June 16 2016 MTG

Waban Area Council

DRAFT Meeting Minutes

June 16, 2016, 7:45pm

Members in Attendance: Joe Corkery, Sallee Lipshutz, Andreae Downs, Pia Bertelli, Isabelle Albeck, Chris Pitts, Kathy Winters, Rena Getz

City Officials: John Rice (City Councilor), Brian Yates (City Councilor), Srdj Nedeljkovic (Newton Highlands Area Council), Groot Gregory, Barbara Darnell.

1) Meeting called to order at 7:39 PM

2)  Approval of May 12, 2016 minutes and May 26, 2016 special meeting minutes. May 12th meeting minutes approved(IA and AD abstained because they were not present at May 12 meeting). Approval of May 26 meeting delayed because only four members who were at the May 26th meeting were present to vote on the minutes (all four were prepared to approve the minutes).

3) June Treasurer’s Report. RG reported that there was no change in our account.  Approved by unanimous vote.

4) Committee on Waban Historic District.  IA reported about West Newton’s efforts to establish a historic district (can view at wnhpreservation.org). West Newton will be going before the Newton Historic Commission next week. RG would like to hold a kick off meeting in a month or so.  RG has begun researching homes.  SL and KW asked how affected residents will be notified that WAC is studying the issue.  Srdj Nedeljkovic, President of Newton Highlands Area Council reported on their efforts.  NHAC paid a consultant who is a historic planner to assist them. NHAC has come up with a map of homes to be included (they had been told by the city that 250 is approximate maximum number of homes they can handle).  The NHAC reached out to every home within the boundary. NHAC was told they are potentially eligible for CPA funds to do all the cataloguing. Many homes in NHAC were already catalogued.

After a discussion, unanimous vote in favor of forming a committee to investigate establishing a Waban Historic District.  Non-WAC members can participate on the committee.

6) Zervas Street Design.  AD discussed the various bodies involved in Zervas street design.  The City Council has ultimate decision about what happens on the streets.  If they alter the streets, Public Facilities will address it.  Traffic Council will also take it up.  June 23rd is the Joint ZSBC-DRC Meeting.  AD proposes sending a letter to the Joint ZSBC-DRC asking them to take residents’ concerns into account and attaching the minutes from our two meetings on the issue. The council and residents present discussed some of the various issues with Zervas street design, especially regarding the pros and cons of widening the street in front of the school. After discussion and with some changes, the letter was approved by unanimous vote.  

The council also discussed sending a letter to the School Committee asking the SC to adopt a policy encouraging parents to have kids walk to school or take the bus and suggesting the adoption of a transportation policy.  AD will draft it and bring it back to the Council for consideration.

7.  WAC/NHAC Future Visioning.  CP reported that teaming up with the Highlands has been extremely productive and the contributions of their residents, and some from other villages, has been enlightening. The future planning meetings have focused on commercial and residential options and concerns raised among residents include:

• Preserving architectural integrity of their neighborhoods and streets

• Mega builds, zoning, and inspectional services issues in residential neighborhoods

• Loss of green space and trees

• Proposals of high density development in village centers

• Loss of historic legacy and preservation of our historic homes and landscapes

Local Historic Districts are of particular interest for the higher level of protection they offer.

CP believes the next stage is to reach a wider audience via an online survey to confirm and/or refute support for possible proposals and collate into a final document. They will resume meetings after survey results are in. Groot Gregory informed that the City already pays for Survey Monkey and it is available for area councils to use.  CP will send out draft survey to council members.  CP will also make sure the presentations of past meetings and minutes are up on the site.

8.  Charter Commission Subcommittee.  Unanimous approval to form committee to work on presentation to Charter Commission regarding Article 9.  Subcommittee will work with other area councils.

9. 40B Updates. Nothing to report on SPN or Staples Farmhouse. Dorothy Roberts raised concern that the ZBA will meet to consider new plans in July at a time when abutters may not be able to make the meeting.  KW or SL will ask Planning Dept. for clarification on the process.  

10. Waban Common Update.  SL, MRM, Barbara Brustowicz and Gail Weintersteiner (from WIS) have been meeting to make plans for “dog bone” island at Collines/Waban Ave./Beacon.  They have been meeting with various City representatives and have also found an irrigation company that is going to donate their labor and charge only for materials.  They have met with a professional fundraiser for advice. They plan to ask businesses for funds over the summer and then follow up with neighboring residents in the fall. The current plans cover what will go in along the perimeter of the north half of the dogbone.  They plan to have a water source available in the middle in case they decide on a water feature in the middle, but plans for the middle will come later.  

There was a discussion about whether we should seek alternative plans before deciding on it, with some members saying they’d like to see three alternatives before deciding on a design. SL explained that it was late in the process to be seeking alternative designs and that they have already discussed the process at prior WAC meetings and no one raised any issue about seeking alternative designs.

11. Communications committee (JC, MRM, and CP) will meet and possibly report back in August.  

Next meeting will take place on August 11, 2016 at 7:30 PM.

Adjourn.  9:50 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Winters