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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-11-28-PB-min PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF NOVEMBER 28, 2018 A meeting of the Lexington Planning Board, held in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by Chair Ginna Johnson with members Richard Canale, Charles Hornig, Bob Creech and planning staff David Kucharsky and Lori Kaufman present. Nancy Corcoran- Ronchetti was absent. *****************************STAFF REPORTS********************************** General Updates: The staff planner position has been offered and accepted. The start date is December 17. The Assistant Planning Director applicant starts January 2. The Town is looking at applicants for the Planning Director position. There are two final public forums for the Transit Study. Comprehensive Plan Update: Last night was the final World Café and was well received. There were 36 people that attended. Tomorrow stakeholder interviews begin. **********************DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION*********************** 186 Bedford Street, Sketch Preliminary Site Development and Use Plan (PSDUP): Present were Ed Grant, attorney; Philip Ciampa, Tony Ciampa, and Joe Ciampa; Mike Radner, landscape architect; Mike McKay, project manager; Bob Michaud, traffic engineer; and Doug Hartnett, project engineer. This proposal will require Town Meeting approval for a rezoning from a RS District to a Planned Development (PD). Mr. Grant reviewed the history of this property. This project has been reduced to a two-story mixed-use building with 16 one-bedroom apartments under 1000 square feet. The first floor would be retail spaces with 51 parking spaces. Doug Hartnett, project engineer, gave an overview of the project on a 60,000 square foot property with a 30,500 square foot building and a 1,500 square foot barn, which would be preserved and relocated to another location on the property. Stormwater would be retained on site which does not happen at this time. Mike McKay, project manager, described the style, material and other architectural portions of the plan. The apartments range from 700 to 900 square feet. The barn is structurally sound and will hold up for the relocation. Mike Radner, landscape architect, presented the proposed views of the project and showed the pedestrian-view from all locations of Page 2 Minutes for the Meeting of November 28, 2018 the site. He showed what buffers would be provided and the lighting with zero light spill for the abutter’s protection. Bob Michaud discussed information regarding transportation including sight lines, the pedestrian system connections, paths to the bike path, bicycling accommodations, and the trip generated increases entering or exiting the site during peak hours. Individual Board Comments:  The PSDUP showed individual family houses, which would not be allowed. Why is that? Mr. Grant said they will remove them.  Why are you being so restrictive with the uses and why not include the ones that are currently allowed? Mr. Grant said the applicant wanted to be sensitive to the comments from the residents and address their concerns.  Glad moving to a single driveway on Bedford Street have you considered using a shared driveway with a commercial property so you could move the building south? Have you considered any other alternatives? Mr. Harnett said they wanted to distance the access point the furthest point away from Vaille Avenue which would be the most appropriate, but will look into it further.  Why not restrict the apartment to 600 square feet? Have you considered restricting the number of people that could live in each unit? Mr. Grant said it’s hard to do on paper so they restricted to one bedroom and smaller size. They can look to cut down the 900 square foot number to smaller sized units.  You are only offering 10% affordable why not offering 20 to 25% affordable? The applicant maybe amenable to increasing to more than 10% affordable.  The entrance way on Vaille Avenue is it an emergency entrance? Mr. Hartnett said it would be an emergency entrance and gated.  Is the intent to follow Town standards with parking? Yes, but this is only a sketch.  Why is this being presented separately from the other property they own? Maybe consider a larger visioning and master plans for all the properties.  Use of the barn will be for family business? It will be an office for a salon and real estate office.  Who will rent these apartments? They have units like this elsewhere and are filled as soon as they are available. There have been municipal workers, young couples and 55+ people and definitely seniors.  Does the emergency access require repaving and widening; if so will not support this. Minutes for the Meeting of November 28, 2018 Page 3  What is the plan for snow storage? Would put the snow storage behind the parking. If excessive snow it would be removed from the site. Public comments:  The previous plan said there would be a new sewer line on Vaille Avenue? They would go into Vaille Avenue for sewer and water connecting and repaving.  The Building is too big and do not want to see this area to become a more commercial neighborhood. This does not fit with Lexington and urbanizing the area.  This site has many advantages for senior housing with many amenities. There should be more affordable units provided by the developer and have discussion.  Worried about traffic that has no modulation to it. There are no lights to regulate traffic and any increase is significant.  Glad sketch does not have access on Vaille Avenue.  The building is too close to street and do not like the parking in the rear and should provide some parking in the front and close at night. This would have the property open 24/7. Want 15% affordable and 5% attainable. The proponents should offer a public restroom.  There is major cut through and any increase in traffic and is a safety concern for accidents.  There was concern with parking on Reed Street, site lines and trucks pulling in with deliveries.  The general density is not in keeping with the neighborhood and concerned this 1.5 acre would be only the first.  There is plenty of vacant commercial space on Bedford Street and do not need more commercial space on this street. I am opposed to this residential site being rezoned to commercial property.  The driveway is very narrow will the truck drivers will they be able to turn around or need to use the emergency exit.  The parking estimates are very low. The traffic numbers do not take into account the commercial uses. Concerned about using this 1.3 acre lot there is nothing inviting nor does it try to integrate with the rest of the community. This is right up against the sidewalk. Page 4 Minutes for the Meeting of November 28, 2018  Concerned about this development with the mixed uses, commercial, and the size of this unit when we are restricting house sizes on lots. Need to be concerned about the precedent it sets.  The mixed use project here is too large for the property. This would extend the commercial district down Bedford Street. The Planning Board and Town Meeting need to first decide what they want Bedford Street to become.  Concerned about safety of children getting hit by cars.  Concerned about water runoff on Vaille Avenue and Reed Street. Individual Board Member Comments:  Just because something on one side of the street is permissible does not automatically mean it should be allowed on the other side of that street.  People who live in the community have the right to expect a certain level of consistency.  Bedford Street is not a center and it is clear you are doing too much on this lot. For me to approve any PD it would need to benefit the neighborhood and this is too big with too much impervious surface.  I am disappointed to see this project as it does not work well with the neighborhood and why not do it across the street and not here.  I do not think that you thought this through that some uses you are excluding could be more beneficial to the community for mixed uses.  Like the building up front and parking in the back this should be a 3 story building with more density it would be a lost opportunity if built half-heartedly at this location.  Concern about size of project, tree protections/mitigations, the setbacks and transitional screening depths should exceed the requirements for the CLO district, there is not enough room for fire trucks, and this project does not fit the site and is flawed in many significant ways and not viable. Board comments for draft decision include the following:  Amenable to some commercial use on a more modest/smaller scale;  Uses proposed are appropriate;  Need more community input;  Pay more attention to context of how it relates to adjoining to commercial and residential sites;  Reuse existing structure;  Mixed-use is appropriate, but no consensus on the density and site design; Minutes for the Meeting of November 28, 2018 Page 5  Concerned about the lack of time before Town Meeting; and  Part of what is being proposed will work, but it is not our job to redesign what is presented here tonight. December 12 the Board will discuss their recommendation and decision. 6 Eliot Road (Pelham Road), Approval Not Required (ANR): On a motion of Mr. Hornig, seconded by Mr. Canale, it was voted, 4-0, it was voted to endorse the ANR plan showing the property at 6 Eliot Road as it is not requiring approval under the Subdivision Control Law. *************************BOARD ADMINISTRATION**************************** Board Member Updates: A list of potential CPF Articles was shared with the Board. The will be a MAGIC kickoff for the regional plan for the next 30 years happening soon. The School Master Plan School Committee is discussing what direction to head for state approval of a new high school and the needs of all the schools. Discuss Planning Board Recommendations & Report Process 2018: The Chair asked the Board Members what went right and wrong with the past process at the last Special Town Meeting in writing and submit to staff for the next meeting for future changes. ATM 2019 Warrant Article Discussion: Mr. Hornig wanted to ask the Board of Selectmen (BOS) for 2 warrant article placeholders to permit an increased density of development on Hartwell Avenue. Board Members recommended discussing this with the BOS, but expressed concern that there was not enough time. The board also discussed that this was to be done on a parallel track with the Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Johnson will contact Ms. Barry to gage BOS s potential proposal. Upcoming Meetings and Anticipated Schedule: December 12, 186 Bedford Street and two zoning articles for CM District and transitions standards. January 9, 15-17 Fairland, with a revised preliminary conventional plan and will extend the decision date, and January 23, will be 497 Concord Avenue definitive conventional subdivision plan. On a motion, duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn the meeting at 10:42 p.m. The meeting was recorded by LexMedia. Page 6 Minutes for the Meeting of November 28, 2018 The following documents used at the meeting can be found on the Planning Board website in Planning Board packets. 186 Bedford Street  Sketch Plan set (6 pages).  Proposed PSDUP Zoning Text (6 pages).  Cover Letter (5 pages).  Transportation Impact Assessment (24 pages).  Transportation Impact Assessment attachments (48 pages).  Staff report (2 pages).  PowerPoint Presentation by Ms. Johnson. 6 Eliot Road  Form A Application (6 pages).  ANR Plan (1 page).  Attorney Letter (2 pages).  Certificate of Title (3 pages).  Record of Findings (21 pages).  Land Court Plan 1266A (2 pages).  Land Court Plan 1469A (1 page).  Amend Zoning Bylaw Transitions standards (1 page)  Amend Zoning Bylaw CM District Standards (1 page) Nancy Corcoran-Ronchetti, Clerk