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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-06-26-CPAC-min Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes 26 June 2018 CPAC Members Present: Deepak Amenani Hema Bhatt,by telephone Matt Daggett Marilyn Fenollosa Len Morse-Fortier Christian Senna Patrick Sullivan Ruixi Yuan Also Present: David Field, Staff David Kucharski, Staff Bob Creech, Zoning Board Jinna Johnson, Zoning Board Richard Canale, Zoning Board Liaison Carol Kowalski,Assistant Town Manager for Building, Zoning, and Planning Grant Carroll, Guest The meeting was called to order shortly after 7:00 PM,but there were not yet enough members present to form a quorum. (Note: This changed with the arrival of Matt Daggett and when Hema Bhatt joined by phone.) Staff presented news of the September 25 public meeting,the subject of which is "visioning." The format will follow the "World Cafe Method," which is associated with the Gilburg Institute, CPAC will meet again on 24 July for regular business, and on 28 August to prepare for the September public meeting. Carol Kowalski informed us that the facilitator has been selected for the September meeting, and the contract is in negotiation. Updating news about the Hartwell Avenue initiative, a Zoning Consultant will begin to formulate Zoning language to facilitate a multi-use future for the Hartwell Avenue Corridor, and it may be ready to present to next year's Town Meeting. Carol Kowalski noted that the higher than usual vacancy rate along Hartwell results from the outdated development model. The Hartwell plan will consider Human Services - namely, age-friendly community planning, and there will also be a tri-town (Bedford, Burlington, and Lexington) transportation plan. The drive behind the initiative is to be market friendly, and the expectation is that all changes should support the commercial district. In this, and in the other elements of a Comprehensive Plan, our role, as the CPAC, is to help the community make choices and trade-offs. Some members of the community have expressed a concern that we (Lexington) wants to make up for the capital demands of recent project funding by enhancing the tax base in the commercial district at Hartwell. As places for comparison,we are directed to look at Crosby Drive in Bedford, and/or the Middlesex Turnpike Extension in Burlington to see examples of current development models. David Field presented the results of the June 41h public gathering by handing out snippets of comments written down during that gathering. He asked that members of the committee and others cut out the comments and place them under subject areas that seemed most appropriate for each comment. CPAC members synthesized the comments onto each of six boards, each with a different title. In summary, results include the following overall message: Ray (Ruixi Yuan) summarized the comments under "Harmony with Nature." Too many tear-downs are changing the landscape, large homes on small lots, losing shade trees discourages walking, and comments included a general call for more green. Patrick(Sullivan) summarized the comments under "Accessible and Connected." Calls included a strong desire for traffic calming, more affordable housing and more diverse housing stock, and more alternative transportation options. Christian (Senna) dealt with the board entitled "Healthy and Socially Responsible." Comments included those that note an absence of racial diversity in town, some folks expressed regret that there are too many McMansions, and others expressed a desire to support aging in place as regards housing and retirement. In addition, comments called for more density in the commercial districts and more diversity in housing. Deepak(Amenani) addressed the comments placed beneath "Vital &Resilient Economy." Comments included a concern that the Ton is not supporting small businesses, and those that are present are often closed. Here too, comments reveal a desire for more affordable housing,better mass transit, and calls for more economic diversity in our commercial center. Marilyn (Fenollosa) presented comments that fell under the heading "Good Governance." Here, comments included a concern that taxes are too high,that one has to know the system in order to access affordable housing, and one comment raised a concern about low water pressure. Matt (Daggett) summarized comments under "Livable Community." Comments included concern that the character of the neighborhoods is being damaged by the proliferation of tear-downs and McMansionization. Comments also expressed a need for better connected sidewalks and bikeways, concerns about Hartwell car speeds, and suggested we need more shelters at bus stops. As we proceed,we collectively need to think about improving outreach so as many folks as want to can have their voices heard. To reach young families, one member suggested publicizing things at the Friday evening concerts at the Visitors' Center, or at the Tuesday evening concerts at Hastings Park. Carol Kowalski reviewed some of the highlights of the 20/20 Vision report, she shared copies of the Executive Summary, and suggested that the entire document is available through the Ton website. She also explained that the World Cafe format is intended to promote wishes, dreams,visions for the future, and that these are intended to be open-ended and positives. In discussing outreach,we discussed holding public-participation events outside of the Town center. Suggestions for alternative venues included the Community Center, Elementary Schools, and elsewhere, depending upon what issues are to be considered and what calendar restrictions apply. Hema updated us on the Logo, noting that a person contacted Gene Hart, Carol Sue Hai, and Cristina Burwell. A draft of the logo was circulated, formed to resemble the Town Seal,but with a sketch at its center. Richard Creech suggested that the sketchiness is a plus, and that the logo might work well to simply include a vague sketch over written with the phrase "Under Construction: Let's Plan it together." We all agreed to mull this over. We reviewed and approved minutes from the last meeting, Marilyn moved to adjourn, Matt seconded it, and all agreed. The meeting closed just before 9:00 PM.