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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-03-03-PB-minPLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF MARCH 3, 2004 The meeting of the Lexington Planning Board held in the Clarke Middle School auditorium, 17 Stedman Road, was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Harden with members Davies, Galaitsis, Kastorf, Manz and planning staff Garber, McCall - Taylor, and Tap present. Mr. Harden welcomed Wendy Manz to the Planning Board. Mrs. Manz was elected to a three -year term in the Annual Town Election on March 2, 2004. He briefly explained that the basis of the public and Board review in a rezoning proposal is a Preliminary Site Development and Use Plan submitted by the petitioner, who can make revisions until 7 days before Town Meeting. At the request of the Planning Department, several people with expertise in bio- research safety, Mr. Jim Feamside and Dr. Wendy Heiger- Bernays of the Lexington Board of Health, and. Mr. Scott Harrison of MassDevelopment, formerly with the biotech firm Genzyme, were in the audience and prepared to answer questions. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** ARTICLES FOR 2004 TOWN MEETING * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Article 10 CRO and RO to CD 125 131 141 Spring Street Patriot Partners Public Hearin : Mr. Harden opened the public hearing on the petition of Patriot Partners to rezone land at 125, 131 and 141 Spring Street, formerly the site of Raytheon headquarters, from CRO, Regional Office and RO, Single Family, to CD, Planned Commercial Development, for the purpose of establishing a technology park. There were 25 people in the audience. The development team was present: Mr. Stephen Rice and Mr. Joseph Zink of Patriot Partners; Mr. Rick Bryant, traffic consultant, Rizzo Associates; Mr. Robert Buckley, attorney, of Riemer and Braunstein; Mr. Edmund Grant, local attorney. Mr. Rice announced that Patriot Partners would be hosting a tour of their property at 125, 131 and 141 Spring Street, former Raytheon headquarters, on Sunday, March 7 from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Everyone is invited. Characterizing Cambridge as the nexus of biotech research in the United States, he said that Patriot Partners believes that the need for biotech facilities is spreading out beyond the metropolitan area and the Spring Street site is ideally placed for this. He described Patriot's Partners' plans for a bio - technology- oriented business park on the 96 -acre site at the intersection of Spring Street, Route 2 and Route 125. They will ask Town Meeting to rezone the property, most of which is currently zoned CRO, Regional Office, and six acres along Shade Street currently zoned RO, One - Family Dwelling, to CD, Planned Commercial Development. The CD zoning would permit biotech manufacturing. A Preliminary Site Development and Use Plan, dated December 29, 2003, was filed on December 29, 2003, with a revision filed on January 12, 2004. Mr. Rice indicated that Patriot Partners is marketing to biotech companies, which typically have fewer employees per 1,000 square feet of space and less traffic impact than office uses. But if necessary, they would rent to office uses and they plan to hold an area in reserve for more parking if it is needed. Mr. Bryant presented the results of his traffic impact study and introduced what he called an innovative transportation management plan for the development, which he hopes will become a model for future commercial projects. It includes setting traffic management goals, a system for monitoring their success, and a range of penalties if they are not meeting goals, e.g., pay more to support Lexpress or provide more mitigations. The TDM program includes: • Join 128 Business Council • Subsidize Lexpress • Provide a shuttle to Alewife station • Provide accommodations for bikers/bikes Minutes for the Meeting of March 3, 2004 • Work with tenants to design employer- sponsored programs. • Provide money toward improvements at the Marrett Road/Spring Street intersection • Provide a police detail at the entrance to the site Mr. Rice indicated that Patriot Partners is committed to being a positive presence in Lexington. 2 Board Questions and Comments: Conservation restriction In response to Board questions about the restricted conservation easement, Mr. Rice indicated that the restriction would be permanent and that potential tenant concerns about security vis -a -vis public access to that area would be "off the table ". Asked if barriers to protect abutting residences from potential manufacturing- related nuisances would be considered, Mr. Rice indicated that bio- manufacturing is a highly regulated industry. Descriptions of Biosafety Levels 1 -4 parallel those in the National Institute for Health Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA. The Lexington Technology Park intends to include only Levels 1 and 2 facilities. Mr. Fearnside described some of the annual Town permits the companies would need and noted that Lexington's regulations are more stringent than those of Cambridge in this field. Town permits also come with controls. Noise Issues Mr. Rice indicated that State regulations would allow a 10- decibel increase over the "ambient" noise, which includes noise from Routes 2 and 128, as measured at the perimeter of the property. Audience Questions and Comments: • Mr. Richard Canale indicated that he was pleased with Patriot Partners' outreach to residents. He urged them to act in the interest of long -terns sustainability. • Selectman Dawn McKenna indicated she is pleased with Patriot Partners' process so far. She would like to see ongoing and escalating payments to Lexpress and efforts to discourage traffic cutting through surrounding neighborhoods. • Mr. Kevin Johnson, President of the South Lexington Civic Association, indicated the SLCA would like to see much more in the way of traffic management and support to Lexpress. • Ms. Sally Castleman, Chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee, thanked Mr. Rice for Patriot Partners' donation to Lexpress in FY 2004, when service was so nearly extinguished. She asked him to consider on -going donations of $20,000 to $25,000 to fund bus routes and a Town transportation coordinator position. • Other suggestions from the audience were: provide a cafeteria for employees on site (Mrs. McKenna countered that she wants the employees to come to Lexington restaurants, preferably via Lexpress); fund speed humps on surrounding neighborhood streets; allow no Saturday construction on the site. A limit on the amount of product manufactured was suggested. At 9:50 p.m., it was agreed to continue the hearing to Wednesday, March 17 at 6:00 p.m. in the Clarke auditorium. By that date Patriot Partners would have met with the Board of Health and Conservation Commission. On motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.m. John , Imo , a , Clerk'