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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-20-AHTBT-min Page 1 of 2 Affordable Housing Trust Meeting Minutes of February 20, 2025 11:00 am Hybrid meeting on Zoom and attended in-person in the Parker Room, Town Office Building Affordable Housing Trust Board Members present: Elaine Tung, Chair; William Erickson, Mark Sandeen, Linda Prosnitz Absent: Tiffany Payne Staff present: Carol Kowalski, Assistant Town Manager for Development; Ragi Ramachandran, Administrative Assistant Ms. Tung chaired the hybrid meeting and called the meeting to order at 11:07 a.m. 1. Special Town Meeting Warrant Article 2 Ms. Tung began the meeting by explaining that she had sent out a draft position statement to all the trustees with the decision section left blank since the Trust had not decided their position. Ms. Tung then proceeded to explain that she drafted the position statement to include everything discussed at the last meeting, positions from the public, letters from the Appropriation Committee, comments made at the last Planning Board meeting, and the position of the Housing Partnership Board. Ms. Tung also explained that she made the position statement comprehensive, and that she included what the MBTA Communities Act entails and how it affects affordable housing. The trustees discussed their stance on article 2 of the Special Town Meeting Warrant. The trustees expressed concerns about the proposal in article 2 with a general consensus emerging to refer article 2 back to the Planning Board for further professional analysis and to evaluate potential impact. The trustees shared that they were not in favor of article 2 as written. They debated how comprehensive their position statement should be, weighing whether to focus on affordable housing impacts or provide broader context about the MBTA Communities Act. They noted the need to address public concerns about rapid development and financial impacts while acknowledging the lack of reliable data on some of the issues. Ms. Tung raised the concern about how to address the growing number of applications to the Planning Board. Ms. Tung stated that Lexington residents worry about the cost and how they will afford to stay in Lexington. Mr. Sandeen stated that passing of article 2 could lead to an unexpected surge in property freezes. The freeze which could last for 3 to 8 years, allow property owners to reserve their rights to develop their land without being affected by zoning changes. There was discussion on financial impact, Mr. Sandeen felt that the Trust should not give their input on finances in the position statement. The trustees emphasized the importance of considering the overall economic vitality of Lexington rather than focusing solely on housing. The trustees agreed to include specific comments about the lack of professional studies and the need for a more comprehensive impact study. Ms. Tung asked Ms. Kowalski what the impact study examined. Ms. Kowalski explained that the impact study looked at a set of community impact projections, and that it will use a factor based on already existing multifamily housing, and it will create a model to use for future developments. Page 2 of 2 The Trust discussed the details to present in the position statement, which included discussions on SHI, aging, the State, MBTA developments, the economy, Town involvement, the energy burden, the number of units, grants, funding, timelines, and the density bonus. The Trust agreed that they did not support passing article 2 since it will negatively impact affordable housing and since any changes made should occur after substantial analysis and public comment. They also agreed that they needed to present this before the Planning Board. Ms. Tung will revise and finalize the Affordable Housing Trust position statement based on the discussion and feedback from the meeting. Ms. Tung will send the approved position statement to Select Board and post the position statement on the TMM lists. Ms. Tung will present the Trust’s position at the Planning Board meeting on Feb. 26th. Mr. Sandeen moved that the Affordable Housing Trust approve the position statement as discussed in the meeting and authorize Ms. Tung to make final changes to the position statement, and speak at the Planning Board meeting on Wed, Feb. 26. Ms. Prosnitz seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 4-0-0, by a roll call vote (Prosnitz – yes, Erickson – yes, Sandeen – yes, Tung – yes). Mr. Sandeen moved that the Affordable Housing Trust recommend disapproval of Article 2 in Special Town Meeting Warrant. Ms. Prosnitz seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 4-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Sandeen – yes, Tung – yes). 2. Adjourn Mr. Sandeen moved to adjourn the Affordable Housing Trust meeting. Ms. Prosnitz seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 4-0-0, by a roll call vote (Prosnitz – yes, Erickson – yes, Sandeen – yes, Tung – yes). The meeting adjourned at 1:36 pm.