2006-09-28-HPB.min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Lexington Housing Partnership Meeting Minutes for September 28, 2006 Attendees: Winifred McGowan, Norm Cohen, Bob Bicknell, Martha Wood, Florence Baturin, Ken Kreutziger, Iris Wheaton, Inky MacDougall, Julie Duncan Bob Bicknell chaired the meeting; Martha Wood took the minutes. 1. Muzzey Condominiums request for Letter of Support to CPA – Diana Ayers s. M Ayers, a condominium owner and member of the Muzzey Board of Trustees, requested the Partnership write a letter of support to a proposed Community Preservation request being formulated by some residents. The request will be for approximately $59,500 to hire a historical architect to investigate and write a report on the building, especially the heating ducts, windows and doors. Parts of the former school building are more than 100 years old and now contains 71 units and the Town’s senior center. The group is taking its proposal to the Trustees at its next meeting. The Partnership will vote th on the request at its October 26 meeting. 2. Neighborhood Conservation Districts – Iris Wheaton, Sally Zimmerman (Note: Ms. Zimmerman was an invited guest having worked with such Districts professionally in Cambridge from 1986-2006. She is a Lexington resident and a member of Lexington’s Historical Commission.) Cambridge was the first community in Massachusetts to have such neighborhood districts, passing its enabling act in 1984. However, across the country there are thousands. Neighborhood conservation districts are residential areas with some distinctive identity such as architecture. However, they are less restrictive and more flexible that the state-enabled historic districts. Neighborhood conservation districts (which could be called something else) are part of home rule with each town developing its own concepts, procedures and intentions based on its own personality. It is really a public policy decision and is enabled by a local town general by-law, not a planning board zoning by-law. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office supports them and feels they should be exercised in more communities. A neighborhood could be as small as one block or very large such as a whole section of town. Neighborhoods must initiate any proposed designation themselves. Designation could NOT be superimposed by town government. This could be an opportunity to preserve affordability in some areas, preserve historical character and preserve architectural integrity. It could preserve economic diversity and the range of home sizes from small to large. By unanimous vote the committee decided to support investigating developing a neighborhood district policy for Lexington for some future Town meeting. Members who volunteered to work on this issue: Ms. Wheaton, Mr. Kreutziger and Ms. MacDougall.