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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-08-21-MSCC-min.pdf Ad Hoc Muzzey School Conversion Committee Minutes of the Meeting of August 31, 1982 {� Present Al Busa, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Howard Reynolds, Human Services Committee Joe Rooney, Lexington Housing Authority Jacquelyn Smith, Planning Board Margaret Rawles , Town Meeting Members Association Lillian MacArthur, Housing Authority Molly Nye, Arts/Lexington Gail Colwell , Housing sub-committee of Planning Board Susan Adler, Assistant to the Town Manager Bea Phear, Human Services Coordinator Bob Hutchinson, Town Manager Mr Busa told the group they had been convened to come up with guidelines. on how to procede with the Muzzey School They should recommend criteria for the Selectmen, with guidelines on what the bidders must adhere to, and draft an advertizement for late September The Selectmen will discuss this on September 13 Mr Busa said that he felt that most of the ideas that had been received from the committees could be fit in, with the exception of Arts/Lexington, since it is commercial Housing Mr Rooney spoke of the Town' s role in addressing housing problems, since there are federal and state funding constraints Also, if the town provides the housing, we don' t have to follow all the guidelines, such as not giving priority to former Lexington residents He added that it does take time to develop housing Mrs Smith pointed out that the Planning Board would waive the 20% low income requirement if the use were "affordable" housing ($71 , 000) Although this type of housing might realize less on the sale of the building, they would be tax generating units , whereas subsidized does not produce taxes Mrs Rawles agreed that the Planning Board report on kinds of housing was appropriate to tell developers Mr Reynolds said that the Human Services committee had felt that market rate could balance non-market, since there are some market rate uses , such as elderly congregate, that are now needed but unmet in Lexington Mrs Rawles said that at Carleton Village you pay $75 , 000 down plus $700 per month, and there is a waiting list Mrs MacArthur said that the congregate proposal for Adams was approximately $900 per month per unit, with some supportive services There was strong agreement to Mr Busa ' s comment that we didn' t want to structure the transfer to allow for windfalls to the initial purchaser, as at Hancock Mrs Colwell thought that could be avoided, and she mentioned a town-based non-profit organization, limited equity condos , cooperative associations , and a variety of mechanisms for rental housing funded under MHPA, which would include 25% subsidized She is working with the advisory group to the Planning Board to get some models and an idea of construction costs and financing schemes Mrs Smith said, in regards to types of housing, that the Planning Board 2 felt there was not enough outdoor area for families , which is why they limited parking to 1 5 spaces per unit and 1 space per unit for elderly or congregate Mr Hutchinson thought maybe we can ' t do family, with state and federal money as it is , but the ranges that were referenced are the incomes of town employees , Arts/Lexington Mrs Nye said that Arts/Lexington was not commercial It is tax deductable, and artists would pay rent of about $3 per foot, which would cover expenses She said it would be a cultural benefit to the town There are other models , such as Wayland, and people in the area (such as one from Newton that she had spoken to today) have already expressed interest Mr Busa felt that the twon should not subsidize artists from Newton Mrs Rawles pointed out that Town Meeting had said non-residential space would be for the benefit of Lexington residents Mrs Smith felt that the arts idea might not fit in Muzzey, but she thinks it is an idea that has merit , and they should keep looking for space Senior Center There was much discussion on mixing senior center use with housing Mrs Rawles thought it would make it harder for a developer and would reduce his price , even beyond the cost of the center itself Mrs Smith said the Human Services proposal was appealing, and would suit a senior center while not precluding starter units for young people Her concern is with developers being required to submit two sets of plans This should be decided prior to Town Meeting , which would be helpful in bringing in the kind of developers we need Mrs Rawles felt it wasn ' t too hard to require alternatives , as the senior center plans were already done The developers would only have to come up with an alternative for that 8 , 000 square feet Mr Busa felt the center shoudl be required as an option in proposals , and if not provided in Muzzey it should be elsewhere He said he fully supports a center , but his gut feeling is that it won ' t mix with housing The. CoA won ' t suffer over the long term as other spaces will be available later, such as the Barnes property, even if it cost $600 , 000 Mr. Rooney , Mrs Rawles , and Mrs Smith all agreed that if it weren ' t in the Muzzey plan, there would have to be an alternate plan with a concrete deadline for a senior center Mr Busa said that everyone thinks a senior center is needed, and this is a commitment that the Town has made It was suggested to poll the Town Meeting members on the question of mixing a senior center with housing , which Mrs Rawles will do at their Sept 9 executive meeting They can then go and schedule precinct meetings Mrs Smith thought it was important to actively involve the CoA in any 3 presentations that were made The Manager ' s Office will start drafting some options Site Considerations Mr Busa said there had been one developer who wanted to raze the building, and the charge gave them the opportunity Was there a problem with this? Mrs Rawles felt it should be up to the developer, but Mrs Smith said that if she were the developer, she would want to know if it could fly, Mr Busa said precinct 4 was in favor of razing, and Mrs Nye said that one person on the Historic Districts CoMmission felt it was okay to raze it It was felt that this question, too , should be asked of the Town Meeting members Mrs Rawles asked if the Selectmen were going to decided ahead of time regarding sale or lease Mr Busa said it would be part of the discussion , but it was hard to put money into a lease situation Conclusion There was general consensus that alternative housing would be the major goal for use of the building Mrs Rawles will bring the questions to Town Meeting members regarding Tazing the building and the senior center The Town Manager' s Office will start drafting same options for a charge, and will distribute these to the ad hoc committee for comments before the Selectmen' s meeting of September 13 Respectfully submitted, Beatrice Phear