable to serve.
A hearing xas held at 7:35 P.M. on the application of Joseph S., Jr.
and Mary H. Nye for a Cortitiaate of Appropriateness.xith respect to the
erection of fencing on the easterly aido of the premises at 1932 Maasaohu
setts Avenue, which is within the Battle Green Mstriat. Present for this
wring ~rere the applicants, Joseph S., Jr. and Mary H. Nye; Julien Shoo-
makar, representing Hancock United Church of Christ; Georgia H. Williams;
and 3. Laxrsnae Whipple. Mr. ~Taqu3th read the legal. notice and the letter
from Mr. Nye requesting the heiariag. Hr. Nye submitted photographs and
three espies of the p]:at plan of the area aonaerned and drawings of the
fencing ~vel?ed at®d a broahure illustrating the type of split cedar
careening fence d~eaired.
lam. Jaquith pointed out that tyre xore five possible decisions whioh
the Commiasian could pM?1ae as iollowa~ approve the application as requested,
apptow the application with modifications, approve the application anb~eat
to crrtain aonditiona, deter the application, or find :the arahiteatnral fear
tares inappropriate for-the area but approve the application beusanse of
hardship. He further stated that the. area around the Battle Green had a 'I
history of 200 years of being open ar~d that the Commission had been reluc-
tant to approve ferxsimg ixs that area.
Mr. Nye atatod that approxime.tely two yoara ago Hancock Church in cony
function xith fit. Brigid•s Church bad started The Att1c. Hs added that h.
and his fsAily were spay for a year and did-not realize the problems con-
asrned xith The Attic until last September. At that time they became ewers
of the dreadful noise emanating .from the Church, particularly xhen The Attie
attendees were leaving. Also aome.oP the i.r~dividuals attending functions
at .The Attie have on many occasions invaded the_Nyes•' yard, broken a-pionic
table, maliciously broken maw toys, taken a swing and throxn it rarer tree
branches, taken toys, eta. They have seen teenagers leave the Church, break
aside lilac bushes, and fu~ap into their yard. On April ZOth a teenage girl
xas picking floxera i.n their yard and, xhsn Mr. Nye asked her xhat a}~ was
doing, she ran .into The Attic. 1~. Nye stated he had talked xith Rev. B~enry
Clark xho was sympathetic and agreed to add mire police protection xhsn Tho
Attie was in uso. After a short tine the additional police wexo stopped on
Saturday nights as not enough young people attended. The mafor problem xith
the police protection is that the polies leave when moat of the teenagers
have gone and the stragglers are the ones doing the invading of the Nyea and
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HISTORIC DISTRICTS C01~83IOH ~ 2 - l~iay 6, 19'70
creating the noise. 2e said that these are healthy teenagers xho could
vault a picket f®nce. The Nyes xant their privaayrestor~d. They cannot
sit in their yard on an sven3.ng.xl,~n The Attic is open because of the:noise
and the unprintable remarks that are made.. The .cedar screening fesaae xhich
they are requesting xiLl not solve the noise problem bat they do ~t feel
they can request closing of The Attie as that xovld be an unjust. demand.
The txo problems arei .the public good of trying to solve the generation
gap and. the problem oS trying to retain 200. years of open space and the
Nyes are. caught bet>eeen the taro. Mr. Nye .said that t~y,fir~t.askedfor
extra police but that did not xorki they considered a hedge but decided that
xas impractiaali they considered barbed xire but discovered that xovld be
illegals he tried stringing eight foot. lengths of.blackberrq ba~anchea in the
wits Ysnae currently betareen the trees bait that did .not xorki he feels a
chain link fence xcaild not be effective and. also fe.la.it xovld be unsightly
so they have rejected that idea as impractical end unaightlyi grad ao.they
arrived at thew requested eight foot cedar screening fence. The .rounded
portion of the fence xould face Hancock Ghurah and the posts xovl:d be on the
Nye aide of the fence.. Hopefully the,lilae buahes,xovld remain and .they
xould put np aaiditional greenery. lam. Jaquith stated-that. the praatiae.of
the Commission.. on approving fenaea.erectsd in public areas has been .to,re~
quire that shrabbery and evergreen type plant3.ngs be installed and main»
twined as long as the fence remains. ?be area betareea the proposed fence
and the Chuvash drivexay has about aia feet of grass,
Mr. 3hoes~aker stated that the Stari3ing Committee of Hancock Church had
had sgonisisag session~,diaauaaing this probsen. They realise the situation
is difficult and they are atteaspting tc eerreHat it. They realise thatit is
going to be.nsaessary to .do soaaething and agree that the fence is a good
idea. The•Standing Committee..has.Agreed that. Hancoak..Churah xill.be..tYnaz~...
cia].ly responsible for the fencing and.ahrabbezy.. The main access to The
Attic i,A directly through the aide. door.oxa the Nyes` side and they require
users of The Attic to nee this access. This aide door confines traffic to
the one stairxay and keeps the teenagers out of the Church itself.
lir. Strax asked if it xould be possible to issue a Certificate of Ap-
propriatex~eas on an annual basis dependent on continuance of The Attic.
l~tr. Jaquith stated that a condition might be inserted that the Y®noe xonld
be removed if the third floor of Hancock Church ceased to be need as a place
of assembly asd the Commission. might. consider inserting a conditioa.of this
type. Mr. Nye. agreed to such a aondition.alttiough he added that hs objects
to the vas of the driveway all afternoon by teenagers and care and added.
that frequently the langgage is offensive.
Mr. Nye stated that the Clocombea at 18 Belfry Terrace have had garbage,
beer cans, etc, thrown in their yard as xell. as trespassing. Mr. Whipple.
said that Mr. Nye had not e~ggerated at all and that. he may himself come in
xith a request for a Pence as the teenagers invade their premises at Belfry
HISTOiRIC DISTRICTS CO1~aBSSION - 3 ~ May 6, 1970
Terrace. He mentioned that they have a slat foot forty gear old privet hedge
in their yard and that teenage boys have damaged this by ~mtping into and
over it.
The question of lighting was raised. The entrance light over the door
into tt~ Chnrah is on. The Nyes tarn on a spotlight from tlyt? oorner of the
house and one from the learn every Fyriday and Saturday evening. Mr. Whipple
stated that the parking. area is lighted contitnaously, and.aometimea the.
lights twain on all night. Mention xaa mole of the nett Replace aetivit,'y
{taephoes manning for drag nears, etc.) every night until 3 or 4 a.m. and
this entranse is on the Nyes` side too. Mr. Nye stated. that lye does not
Feel a six Poot fenm xc?uld keep the teenagers out and requested an early
deoisiQa on this matter.
Mr. l~e,plac asked the Commission to approve a xhite picket fence xhich
he leas insta3led Eros .his hones to the property line that i.a t3:i.rty~-Flue
P.et long blr three Peet high and site s3.acty-seven Feet back from the street.
This hearing xaa ad3ourned at 8155.p.m..
Commissioner Georgia li. l~ii]:l.iams the7r raplaoed Associate Commissioner
George W. >5mery.
A hearing was held at 9th P,M. on the application of Robert R. and
Hannah W. Batchelder For a Gert.itlsstu of Appropriateness xith respect to
an addition to the dttellit~ at ~ mock Avenue, xhich is xithin the Hancock-
Clarke Diatriatr Mr. JaQ'ifd! •rsad °tiyB legal .notice and a letter from. lit.
Batchelder r~uesting tMr>~az~ibg. Present for this hearing xere Robert R.
and Hannah W. Bataheldsr~ 1~t~liwq~ T. .Spencer oP:~.Hancock Street. Mr.
Batchelder anbtaLttsd thitiwt i1+i? plans and photographs of the eutisting.
dxelling shoxing`the•lobe: #~lte proposed.addition.. Mr. Spencer stsi,tsd
that he and his xifie belib~ke~" aidition xill be an improaement over the
garage currently theta and ~i:'~, restore the dae113.ng architeetural].y to the
period xhen it xas band, sate ever om hundred years ago. lit. Jaquith read
a letter from Robert M. Soule of lO Hancock Avenue stating his support of
this application. The hearing xaa adjourned at 9t20 P.M.
A meeting xss held at 9t35 P.M. on the .request oP lit. & lit~a. 5iilliam
R. Hutchison of 1 Hunt Road. for approval of screening landscaping ist con-
nection xith an addition to the duelling at 1 Hartt Road approved by Certi-
ficate of Appropriateness l~69 C-7 issued April i, 1969. Present xere Mrs.
Hutchison and Royston T. Daley amd Henry C. Ortega, Architects. ?J~. Jaquith
read the letter from Mr. Daley requesting this meeting and alao.the oondi~
tion re_.landarape soreening in the Certificate ref®renaed abowt, Mr. Daisy
submdtted three sets of landscape glans. This meeting xaa adjourned at
10100 P.M.
HISTORIC DTST1tICT8 COMlSI3~SION - 4 - ?!4y 6, 1970
Then follorred discussion conasrning ra~3.es on fencing. Mr. Hudson stated
that the T'oxx~ of IsxLngton has no fencing byrlaxs, ~ corning by'-laxs regard-
ing fencing, at~d no building b~'-laxs rsgar+d3x~g fencing, and that. the tales of
the Commonxealth of Massachnsetta are old amt obsolete.
Mr. Jaquith aubenitted a bill for $80,20 for cieriaal serviaea and mail-
ing expenses from Barbara Gilson, Clark. Tt was moved, seconded. ar~d voted
to approve payment of this bi.].l.
Folloxing discussion, it xas unanimously VOTED tdsat the planting plan
for the permanent landscape careening for the northeasterly elevation of the
addition to the residence at i Hunt Road set forth on the. Plan entitled."The
Hntahison Residenas Addition" dated 6.May 70 by Royston T. Daley and Henry
C. Ortega, Architects, submitted to the Commission on May.6, 1970 pnrsvant.
to the condition set forth. 3.n Certificate of Appropriateness X69 C~7 issued
by the Commission on April 1, 19b9 is hereby approved= that pursuant .to the
.said conditions the applicants shall have until December 1, 1970 in xhiah to
complete the installation of said plantings= amt that said plantings or.snb-
stitutss therefore of the same species ahs]1 be maintained unless changes
therein are approved by the Commission. It xas so moved, seconded,. and unan-
i.monsly VOTED. Participating in this vote yrere Commissioners Wilbur M.
Jaquith, Philip B. Parsons, Max H. Strax, Georgia H. Williams, and Associate
Coa®issioner Franklin C. Hudson.
Tt xas moved, seconded, and unanimously VOTED to issue a Certificate of
Appropriateness to Robert R. and Hannah W. Batchelder xith respect to an ad-
dition to the dt~slling at ~ Hanaoak Avenue. Participating in this decision
xere Commissioners Wilbur M. Jaquith, Philip B. Parsons, Mac H. Strax, Georgia
H. Williams, and Associate Commissioner Franklin C. Hudson.
The meeting xas ad3ourned at 1is30 P.M.
. c~.-„i/
Philip B. Farsons
Secretary
Due to the inability of Commissioner Geor¢e E. t3ravsa to act
on the petition of Mr. & Mrs. William R. Hutchison the chair des-
ignates Associate Franklin C. Htniaon to sere in this action.
J~ Y~
W~bur M. Jaquith
Chairman
I
Ma' 6. i97a
I
Due to the inability of Commdiaaioner Georg E. Graves to set
on the petition oP Robert R, and Hannah W. Batehelder the chair
designates Assoefate 1Prankiin C. Hudson to serve in this notion.
w~. M, aagaith
Chairaan
May 6. 197a