2016-01-20-EDAC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Town of Lexington Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) Minutes of Meeting January 20, 2016 A meeting of the EDAC was held on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 8:13 a.m. in the Parker Room of the Town Office Building at 1625 Mass Ave. Members Present: John McWeeney, Narain Bhatia, Larry Smith, Rick DeAngelis, Kevin McGuire, Sig Tullman, George Burnell, Liaisons Present: Peter Kelly (Board of Selectman) Charles Hornig (Planning Board) Staff Present: Melisa Tintocalis, Megan Zammuto Members Absent: Lelani Foster, Tom Dusel, David Pronchick, Bob Richards Action Items: Invite Robert Addelson and Robert Lent to speak at a future meeting to discuss tax revenue trends. - Melisa Plan Hartwell tenant meeting – Melisa/Megan Invite Hanscom representative to attend a future EDAC meeting – Larry Create FAQ of new zoning on Hartwell – Melisa Invite Johannes Fruehauf from LabCentral to attend a future meeting - Melisa Visit Google building in Cambridge to explore how to connect properties successfully – Melisa/Megan Create a Hartwell report that outlines current status - Melisa/Megan Approval of Minutes: The committee members approved the November and December minutes. The vote to approve the minutes was unanimous. Presentation by Cresset Group: Mark Vaughan, Senior Partner at Riemer Braunstein spoke to the committee about the property located on 475 Bedford Street in Lexington. The building is owned by Cresset Development and is currently in a lease with Boston Sports Club. Cresset Development came to the EDAC to discuss potential uses for the site in the future and what zoning changes would be appropriate. Cresset Development discussed other projects they have worked on including mixed use development on Liberty Warf, apartments in the Seaport, and office conversion on Grove Street in Watertown. The group is considering a small scale mixed use property with retail, restaurants, office or multifamily residential. The committee discussed the need for more services on Hartwell Avenue to serve the business community and keep the area desirable for businesses. The committee also discussed challenges to redeveloping the area including wetlands, access, noise, surrounding residential neighborhoods, and traffic concerns. The committee decided that despite the challenges, most support the idea of creating a gateway to the Hartwell district. The committee discussed potential zoning strategies that would allow for a redevelopment. The committee advised that the Cresset group create a concept and some design work before they ask for zoning changes. Action Items: Melisa Tintocalis provided the committee with a list of action items from previous EDAC meetings. She gave the committee an update on each item and the committee discussed next steps.