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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-11-30-AHTBT-min Page 1 of 4 Affordable Housing Trust Meeting Minutes of November 30, 2023 9:00 am Hybrid meeting on Zoom and attended in-person in the Parker room, Town Office Building Affordable Housing Trust Board Members present: Elaine Tung, Chair; Mark Sandeen, William Erickson, Tiffany Payne, Linda Prosnitz (arrived at 9:10am) Staff present: Carol Kowalski, Assistant Town Manager for Development; Ragi Ramachandran, Administrative Assistant Other attendees: Elizabeth Rust, RHSO; Mina Makarious, Jillian Barger, Bob Pressman, Margaret Heitz Ms. Tung chaired the hybrid meeting and called the meeting to order at 9:04 am. Ms. Tung conducted a roll call to ensure all members of the AHT Board and members of staff present could hear and be heard. 1. Approval of November 9 meeting minutes Ms. Tung asked for a motion to approve the minutes of 11/9/23 AHT meeting. Mr. Sandeen moved. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 4-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Tung – yes, Sandeen – yes, Payne – yes). Meeting minutes approved. 2. Chair, Select Board, Board/Committee Liaison and RHSO/staff report/MHP Fair Housing Marketing and Lottery Training Workshop Ms. Tung provided an update from the review of Real estate transfer tax at the Select Board meeting on Nov. 27. The Select Board is in favor of supporting the current pending legislation of a real estate transfer fee/tax at the State level which would prov ide a local option for municipalities to opt in. The Select Board Chair will draft a letter of support to be reviewed by the Select Board members at a future meeting. Ms. Tung shared the update from her discussion with CPC member, Marilyn Fenollosa. Ms. Fenollosa sought clarification on the Trust’s funding request. Ms. Tung has provided the explanation as to why pre-funding is important to the Trust. Ms. Tung will attend the next CPC meeting where the Trust’s funding request will be reviewed. There is a meeting with two housing developers on Dec. 7. Former Secretary of Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development, Mike Kennealy will be at this meeting with one of the developers. The Trust is interested in hearing from multiple housing developers. The Trust will consider a meeting with other developers at a later date. The Trust reviewed one of the Trustees’ need for a working computer to carry out Housing Trust Board responsibilities. The Trust discussed if it is an appropriate use of Trust funds. Ms. Tung suggested authorizing up to $750 for this purpose. Mr. Makarious advised the Town staff to work with the IT department to purchase the computer and to set it up to the extent that it Page 2 of 4 will be used for Town business. Ms. Payne recused herself from this discussion and subsequent vote. Ms. Tung requested a motion to authorize Ms. Tung to approve upon receiving receipts, the expenditure of up to $750 one time, for the purchase of a computer for the purpose of a trustee to conduct Trust business. Ms. Prosnitz moved. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 4-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Tung – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes). Motion passed. Mr. Sandeen shared an update from his interaction with the governor earlier in the week. The governor is aware of Lexington’s newly formed Affordable Housing Trust, and is highly supportive of the Trust’s efforts. The Trustees shared the committee/liaison reports. Ms. Prosnitz has been working with the Housing Partnership Board for support with the pre-funding request. She will work on presentations to the various boards and committees. Mr. Erickson’s next meeting with LexHAB will be in early Dec. Most of the discussions of late have been on the LexHAB purchase. Ms. Payne will attend Lexington Housing Authority’s (LHA) Board meeting in December. Ms. Payne is working with LHA on financial literacy with respect to housing for lo w-income and moderate- income residents. They are trying to collaborate and work with a non -profit organization, Women Money Matters. Mr. Makarious updated that the special legislation to revise LexHAB to exist as an independent non-profit entity that is not quasi-municipal has passed a “third reading” in the legislature, and that’s a positive sign that it may be enacted soon. Ms. Payne provided an update from attending the MHP’s Fair Housing Marketing and Lottery training. She shared that it was informative. Ms. Rust ran a significant part of the training. The attendees were given a walkthrough of the complete process, the applications, paperwork, eligibility determination, regulations, and on how to guide the applicants. 3. LexHAB purchase The Trustees will be signing the grant agreement for LexHAB’s purchase of 497 Massachusetts Ave. The only change to the agreement was updating the Exhibit title reference from Exhibit B to Exhibit C. Ms. Tung asked for a motion to approve the grant agreement including the mortgage. Ms. Prosnitz moved. Ms. Payne seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Tung – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Payne – yes). Motion passed. The Trust reviewed the pro forma provided by LexHAB in connection with the 497 Massachusetts Avenue purchase. Ms. Prosnitz walked through the document. Ms. Prosnitz recommended moving forward with the pro forma. Ms. Tung asked for a motion to approve the pro forma as presented. Mr. Erickson moved. Ms. Payne seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Tung – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Payne – yes). Motion passed. Ms. Kowalski reported that the closing for 497 Mass Avenue is at 12:00pm on Dec. 18. She shared that the LexHAB Executive Director, Sarah Morrison, has conveyed that LexHAB requires that the funds from the Trust in the amount of $550,000 be available by Dec. 15. Page 3 of 4 Ms. Barger advised the Trust to get their final documents to the Town counsel by Dec. 13. The ‘wet signature’ of the trustees is required on the grant agreement. The Trustees agreed to come to the Town office to sign the agreement before Dec. 13. Ms. Barger will handle further processing of the documents. 4. Lowell Street update and timeline Ms. Kowalski provided an update on measuring the water table at parcel 68-44. DPW has agreed to bring in the backhoe and do the digging. Stamsky and McNary will be able to do the measurement and analysis. Mr. Erickson felt that two test pits would be sufficient and he will identify the locations for the two test pits. The estimate from Stamsky and McNary for the water table assessment is $1200. Ms. Kowalski will find out if the Town will be charging for the backhoe services. Mr. Makarious updated that VHB’s Phase 1 environmental assessment report will be available in two weeks. Ms. Kowalski recommended the Trust apply for an ANRAD (Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation) with the Conservation Commission. This will “lock in” in the wetland delineation for a period of time. Mr. Erickson and Ms. Kowalski detailed the process and timeline for an ANRAD application, it is roughly a month to 6 weeks process. Ms. Kowalski suggested having a meeting with the abutters, housing advocates, and Town Meeting members from precinct 5 to present information about this land. Ms. Kowalski explained the process to submit a warrant article for the spring Town Meeting. There are no updates yet from the consultant, LDa Architecture and Interiors, on the economic feasibility for affordable housing on this parcel. Ms. Kowalski met with the City of Woburn’s Director of Planning and Community Development. The director felt there were lot of wetlands on the Woburn side adjacent to parcel 68-44 but they would speak with the Ward Councilor. Ms. Kowalski will continue her conversations with Woburn and Burlington, and update the Trust. Mr. Sandeen felt it important to come up with a ‘well thought out RFP’ that can answer many of the Trust’s questions, in terms of, how many units, the affordability level, and the economics of the situation. He is hoping to get feedback from the developers attending the Dec 7 meeting, on whether the Trust’s ideas are viable from a commercial perspective. Mr. Sandeen suggests the Trust take the appropriate amount of time to prepare for the Warrant Article and to be able to answer the Select Board, Finance, and Town meeting members questions. Mr. Makarious explained the RFP process, the expectations around it, the sale or lease of the property, and the pros and cons of issuing an RFP before Town meeting and vice versa. His recommendation was to get the authorization first before issuing an RFP. Ms. Rust shared her insights on how to construct the RFP. She recommended not having too- rigid requirements, and allowing an opportunity to receive all sorts of proposals from the developers for various housing mix so the Trust can evaluate the subsidies that would be required, and is feasible. The Trust had a detailed discussion on the RFP process, the zoning to support friendly 40B development, and the preparation to go to spring Town meeting. Ms. Tung wanted to know if AHT will have sufficient staff support to navigate the process to spring Town meeting. Mr. Sandeen suggested a two on two meeting between the Trust and Select Board to brief the Select Board about the plans for this parcel. The discussions on this topic will continue at the Dec. 11 meeting. Page 4 of 4 5. Residents and Sustainability working groups reports Not discussed this time. 6. Future Use of 173 Bedford Street Not discussed this time. 7. New Business The Greater Boston Interfaith meeting is on Dec. 6. Ms. Payne will attend and speak at this meeting. The Trustees were encouraged to attend the meeting. 8. Confirm future meeting dates The next meeting will be on Dec. 7 at 12 pm. 9. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 11:19 am by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Sandeen – yes, Tung – yes, Payne – yes). List of documents reviewed: 1. 497 Mass Ave Pro Forma 2. Lowell Street Timeline 3. Parcel 68-44 Preliminary RFP outline