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PLANNING BOARD MINUTES MEETING OF FEBRUARY 16, 2022 Minutes of the Lexington Planning Board Held on February 16, 2022, Virtual Meeting at 7:00 pm Present: Charles Hornig, Chair; Robert Peters, Vice-Chair; Michael Schanbacher, Clerk; Robert Creech; Melanie Thompson; and Michael Leon, Associate Member. Also present were Sheila Page, Acting Planning Director and Jim Kelly, Building Commissioner. Charles Hornig, Chair, called to order the meeting of the Lexington Planning Board on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at 7:01 pm. For this meeting, the Planning Board is convening by video conference via Zoom. LexMedia may broadcast this meeting live and will record it for future viewing. Detailed information for remote participation by the public may be found on the Planning Office web page. Mr. Hornig conducted a roll call to ensure all members of the Planning Board and members of staff present could hear and be heard. Mr. Hornig provided a summary of instructions for members of the public in attendance. It was further noted that written materials for this meeting are available on the Town's NovusAGENDA dashboard. ***************************TOWN MEETING***************************** Public Hearing: Article 40: Amend Zoning Bylaw – Sustainable Residential Incentives (citizen’s petition): Mr. Hornig opened the public hearing. Present was Ms. Cynthia Arens who presented her proposed zoning bylaw amendment to reduce Lexington CO2 emissions in buildings as a step in Lexington’s path to net zero to take effect January 2023. It encourages new residential construction to be consistent with town emission reduction and sustainability goals. She presented the proposed sustainable GFA Tiers, new incentives, HERS ratings for new homes, new rebates available to builders, benefits for homeowners, and outreach done with stakeholders. Ms. Page said that she wished that staff had been included earlier in this proposal to have a thorough review. Town Counsel reviewed the proposal, offered suggestions to the applicant, and will continue to review the bylaw for any possible legal risks that may come up in the future. Board Members and Comments:  Ms. Thompson asked if there is a minimum GFA to which this proposed zoning amendment applies and whether this would apply to smaller affordable housing. She asked for clarification on how this would this apply to mixed-use and affordable housing. Would this apply to existing homes for new modifications?  Mr. Creech asked for clarification on why the existing limits for GFA were cut in half. He asked that the explanation be put in writing. He requested information on how you determined how many houses were in each tier and whether it was