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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-21-HPB-min Meeting Minutes for February 21, 2023 Attendees: Cindy Arens (Sustainable Lexington liaison), Harriet Cohen (Clerk), Jeri Foutter (Chair), Charles Hornig (Planning Board), Paul Linton, Wendy Manz, Joe Pato (Select Board liaison), Bob Pressman, Melanie Thompson, Betsey Weiss, John Zhao (COA) Absent: Sarah Morrison (LexHAB liaison) Guests: Ingrid Klimoff, Margaret Heitz The Housing Partnership Board (HPB) meeting was chaired by Jeri Foutter and minutes were taken by Harriet Cohen. 1. Call to Order: Housing Partnership Board Meeting Ms. Foutter called the meeting to order at 7:02. The roll was called. 2. Affordable Housing Resources Ms. Heitz said that a fall CPC proposal for a housing resource will be submitted. 3. HPB Charge and Membership Ms. Cohen reported that she had submitted a cover letter for the draft Charge and an updated version of the Charge (without the Commission on Disabilities as a liaison). 4. MBTA Communities – HPB support statement and outreach to TM Mr. Hornig: Changes have been made to the proposed zoning since the Jan. 19 HPB meeting. Key changes are: • Heights have been adjusted to 52 feet in the center and Bedford Street, noting that 52 feet is the minimum height required for 4 story building. • Mixed use projects on Hartwell Avenue now have a height limit of 115 feet • A few other modifications have been made to the overlay districts. After describing the updates to the proposed zoning, Mr. Hornig answered questions from the attendees. Ms. Weiss moved that the HPB support the present version of the MBTA Communities Act proposed zoning by-law. Ms. Cohen seconded the motion. In favor: Ms. Cohen, Ms. Foutter, Mr. Hornig, Mr. Linton, Ms. Manz, Mr. Pressman, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Weiss, Mr. Zhao Against: none Abstaining: none 5. SPRD Presentation Ms. Weiss moved that the HPB support Article 33, Special Residential Development zoning amendment. Ms. Manz seconded the motion. In favor: Ms. Cohen, Ms. Foutter, Mr. Hornig, Mr. Linton, Ms. Manz, Mr. Pressman, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Weiss, Mr. Zhao Against: none Abstaining: none Ms. Foutter thanked the Planning Board for their work. 6. Land Acquisition Ms. Weiss presented the Land Acquisition Policy draft. The HPB members had comments on the draft. Ms. Weiss asked for comments to be sent to her so she could incorporate them and revise the draft. The Land Acquisition Policy working group will review the comments and update the memo as needed. The policy will be brought back to the HPB for another round of review. 7. Board Member Updates CPC: Mr. Pressman: The CPC has voted the following funding from the CPA funds: $1.5M for the Affordable Housing Trust and over $300,000 for LexHAB for work on their units. LexHAB had previously been authorized by the Select Board to spend $325,000 on a mortgage for a house to be acquired by LexHAB. Subsequently, an additional $400,000 was allocated to LexHAB for that purchase. The CPC received a proposal for renovation of the Stone Building that requests $400,000 for design documents and funding for emergency repairs at 2023 ATM. There is an estimate of $10M for construction costs, which are unknown at this time and a contingency fund expense targeted at $0.9M. The money will be allocated over several years. This is the same amount of money that has been allocated to affordable housing since the inception of the CPC. Planning Board: Mr. Hornig: The focus of the PB has been on Articles 33 and 34, with a review of Article 40 proposed by Matt Daggett. The Planning Board will continue to work on their Articles 33 and 34. SPRD: Ms. Weiss presented a brief overview of the SPRD proposed zoning bylaw. LexHAB: There was no update at this meeting. Lexington Housing Authority: There was no update at this meeting. COA: Mr. Zhao: COA is investigating a LexExpress-lite service. COA will invite the Town Transportation Department to their next meeting to provide feedback on their proposal. Affordable Housing Trust Study Committee (AHTSC): The AHTSC has not held any meeting since the last HPB meeting. Sustainable Lexington: Ms. Arens: Ms. Arens, LexCan, and the town resiliency officer are working with LexHAB to get rebates and incentives for weatherization and other resiliency and efficiency improvements for affordable housing residents. They have applied for a grant from Massachusetts to perform broader outreach within Lexington. The grant is for a part-time position to help the community take advantage of programs to improve resiliency and efficiency of their housing units. Emerson Gardens: Sustainable Lexington is working with the condo association, the resiliency officer, and others to try to upgrade the units from oil heat to heat pumps. Sustainable Lexington is also attending regional meetings that share information about how to retrofit homes, particularly lower income and affordable homes. The SPRD proposal will be presented at the next Sustainable Lexington meeting. 8. Chair transition Ms. Foutter’s appointment expires in September 2023. She will not be seeking reappointment to the HPB. Ms. Foutter asked that the HPB members consider whether they would like to step up to the position of the chair of the HPB. Ms. Cohen and Ms. Weiss have declined the opportunity. Ms. Foutter’s goal is to have a chair-elect in March or April to ensure a smooth transition in September. 9. New Business Ms. Foutter: Starting on April 1, a quorum will need to meet in person. Will discuss the implementation at the next meeting. There was no new other business. 10. Approve Minutes from January 19, 2023 meeting Ms. Weiss moved approval of the minutes of Jan. 19 and Ms. Cohen seconded the motion. In favor: Ms. Cohen, Ms. Foutter, Mr. Hornig, Mr. Linton, Ms. Manz, Mr. Pressman, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Weiss, Mr. Zhao Against: none Abstaining: none 11. Set Next Meeting Date The next meeting will be on March 16 at 7:30 pm. 12. Adjournment Ms. Weiss moved adjournment; Ms. Cohen seconded the motion. In favor: Ms. Cohen, Ms. Foutter, Mr. Hornig, Mr. Linton, Ms. Manz, Mr. Pressman, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Weiss, Mr. Zhao Against: none Abstaining: none The meeting adjourned at 8:41 pm.