Loomis has experience in the position, serving as the Planning Board Administrator for the City of Framingham. The Planning Board has proposed new Village Overlay Districts with three different height tiers that would apply to different areas across Lexington. Land is an important commodity, he said. Register for a user account. Member Robert Rotberg (P3) moved to have Town Meeting take separate votes about Lexington Center and the remainder of the zoning plan. Download . To increase understanding and participation in Lexington, Massachusetts through local, community journalism. Register for a user account. Q. by Sophie Culpepper January 20, 2023. Loomis has experience in the position, serving as the Planning Board Administrator for the City of Framingham. This post was contributed by a community member. At Wednesdays meeting, Planning Director Abby McCabe said she felt confident that a 15% affordability threshold would be economically viable for developers and that a feasibility study would uphold this figure, but added that any figure higher than 15% would likely be unfeasible. To increase understanding and participation in Lexington, Massachusetts through local, community journalism. We told the town that we would keep working after Hartwell Avenue, and I want to be part of keeping that promise. Wednesday night's Planning Board meeting brought several decisions on road extensions and unaccepted street plans, including on Stedman Road, Wachusett Drive and Rockville Avenue. Fifer Sherry Madden is one of the few women to accompany the Lexington Minute Men. An overlay district goes on top of existing zoning, creating additional options without canceling out the underlying zoning. The Lexington Planning Board will hold a virtual public hearing on Thursday, September 9, 2021, at 7 pm to amend Chapter 176 of the Code of the Town of Lexington, Planning Board Zoning Regulations. When Brown asked members in support of separate votes to stand a second time following the points of order, she only counted 22 members, and rejected the motion to take separate votes. Approval Not Required (ANR) 1625 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MA 02420 . 5. I don't see any reason this can't be done while continuing to protect the community. This post was contributed by a community member. The Planning Board, in consultation with the Select Board, the WebContact Us - Planning Office. A Wilson Farm representative declined to comment on the petition. Cary Library. What do you think are the important issues the Planning Board is facing? Good morning and welcome to LexObservers weekly news roundup. At Town Meetings sixth session on Monday, members approved a set of zoning changes to a bylaw regulating special residential developments, a set of alternatives to the conventional subdivisions where single-family homes are typically built, with the goal of encouraging the development of smaller and more affordable homes. The Planning Boards proposal requires up to 15% of units in larger developments to have an affordability restriction, a number board members said was the highest economically feasible percentage according to a recent study. The views expressed here are the author's own. Planning Board Importance - Lexington, MA - Serving the town, one board at a time. by Sophie Culpepper April 13, 2023. The State Department of Housing and Community Developments new guidelines, finalized last August after passage of the MBTA Communities law, require communities served by public transit to establish at least one zoning district of reasonable size for multi-family housing. Planning Board Zoning Regulations. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); As were building our organization, were in desperate need of volunteers! (Lexingtons total land area is 16.4 square miles, or over 10,000 acres.). Short Term Rentals. Required fields are marked *. Finally, the board voted 4-0 to approve Janet Johnson as an associate member of the board. The Wilson family supports the decisions of the town committees and appreciates all their hard work, Customer Service Representative Christine Edmonds wrote in an email. In December, Lexington resident David Fairman circulated a petition that was signed by more than 200 community members opposing rezoning Wilson Farm for multi-family housing. The amendment gained support from the six present members of the Center Committee, as well as five members in support and one opposed from the Economic Development Advisory Committee and three of five Select Board members. WebPlanning Board Report on Article 2, PDD-2 (45, 55, & 65 Hayden Avenue) Page 2 of 7 special conditions of proposed developments seeking a rezoning. Short Term Rentals. Notice of Public Hearings - Planning Board - February 1, 2023. A. Zoning Regulations & Resources. Members including Gerry Paul (P4) were swayed by Burgers amendment, and were troubled by the level of division suggested by the near-tied vote on the working groups amendment two nights earlier. All ages are welcome for students, academic and community service credit available where appropriate. Searching: The search box at the top of the page is for quick search. Agenda. ov/ lannin Melanie Thompson, Member Michael Leon, Associate RECOMMENDATION REPORT OF THE LEXINGTON PLANNING BOARD ARTICLE 36: AMEND ZONING BYLAW MIXED-USE Beyond the new state zoning requirements, the Towns recently adopted Comprehensive Plan and town-wide survey both highlighted Lexingtons acute need to increase its diversity of housing options. WebPlanning Office. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 1.1.1 Continuity of Bylaw. Want to post on Patch? Lexington resident Geoff Waite attended Town Meeting on Wednesday to speak against the Planning Boards proposal. View our Planning Board Regulations. Principles and practices of zoning administration, including compliance and enforcement methods. From our perspective, its important to note that including Wilson Farm or not including it makes it no more or less likely that the property is preserved into the future since the underlying zoning is residential, single family. That said, based on what we heard from the public and the fact that there was no consensus of thought among the board, that district is one that we chose to remove from the proposal.. Zoning amendment intended to encourage more diverse housing options approved by Town Meeting - The Lexington Observer, Town Meeting's youngest member wants to prove that people like him "do belong in a place like Lexington." Q. Contact Us. And further to amend Chapter 176 of the Code of the Town of Lexington, Planning Board Zoning Regulations, Section 4.1, Administrative Fees. Board Membership. Web| Lexington Home Page | Help | About | Browse Search Breadcrumb Navigation: TownOfLexington-Public > WEB PUBLISHED-PUBLIC DOCUMENTS > MINUTES-REPORTS-COMMITTEES ARCHIVE > Planning Board-PB Information available here includes: All board and committee minutes Current members of all boards and committees Town Reports WebPlanning Board. New proposed changes to the Town Planning Board would allow for increased mixed-use building development in the town center and for more affordable housing units across Lexington. When my family dealt with financial hardship and eventual homelessness, we were told by many people in this town that we didnt belong in Lexington and we should move somewhere else, Jaramillo added. Part I, General Bylaws. WebLexington Town Office Building 1625 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MA 02420 . The Planning Board is also looking at expanding the district toward Abington Center. Q. WebThe Planning Board is responsible for the review of residential special permit applications, administering Subdivision Regulations in accordance with the state subdivision control law, (Courtesy of Lexington Planner Molly Belanger and GIS Database Administrator Judy Baldasaro). Our Mission is to increase understanding and participation in Lexington, Massachusetts through local, community journalism. [Block Talk], Massachusetts Hit By Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Ground Beef, Delta Aquariid, Perseid Meteor Showers Ramp Up: When To Look Up In MA. Your email address will not be published. Well, lets face it, the Planning Board deals with land use and issues. Sign in to Save Progress. This map shows zoning throughout Lexington. A local community news nonprofit bringing deep reporting by and about Lexington, Massachusetts to the community. An amendment proposed by member Todd Burger (P9) would have subjected the Center to a special permit approval process for multi-family zoning, which Burger said would help implement an additional layer of control on the Centers historic and human-scale appearance. Planning Board - Notice of Public Hearing - Remote, Planning Board - Public Hearing - July 19, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - June 7, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - May 17, 2023 - revised 5-15-2023 11:19 AM, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - May 3, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - April 10, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - April 4, 2023, Planning board Meeting Agenda - April 3, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - March 29, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - March 22, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - March 15, 2023, Notice of Public Hearing - Planning Board, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - February 8, 2023, Notice of Public Hearings - Planning Board - February 1, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - January 18, 2023, Planning Board Meeting Agenda - January 12, 2023, Lexington Town Office Building1625 Massachusetts AvenueLexington, MA 02420, Town Office Building Hours:Monday, Wednesday, Thursday8:30 AM - 4:30 PMTuesday8:30 AM - 7:00 PMFriday8:30 AM - 1:00 PM. WebThe Zoning Board of Appeals is responsible for: Planning Office. Town Meeting approves Planning Boards multi-family zoning proposal, Zoning amendment intended to encourage more diverse housing options approved by Town Meeting, Town Meeting approves design funds for 173 Bedford St., other capital projects, Lexington Police Log: Noise guidelines, dangerous driving, animals and scams. What prompted you to run for re-election? You can donate below even better, become a monthly donor! Town Counsel Mina Makarious explained that legally, the motion was permitted. The MOU generally contains non- During her time with the city, Framingham saw a reduction in the time it took the planning board to review projects from 9-18 months to 21-60 days. Members who opposed the proposal argued that the site plan review approval process proposed by the Planning Board would constitute a thorough enough review process without discouraging developers from building housing, whereas requiring a special permit could preclude any development. Contact Us. Center Committee Chair Jerry Michelson (P5) added that his committee believed excluding the Center from this zoning would be a mistake, and would hurt its long-term viability as a retail hub. Eighty to 90 percent of the concerns that come before the selectmen are land use issues, he said.