HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-03-09-EDAC-minTown Of Lexington
Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC)
March 9, 2022
Meeting Minutes
Minutes for the meeting of March 9, 2022. This meeting was held remotely pursuant to Governor Baker’s
March 12, 2020 order suspending certain provisions of G.L. c. 30A, section 18 and subsequent orders
imposing strict limitations on the number of people who may gather in one place.
EDAC Members present: Rick DeAngelis (Chair), Larry Smith (Vice Chair), Charles Minasian, David
Pronchick, Bridger McGaw, Lisa Murray, Adrienne Ortyl
Liaisons and Town Staff: Mark Sandeen (Select Board), Joe Pato (Select Board), Charles Hornig
(Planning Board), Sandhya Iyer (Economic Development Director), Casey Hagerty (Economic
Development Office)
1. Approval of the Minutes. The meeting was opened with a quorum present. The EDAC voted and
approved the minutes from February 17, 2022 by a roll call vote (6-0) with Orytl / Minasian /
Pronchick / Murray/McGaw/DeAngelis voting in affirmative and none in the negative.
2. Economic Develop Office Update: The Economic Development Office (EDO) Staff provided a brief
update on matters in front of them. Interest was raised around the envisioned new Town Website
which led to requests for better understanding of how the new website would help enable connectivity
and engagement in economic development activity. EDO staff will discuss with the IT Department
leading the website development and bring additional information (i.e. Timeline and process for
content hosting) to a future EDAC meeting or share to the committee. EDO Staff also shared the
RFP for a new Popup was awarded (2500-3000sqft white box ready and looking for opportunities).
The 14-month lease is targeted for June 2022.
During the discussion of the Popup, the EDAC Chair raised question around streamlining
signage processes in Lexington to ensure business owners looking to open businesses in
Town, including Lexington Center. The Chair posed the question to EDO about streamlining
signage process in Lexington to ensure developers are not hampered by signage review while
trying to develop properties as well. ED Staff mentioned this is a 2-step process with design
guidelines known and then frequently signage designs require a Zoning Board of Appeal
review which could take 90 days to run through that process. It was noted the HDC recently
took issue with the brand logo of the new tenant of Panera. EDAC members Murray/McGaw
noted this process seems ineffective if a single step process was now by default requiring
ZBA review. The Chair recognized that Town Design Guidelines and process offers the
opportunity for the Signage Bylaw to be reviewed. Concern was noted that the Center
Committee and HDC were heavily engaged on this matter. The EDO volunteered to schedule
future coordination meetings with the Center Committee and Town Staff to explore
opportunities to improve the process. EDAC Members Rick DeAngelis and Larry Smith
volunteered to look at opportunities to improve both Commercial signage guidelines and
engage with the Center Committee to offer and recommendations on the signage bylaw. The
EDAC agreed that we go in with an open mind for opportunities in this process review.
EDO staff provided an update on Liberty Ride coming back on a limited basis with a 1 year
contract with a reduced 2 tour day to stay flat to budget.
3. New Development Projects in Lexington: Members noted that there were no specific
projects publicly announced but seemed to be a lot of new activity across town and specific to
Hartwell Avenue.
4. Status of Projects Previously reviewed by EDAC including 475 Bedford Street and 95-99
Hayden Avenue: EDO Staff provided updates noting that a continued hearing on 475
Bedford Street was being held tonight (3/9). The 95-99 Hayden Avenue project received
Planning board support and that 440 Bedford Street project was also approved. The EDAC
also discussed briefly a project at Tracer Lane 2LLC project for a 1 MegaWatt Solar project
being considered (on Waltham/Lexington Line) and likely to come to Planning Board for Site
Plan review. Mr. Sandeen noted 420-430 Bedford Street project is repositioning their
property for redevelopment, 131 Hartwell is also looking to reposition their site; 12-18
Hartwell is also looking to reposition and 95 Hartwell is also looking to redevelop the site.
Ms. Iyer noted she will be speaking at BizNow panel about site repositioning efforts and
promoting Lexington opportunity.
5. Discussion and deliberation of Annual Town Meeting Articles: EDO confirmed
submission of a memo from the Chair sharing the EDAC positions on Articles 31 and 36.
6. Transportation Plan Update: While the Transportation Planning Manager could not attend
the meeting a lively discussion about transportation planning ensued. The Regional
Transportation project and its size and scale of this review will show a lot of vital information
about bus routes, gaps in routes, bus shelter placements. This project is looking at how to
improve these routes, scheduling. Link to the Project here:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b30ad87fac9940978859e738c88dffb5
Mr. Pato added a note about an Information Meeting planned for March 15: Rt 128/I-95 Land
Use & Transportation Study and requested that this study should expand to include Bedford
Street. He is part of the working group – and will keep the EDAC informed monthly as things
develop. The topic of Transportation Planning was requested to be added to future meetings.
7. New Business or Urgent business that may properly come before the Committee that
could not be foreseen by the Chair: EDAC Vice Chair Larry Smith requested that EDAC
organization be added to the April Meeting agenda.
A motion to adjourn was moved by Mr. McGaw and seconded by Ms. Murray. By a roll call
vote: Smith, Minassian, Pronchick, Murray, McGaw, Ortyl voted for adjournment.
The Meeting ended at 9:30AM