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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-11-16-LEARY-min AD HOC LEARY PROPERTY COMMUNITY HOUSING TASK FORCE Meeting Minutes of November 16, 2010 Board of Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building Present: Bob Bicknell, George Burnell, Stephen Keane, Wendy Manz, Deb Mauger, Lester Savage, and Betsey Weiss Staff: Aaron Henry and Maryann McCall-Taylor Absent: Bill Kennedy Neighborhood Meeting Lester Savage called the meeting to order and welcomed the neighbors. There were approximately 20 in the audience. He gave a brief history of the Task Force's work to date, including their request for the Board of Selectmen to support funding for planning the site as well as stabilization of the farmhouse. The Board only supported the funding of the planning,not stabilization. Aaron Henry then gave an overview of the site. The meeting was then opened for comment. Sean Kenneen of 136 Vine Street-The surrounding area is single-family houses on one plus acre lots. Traffic is an issue as this sits on the bend in the road. Will this be one house or five? He is concerned about multiple units, an apartment building would be inappropriate on one of the oldest streets in America and he wants something that will fit in. The house is on the Historical Register and is an important house in town. It is an incredibly good-looking house. Is LexHAB involved? The town paid three times the assessed value for the beauty of the meadow He doesn't want multiple houses. Is there going to be a parking lot on the conservation land? Restore the house and bring a nice family in,multi-dwelling units are a mistake. Lester Savage said that LexHAB has little interest in the house. To rehab it would cost about$300 a square foot while new construction would be about$110 to 120 Harry Hemond, 104 Vine Street-Why can't the house be saved? He knows some upkeep has been done as it has a fairly recent roof and new siding. It is not good to hear that there is money for planning but no money for stabilization. Wendy Manz said that nothing has been decided. The Task Force has had extensive discussions regarding the house and its preservation, as well as the type of development. Hank Manz from the Board of Selectmen explained his reasoning for his vote on the funding request. He said that the context was important. The motion to fund planning and stabilization failed for lack of a second. Minimal stabilizing attempts were proposed. The Salemi report listed many problems. In the end as little as 15 %of the structure would be saved, this to his mind would make it a replica,not preservation. The money would not be available until the spring so it wouldn't help get the house through the winter The amount of money did not enter into his decision,but rather that it could not be historic preservation given how little of the original structure would remain. Betsey Weiss said that the Ad Hoc Leary Committee had received a letter from Americo Andrade whose firm rehabs existing buildings into affordable housing in Cambridge and works with CASCAP that builds affordable housing in Cambridge dated Oct. 1st She then quoted from the letter "The cost of the work to rehabilitate the farm house would be in line with any new construction budgets and as such would not impinge or burden it in overall cost tabulations while at the same time exemplify a respect for the past and offer the hope for similar dwellings in the Lexington community could follow along the same paths when expansion needs are considered." She then added that Ross Spear, an architect who rehabs buildings,had attended some of the Ad Hoc Leary meetings. Mr Kinneen said that what mattered was "that meadow with that house." The neighbors don't know what's inside and don't care, so gutting the interior would be fine, just save the gorgeous house. Ross Speer said that the Task Force has looked at a lot of ideas. He had done a general walk around and felt it as a fairly solid house. However if the interior plan is kept as is, it would be strange for the proposed use. Arlene Belliveau, 67 Vine St. -Look at the house in front of St. Brigid's for a contrast in process. Even if it ends up being a replica, she would want that. She remembers the barn and a cow or two on the site. The street can't handle additional dwellings. The traffic should be studied first before any decisions are made about the number of dwellings. Mr Hemond said that only 15% salvageable sounded way too low There seems to be a mind set that the house has to go Perhaps it doesn't need to be brought up to code. Anne Engelhart, 107 Vine-She loves the fact that the house can be seen on 19th century maps. She realizes that it is difficult to make it useable and maybe an evocation of the farmhouse could be a compromise. Mr Kinneen said that it is the last house of its type in Lexington. It is worth the extra money to save it. Alexa McCray, 125 Vine Street-Put aside the issue of saving the house and talk about what else might happen on the site. She does support saving the house. Lester Savage said they had been shown that is possible to put 10 units on the site,but they felt that was too much. There had been discussion of something that evokes the time past, whether a replica or a rehab with another unit that resembles a barn. Ms. McCray said that then traffic really is an issue. What is the follow-on process? How about a one-family structure and make it affordable? Ms. Manz said one thing they had considered was a building the size and bulk of the house across the street containing more than one unit. All plans had included driveways so there would not be parking on the street. Ms. Belliveau calculated that one or two structures with multiple units could mean six dwelling units with two cars per unit. Kerina Daniela, 121 Vine Street-A structure similar to her house, which is across the street, would look completely different. Her house just goes back into the wetland. It would be too imposing for the Leary lot and would completely change the neighborhood. Mr Kinneen said the beauty of the property was important and a bigger unit would block the view He wants a single-family house but sees that the town wants as much as possible. He pointed out the meadow on the map (It is on the conservation property ) Jean Barrett- 132 Vine Street-When the two large houses were built the dirt was piled on the Leary property What had been a gradual slope became a hill which now pours water onto her land and in her cellar The Town then raised the road. There were never problems before and the swale along the property line should have been retained. Aaron Henry asked what those present saw as their neighborhood,is it all of Vine Street or just the end near Leary? Sheila Denaro, 67 Vine St., replied that there were increased interactions,but she doesn't know the people at the end in the old high school. Mr Kinneen said that the intersection redesign at the end near the VFW has helped but that traffic tries to cut through Vine Street if there is heavy traffic on Woburn Street. Mr Henry said that a traffic count at the end of September showed 75 cars a day on Vine Street and 13,000 a day on Woburn Street. Mr Kinneen said there was a lot of foot traffic on weekends. Ms. Belliveau said that Manley Court had dangerous turns at both ends. Maryann McCall-Taylor asked what the neighbors would think of making the street one-way Ms. Belliveau said they don't have a problem now,but if the Town makes it one way that means there is a problem. Mr Henry asked about widening the road and Ms. Denaro wanted to know where and how Mr John Quinlan, 67 Vine Street, said he was glad they were dealing with the Town and not a developer He wanted to know how many affordable units were in town and had the Town met the state quota? Bob Bicknell and Steve Keane spoke to the large waiting lists for affordable units as well as the possibility that some units might come off the state's list of affordable units. Currently the Town is credited with 11 3% affordable units. Mr Bicknell urged those present to stay involved in the process, noting that all meetings were posted and open to the public. Mr Hemond said that once a study is done it takes on a life of its own. He urged the committee to not leave the decisions about preservation of the farm house and the number of units to a consultant. Harry West, 56 Vine Street, asked the Task Force to review what was said a year ago by the Board of Selectmen about the use of the Leary land. He felt they had stated that there would be one or two unites of housing There being no further comments from the audience the meeting was adjourned at 9.15 PM. Documents used. 1) An aerial map of the area, including the conservation land and all of Vine Street 2) A large scale map of the parcel 3) A handout with online resources, contact information over planning staff and an existing conditions plan for the parcel