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seek one curb cut, and would find either four or six units acceptable. (LexHAB has sited the <br />buildings farther from the road, and has eliminated one of the curb cuts.) <br />Ms. Shaw stated that she thought the design of the buildings was attractive and that the <br />homes would fit well in the neighborhood. Mr. Kanter noted that for LexHABs presentation <br />rd <br />to the CEC on December 3, he would like to see a €by category cost breakdown, and the <br />addition of the information on accessibility added to the application. He stressed that he did <br />not want LexHAB to have to return to Town Meeting for additional funding. He said he <br />applauded LexHABs ability to rehabilitate and build affordable housing, and questioned <br />whether LexHAB had the staffing to oversee the project. Mr. Kennedy replied that the <br />contractor would be overseeing the project, not LexHAB staff. Ms. Fenollosa asked if <br />LexHAB would use students from Minuteman Vocational Technical School to do the <br />construction, thus avoiding labor charges, to which Mr. Kennedy replied that it was their <br />intention to do so. <br />(8-0-1) <br />There was a straw vote on the project, with the CPC voting (one abstention, pending <br />further information), followed by a lengthy discussion of whether to take a final vote on the <br />project. Members had been sent a number of emails from several residents of the Vine Street <br />area and two from residents or former residents of the Busa Farm area. The Committee was <br />sensitive to the comments of the public, but agreed that the CPC was not the approving <br />authority for the project. The Committee does not have design review authority, but is limited <br />by Statute to funding decisions. The Committee felt assured that there would be an <br />opportunity for public input into the Busa Farm affordable housing proposal prior to Town <br />Meeting. A majority of members of the CPC felt that there was little additional information <br />needed on which to base a decision. The Committee was supportive of LexHABs proposal <br />to build affordable housing, and agreed it was the Selectmens role to modify the design of <br />the buildings or units if needed. The final vote was postponed until later in the meeting. <br /> <br />3.Hennessey Field Conservation Extension, $300,000  <br />The CPC met with Dan Castagnozzi <br />and a group of eleven interested abutters and neighbors regarding a neighborhood initiative <br />to preserve approximately an acre of mature woodlands - the back section of a two acre lot at <br />7 Mountain Road abutting the Town-owned Hennessey Conservation Field. Mr. Castagnozzi <br />described the land, highlighting its wildlife value, its proximity to existing Town-owned <br />conservation land, and its historic nature. The larger two-acre parcel which includes the <br />proposed acquisition has an existing historic home dating to 1753. The home is on the <br />Massachusetts Register of Historic Places (the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information <br />System)and was moved from Merrimack, New Hampshire to Mountain Road. The historic <br />home is approximately 3,000 sq. ft, which Mr. Castagnozzi noted puts it in the more <br />affordable range for Lexington. Mr. Castagnozzi showed pictures of Great Horned owls <br />which nest on the property and noted that a variety of other wildlife frequents the parcel, <br />including deer, fox and in the 1990s a black bear. He noted that the parcel serves as a passive <br />recreation area for walkers and many birders, and provides a cut-through for school children. <br />Therefore, he reasoned, the proposal addressed three CPA goals, Open Space, Historic <br />Preservation and Recreation. (Neither the larger lot nor the section proposed for acquisition is <br />on the Conservation Commission priority list for purchase.) <br />In response to questions from Ms. Fenollosa, Mr. Castagnozzi explained that the lot is <br />presently under agreement with a developer until April of 2014. The developer has met with <br />the Planning Board staff and is pursuing a Comprehensive Permit, which if a By-Right Plan <br />3 <br /> <br />