HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-06-17-EDAC-min
Town of Lexington
Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC)
Minutes of Meeting of June 17, 2015
EDAC
A meeting of the was held on Thursday, June 17th at 8:05 a.m. in the Parker Room of the Town
Office Building at 1625 Mass Ave.
Members Present
: John McWeeney, George Burnell, Rick DeAngelis, Narain Bhatia, Sig Tullman,
Kevin McGuire, Lelani Loder, Tom Dusel
Liaisons Present:
Joe Pato (Board of Selectmen), Peter Kelley (Board of Selectmen)
Staff Present:
Carl Valente, Melisa Tintocalis
Members Absent:
Bob Richards, Larry Smith
Action Items:
Email Brian Koop of Boston Properties (Melisa)
Review the zoning in place in Waltham’s commercial districts (Melisa)
Reach out to Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas regarding Hanscom/Harwell (Melisa)
The meeting was called to order at 8:05 a.m. and the following items were discussed:
Approval of the April 2015 minutes was postponed for the July 2015 EDAC meeting. The May
2015 EDAC meeting was cancelled; hence there were no minutes to review.
NAIOP Tour Report: Melisa reported on the NAIOP bus tour, which she attended in May; the
tour highlighted commercial development along Route128. She reported on the various
development occurring in nearby communities such as Boston Properties’ development for
Wolverine in Waltham, Normandy’s development for TripAdvisor in Needham, and National
Development’s redevelopment of the New England Executive Park in Burlington.
BIO Conference: John McWeeney reported that the international BIO conference was recently
held in June. He presented a newspaper article on the conference, which suggested that high-
level officials from Massachusetts did not attend. Melisa reported that Boston University was
having their annual conference entitled “Tech, Drugs, and Rock n Roll.” The committee agreed
that if Melisa had time, they would support her attendance at such a conference to network and
keep Lexington present in life sciences discussions.
Large Scale Commercial Real Estate Update: Rick DeAngelis reported on the redevelopment
opportunity at 191 Spring Street, owned by Boston Properties. He suggested that the Town
review the existing development controls/zoning and consider if it appropriate for the type of
development desired. Rick also reported on the redevelopment of 17 Hartwell, also owned by
Boston Properties. He stated that 17 Hartwell was a two-phase plan that included the renovation
of the façade and the expansion of approximately 40,000 SF. He reported that the project was
being built under Hartwell’s updated zoning for the area but stayed within allowable density.
Tom Dusel suggested exploring the type of overlay zoning in place in Waltham that allows for
increased density in commercial districts. In addition, the committee discussed ideas for
incorporating amenities along Hartwell. Narain Batia suggested that a life sciences incubator
space would be helpful to attract young talent. Rick recommended that Melisa communicate with
Brian Koop from Boston Properties and express the Town’s interest in adding amenities to area
and that 17 Hartwell project would be a great opportunity to do so.
Tom Dusel reported that Shire had secured a lease with Hobbs Brook for the building that
VistaPrint will vacate. In addition, Shire has expressed interest in leasing the yet undeveloped
Ledgemont Two, once the legal issues have been resolved. Carl Valente asked if there was a role
for the Town to facilitate the resolution of the legal issues. Tom reported that John Farrington is
representing Hobbs Brook and could follow up.
Dave Pronchick reported that the MIT Lincoln Lab expansion/renovation project was still
moving forward. He stated that the process is slow but still advancing with support of
Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas. The funding for the project is on the budget for the President’s
calendar for April 2016. David said that the MIT Lincoln Lab leases in buildings along Forbes
Road would most likely stay in place given that they are 10-year leases.
John McWeeney reported that Somerville was partnering with a firm to implement a coworking
space similar to the concept Melisa had proposed in the past.
Melisa reported that a new business had located in the Hartwell area, Omni Surgical, with 70
employees and that they had asked to participate in the REV. She also reported that the
landscape project at the jug handle at the Hartwell/Bedford intersection was nearly complete and
that it had been well received by the business community as well as area residents.
Payment In Lieu of Parking was not discussed
at 9:45AM
Next meeting:
Meeting Adjourned: July 2015