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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-10-19-EDAC-min Town of Lexington Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) Minutes of Meeting October 19, 2016 A meeting of the EDAC was held on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. in the Parker Room of the Town Office Building at 1625 Mass Ave. Members Present: Narain Bhatia, George Burnell, Rick DeAngelis, John McWeeney, David Pronchick Larry Smith, Sig Tullmann Staff Present: Melisa Tintocalis, Megan Zammuto Guests Present: Charles Hornig, Peter Kelley Members Absent: Tom Dusel, Lelani Foster, Kevin McGuire, Bob Richards Approval of Minutes: The committee members agreed to review and vote to approve minutes from the September 2016 meeting. PILOP (Payment In Lieu of Parking): Melisa Tintocalis discussed the draft PILOP policy with the committee and explained that the policy was reviewed by the Lexington Chamber of Commerce and a group of center property owners. The policy was then brought to the Board of Selectmen. The BOS listened to the collected comments and the Planning Board is scheduled to hear comments on the policy tonight. Many stakeholders felt that change of use should be removed from the policy. The current mitigation price is $8,000 per parking space. Some people felt that that price was too high, and others felt it was too low. The committee discussed how the collected funds could help augment parking in the center. Members discussed the feasibility of building a parking structure to supplement parking. Selectman Joe Pato updated the committee on the plans to research adding additional parking to the center. Committee members encouraged creative ideas such as valet parking. George Burnell made a motion to engage with the Planning Department and the Board of Selectmen as to how we will provide adequate parking if we proceed to adopt a PILOP Policy. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved. Planning Board Update: Charles Hornig updated the committee on the recent Planning Board initiative to engage Lexington Residents. He discussed proposed adjustments to CRO districts to make the parcels more like CM. Some changes include increasing FAR to 0.35. The committee discussed the presentation and thanked Charles for the work he has done. The committee decided to do an analysis on the proposed changes and review the fiscal impact. Rick DeAngelis made a motion to thank Charles Hornig and support his efforts to increase economic development through zoning. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously. 128 Business Council Update: Melisa Tintocalis updated the committee on the Rev Shuttle. Invoices are going out to property owners and ridership has been high. Middlesex 3 Coalition Update: Megan Zammuto discussed the recent efforts of the Middlesex 3 Coalition including the recent business leader roundtable meetings with Representatives Seth Moulton and Niki Tsongas. The coalition is also working on a resource guide, and recently submitted a regional economic development organization grant application. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 10:03 a.m. Next Meeting: November 16, 2016 Approved on: November 16, 2016