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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-02-28-HPB-minLexington Housing Meeting Minutes for February 28, 2013 Attendees: Bob Pressman, Melinda Walker, Florence Baturin, Jeri Foutter, Suzanne O'Neil Jones, Wendy Manz, Harriet Cohen Jennifer Van Campen, Metro West Collaborative Development (MWDC) and Karen Margolis, Regional Housing Services (RHS) The meeting was called to order at 7:43 pm. 1. Approval of the Minutes of January 24, 2013 One minor correction was suggested for the minutes of the previous meeting. Wendy Manz moved approval of the minutes as amended. Melinda Walker seconded the motion. The minutes were approved by a vote of 6 ayes, with 1 abstention. 2. LHP Membership Ms. Manz is an ex officio member of the LHP through her seat on the Town Planning Board. As of the end of February, Ms. Manz will no longer be on the Planning Board. She has filed an application for a seat on the LHP. A seat is currently open. 3. HOME Program HOME funds are expected to be approved for two properties on Mass Ave, both state -owned public housing properties designated for the disabled. The money will be used to put in new kitchens, replace the roof, replace the furnace, repair entryways, improve paving (for increased accessibility), repair wheelchair ramps, and repair the storage shed. The HOME consortium serves contiguous towns. Lexington is a connector to several towns further west. The HOME consortium funds are pooled every year, and in three or four years Lexington may be able to get a significant sum of money towards affordable housing. Aaron Henry has noted that Regional Housing Services provides administrative support to the town, so the HOME consortium is not a burden to Town employees. There will be a Board of Selectmen (BoS) meeting in March to discuss whether Lexington should stay in the HOME consortium. Ms. Walker will write a letter to the BoS supporting Lexington's continued participation in the consortium. It was suggested that letters to the BOS supporting the Home program be sought from the Lexington Housing Authority and the Douglas Home. 4. Regional Housing Services Program Update Karen Margolis came to the LHP meeting to provide an update on RHS. RHS serves the towns of Acton, Bedford, Concord, Lexington, Sudbury and Weston. Lexington Housing Ms. Margolis provided a copy of the RHS monthly report. She also provided a list of affordable rental housing in Lexington, compiled by RHS. All of the affordable rental housing in Lexington has a long waiting list for occupancy. In addition, there is a 7 year wait for a Section 8 housing vouchers from the LHA. Ms. Margolis explained how the information on the list had been gathered and how the list is organized. The list is intended for people who are looking for affordable rental housing in Lexington. The LHP discussed local preferences and how local preferences work vis -a -vis fair housing requirements. We noted that Community Preservation Commission (CPC ) funded - housing must be run through the state housing lottery, according to state law. There is still a high Lexington preference within the state lottery. We also noted that the affordable rental housing list will be very useful for the housing production plan. Ms. Margolis suggested that we post the list on the LHP web site. She pointed out that we also need to update the web site to reflect the 2012 Area Media Income, rather than the 2010 AMIs. Updated information can be found at the end of the list provided by Ms. Margolis. 5. Report on Town Acquisition and Planning for Scottish Rite Landon Marrett Road. As reported by Ms. Manz and Mr. Pressman, prior to this LHP meeting (and not related to the meeting), the BoS , the CPC and the Town Finance Committee held a meeting in executive session to discuss the acquisition of the Scottish Rite land. Because the discussion was in executive session, information about the meeting is not public. The Town -wide Ad Hoc Facilities Committee is considering the acquisition of various buildings around Town. At a recent Committee meeting, Peter Kelly moved that the Scottish Rite land be used only for a community center and open space. The committee voted in favor of the motion. The BoS has not had a meeting to decide how the land will be used: it is premature to have that discussion because the Town does not own the land and may not be the purchaser of the land. 6. CPC Update Related to Housing Proposals The CPC voted to recommend $450,000 for LexHAB to Town Meeting, with the condition that the money be spent on Busa or Leary Housing. The CPC also approved Steve Keane's request for funding for doors for Greeley Village. 7. Public Awareness The committee reaffirmed the need to increase public awareness of affordable housing needs. Jennifer Van Campen suggested getting 1 or 2 people from each of several towns together to brainstorm ideas /actions for awareness. The problem of the public not being aware of the needs and benefits of public housing is pervasive; it is not just a Lexington problem. Lexington Housing 8. Housing Production Plan (HPP) Ms. Van Campen reported that the first presentation of the HPP to the Planning Board is targeted for late April or early May, with a presentation to the BOS presentation at end of May or beginning of June. A draft of the HPP is not yet available. Mr. Henry has discussed having 3 achievable goals in the HPP: (1) provide 2 -4 affordable units each year; (2) develop one larger project every 3 to 5 years; and (3) create zoning incentives for larger developments, particularly for empty nesters. MWDC has done some public outreach to provide input to the HPP. Ms. Van Campen suggested that we contact Mr. Henry to request that he come to the LHP after a first draft is available. Ms. Baturin referred to a list of Lexington properties, possibly available for affordable housing, developed in the past by some LHP members. 9. Adjournment Suzanne O'Neil Jones moved to adjourn at 9:30 pm. The motion passed unanimously.