HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-10-21-EDAC-min
Town of Lexington
Economic Development Advisory Committee
Minutes of Meeting of October 21, 2015
EDAC
A meeting of the was held on Wednesday, October 21 at 8:00 a.m. in the Parker Room of the Town Office
Building at 1625 Mass Ave.
Members Present
: John McWeeney, George Burnell, Rick DeAngelis, Narain Bhatia, Larry Smith, Sig Tullman, and
Kevin Maguire
Liaisons Present:
Charles Hornig (Planning Board), Peter Kelly (Board of Selectmen)
Staff Present:
Carol Kowalski, Melisa Tintocalis
Members Absent:
Tom Dusel, Bob Richards
Action Items:
Invite Marci Loeber to attend the next EDAC
Invite the Planning Director, Aaron Henry, to review the zoning in Hartwell (Melisa)
Provide ridership information on the Alewife Shuttle and the REV shuttle (Melisa)
Create a proforma on various uses with a focus on tax implications and compare to current abated tax value
(Melisa)
Make an appointment with Mark Roopenian of Normandy (Melisa)
The meeting was called to order at 8:05 a.m. and acted on the following items:
June 17, 2015 minutes were reviewed and
approved. There was no EDAC meeting held in August, 2015.
Introductions by the EDAC members and Carol Kowalski, the new Assistant Town Manager of Land Use and
Development were made.
Melisa Tintocalis reported that the new Economic Development Coordinator position had been filled by Megan
Devine. She also reported that King Street Properties were planning a ground breaking ceremony for their new
th
building at 101 Hartwell on October 28 8:30am. In addition, Melisa reported that the REV was successful in
securing funding for year three. There were complications with the contribution from Normandy Properties;
they decided not to contribute two weeks prior to the start of third year; however, a large tenant in their
building, Imprivata, approached the 128Business Council and offered a contribution that helped offset the
amount Normandy rescinded. The REV has continued to run with nearly 1,000 rides each month.
Rick DeAngelis reported that Boston Properties was continuing to pursue their plans to upgrade 17 Hartwell.
He reported that the site and by-right zoning constraints limited the redevelopment potential.
The committee discussed other ideas to unlock development potential in Hartwell. John McWeeney proposed
the idea for allowing residential uses in Hartwell. He reported that there were inquires made by property owners
regarding the Town’s openness to the idea. He recommended that the EDAC and the Town’s leadership
consider that there may be certain conditions to allow for residential uses. Some members expressed concern
that since Hartwell is one of the Town’s only areas that allow for light manufacturing and commercial, and that
the Town would be at risk of losing land to residential uses that would reduce the potential of generating
commercial tax revenue. The committee members agreed that it would be helpful to engage the Hartwell
property owners in charrette to develop a vision for the future of the area. It was also discussed that Melisa
should reach out to Griffith Properties and Normandy – two of the larger property owners in the area.
at 9:50AM
Meeting Adjourned: Next meeting:
Wednesday, November 18, 2015