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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-01-11-SSCC-min.pdf 1 DRAFT MINUTES SCHOOL SITES CONVERSION COMMITTEE MEETING January 11, 1981 Present Mary W Miley, Chairman, Alfred Busa, William Kennedy, Roland Greeley, William Spencer, Joseph Rooney, Nicholas Ruocco, Laura Fisher and Robert Hutchinson Also present were Phyllis Smith, Acting Clerk, Robert Bowyer, Planning Director and Peter DiMatteo, Building Commissioner The meeting was called to order at 7 30 p.m by Mrs Miley Mr Spencer made a motion to go into executive session for the purpose of considering the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property and with no intention of resuming open session Mr Greeley seconded the motion and it was voted 9 - 0 by roll call vote - Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mr, Kennedy, Mr Greeley, Mr Spencer, Mr Rooney Mr Ruocco, Mrs Fisher, and Mr Hutchinson - to go into Executive Session Sacred Heart Housing Cooperative Corp. zr mccane pastor or sacrea heart cnurch, celebrating its 50th year, indicated his concern for the young people and said this was a reason for their proposal for a mixed income housing development of the Adams School He introduced Fr Hoy who reiterated Fr McCabe's comments and said he as a handicapped person himself felt the development addressed the handicapped in its proposal Bob Verrier and Charles Vocelli, Boston architects, having experience in converting schools throughout the States felt Adams presented a nice site and said they proposed to take existing site and convert to 36 units of low and moderate income housing He said he was sensitive to the recreation area having used the soccer field and felt it should not be touched One problem they found was parking for the recreation area A tossibility for parking alternative for the recreation facility would be across the existing fire road. This could be widened without disturbing trees Another alternative would be having the driveway going down and filling in the bank They would like to add a story to the building bringing it to 3-1/2 stories in front and 4 stories in back They propose adding 8 to 10 parking spaces for the Follen Church They felt adding a story wouldn't change the character of the building too much They proposed not disturbing the existing landscaping or terrain too much Mr Hutchinson asked Mr Bowyer about zoning for the 4th floor Be said he would check it out Mr Busa asked how much land they were talking about and they indicated only the property the school has at the present time Mr Busa asked about the proposed parking They said acoroximately 65 spaces - 13 to the left, 14 behind, 18 above that and 19 to the right Mr Rooney asked whether they proposdd moving further back and they indicated yes they Proposed pulling embankment out 20 ft to provide narking for 1-1/2 cars per unit They indicated they were proposing 700, 800 and 900 square ft units .4r Snencer asked whether they could assure that the distribution of proposed owners (4v vs moderate) will stay - 2 - Michael Grogan, Director, Urban Office for Planning Affairs, said they tried to embody the essential elements of St. Brigid's Village in the Pine Grove-with the mix of income; 40% low income, 30% middle income and 30% upper income Explaining how they guarantee that a certain number of low income units remain available for low income families, he said they have a revolving fund arrangement, taking a pool of money from two sources, the original down payment together with a monthly surcharge of $2 00 or $3 00 to create a pool for guarantee for the rest of the mortgage A low income family could sell and get money they put in plus appreciation. They were asked what the price of the units would be Something around $35,000. The o•-erall cost would be $45,000 per unit The expectation is that they would get Section 8 funding They said their financing situation with Guaranty is much better than two weeks ago when their proposal was submitted Mrs .Miley said supposing there isn't any Section 8 money available - then what happens? One alternative is to work a different kind of relationship with the Lexington Housing A;zthority significantly raise the price of the upper income units Mr Hutchinson raised the question "If you received approval from the Board of Selectmen have you considered any property acquisition to the Town of Lexington and that is it and what is the timetable"? We talked about the price of $37,000 and a timetable of 12 months' construction period, being a conservative estimate with 8 weeks for completion of work on the drawing Final approval would be within three weeks after filing of completed plans Lexington Associates (Niles Co ) Lexington Associates, Tom Niles, resident and president of Niles Associates introduc-tdd members of their development organization He said he hoped the committee would come to a decision as to the use of the school to narrow down and zero in on the proposals Their proposal he said, would conform to the character of the neighborhood and would be a good tax revenue with a total value of $2,700,000 with a tax revenue of approximately $70 000 per year They made a slight change from their original proposal to 25 units; 15 one bedroom and 10 two bedroom units The main entrance would be on the ground floor, a ramp on the first floors and installing of elevators Each unit would be accessible to the outdoors Addressng the site, they indicated to minimize the parking they would provide 1-1/2 cars per apartment. They would provide access to the Town lot in back for fire engines and a pathway for walking One bedroom units would be 750 - 850 square ft. , ($68,000 to $77,000) , two bedroom 1 050 - 1,450 square ft with a price of $91,000 to $125,000 They indicated the cost of remodeling dictated the price The $90,000 units would have $450 per month expenses (exc_us_"e of mortgage) $160 in maintenance fees and $290 in real estate taxes John Clancy showed plans of the units The ground floor units would have private patios, upper floors -would have balconies confined to the sides and rear of the building Plans are to use the building height They would be willing to make a reasonable contribution to the alternate parking sites, with access about four lots down, which micnt ne good to provide access to the playing fields They are willing to contribute some units to the Housing Authority for resale by an offset against the price - 3 - Asked about cost for acquisition, they said they didn't know There is some room for payment They were looking more to providing long-term tax revenue to the town When asked about upgrading of the facility to comply with building code changes, they said yes they felt they would have to comply completely Mr Greely asked about the change in the floor level and didn't that create dead space They indicated yes and that they proposed raising the floor level but that units would be entered at corridor level Mrs Fisher asked if they thought they could sell the units at the price mentioned. They said yes, this compares favorably with the market They were asked if they had established a purchase price irregardless of what they do to the units They said they had a reasonable guess but not a reliable idea Could the Town purchase the units at your cost? Yes What percentage are you considering as the number of units? The maximum would be 20% or five units The Housing Authority could purchase a unit from you at the HUD cost which may be less than the actual cost; that would be subtracted from the purchase price? Yes we are talking about actual dollar amount Longwood Management Inc 1 Mr Wendell Phillips introduced himself and Mr Edward Leavitt to the Committee. Proposal for supportive living - supportive services for senior adults over 55 years One bedfoom apartments in terms of nature of residents as opposed to ownership Supportive services in physical facility - living room, dining room, etc The proposal has a requirement that at least one meal a day be provided as part of the service; dinina room style vs cafeteria style Ownership has not yet been decided, could either be outright deed from resident purchasing apartment and being the holder of title or we could get a bond issue and rent the apartments The nature of the facility itself has been refined since our proposal was submitted We plan to have a nurse in one day a week :r Greeley asked whether someone could be employed and still have opportunity of eating one meal in common? Yes, the one meal a day is not necessarily the noon meal He said they plan to have a greenhouse and retain the auditorium area for kitchen facilities and dining room. He passed out brochures showing some of their work :r Greeley asked in calling them luxury apartments if they were intended for people with relatively high incomes, not subsidized housing He said it would be for moderate incomes He was also asked if he could give the Committee a dollar figure for the monthly cost He said there were too many unknowns at this time Costs for rental should be somewhere in the $650 to $800 a month range This would be my concept of moderate, not subsidized Mrs Miley asked if rental and services were in ownership No, not necessarily there are different kinds of ownership One would he to sell unit, say for 560 000 and pay a monthly fee for services that are provided The second methodology would be to pay administration fee of $20,000, which would entitle you to live there for life, in addition pay a monthly fee of x$ for services and balance of mortgage The third would be straight rental of say $650 to $800 per month plus a fee for services The intent is for it not to be cooperative We are in the business of providing services, inc_uding food services Asked if they had ever done an absolute congregate, he said not in Massachusetts but in other states Bill Kennedy asked whether they were talking about a mix of ownership vs rental No, either one or the other Bill Spencer asked if the other two meals might he offered No, we want a deinstitutionalized environment -4- Mr Ruocco asked if they would be changing the exterior of the building No Would it look the same, even the windows? Aesthetically, they would look exactly the same as they do now Asked if the building would comply with current building codes, they said yes Waldorf School Steven Levy, Faculty Chairman of the School for 10 years,introduced himself and Pat Brandeis and Dick Miller, Legal Counsel He said their original intent was to lease the school for one year, possibly two, while looking for permanent arrangements Subsequent to that they found Adams to meet every dream and need as an elementary school We liked the idea of a building that already existed. We talked to neighbors and friends about Adams Our proposal is simple and straightforward. The advantages are obvious - Follen Church and East Lexington Library have given us support. We use the school area with the least amount of disruption and preserve the historic character Access to public land would obviously be maintained for the Town. We feel we can make a competitive bid with various options 1 Make bid for outright purchase We have no interest in any investment aspect of the building 2 Purchase with right of first refusal to Town 3 Purchase with option of Town to buy back building 4 Consider long-term lease arrangement We feel that the educational quality we are able to bring to Leixngton will make people 1 in the Town proud. We have met with Dr Lawson re qualifications We are accredited 1 by the Lexington School system. We have discussed working with Lexington public schools 9 in workshops Mr Greeley asked whether they had an educational philosophy as to how big the school might become We project reaching a student population of 200 and have 113 students enrolled at present. We intend to put a ceiling of 200 on enrollment. We are prepared to make a contribution in lieu of taxes on an annual basis Mr Busa asked if they have a cost factor of what they anticipate paying for the property No, we have some idea but are not ready with a figure yet; we need to get an appraisal figure Asked whether their financing was private or who they were affiliated with, Mr Levy said about 80% is met by tuitions and 20% gifts from private sector He said they have an adequate building fund from past contributions Mr Greeley asked if Waldorf is part of a chain of private school% No, it is not but it encompasses the philosophy of other schools The Committee members indicated they had been told that the school was affiliated with a religious group Mr Levy said this was not so He and Pat Brandeis explained the philosophy and teaching of the school When asked, he indicated graduates of other Waldorf schools go on to higher education at about the same ratio as public school children. This school has not had a graduating class yet, so comparisons cannot be made Mr Greeley asked whether they expected to expand to high school grades Mr Levy said not with this school We only expect to go through Grade 8. Mr Hutchinson asked what their square footage requirement is Mr Levy said they 1 projected Adams as ideal for future needs He said their first preference would be to buy the school outright -5- 1 Mrs Fisher asked if they owned school, would they rent space at night? Mr Levy said they would prefer not to; however, they would like to make it available for community use if needed. Mrs Fisher asked if they had a summer school He said they had in the past a 6 week summer program from 9 00 A.M. to 1-00 P.M Boen Development Corp Dan Driscoll introduced himself and Phil Minervino He said the adaptive reuse of Adams will provide benefits to the Town. They are proposing 11 one bedroom, 12 two bedroom and 3 studio loft units They are thinking of selling 5 units to the Lexington Housing Authority, possibly through Turnkey allocation However, there might be some problem to be used for the allocation of condominium units They have set aside 3 units on the North side of the building for an artists community The balance of the units are to go through the market. Phil Minervino, architect, said they had done several units with Boen in the Boston area He mentioned some site problems as being 1. Vehicular access to the playing fields 2 Pedestrian access to playing fields 3 Concerns for neighbors 4 The biggest problem is the building itself It has to work internally, but also to the extent that the building remain almost exactly as it is The windows have to be replaced for energy reasons Parking requirements are 11 spaces per unit however, they might come back and ask the Town to accept one space per unit He said they have some 15 different floor plans for the units He showed a multi-level model of unit using auditorium space He said they propose to make very little changes to provide access from exterior of building into units Asked about cost per unit, he indicated he felt uncomfortable about what they felt to be a ballpark figure, but would guess $50,000 to $100,000 range Mrs Miley asked if they provided requirements for handicapped. He said, yes, at the lower level; however, they haven't addressed the question fully yet Mrs Fisher asked about projects they completed in the area He mentioned condos on Park Drive and two projects in Brighton. Bransfield Associates Mr Bransfield said his proposal created a facility for the elderly He has used first level as dining room. His plan is to grade around 15 parking spaces, 25% of total units He is proposing a congregate facility He felt this would meet the needs of the Town A firm in Concord will provide service package Real estate management could be provided. He said their concept of congregate housing design is 1 It provides housing for elderly people 2 Delivers service. 3 Provides shared facilities Mr Bransfield said in his initial proposal he proposed 24 units to be organized all on the second floor of the facility It would mean inclusion of an elevator and common areas Each unit would have a small den, lav and light cooking area. He proposes to maintain auditorium and create an aboretum. The exterior would remain prett- much as it is He proposes three alternates of financing -6- 1 Go with HUD in conjunction with Section 8 2 MFHA State rehab loan Would need commitment from Housing Authority 3 DCA and fund the facility in conjunction with Housing Authority Turnkey Project. Service funded completely by Minuteman Home Care Mr Bransfield proposed a senior center comprising two levels of building to provide space for specific term in consideration of purchase price. Improvements could be done either by Bransfield or by applying to the Department of Elder Affairs The management he said is the key and is covered immaterial handed out, Mr Greeley questioned whether he intended to put 24 units on second floor He said yes, each unit would have a bedroom, living area, kitchen area (for light cooking only) and a lay, but not a bathing facility He proposed a common bathing facility Asked what he anticipated the monthly cost to be, he said $375/month. Individuals would be paying 25% of their income Mr Spencer asked if his organization would keep ownership of building and the Council on Aging, Minuteman Home Care and Senior Center would all be tenants? He said there are two financing alternatives his preference would be for his organization to own, another alternative would be the Lexington Housing Authority Mrs Miley asked if he proposed that the Town would lease for the Senior Center He said yes The Committee agreed to meet next on Wednesday, January 14 at 7 30 P M. The meeting adjourned at 10 45 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Phyllis A. Smith