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Home My WebLink About2013-08-13-EDAC-min Town of Lexington Economic Development Advisory Board August 15, 2013 Legion Room - Cary Hall Memorial 8:00am-9:30am MINUTES 1.) Status of Anaerobic Digester-other uses for Hartwell Landfill site- reports on Europe: Larry Smith discussed his experiences of visiting an anaerobic digester in Europe. He stated that the site was located in a rural area. The committee's general consensus was the proposal for a bio-digester use on the Town-owned property located in the Hartwell Business District did not complement the efforts to attract the high tech and life sciences uses that the EDAC and Town have tried to cultivate in the area. 2.) Pilot Shuttle and Sidewalk and landscaping on Hartwell (tabled) 3.) New ownership at Lexington Crossing: John McWeeney reported that the new owners of Lexington Crossing (Kiln Brook Properties) is Griffith Properties. He recommended that the Town Manager and the Economic Development Director meet with the new owners to discuss their vision for the properties. 4.) Report on Tech drugs Rock&Roll At BU: John McWeeney reported on attending the Boston University conference entitled Tech, Drugs, and Rock'n'Roll. He collected material and contact information on a variety of startups and new ventures in life sciences industry. He recommended the Economic Development Director reach out to local startups at the universities and the international companies as an initial step to attract new business to the area. 5.) Discussion on Burlington as competition- Rob Richards discussed how Lexington could be more competitive in the commercial sector if more amenities were added to a district like the Hartwell corridor. He said that employees of most new and growing businesses in the high tech and life sciences industry are looking for experiences in the locations they work. For example, they may want restaurants, pubs,walkable area, or places for entertainment. He acknowledged it is difficult to attract such amenities in untested markets such as Hartwell. He said that maybe the time would be more appropriate as the prices or the traffic in areas like Burlington increased to the point that developers would be more inclined to search for options like Hartwell.