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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-02-03-PB-min PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF FEBRUARY 3, 2010 A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board was held in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Office Building, and called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Zurlo with members Canale, Manz, Hornig and planning staff McCall-Taylor, Henry and Kaufman present. Mr. Galaitsis was absent. *************************TOWN MEETING WARRANT********************************* PUBLIC HEARING RD rezoning amendment; Countryside Manor, Woburn Street: Mr. Zurlo called the public hearing to order at 7:32 p.m. In attendance were Brian Kelley applicant, Alan Wrigley, attorney, Rick Waitt and Gary Larson of Meridian Associates, with approximately 25 people in the audience. Mr. Kelley presented the following information on the proposed RD rezoning:  There would be no impact on the existing 51 apartments;  This proposal adds approximately two acres to the existing development, for a total of 11.9 acres, and would result in at total of 8.5 units per acre;  Each unit would have one or two bedrooms and be 900-1,200 square;  There would be underground garage parking;  Based on the traffic study provided in the PSDUP there would be no significant impact on traffic;  The applicant would cooperate with Lexpress to restore service to Countryside Manor;  Six units or 11.4% would be qualified affordable 40B units in cooperation with LEXHAB, which was near the 11.8% current affordable unit count in Lexington;  They would be removing trees totaling 600 caliper inches measured at breast height and replacing with trees totaling 179 caliper inches and a payment $21,050 to the tree fund; and  The building would be LEEDS silver design and reach a HERS index rating of 65 or better. Mr. Kelley addressed the Board’s previous concerns as follows:  The existing affordable units would remain and would be restructured as necessary to meet today’s standards;  The tree mitigation provided would meet the bylaw standards;  There was no need for a new sidewalk in front of the development;  Part of the TDM would be to work with Lexpress on restoring service to Countryside Manor;  The cost/revenue ratio amounts reflect a net gain in revenue to Lexington of $117,800 annually, after factoring in municipal services and estimated number of school children; 2 Page Minutes for the Meeting of February 3, 2010  The building design would allow for double loaded units on a single corridor; and  Age restricted units would not be appropriate here. Board comments:  The ZBA would determine if the tree replacement would be adequate mitigation;  The strip along the edge towards Woburn could use more landscaping; Mr. Kelley said there was no landscaping plan on file, but was advised the large trees would remain; The final plan would need to account for final landscaping on these parcels and they would be considered unbuildable since no structures were shown on them; existing conditions must be included in the filing;  TMG was interested in a sidewalk on both sides of Woburn Street., Lexpress contributions and other existing obligations to be figured out and included in the new PSDUP, and possibly charging per parking space;   Would the 51 existing units be updated to today standards to keep as 40B? Yes.  There would need to be a written agreement from Murray Hills regarding their strip of land. It was suggested that the Mr. Murray sign off on the plan. Mr. Kelley said he would try.  Provide figures for cost/revenue ratio to staff;  Would there be any certifications other then HERS? Mr. Kelley said it was an arduous process to be LEEDS certified and would be more important for the HERS for energy efficiency; and  Make sure there would be no light spill over from headlights exiting the garage. Public Comments: There were letters from abutters received and on file in the Planning Office two favoring the development and one calling for an area planning study.  How would costs be allocated and deed riders kept in perpetuity since some units would be purchased?  The minimum property area required to be developed was supposed to be 125,000 square feet and neither of the two lots are and were not in common ownership;  Regarding access, a second egress was not shown on the plan;  The traffic study was not including actual counts as required;  Why was there no entrance from Woburn Street for this development?  Calculation of the impervious surface for lot 509 would be excessive; this proposal should not Minutes for the Meeting of February 3, 2010 Page 3 pass.  Mr. Bicknell, chair of the Lexington Housing Partnership Board said this would be a good opportunity for the Town, especially with the large number of affordable units being provided, and should be viewed favorably;  There would be a mix on one and two bedroom units, how many of each would there be? Mr. Kelley said two one-bedroom units and 49 two-bedroom units;  There should be a sidewalk to Peachtree, but if there was to be no sidewalk added then consider a crosswalk for school-aged children;  As there would be many units coming on line there would have to be some traffic impact;  Why does there have to be one large RD; why not separate them? Are these handicapped accessible and can the Fire Department gain access? Mr. Kelley said these would be handicapped compliant and the fire department had no issues with the access points as the plan exists. Ms. McCall-Taylor said DRT reviewed the proposed plan and the Fire Department may want access around the north side. Board final comments:  The last PSDUP would have to cover the entire tract of land, including the Murray Hills land;  Same issues as last week, including the organization of the PSDUP, tree removal and replacement, interior sidewalks, and inclusionary housing.  Zoning and building compliance; and  Expectation of a sidewalk from the Woburn line to at least the nearest intersection. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 4-0, to continue the public hearing to March 3, 2010 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room at 7:30 p.m. **************************SUBDIVISION ADMINISTRATION**************************** Luongo Farm, request for minor modification/clarification: The applicant requested to come before the Planning Board to address some issues, which were holding up the building permits. The first is a footprint issue that required the applicant go before the Board to determine if it would be a major or minor modification. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 4-0, that the footprint change be considered a minor 4 Page Minutes for the Meeting of February 3, 2010 modification. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 4-0, to amend the definitive plan allowing the change to the footprint on lot six. The following items have been completed or addressed:  Creation of the Homeowners Association;  The storm water Operation & Maintenance Plan; and  The sidewalk on Pleasant Street was covered by a tripartite agreement among the Town, the developer and the bank.. The following still need to be researched or addressed:  Whether there should be no certificate of action until the final grading is completed,; perhaps a landscaping escrow account could provide sufficient surety for the grading;  The secondary access requirement, which may be an error in the special permit, since Planning Board minutes do not indicate one was never addressed;  The location of the pedestrian path, which does not appear on the plans. Mr. Waitt said the building permit was the real issue. He will work with staff to research the issues listed so the Board could take action at a later date. Journey’s End, lot release: The applicant requested the release of a small piece of land mistakenly included in the south covenant. Lot 472 was 790 square feet and was not supposed to be included in either covenant. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 4-0, to release lot 472 from the restrictive covenant. *********************************MINUTES****************************************** The Board reviewed the minutes for the regular meeting of January 20, 2010. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 4-0, to approve the minutes as amended. ********************PLANNING BOARD ORGANIZATION, SCHEDULE******************** There will be a Planning Board meeting on March 3, 2010. **************************BOARD MEMBER REPORTS********************************* Minutes for the Meeting of February 3, 2010 Page 5 Ms. Manz said the Housing Partnership submitted a memorandum of understanding to the Board of Selectmen for a regional collaboration on affordable housing, which would cost each participating town $10,000 a year. The purpose would be to seek sites for affordable housing and to share expertise and management among the towns. The monies may come from CPA funds. Lexington may find it hard to find a site where 12 units, the suggested minimum, could be built. Mr. Canale said the sidewalk committee met with the Clarke Middle School Assistant Principal to discuss a new sidewalk on Stedman Road. It was voted that no new sidewalk would be provided from Brookside toward Marrett Road. There should be a “no stopping” street sign rather than a “no parking” sign. With regards to the Lexington Gardens development site, the committee wanted to ensure that there would be a full sidewalk on the Hancock Street section. There was concern about the bump out in the school access, and the local schools and DRT may not be in sync as to whether the school driveway should be straightened out. The 2020 Vision executive committee would be meeting tomorrow regarding the demographics report. MAPC will implement Metrofutures strategic plan. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn the meeting at 9:40 p.m. Charles Hornig, Acting Clerk