HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-12-21-40B-min.pdf Ad Hoc 40B Review Committee
Meeting Minutes
December 21,2001
Selectmen's Meeting Room
Members Present: Harriet Cohen, Marshall Derby, John Frey, Jeanne Krieger, Bill Taylor,
Anne Whitney, Sheila Marian
Staff Present: Glenn Garber, Maryann McCall-Taylor, Rachael Herrup-Morse, Ed Marchant
Initial Meeting and Introductions:
Committee members introduced themselves and identified their organizational or neighborhood
affiliation. Glenn Garber introduced Ed Marchant, a consultant provided through a state grant to
assist the Town and the developer in reaching an equitable agreement.
Mr. Marchant introduced himself, providing information about his background in affordable
housing in both the for-profit and non-profit fields. He tries to work with both Towns and
developers as a non-affiliated party. His present job is to help the committee define its role and
to discover the `real' issues of concern to the community with regards to the proposed 40B
development. Mr. Marchant disclosed that he has know both Russell Tanner and Josh Posner(of
Rising Tide Development), but has not conflict of interest with either them or their company.
Overview of the 40B Process
Mr. Marchant provided a brief overview of the history and process of 40B. The affordable
housing law is approximately 30 years old and it allows developers to override local zoning laws
if a community has not met a 10% affordable housing goal.
The committee discussed 40B details for about 30 minutes. A good overview of the regulations
can be found in `Using Chapter 40B to Create Affordable Housing in Suburban and Rural
Communities of Massachusetts,' table I,page 23. This booklet was provided to committee
members as part of the meeting handouts.
Neighborhood representatives indicated their support for Lexington's affordable housing
program as well as for the proposed development. The two issues that caused the most concern
were density and traffic. The neighborhood representatives stated their desire to see the
development fall more closely in line with Town and neighborhood standards for density and
setbacks. Mr. Marchant stated a greater probability of having the developers comply with legal
rather than traditional standards.
The committee moved on to discuss the 20% limit on profits allowed to the developers and how
fixed and other costs impact developers.
Discussion of Future Meeting Schedule
Mr. Marchant reminded the committee that members have a responsibility to know the site under
consideration. The committee decided to meet at the site, do a walk-through and return to a
meeting room and talk about what Rising Tide Development's proposal. The meeting was
scheduled for Saturday, January 5a, at 9:00 a.m. Subsequent meetings will be every Friday from
7:30—9:00 a.m. starting January 11th
The committee selected Jeanne Krieger to act as chair.
Adjourn
Respectfully submitted,
Rachael Herrup-Morse