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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-05-AHTBT-minAffordable Housing Trust Meeting Minutes of May 5, 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, Tiffany Payne, Linda Prosnitz (joined at 11:13 am) Staff present: Carol Kowalski, Assistant Town Manager for Development; Elizabeth Rust, RHSO Director; Ragi Ramachandran, Administrative Assistant Ms. Tung chaired the hybrid meeting and called the meeting to order at 11:10 am. 1. Approve Meeting Minutes The meeting minutes approval was postponed to next meeting. 2. Chair, Select Board, Board/Committee Liaison and RHSO/staff report Mr. Erickson shared the update from the LexHAB meeting on Apr. 30th. LexHAB received a $50,000 grant from the Dana Home Foundation for accessibility and safety upgrades. The LexHAB board discussed the status of Vine Street project and RFP issuance process. Ms. Payne updated that Lexington Housing Authority's next meeting was scheduled for May 8th. Ms. Prosnitz shared the update from Housing Partnership Board's (HPB) meeting. There was discussion on Housing Needs Assessment and how the final report will be rolled out and presented. The HPB had approximately $8000 in the Lexington Housing Foundation that has been dissolved and the amount was given to LexHAB. Ms. Rust stated that the Affordable Housing Trust will receive a copy of the Housing Needs Assessment group's final report and will have the opportunity to make a comment. Ms. Tung stated that Causeway Development held their second community meeting on April 28th on Lowell St project, and majority of comments from neighbors and public were about traffic. Ms. Tung mentioned two grants, a grant for Safer Streets, and a bottleneck grant. Causeway Development will make a note of all public comments and post it on their website. Ms. Kowalski agreed to check with Ross Morrow, the Assistant Town Engineer, on the two grants. 3. Grant to LexHAB — Purchase of 26 Douglas Road, Lexington Ms. Tung stated that in March 2025 in an Executive session, the Affordable Housing Trust unanimously approved a grant to LexHAB in the amount of $1,100,000 for the purchase of a single-family home, with the condition of creating two affordable units. The property was previously used as a parsonage by Pilgrim Congressional Congregational Church who offered to sell the property at substantially below market price to LexHAB. The Grant agreement requires the creation by LexHAB of two affordable units — a 3 -bedroom, 2 bath unit on the ground level, and a 1 -bedroom, one and a half bath accessory dwelling unit on the lower level. Both units are to meet the requirements to be added to the town's subsidized housing inventory. Additionally, the Affordable Housing Trust required that the income level in perpetuity for renters of both units are not to exceed 60% of Area Median Income. Page 1 of 3 Bob Pressman asked about LexHAB's funding estimate for the creation of the accessory dwelling unit. Mr. Erickson responded that LexHAB has budgeted $350,000 but are optimistic that they can do it for under $300,000. 4. MBTA Buydown Ms. Tung stated that the Catalyst Fund grant will not meet the Trust's needs regarding MBTA buydown due to the 2 -year requirement for funds to be used. The Trust considered the HousingWorks Infrastructure Program (HWIP) which has a 4 -year requirement for funds to be used, and there was a possibility to apply for a higher grant amount. The HWIP application is due early June and the Trust plan to complete the application by the end of May. Mr. Erickson agreed to work on the grant application. Ms. Prosnitz shared details on the proposed contract with Bonz and Company. Ms. Prosnitz stated that Bonz and Company are an appraisal firm who does appraisal of residential commercial properties. They are located in Lexington and do a lot of affordable housing appraisals. As part of the contract, the consultant will review the proposals that the Trust receive from developers for the buydowns. The contract was for under $10,000 and doesn't require bidding. The intent was to receive professional advice on whether or not the pricing the Trust were receiving was reasonable. Ms. Prosnitz is working with Liz Mancini, Town Purchasing Director, and Bonz and Company to finalize terms and language on the contract. Ms. Tung requested a motion for the Affordable Housing Trust Chair to be authorized to sign the contract with Bonz and Company on behalf of the Trust, as discussed. The contract will include the Town's appropriate language and terms. Ms. Prosnitz moved. Mr. Sandeen seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Payne — yes, Sandeen — yes, Erickson — yes, Prosnitz — yes, Tung — yes). Ms. Tung asked about the timeline for recording of regulatory agreement for an affordable unit. Ms. Rust explained the LIP application process and clarified that the regulatory agreement was to be recorded before the developer applies for a building permit, and amendments are possible but rarely accepted after the agreement is complete. Abigail McCabe, Town Planning Director added that the regulatory agreement needs to be recorded prior to the issuance of the occupancy permit. S. Housing Summit Ms. Tung shared her thoughts about the Housing Summit. Ms. Tung proposed the summit for a broader housing policy discussion, to gather perspectives from all Housing stakeholders on homeownership, rental, moderate income, and extremely low-income housing needs in Lexington. Ms. Rust suggested Jennifer Goldson, Planning Consultant, as a facilitator for the summit. Ms. Kowalski expressed concern about hearing about this for the first time, and the lack of communication and coordination with the Town Staff, and Planning Board. Ms. McCabe noted that while significant zoning changes have been made, actual housing has not been produced yet in town. There is a misunderstanding in the community about the current state of housing. She suggested that public meetings must include an education component to address those misconceptions. Ms. McCabe expressed hesitation in hiring a consultant for the Summit as this work was done couple of years back for the housing summit in 2022. She suggested focusing on the housing developments in the past couple of years. The Trustees shared their vision for the Housing Summit. They felt a housing summit was needed to bring together stakeholders and the community for a comprehensive conversation on affordable housing in Lexington. The group discussed the importance of understanding the needs and strategies of their housing partners, including the Planning Board, and how these might differ from the broader community. Page 2 of 3 Ms. Tung will reach out to the housing partners, LexHAB, Lexington Housing Authority, and Housing Partnership Board regarding the housing summit. Ms. Tung will contact the Chair of the Planning Board to discuss the most efficient way to involve them in the housing strategy discussions. Ms. Tung will reach out to the Chair of the Select Board regarding the Affordable Housing Trust's plans for housing strategy discussions. The trustees agreed to invite the housing partners to a future Trust meeting to discuss housing strategies and goals for the housing summit. 6. Adjourn Mr. Sandeen moved to adjourn the Affordable Housing Trust meeting. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Prosnitz — yes, Erickson — yes, Payne — yes, Sandeen — yes, Tung — yes). The meeting adjourned at 12:48 pm. Page 3 of 3