TOWN OF LINCOLN
MINUTES OF PLANNING BOARD MEETING
Held on December 10, 2008
At 7:30 PM in the Donaldson Room, Lincoln Town Offices
PRESENT: R.Domnitz (Chairman), B.Wolf, J.Snell, K.Hurd, J.Craig
STAFF: M.Whitehead, C.Perry
7:30 PM BUSINESS:
Minutes
The Board unanimously approved the minutes of the meeting held on December 3rd, with amendments.
Lewandowski, 3 Bowles Terrace
The Board signed a decision denying an amendment to the fence permit for the stone wall.
8:00 PM PUBLIC HEARING: ELINOR HARDIGG & JAMEY POPE, 61 Beaver Pond Road, Map 85/Lot 12, site plan review for a teardown and reconstruction of a single family house under Section 17.7.
Jamey Pope attended with Stephen Hart, architect, his assistant and a landscape designer. The proposal is for a new house and garage. A preliminary meeting was held on August 20th. Mr. Pope reported that the Historical Commission has approved the demolition of the existing house and the Conservation Commission has issued an Order of Conditions. The Zoning Board of Appeals is currently reviewing the plans; Mr. Pope reported that the only remaining issue for the ZBA is screening which the team hopes to address at a meeting the next evening.
The site was described as sloping down to the west and up to the east. The lot is non-conforming, being 1.34 acres. There is wetland towards the rear of the lot, and a trail at a distance beyond it. The intention is to demolish the existing house and garage, keeping the existing small shed, and to construct a larger, two story house and a replacement garage. The existing house is non-conforming with respect to the east side setback; the new one will be less so. Since the preliminary meeting, the house design has been made marginally smaller and the setbacks adjusted. The Chairman asked for a graphic scale and a north arrow to be added to the plans.
Elevations and a model of the proposed gabled house with three open covered porches and a screened porch were presented. The house was stated to have a height to the ridge of 29’ 11” and no habitable attic. Materials will be shingle walls with standing seam copper sheeting on the shallower pitched roofs and asphalt shingles on the steeper roofs.
The Board was satisfied with the architecture but wished to consider the massing and scale in relation to adjacent properties. It wished to view the site before reaching conclusions. Mr. Mandelkorn, the neighbor on the west side, expressed a concern about having exposed views of two sides of the house, and a sense that the privacy and character of the neighborhood are being eroded. On the east side, relief for the house setback has been sought from the ZBA. The garage meets setback requirements. The parking/ turning area could be skewed to allow a ten foot undisturbed area next to the lot line if necessary but the applicants would prefer to place it straight, making it four feet at the closest point. The neighbors on the east side did not attend but Mr. Pope reported that they had no objection; he agreed
to try to obtain confirmation in writing.
The Board examined the proposed exterior lighting and commented on the large amount of it. The neighbors on the west side said that they would prefer less lighting. Along the path to the house entrance, a series of 40W lights with cut offs are proposed. Mr. Pope explained that lighting is needed for acupuncture patients visiting after dark. The Board accepted the need for path lighting but recommended a lower wattage with the spacing that is proposed. The Board questioned the need for a post light near the driveway and the applicant agreed to delete it. In the porches, surface-mounted ceiling lights are proposed. The Board noted that these will be visible from off the site and asked for them to be one-socket fixtures with 40W bulbs. The applicant agreed to reduce the number of these lights. The Board
questioned the need for flood lights on the house and garage. It advised that it does not normally allow these and suggested that the sconce lights at entrances would be sufficient. 40W bulbs were considered preferable for these. The design team agreed to revise the lighting plan.
Storm water drainage was examined. The applicant reported that a system to deal with water from the roof was presented to and approved by the Conservation Commission. In terms of site drainage, the design team stated that there would be little change to the topography as the house site is fairly level. The existing paved driveway will be made narrower so run-off should be reduced, and there is a swale near the road for water to drain into. Semi-porous pavers will be used for the turning area.
Three trees to the west of the house are proposed for removal, which has been approved by the Conservation Commission. They are marked with orange ribbons. Some trees will remain and it is also proposed to plant new Atlantic cedars and white pines. The neighbor to the west asked whether the drainage system would constrain tree planting and noted that some of the ground is rocky.
A plan of existing trees on the site was shown. The landscape designer commented that growth is congested, leaving low shrubs struggling to get enough light. It is therefore proposed to transplant existing shrubs closer to the house and to selectively prune the trees. In addition, some small trees and shrubs will be planted. The applicant asked if the Planning Board could coordinate its approach to the landscaping with other boards. The Chairman suggested that the applicant ask the ZBA to make a recommendation to the Planning Board on screening.
The design team agreed to stake the western corners of the house and the corner of the turning area.
A MOTION was proposed by Mrs. Wolf and seconded by Mr.Snell, to continue the hearing to January 7th at 8:00 PM Passed 5-0
A MOTION was proposed by Mr. Snell and seconded by Mrs. Wolf, to conduct a site walk on Saturday December 13th at 1:30 PM. Passed 5-0
OTHER BUSINESS:
Comprehensive Long Range Plan Update
Mr. Whitehead reported that Community Opportunities Group has asked to restructure the costing of items in the contract to switch funds from neighborhood meetings to additional other meetings to reflect the requirements that had transpired. This was agreed to be fair and acceptable.
A MOTION was proposed by Mrs. Wolf and seconded by Mr. Craig, to accept the revised schedule of costs. Passed 5 -0
Mr. Whitehead will draft a letter to COG for the Chairman’s signature.
Mr. Whitehead reported that the Steering Committee has considered the remaining schedule for work on the Plan up to Town Meeting. Bearing in mind the generally favorable response at the State of the Town Meeting and pressure of work on the Implementation Plan, it is proposed to omit the January public forum and instead to televise the Planning Board public hearing. The date for this is now proposed to be February 4th.
COG has distributed revised draft chapters of the Plan to the subcommittee chairs, who should be sharing and discussing them with their members. Comments are due December 19th and final changes will have to be made by January 23rd. Mr. Whitehead agreed to provide paper copies of the current draft chapters for the Board and to forward revised versions electronically as soon as he receives them. The Board scheduled a discussion of the draft chapters on January 7th and 14th.
The Steering Committee has also received the draft Implementation Plan from COG and intends to discuss it on December 16th.
Annual Report
The Board received copies of a draft of the 2008 Annual Report prepared by Mrs. Perry. It noted that the Selectmen are asking for reports to be kept to two pages if possible. Members agreed to supply any suggested changes to Mrs. Perry by Wednesday December 17th (including wording about Route 2 ROW funding status).
Committee Reports:
Hanscom Area Towns Committee
Mr. Domnitz mentioned that at the next HATS meeting on December 18th he will lead a discussion on parking.
Community Preservation Committee
Mrs. Wolf reported that the committee met the previous evening to review applications for funding.
Public Safety Radio Tower, Bedford Road
The Board briefly discussed the current status of the tower.
Holiday Quiz
Mrs. Perry distributed copies of a quiz on the Planning Board’s year. Answers will be supplied in January.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 PM.
Submitted by Catherine Perry
Approved as amended January 8, 2009
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