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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-02-29-PB-min PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF FEBRUARY 29, 2012 A regular meeting of the Lexington Planning Board, held in the Clarke Middle School Auditorium, was called to order at 7:39 p.m. by Chairman Richard Canale with members Wendy Manz, Michelle Ciccolo, Greg Zurlo, and Charles Hornig and planning staff Maryann McCall- Taylor, Aaron Henry and Lori Kaufman present. ********************************TOWN MEETING******************************* PUBLIC HEARING Article 34, 2013 & 2017 Massachusetts Ave/Dana Home: Mr. Canale called the public hearings to order at 7:40 p.m. The applicant, Trish Perez Kennealy, said that she was limiting her comments so that she could listen to suggestions and concerns. Board Comments:  How are staff comments and the opposition’s traffic analysis being addressed? Ms. Kennealy said that her traffic advisor is working on responses.  Would a truck restriction be acceptable? Ms. Kennealy was willing to discuss that option.  Will the parking be moved back? Ms. Kennealy said the development team is working through all the details as quickly as possible.  The public hearing should be continued to March 26 after the applicant meets with the Conservation Commission and then schedule a full continued public hearing before April 15.  Is off-site parking off the table? Ms. Kennealy said an agreement was reached with St. Brigids, but objections were raised because St. Brigids would also have to be rezoned from its residential district to allow the parking related to a commercial use on its site.  Circulation on the site needs to be addressed to allow access from one parking lot to another without having to exit and reenter from the main road. That will need to be addressed with the Conservation Commission since the parking lot would have to move closer to the wetlands. Audience Comments:  The Chair of the Tourism Committee said the committee supported the use of an inn prior to the sale of the Dana Home property and it is something that is needed in Lexington.  What is meant by acceptable use? Going through the CD process is expensive so early on the Planning Board considers if a use is appropriate for that site without consideration to details such density and design, which are offered later in the process.  Is there any access between the parking lots behind the terraces? No, it abuts the wetlands. Tall Pine trees would help to screen the parking lot from the street. The intent is to landscape the parking area to hide the parking lot as much as possible and also make it blend into the neighborhood.  There is opposition to setting a precedent for rezoning a site to a commercial property in a residential neighborhood and the Town should reconsider the CD process.  There have been four pedestrian fatalities at that intersection and it has taken 60 years to reach the current level of safety improvements.  Robert Michaud of MDM Transportation Consultants said he reviewed the PSDUP, traffic review, parking, and circulation with the Town Engineer and there some issues that need to be addressed, for example: parking levels fall well below the standards for restaurants and inns, the circulation on the site, the crosswalk location, the Worthern Road merge, the turn analysis, parking already on the street, and access to parking spaces.  A resident on Vine Brook Road said that her back porch has a parking lot right behind it and there has never been a problem and there is more commercial property at her location then proposed at the Dana Home site. The houses in her area sell before they even go on the market. The more vibrant the Town Center becomes the more valuable the properties surrounding it will be.  A realtor said that property values will go up when more amenities are near the CB district and the Town Center.  A resident and local business owner said he was frustrated with the lack of hotels, inns and restaurants in the Lexington area for business clients and this proposal of an inn would enhance business.  Visitors can’t walk to synagogue when visiting in Lexington because there is no local place to stay.  The concern is not about existing commercial properties, but expanding commercial uses into residential areas. There should be a point by point response to the opponent’s positions by the Planning Board for Town Meeting Members.  What could happen if this is not approved? Will it be like the St. Brigids house that deteriorated? It will become a single family home or be used for some other institutional use.  The scale and intensity of use would violate the state and local environmental laws. The proposal shows twice the impervious surface ratio; it is located in a zone 2 critical area and the wetlands need to be protected from environmental pollutants.  The Dana Home has been there from 1916 until 2010. When the Dana Home closed there were many proposals, but this one was chosen as the best. It would conserve the beautiful historic period details on the interior without impacts greater than those of the prior use that had staff, services and deliveries round the clock, serving 3 meals a day with a licensed kitchen and daily residential activities.  This proposed inn would be a marvelous asset. The bike path met with resistance at the beginning, but in the end turned into a great asset.  The Colonial Inn in the Concord Center is a successful landmark with 56 rooms, a restaurant, and abuts a high end residential neighborhood. Contact the Concord Chamber of Commerce, which could provide some insight.  Many older trees will be removed, the stone wall destroyed, and the FAR would be greater then any other site except Hartwell Ave. All the Colonial Inn parking is located in the back.  Is the scale and density appropriate? The projections are vague and misleading.  There is a legal question about this being an issue of spot zoning.  This started out as a great idea, but is fundamentally flawed.  The two main issues are circulation between the parking lots and inadequate treatment of storm water flowing onto the wetlands. There is concern that a revised PSDUP would not provide enough time to be thoroughly reviewed for this Town Meeting, perhaps it should be deferred to another Town Meeting. Ms. Kennealy thanked everyone for coming to the meeting and for their input. She will be working with the Planning Board and Conservation Commission on a revised plan. On motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 5-0, to continue the public hearing to March 26, at 6:00 p.m. in the Planning Office. At that time the only action will be to continue the public hearing to another date based on what happens at the Conservation Commission hearing on March 20. ************************DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION********************* Journey’s End: The applicant has been working with the Planning Department to finalize the completion of Journey’s End and is requesting the release of the remaining $30,600 securing the basic infrastructure work. The walkway is the only outstanding item in the development and while the Board prefers not to give up on a walkway this is not an essential item and the residents requested that it not be constructed. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 5-0, to consider the development complete and release its interest in the performance guarantee in the development. Stedman Road, Permit Extension Request: The applicant has requested an extension of time to complete the extension of Stedman Road from December 31, 2011 to November 11, 2012 as was allowed for in the initial approval. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 5-0, to extend the deadline from December 31, 2011 to November 11, 2012. **********************PLANNING BOARD ORGANIZATION*********************** There will be a meeting on March 7, 2012 to discuss the Center Articles. March 14 there will be a public hearing on 186-192 Woburn Street for a definitive site sensitive development plan. ******************************BOARD REPORTS******************************** Mr. Zurlo said there was an invitation from Burlington residents to attend a meeting regarding Wheeler Road. It is not appropriate for the Planning Board to attend that meeting, but he will continue the dialog with them. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 5-0, to adjourn at 10:50 p.m. The meeting was recorded by Lexmedia. The following documents used at the meeting can be found on file with the Planning Department: 1. Letter from abutters regarding 2027 Massachusetts Ave. Dana Home, dated February 13, 2012 (11 pages). 2. Letter from MDM Transportation regarding 2027 Massachusetts Ave. Dana Home, dated February 8, 2012 (17 pages). 3. Memorandum from staff for Stedman Road, dated February 23, 2012 (4 pages). 4. Memorandum from staff for 88-110 Shade Street, dated February 24, 2012 (1 page). 5. Handout fact sheet from the applicant on the Inn at Hastings Park (1 page). 6. Key Documents on Article 34, Dana Home Property Land Rezoning from the Lexington Neighbors for responsible growth (59 Pages). Michelle Ciccolo, Clerk