HomeMy WebLinkAbout1969-02-05-LCSR-rpt.pdf LEXINGTON COMMISSION ON SUBURBAN RESPONSIBILITY February 5, 1969
STATEMENT ON HOUSING POLICY
1 Lexington should increase its supply of housing for people
of low and moderate income
The Federal Housing Act of 1968,, the National Commission on Urban Problems,
the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, as well as other expert groups
that have examined critical urban issues are in agreement that the nation's total supply
of housing must be increased at an accelerated rate, and that the housing needs of
families of low and moderate income must be met, at least in part, by the provision of
new housing at a cost they can afford The consistent past failure to build new housing
fast enough strongly suggests that each individual suburban community in the United
States has a direct and immediate responsibility to re-examine its own position with
respect to encouraging additional housing to help meet these needs It is our belief
that, on its own initiative, Lexington should consciously and deliberately increase its
own housing supply in a manner that would broaden the housing choice for a wider
range of people in search of better housing
2 This housing should be available to people living in the
core city who as a matter of free choice would like to
move to the suburbs 1
We believe that our actions as citizens of Lexington should be fully consistent
with and in support of our equally important roles as residents of a metropolitan com-
munity We recognize the existence of powerful destructive forces growing out of
racial conflict We recognize that this conflict is accentuated by the scarcity of low
and moderate cost housing available to Blacks outside the core city We believe that
as we address ourselves to a housing program for Lexington, we have a direct and
pressing obligation to contribute to the relief of racial tensions by helping to relieve
the housing pressures of the central city
3 This housing should be available to core city residents who
cannot take advantage of job opportunities on Route 128
because they cannot afford to live in nearby suburbs
The current trend in the nation's metropolitan areas is for employment opportunities
to be created, not so much in the central city, as in suburban locations Route 128
serves as a dramatic example America's future economic vigor and social stability
depend on encouraging an ever broadening range of employment choice for all We
believe that the plant location encouragement given to employers by the nation's sub-
urban communities carries with it an obligation on the part of those same communities
to provide not only more housing opportunites but greater choice of housing types for
prospective workers regardless of the level of their earning capabilities
4 This housing should be available to Lexington residents and
employees who cannot now afford to live in Lexington
(over)
r
Because of its illustrious place in American history, its pleasant physical charac-
teristics, its accessible location within the metropolitan area, and its excellent schools,
Lexington enjoys a favorable position in the competitive housing market, and housing
costs in Lexington are on the rise
This market condition places a burden on some present Lexington residents and
employees of moderate or fixed income: they are faced with the prospect of seeking
housing of lower cost outside their home community
We believe that the practice of building only relatively expensive housing is
inconsistent with the objective of each community, which should be to broaden the
range of available housing rather than narrow it We believe that any family or indi-
vidual who wants to live in Lexington should have the opportunity to find suitable
housing
5 Lexington children should grow up among all kinds of people
The real world in which even the suburbanite must live is made up of many kinds
of people - many races, many creeds, many cultures. With the revolutions in trans-
portation and communications now in process, the interplay among the leaders of these
people will become increasingly frequent, close -- and critical We believe that we
have an obligation to our children to provide them with an environment in which they
may develop a familiarity with, an understanding of, and appreciation for the many
kinds of people who live, act and react in the world around them
We believe that we are frustrating our children's potential for becoming the re-
sponsible, mature and sensitive adult leaders so critically needed if in their formative
years, they live in a community in which their day-to-day experiences are limited to
contacts with others so much like themselves
6 Lexington should take the initiative
We believe that we have sufficient local resources to guide the growth of the
town in a responsible and effective manner, if we take the initiative If local in-
itiative is not assumed, the pressures of population growth and national and inter-
national developments may well dictate the form and character of the Lexington of
the future
We believe that existing local groups and agencies can and should be encouraged
to become the instruments of well-considered community growth and change
The comprehensive town plan developed by a consultant for the Lexington
Planning Board sets forth proposals far accomplishing the objective of increasing the
housing supply and broadening the housing choice We believe that this compre-
hensive plan should serve as the guideline for the prompt implementation of a housing
program For Lexington