2017-04-03 AC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

04/03/2017 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) April 3, 2017 Place and Time: Ellen Stone Room, Cary Memorial Building, 6:30 p.m. Members Present: John Bartenstein, Chair; Alan Levine, Vice -Chair & Secretary; Ellen Basch; Eric Michelson; Richard Neumeier; Andrei Radulescu-Banu; Sanjay Padaki; Lily Manhua Yan; Jian Helen Yang; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Member(s) Absent: None Other Attendees: Matt Daggett, Town Meeting Member, Precinct 2 and past member of the Residential Policy Committee The meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. 1. Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the March 15, 2017, and the March 16, 2017, minutes. The motion passed. VOTE: 8-0 (Mr. Padaki arrived shortly thereafter.) 2. Financially Related Warrant Articles for 2017 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Article 19: Appropriate for Advice and Analysis Getting to Net Zero: Ms. Basch asked to change her vote on this article from an abstention to a vote in support. Mr. Michelson asked that his vote against this article be changed to a vote in support. The changes result in this Committee supporting the article 7-2. Article 16 (d) Appropriate for Public Facilities Capital Projects: Facility and Site Improvements: This article includes three components: Building Flooring Program; School Paving Program; and School Traffic Safety improvements. It was reported that the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) plans to present an amendment to the article that would require a separate vote on each component to prevent commingling of the funds. It was agreed that this Committee would vote on such an amendment if and when it comes to the floor. Article 18 Appropriate for Visitors Center (Citizen Article) : The motion under this article will request $100,000 in funding through design development. It was noted that the CEC wants to limit the appropriation to just the $21,000 required for schematic design. Ms. Yang reported having gone to the Visitors' Center and having had a conversation with Ms. McKenna. She was able to see and hear about the shortcomings of the building and supports the current motion. Mr. Neumeier also expressed support for the current request. It was noted that the funds needed to go beyond schematic design would not be released without Board of Selectmen approval. The Committee now supports the full $100,000 request by a vote of 9-0. Article 40 Amend Zoning Bylaw Special Permits Residential Developments and Article 42 Amend Zoning Bylaw Two -Family Homes: Mr. Daggett reviewed the content of these articles and his understanding of why they are being proposed. He made the following observations: • The Lexington housing market is now saturated with large, high-end single-family housing, resulting in prolonged sale time for a developer. • Developers now prefer to build high-density housing, which provides a better return on investment, but which requires a special permit. • Lexington's zoning bylaws currently allow a special permit to increase density beyond that allowed "by right" in three circumstances: 1