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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-04-10-AHTBT-min Page 1 of 3 Affordable Housing Trust Meeting Minutes of April 10, 2025 10:00 am Hybrid meeting on Zoom and attended in-person in the Ellen Stone Room, Cary Hall Affordable Housing Trust Board Members present: Elaine Tung, Chair; William Erickson, Mark Sandeen, Linda Prosnitz, Tiffany Payne Staff present: Liz Rust, RHSO Director; Kiruthika Ramakrishnan, Office Manager Ms. Tung chaired the hybrid meeting and called the meeting to order at 10:04 am. 1. Chair, Select Board, Board/Committee Liaison and RHSO/staff report Ms. Tung stated that Town Meeting passed the AHT’s request for CPA funds in the amount of $3,000,000 and the warrant article for AHT funding received over a 98% vote. 2. Lowell Street Parcel 68-44 Ms. Tung stated that Causeway’s next community meeting is scheduled for Apr il 28, 2025 to be held in the Community Room in Lexington Police Department building. The abutters out to 500 feet will be notified and there will be a discussion on the traffic report. Mr. Erickson mentioned that walkability, drainage and stormwater management may come up for discussion and Causeway must prepare to provide an update. The trustees discussed and proposed a few changes to the draft support letter for the project eligibility letter application. Ms. Tung requested a motion that the Affordable Housing Trust approve the support letter for the Project Eligibility Letter with the changes discussed in the meeting. Mr. Erickson moved. Ms. Payne seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Payne – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Tung – yes). Ms. Prosnitz explained the public comment process of the project eligibility letter application review phase. Ms. Rust shared further details on the 30-day comment period. The trustees considered the Select Board’s involvement and community engagement process during this phase. Mark Lang raised the issue of accessibility and walkability to and from the Lowell Street site. Ms. Tung responded that it was a long process for issuance of an RFP and for the Select Board to choose the developer and to enter into a Land Disposition Agreement with the developer. The Trust has been looking into accessibility but project completion is still years away and these questions will be addressed throughout the process. 3. Warrant Article 30 Ms. Tung stated that a Motion for Reconsideration has been filed on Article 30 regarding special residential development zoning. Ms. Tung asked if the Trust would like to take a position on the proposed Amendment to the Article. Ms. Tung stated that the Trust would not take a position on the Motion for Reconsideration. Mr. Sandeen explained that the current zoning language results in 13% inclusionary housing gross floor area (GFA) instead of the original 15%. Matt Daggett, Town Meeting Member Precinct 2 stated that he had filed the Motion for Reconsideration to amend the language to achieve the full 15% inclusionary housing GFA. Page 2 of 3 Cindy Arens, Town Meeting Member Precinct 3 and another proponent of the Amendment, voiced support for the Amendment, stating that town meeting members may not have fully understood the large market rate bonus provided by special residential developments compared to conventional developments. Mr. Daggett shared that the change would not deter developers from using the bylaws, as the current bylaws already allow for a significant increase in market rate GFA for these subdivisions. Ms. Arens and Mr. Daggett highlighted that the proposed change would provide more flexibility for housing advocates to achieve their goals. Ms. Tung stated that Ms. Kowalski had expressed her disagreement on any revisions to the existing bylaw that has already been approved by Town Meeting because it could make development more difficult for potential developers. The trustees discussed the language in the amendment that restricts the inclusionary housing units to 13% of the total gross floor area. They considered the unintended consequences of the current language and the proposed change to increase the percentage to 17%. There was discussion on the impact of the payment in lieu of inclusionary units on the Affordable Housing Trust. The trustees agreed to write a letter in support of the amendment for Article 30 with the goal of achieving 15% affordable housing GFA. Ms. Tung moved that the Affordable Housing Trust authorize Ms. Tung and Mr. Sandeen to write a statement in support of the amendment to Article 30, in line with the discussions in this meeting. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Payne – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Tung – yes). 4. Housing Needs Assessment Ms. Rust updated on the progress of incorporating comments and corrections received to the Housing Needs Assessment draft report. The Needs Assessment group plan to publish the report with the corrections. Ms. Rust stated that RHSO’s budget for the project has run out. Ms. Rust is working with the Town Manager and LUHD Department Head on fund ing for ongoing services. The RHSO plans to continue monitoring and supporting the Affordable Housing Trust’s initiatives. Ms. Payne discussed the importance of representation and collaboration from the various housing entities in town, and emphasized the need for a Needs Assessment report that reflects the Trust's needs. Sarah Morrison, LexHAB Executive Director, emphasized the need for a report to be released quickly, as it is critical for town meeting members to understand the basics of affordable housing, the housing challenges, and the housing needs in the commu nity. Ms. Morrison stated that it would be a foundation for the housing stakeholders to build on. Mr. Sandeen emphasized the importance of using the needs assessment to develop a specific plan for the next 3-5 years. The group debated the best way to present housing needs data to the public, with a focus on making it accessible and understandable. Ms. Rust explained the limitations of using waiting list data to quantify housing needs, pointing out that it would only represent a portion of the overall housing demand and could potentially skew the assessment towards certain types of housing. 5. Resident Support The trustees discussed the use of funds for affordable housing and the interpretation of the Affordable Housing Trust statute. While the statute allows for funding to support residents, it does not consider fuel assistance as an allowable expense. They discussed the possibility of using non-CPA funds for resident support programs. Ms. Rust responded that although the Statute doesn’t allow fuel assistance funding, it is possible to implement the program exercising the Trust’s powers with the purpose and terms detailed on a grant agreement. Ms. Tung agreed to verify this with Town Counsel. Page 3 of 3 Bob Pressman commented that Ms. Tung gave an excellent housing needs assessment at Town Meeting in support of Affordable Housing Trust’s CPC funding request for $3M. Ms. Payne presented the short-term rental assistance program developed by the working group comprising of Ms. Rust, Ms. Prosnitz and Ms. Payne. The trustees discussed how the rental assistance program can be implemented , with focus on administrative challenges. They acknowledged that the biggest hurdle is determining how to process payments to landlords. Payments would need to be made either through Town Finance or by outsourcing, if possible. The Regional Housing Services Office could handle marketing, outreach, and application review. The program would involve a three-party agreement between the landlord, tenant, and the Trust or Town. Ms. Rust clarified that RHSO would maintain records and submit for payment once paperwork is in order, but they would not issue the payments. The group considered the possibility of a lottery system for the rental assistance program. Ms. Tung mentioned that Ms. Kowalski had advised to pause resident support initiatives pending a meeting with Town staff and Town Manager. Executive Session Ms. Tung moved to go into Executive session under Exemption 6 to 1. consider the purchase of real property and 2. to consider the purchase or lease of real property regarding MBTA Multi - Family buydowns. The Affordable Housing Trust Chair stated that an open session might have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the Affordable Housing Trust. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Payne – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Tung – yes). Ms. Tung stated that the Trust will not reconvene in an open session after the Executive session. The Trustees exited the regular session at 12:10 pm. List of documents reviewed: Resident Support Working Group – Rental Assistance Program