2021-11-08-STM#1-min-as Amended June 2022

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November 8,2021 Special Town Meeting#1(2021-1),cont. c. Dwelling units in buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the Historical Commission's Cultural Resources Inventory for which an historic preservation restriction in a form acceptable to the Town is in effect shall be disregarded for the purposes of this§ 6.12.6. d. The Planning Board shall adopt regulations defining limits on the household income of occupants,sale price,and rent of inclusionary dwelling units and the form of required legal restrictions. 2. Subsidized housing inventory.At least 10%of the dwelling units in an OSRD shall be eligible for inclusion on the DHCD Subsidized Housing Inventory. 3. Certificate of occupancy.No certificate of occupancy shall be issued until all restrictions for inclusionary dwelling units are executed and recorded. 7:50 p.m. Charles Hornig,Planning Board Chair,presented information for Article 15 and reported the that the Planning Board recommended the Motion with a vote of 4 in favor and 1 opposed and noted that this was the culmination of 9 months of work and helped to address an alternative to a conventional subdivision. Mr.Hornig noted that the Planning Board believed that with OSRD requirements it could result in fewer multi-million dollar houses,and more of the types of developments that the Town needed.Mr.Hornig stated that due to the current staffing challenges,the Planning Board would not be likely to pursue the ORSD approach further at this time if rejected by Town Meeting. 7:58 p.m. Jill Hai,Select Board Chair,reported that the Select Board had 3 members opposed and 2 in favor of the Article. The 3 members who opposed passage expressed support for the goals of the bylaw,but had concerns about inadequate sustainability requirements and preferred to develop the bylaw and bring it back at a later date. Ms. Hai noted that the Ad Hoc Special Permit Residential Development Committee and the Housing Partnership Board,which had advised the Select Board on Housing,both supported the Article unanimously. Ms.Hai asked Town Meeting to recognize Ms.Foutter,of the Housing Partnership Board. 8:00 P.M. Jeri Foutter,Chair of the Housing Partnership Board,shared some highlights from the November 4ffi joint meeting of the Housing Partnership Board and Planning Board. Ms.Foutter noted that from 2011 to 2020 almost 800 small homes had been torn down and replaced with homes that were up to 3 times more expensive than the homes they replaced. The current median price for a home in Lexington exceeded 1 million dollars. She noted that there were long waiting lists for low,moderate,and affordable units and that there had been 176 applicants for the 6 units available at Farm View. She further noted that there had been many discussions regarding the need for options for seniors,and that this plan offered those options with smaller units allowing them to remain in Lexington. Ms.Foutter stated that the Housing Partnership Board recognized the efforts of the Planning Board during the meeting and voted unanimously to approve Article 15. 8:01 P.M. The Moderator called debate and questions open on Article 15. Robert Balaban,Pct. 5,asked what is meant by"natural state"described in Article. Mr.Hornig,Planning Board Chair,stated that the words come from the State statute that created OSRD developments. The land would need to have a conservation restriction that would describe any and all requirements. Mr.Balaban asked whether a groomed lawn would be acceptable. Mr.Hornig stated that there are 2 categories in the bylaw. The first is that portion that kept the land"open and natural"and the other 15%is for a variety purposes such as recreation,where a lawn would be appropriate. 8:04 p.m. John Zhao,Pct. 5,stated that in 2019 there had been a"Lexington for All Ages"needs assessment and that the results indicated that the vast majority of seniors would choose