Town of Lenox
Planning Board
Minutes – July 22, 2008
Members present: Joe Kellogg (JK), Chair, Steve Sample (SS), Vice – Chair, Kate McNulty- Vaughan (KMV) and Gary Schiff (GS).
Also in attendance: Mary Albertson (MA), Town Planner. Peggy Ammendola was not present - with notice.
JK called the meeting to order at 6:01 PM.
Vote – Housing Planned Production Plan
JK noted that members of the Affordable Housing Committee were in attendance if anyone has any questions of them. JK said he completed his review of the plan and it is thorough and ambitious. He suggested the following revisions:
1. Include reference to the Lenox CPA $40,000 contribution to the Saw Mill Brook project.
2. Revise the language regarding inclusionary zoning on page 45.
JK also said he would like additional information regarding the formation of an Affordable Housing Trust. The Affordable Housing Committee members thanked JK for his suggested revisions. They will proceed with caution regarding the formation of an Affordable Housing Trust. SS stated he reviewed the plan and did not have any questions. Discussion ensued regarding Saw Mill Brook, CPA funding and employer sponsored housing. SS made a motion to adopt the Housing Planned Production Plan with the revisions suggested by JK. Seconded by KMV. The Board voted 4-0 in favor.
Informal Discussion – FAR Regulations
JK noted that he thought the current FAR proposal is confusing and said it was not well received at the public information meeting held on February 7, 2008. GS suggested that the current document is “old school”. The Board should design a bylaw that offers incentives, not penalties. KMV suggested that the proposed FAR regulations are meant as a way to prevent houses from getting so large that they are out of character with existing neighborhoods. GS suggested that the market determines the size of a house. Recently, he read an article that suggested that the demand for big houses is down. Consumers want smaller – high quality houses and developers such as Toll Brothers are responding to this new trend. He questioned the fear of McMansions. JK noted the
Lenox Dale example of a house that was expanded legally under the current zoning regulations and was out of scale with the abutting houses. JK suggested that FAR regulations work best in dense urban environments and we need a different model for Lenox. He asked MA to put a request on the Mass Planner List Service. GS said that teardowns can be good and offered an example of a positive teardown in his neighborhood. He is concerned that in its current form – the proposed draft FAR regulations could have a negative effect on property values. JK suggested that one must always be careful that a regulation does not result in a land taking. KMV said it is not popular but suggested that the lowering of property values might not be a bad thing. If property values fall because of the regulation it might serve as a way to diversify the community. Discussion ensued regarding the Hubbard Street houses. JK suggested that Bill Thornton,
Building Commissioner, should be invited to participate in future discussion on this topic. KMV will invite Mr. Kelly to attend the follow-up meeting.
Joe Toole – Hampton Inn Address
Joe Toole informed the Board that he had constructed a one lot subdivision for the Hampton Inn and named the road after his daughter – Mollie Way. He said that when he first was assigned an address – Fire Chief Dan Clifford assigned the Hampton Inn a Pittsfield Road address. Building Inspector Bill Thornton advised that Pittsfield Road does not provide the frontage for the Hampton Inn; Mollie Way is the road that provides the legal frontage and fulfills the zoning requirement. JK said he would like to know why Dan Clifford assigned a Pittsfield Road address - is Pittsfield Road the preferred address for emergency responders? SS suggested that emergency responders would prefer a Pittsfield Road address because it will be years before maps reflect Mollie Way. Members suggested
that Mr. Toole erect a street sign for Mollie Way as required by the Building Inspector. Members suggested that to be in compliance with zoning and the subdivision control law – the legal address is Mollie Way - Mr. Toole needs to erect a Mollie Way street sign. However – members opined that if it is possible to have a legal address and a second address – Mr. Toole could use Pittsfield Road as his second address. JK advised that any comments of the Board were only being made in an advisory capacity since we have no formal jurisdiction over the issue.
Minutes
July 8, 2008: SS made a motion to approve the minutes as edited by JK. Seconded by GS. The Board voted 4-0 in favor.
Old Business
The Board is scheduled to meet with the Board of Selectmen on July 30 regarding the vacancy created by Kimberly Flynn’s resignation. To date – Ken Fowler is the only person who has applied for the position.
Board members agreed to cancel the August 12th meeting as a result of several schedule conflicts. The Board will host the Montessori School Information meeting on August 6th. The next regular Planning Board meeting will be August 26th.
New Business
JK read the notices from abutting communities.
MA informed the Board of a meeting with the design team for the Village Improvement – Westinghouse Street Lamp project on Monday – August 11th @ 7:00 PM – Town Hall.
At 7:15 PM, KMV made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by KRF. The Board voted 4-0 in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mary Albertson, Town Planner
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