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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-09-27-HPB-min# _ Lexington Housing Partnership Meeting Minutes for September 27, 2012 Attendees: Wendy Manz, Harriet Cohen, Melinda Walker, Mary Haskell, Betsey Weiss, Suzanne O'Neill - Jones, Dan Gaulin Wendy Manz chaired the meeting; Harriet Cohen took the minutes. The meeting was called to order at 7:45 pm. 1. Minutes Because there was no quorum, no action was taken on the minutes from May 24. 2. Old Business Update on membership and re- appointments for September 2012: Mr. Kreutziger [check spelling] has stepped down from the LHP; the LHP notes Ken's contributions to the LHP, including but not limited to his significant efforts re Busa farm affordable housing. We are joined by Ms. O'Neill- Jones, who is a prospective new member. Dan Gaulin, Regional Housing Services (RHS) RHS is a shared services organization that provides assistance with affordable housing issues to towns in the coalition. Those towns are: Towns in the coalition: Acton, Bedford, Concord, Lexington, Sudbury, and Weston. Mr. Gaulin provided the following updates: ■ Lincoln is leaving the RHS coalition. ■ An additional staffer has been added to the coalition to provide assistance with direct services to those in affordable housing. ■ RHS will be conducting post - purchasing training on Nov. 7 in Concord for first -time buyers in affordable homes. Topics include maintenance, finance, the affordable housing deed rider, and related topics. • The second round of self - certification is in progress to determine whether the home owners who bought the affordable housing are still in the housing, and, if so, whether the home owners need any assistance with financial or other issues. • Mr. Gaulin is working with Steve Keane, Executive Director of the Lexington Housing Authority (LHA) to identify the best opportunities to apply HOME funds to capital improvement needs in developments owned by LHA. • RHS is focusing on monitoring this year: ensuring that the rents are within the DHCD guidelines and that the tenant incomes are within DHCD guidelines. • RHS is working with LexHab on tenant selection policy so that the eventual home owners fit within the guidelines that allow the affordable units to count towards the 40B limit. # _ Lexington Housing Partnership 3. New Business: Housing Production Plan The Housing Production Plan is intended to be a plan that maintains the current percentage of affordable housing. As more housing is built in Lexington, more affordable units will be needed to maintain the current percentage. 4. Goals and Actions for the Upcoming Year Brainstorming ideas: • Seek active participation from the BOS LHP liaison. • Work towards providing affordable housing (possibly affordable housing for seniors) at the Masonic property, if the town were to buy the property and use it for, among other uses, a senior center. Advocate for CPA funding for LexHab. 5. Meeting Schedule As noted above, the next meeting will be on October 25. 6. Adjournment The meeting ended at 9:14 pm.