HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-01-06 Community Planning and Development Commission MinutesV
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TOWN OF READING
COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
MINUTES JANUARY 6, 1992
A meeting of the Community Planning and Development Commission of
the Town of Reading was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of
the Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street in Reading, Massachusetts on
January 6, 1992. In attendance were Jonathan Barnes, Commission
Secretary; and Members William Goodrich, Richard Howard, and
Thomas Stohlman. Also present was Town Planner Jonathan Edwards.
The meeting was called to order at 7:31 PM by Mr. Barnes acting
as Chair.
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
The minutes of the Commission's meeting of December 16, 1991 were
amended and accepted.
MASTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
The entire subject matter for discussion was the prioritization
and implementation of Master Plan Action Strategies. From previ-
ous meetings, the focus centered on Economic Development/Tax Base
strategies:
-Industrial District PUD:
Mr. Howard asked Mr. Charles Fuller, president of the Fraen Cor-
poration which owns significant property in the portion of the
Industrial District not now subject to the Planned Unit Develop-
ment overlay district, if he could abide by a Fall Town Meeting
adoption of an extension of the PUD to his part of the district
or if it would be helpful to do so in the Spring if possible. He
replied that the latter would be preferrable. His development
agent, John Cissel, spoke with the Commission about a consultant
study already done concerning the office development potential of
this property, and identified that the only change to the PUD
zoning text that properties containing more than 50 percent wet-
lands would be exempt from the provision that only 50 percent of
the property's wetlands could count toward required open space.
He also stated that a direct pedestrian walkway to downtown and
the depot would be very desirable, and that if possible, a com-
muter rail stop in the district would be very advantageous.
There was discussion about this Pity-percent rule but no decision
was reached, Mr. Stohlman stated that he would not likely vote
in favor of it.
Additional discussion featured related issues such as lower
height limits for this area, emergency access only to residential
streets, definition of residential streets, strengthened buffer-
ing requirements along residential boundaries, and strengthened
affordab3e housing linkage requirements.
-Longwood Farm:
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Mr. Howard presented proposed language for a potential. PUD By--Law
for the Longwood Farm area in order to restrict vehicular access
to be emergency only from West Street or other residential
streets and to ensure that principal access would be from 1-93.
Mr. Stohlman followed up by proposing generic language to the
same effect ("no vehicular access (except emergency vehicles)
shall be allowed between a planned unit development and a
residential street"), and further by offering a definition of
"residential street" ("that section of a street which is within a
residential zoning district; if the centerline of a street is a
boundary of a residential zoning district, then that street shall
be considered a residential street"). Mr. Howard and the other
members found this generic proposal to be acceptable, and sug-
gested that this language could be incorporated into all PUD
zoning by-laws now in effect.
-Lot Frontage, Area, and Width:
The Commission reviewed language for potential zoning by--law
amendments concerning lot frontage, lot area, and lot width. The
Commission determined that the definition of lot frontage should
be based not on the inclusion of the corner lot curve or to the
midpoint of such a curve, but to the intersection of the tangents
of the right-of-way lines of both streets, and amended Mr.
Edwards's proposed language to that effect. The Commission also
asked Mr. Edwards to have Town Counsel review the proposed lan-
guage on these matters.
ADJOURNMENT
At 11:04 PM a motion was made and seconded to adjourn and the
Commission voted unanimously to do so.
Respectfully Submitted:
Approved: January 27, 1992
Signed *Ja~ Date: an °Barnes, Secretary ~
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