2023-02-28-SLC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of February 28, 2023 SustainabLY update. Atreyi explained that they have been drafting material about SustainabLY and the Sustainable Lexington Committee for their Cary Library display. Maggie mentioned that she will be holding a focus group with SustainabLY for the climate action plan. ATM 2023 - Special Permit Residential Development zoning proposal. Charles used a PowerPoint presentation to walk the committee through some of the history and substance of the proposal before Town Meeting to rewrite the Special Permit Residential Development (SPRD) portion of the Zoning Bylaw. A lengthy discussion followed, with questions focusing on: •the inclusionary percentage, with a concern that 15% is too low; •the 15% market rate GFA bonus and the potential to create even larger dwelling units in Site Sensitive Developments; •the nature of site plan review and the Planning Board’s latitude or lack thereof in conditioning and denying a project, particularly with the change from special permit to as-of-right; •the concern about creating pockets of density far from transit routes, major roads, and walking access to retail; •the lack of tree protection in the proposal and whether there will be additional tools to prevent the kind of wholesale loss of trees as at 69 Pleasant; •whether particular projects and developers are teed up and to what extent they were consulted to assess viability; and •the relationship of these options to Open Space Residential Development (OSRD), and whether there should be common open space requirements as there are with OSRD. Wendy explained that the intention was never to undercut OSRD, just to provide a series of additional models for a developer to consider rather than defaulting to a conventional subdivision. She thanked the committee for its input. Charles explained that the SPRD committee is meeting the next morning and will be considering changes to the proposed language being presented to Town Meeting. Sustainability & Resilience Officer updates: •Waste Reduction Task Force. Maggie reported that the Zero Waste Plan was presented to the Select Board. They provided feedback and an updated plan will be presented in a couple of months. The new waste-hauling contract has not yet been signed; town counsel is reviewing it and the waste reduction task force is considering some provisions to allow flexibility as the town explores options for reducing waste in the next few years. The Select Board designated enough ARPA funding to underwrite curbside compost pick-up for 2,000 homes, including any currently using Black Earth who decide to enroll in the fee-free pilot. Lin recommended that once it’s fully subscribed, the town keep a wait list to gauge the level of demand for an .2