2023-05-24-HPB-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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appointment period ends at the end of September. At the last meeting, Ms. Manz indicated her interest in assuming the position of chair. The HPB unanimously voted her as the Chair elect. This election was held well in advance of the open position so that there is enough time to make the transition a smooth one. 6. Board Member / Liaisons Updates Community Preservation Commission: Mr. Pressman attended the most recent meeting of the Permanent Building Committee. The Town had allocated $6.7M for work on the Monroe Center. The architect anticipated that the work would require over $8M. The architect was not used to working on public projects with a fixed budget. The Permanent Building Committee is waiting for a design that fits within the allocated amount. Planning Board: Per Mr. Hornig, the workplan for the near future is to get regulations squared away for Articles 33 and 34. The Planning Board may or may not be looking at housing issues for zoning next year, given other work on the workplan. For now, the Planning Board is focusing on the regulations. LexHAB: Ms. Morrison reported that there are 2 new board members: Russ Tanner, who has a background in affordable housing, and Eric Brown, an architect with multi-family development experience. LexHAB signed a P&S (Purchase and Sale) agreement for their 80th property at 93 Woburn Street at a price of $625K. LexHAB received $400K of CPA funds towards a new property, some of which may be spent on the 93 Woburn Street property. LexHAB has also requested funding for the full amount of the purchase through ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act. LexHAB has launched the LexHAB legacy campaign, asking community members to sell below market or donate properties to LexHAB. They have gotten a good response. The mailing was sent to all community members over 60. LexHAB is waiting on the AHT to get up and running as a source of funds. Ms. Morrison has already reached out to the AHT members. Please keep an ear to the ground for any opportunities for below market sales to LexHAB. LexHAB is collaborating with LexART on a juried art exhibit in November, with a theme of home. This will be a fundraiser. Ms. Morrison asked for participation for either facilitation or participation on a housing roundtable. The goal is to have a variety of voices as part of that discussion. The housing director, Pearlene Varjabedian, is organizing information as to how obtain affordable housing, particularly for persons with disabilities and Metco students. In response to Mr. Pressman’s question, Ms. Morrison said that rehab of the house on Kimball Road will cost approximately $150K. LexHAB is working with MassSave to do a retrofit of all housing, including the house on Kimball Road, with heat and energy saving updates. LexHAB is also working with Minuteman Tech to see if they can provide any assistance with this project.