TOWN OF LINCOLN
MINUTES OF PLANNING BOARD MEETING
Held on April 15, 2009
At 7:30 PM in the Donaldson Room, Lincoln Town Offices
PRESENT: R.Domnitz (Co-Chair), B.Wolf (Co-Chair), K.Hurd, J.Craig
STAFF: M.Whitehead, C.Perry
7:30 PM BUSINESS:
Minutes
The Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the meeting held on April 1st, with amendments.
Jerodel Realty Trust, 63-65 Winter Street
The Board signed a corrected version of the minor subdivision plan that was previously approved on March 11th. The plan consisted of two sheets.
Dooley, Old Concord Road (Map 61/ Lots 4-5 and 4-6)
The Board received an ‘Approval Not Required’ plan showing two lots, designated as lots 20 and 21. The Board checked that access and frontage requirements were met. It noted that wetlands and zoning setbacks would make it difficult to build on lot 21.
A MOTION was proposed by Mr. Domnitz and seconded by Mr. Craig, to endorse the ANR plan. Passed 4-0
The Board signed the mylar plan and paper copies.
Boynton, 34 Cambridge Turnpike
The Board received a letter from Dan Boynton concerning the effect of the Crosby’s Corner project on his property and requesting an opportunity to purchase sufficient surplus land to make his lot conforming. The Board asked Mr. Whitehead to refer the letter to the Board of Selectmen.
8:00 PM PRELIMINARY MEETING: PAUL D. LAZAY, 69 Silver Hill Road, Map 66/Lot 5, site plan review for teardown and reconstruction of single family residence under Section 17.7.
Mr. Lazay and his wife attended with their architect. They supplied preliminary designs for a large house, to replace an existing house on a 3.31 acre corner lot.
Mr. Domnitz explained that the purpose of a preliminary meeting is to discuss application materials and to flag up potential issues affecting the development of the site. He outlined the matters that will be considered in site plan review.
Mr. Lazay stated that the proposal has been considered by the Historical Commission, who approved it with comment; the Commission asked the proponents to consider omitting the cupola and not to use any standing seam metal roofs. The proponent also stated that the previous owners obtained approval for a new five bedroom septic system.
The Board viewed a copy of the assessor’s map showing surrounding lots. It noted that there is a narrow piece of land that is the former route of Trapelo Road and that other lots on Silver Hill Road are undeveloped.
The proponent mentioned that part of the lot is wet. He is planning to locate the house in a similar position to the current one, with an overlapping footprint. There are two existing curb cuts; the proponent indicated a wish to keep both but to connect them. The Board commented that the town normally favors a single curb cut. Driveway drainage will be a consideration as well as positioning for safety. It is proposed to remove the existing hard surfaced tennis court, and possibly to design a drainage system to go in this area. Changes near wetlands will need to be reviewed by the Conservation Commission.
The proposed house floorspace is large and the Board stated that it will wish to consider the massing and scale. The number of stories and height will need to be calculated according to the zoning bylaw. Relevant heights including the lowest exposed point should be marked on the elevations. If the overall height exceeds 36 feet, a request may be made for the Board to allow the use of average natural grade for the calculation; in this case the Board will consider whether or not the additional height adversely affects the neighborhood. As the proposed house design has a large roof area, the roofing material should be selected carefully. The Board recommended that the applicant investigate alternatives to a cupola that would achieve the aim of bringing light into the interior of the house. A visual scale was
requested on the plans.
The Board mentioned that it will require details of any proposed site lighting and landscaping. It referred to its lighting policy document. The limit of site disturbance, and any trees that are to be removed, should be shown on the plans.
Tom DeNormandie, a neighboring landowner, drew attention to the open, rural character of the surroundings and asked for careful attention to be given to scale and massing, height, lighting and vegetative screening.
An application will be submitted in due course.
8:30 PM PUBLIC HEARING CONTINUATION: ROBERT DAVOLI, 8 Winchelsea Lane, Map 101/Lot 7-5, site plan review for accessory structure under Section 17.7.
Michael Price, architect, attended. Mr. Domnitz reported that he consulted town counsel on the legal issues; Joel Bard’s opinion was that the bylaw did not allow an accessory use on a separate lot, and that available remedies might be for the two lots to be combined (with possible re-separation at a future date) or for the Board to develop a bylaw change for approval at Town Meeting. Mr. Whitehead reported that he checked the documents relating to the cluster development and did not find any provisions that would prevent construction of the storage shed.
Mr. Price stated that Mr. Davoli may decide to change his plans for the site rather than risk complications in re-separating the lots in future, and will withdraw his application at this point.
The Board said that it would encourage Mr. Davoli to improve the appearance of the lot, which has been used for construction staging for a long time.
9:00 PM PUBLIC HEARING CONTINUATION: JOEL ZIMMERMAN, 15 Stratford Way, Map 71/Lot 7-22, site plan review for two story expansion of house and garage into current deck area under Section 17.7.
The applicant presented revised elevations with a different window pattern. The Board preferred the new design. It asked for lights to be marked specifically and for the dates to be corrected.
The Board requested some supplementary evergreen planting for screening at the rear of the lot. The applicant agreed to show this on the site plan.
The applicant stated that the drainage proposal and any other work in the buffer zone will be reviewed by the Conservation Commission.
A MOTION was proposed by Mrs. Wolf and seconded by Mr. Craig, to continue the hearing to April 29th at 7:45 PM Passed 4-0
OTHER BUSINESS:
Comprehensive Long Range Plan Update
Mr. Hurd reported that he has asked for the plan chapters to be made available for Board members to read as soon as possible. The Board should focus on concepts rather than detailed wording. Members requested printed copies.
The Board agreed to a new proposed date of May 27th for its public hearing on the Plan. The main purpose of the hearing will be to receive comments from the public. Documents will be made available in advance on the website.
Mr. Whitehead reviewed the revised schedule for remaining work on the Plan. The implementation plan and executive summary will be worked on next. Final Plan production will take place in the summer and the Town vote is likely to be combined with the State of the Town Meeting in October.
Planning Board Schedule
The Board agreed to change its regular meeting schedule to the second, third and fourth Tuesdays of the month, beginning in July, to help other boards to meet access requirements for people with disabilities.
Town Planner’s Report
Mr. Whitehead reported on matters before other boards and outlined the upcoming Planning Board agendas. He reported that the Solars of Deerhaven Road will be requesting a variance from the ZBA as well as asking the Planning Board to endorse an ANR plan. The reconstruction of the Binder house will be reviewed by the Conservation Commission as well as the ZBA and the Planning Board.
Committee Reports
Mrs. Wolf reported that she attended a housing ‘Troika’ meeting and that there is interest in forming a committee under the Planning Board’s leadership to study potential housing development on the Arshad property.
Mr. Domnitz reported that following regional discussions, he and Mr. Whitehead are preparing comments on the proposed Land Use Partnership Act for the Selectmen.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 PM. Submitted by Catherine Perry
Approved as amended April 29, 2009
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