HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973-10-17-LCSR-min.pdf LEXINGTON COMMISSION ON SUBURBAN RESPONSIBILITY 17 October 1973
NEXT MEETING 21 November
Present L Brown, S Brown, Butters , Clarke, Davison, Eaton,
Hathaway, Maloney, Michelman, Plasse, Power, Riffin,
Russo, Silva Also Mary Ringer, LWV Observer
Elizabeth Clarke was unanimously elected Chairman
for 1973-74 Election of a Recording Secretary was OFFICERS
deferred until the next meeting Mrs Clarke appointed
Mr Michelman Recording Secretary pro tem
Mr Michelman reported that the Selectmen have
again extended their moratorium on disposition of tax-
title lots, this time through March 31, 1974 Mr
Michelman stated his opinion that if a development
program had not been worked out and approved by that
time, no further extension should be requested
According to his report, no further steps in
developing the program can be taken until the Housing
Authority has signified its approval of the general
scheme and agreed to act as sponsor and owner of the
housing There is still plenty of time to draft any
necessary Warrant Articles before the Warrant closes SCATTERED-SITES1
in late December, and to work up the details of the
program in time for the 1974 Annual Town Meeting
However, time does continue to pass and the Housing
Authority -- at this time preoccupied with selection
of a new Executive Director -- has not yet agreed
to a meeting with the subcommittee working on the
scattered-sites program. Mr Michelman stated his
opinion that it would be impossible or extremely
difficult to carry out a scattered-site program of
the type contemplated without the involvement of the
Housing Authority
The Commission agreed that a letter on behalf
of the subcommittee should be sent to each member
of the Housing Authority, requesting a special
meeting in early November to discuss the scattered-
sites program Mr Michelman will send the latter,
attaching the several memoranda produced by the
subcommittee
Mr Michelman further reported on the status
of H6661, a package bill dealing with public
housing This bill includes an authorization to
local housing authorities to use turnkey procedures H 6661
on non-federally aided projects The subcommittee
-2-
believes that the availability of such procedures
would enhance the Lex Housing Authority' s ability
to carry out a scattered-sites project The turnkey
proposal has met political resistance -- mainly, it
is believed, from subcontractors who have a stake
in the competitive bidding laws The bill is now
tied up in the House Ways and Means Committee, one
member of which is Lexington' s Rep Lincoln P Cole,
Jr
The Commission agreed that the Chairman should
request the Selectmen to communicate with Mr Cole
urging support of the turnkey authorization; or
for their leave for the Commission to communicate
with Mr Cole directly
Messrs Mark Moore and Hank Spaulding were
present at their request to make a presentation and
engage in discussion concerning their possible plans
to renew at the 1974 Annual Town Meeting a request
for rezoning their "Drummer Boy" land to "RM" for
a condominium development of 150 units They
explained that their development would have a density
of 2 4 units per acre although the "RM" zoning
classification allows up to 12 units per acre Units
would sell at prices ranging from $29, 500 to $59, 500
The least expensive units would be about 1000 sq ft
in size, and have one bedroom or possibly two Most
of the other units would be 2 BR, some would have a
den or third bedroom. They anticipate few children
and a substantial fiscal benefit for the Town
A financial analysis was presented to show that
a household could afford to occupy a $29, 500 unit on
an annual income of $6 ,240, or a $39,500 unit on an
income of $8 , 680 -- assuming that the household already
owned sufficient equity in a home to pay the purchase
price in cash, leaving only taxes, utilities, and
service charges to be paid on a monthly basis
DRUMMER BOY
Messrs Moore and Spaulding seemed chiefly
interested in knowing whether provision of housing
in the price range they described was a prospect in
which the Commission might take a special interest;
and they also sought more general reaction to their
proposal and suggestions abouts its prospects
Mr Plasse questioned whether the Town Meeting' s
attitude towards such a proposal was greatly affected
by questions of price and fiscal impact He
suggested that the physical impact on a neighborhood
of a large project was the chief source of concern,
and that it might be advisable to request rezoning
now for a fraction of the project with the intention
-S-
of asking for the rest in a future year after people
had a chance to appraise the impact of the first
portion Mr Plasse further pointed out that,
without doubting the good intentions of particular
proponents, many people feared that once "RM"
zoning was granted there would be some change of
eventual densities greatly in excess of 2 4 per acre
The developers responded with some doubts about
ability to market housing in the $30 ,000 - $40 ,000
range without building the whole project at once
They also said, as to concern about densities under
"RM, " that they were planning to suggest a new
zoning classification to the Planning Board
Mr Maloney expressed the view that housing in
the price range described would serve a real and
significant need in Lexington Mr Michelman and
Mrs Brown agreed with this, and stated that support
for the proposal might be based on that observation
even though no housing was provided at the price
"ranges which have customarily been called "moderate"
and which might help meet metropolitan-wide needs
for housing less affluent households
Mr Eaton distributed a statement of the
functions proposed for the subcommittee on housing
which he is organizing, announced that the sub-
committee will hold its first meeting on October 23,
and reported briefl- on the symposium on housing
which he attended on October 2 at Faneuil Hall
He said that he had taken three messages away from HOUSING
the symposium. (1) there is a metropolitan need SUBCOMMITTEE
for housing; (2) the need is for unsubsidized as
well as subsidized housing; (3) if the local
communities don't figure out a way to provide the
needed housing, someone else will step in and do
it