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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-26-AHTBT-minAffordable Housing Trust Meeting Minutes of June 26, 2025 11:30 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, Tiffany Payne 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 11:32 am. Ms. Tung moved to go into Executive session under Exemption 6 to consider the purchase or lease of real property regarding the MBTA Multi -Family Development Buy -downs. The Affordable Housing Trust Chair stated that, in her opinion, an open session would have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the Town and Affordable Housing Trust. Ms. Tung stated that the Trust will reconvene in an open session after the Executive session. 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). The Trust exited the open session at 11:35 am, and reconvened in open session at 1:03 pm. 1. Chair, Select Board, Board/Committee Liaison and RHSO/staff report Mr. Erickson reported on LexHAB's progress, on their continued wait to receive the 501(c)(3) certification from State, and that they held discussions about the upcoming housing summit. Ms. Prosnitz shared the update from Housing Partnership Board (HPB) that there were discussions on upcoming housing summit and circulation of Housing Needs Assessment final report amongst their working group. There is an open position on the HPB, applications are in and a candidate will be appointed by the Select Board. Ms. Payne provided updates from Lexington Housing Authority's meeting on June 12 highlighting concerns about proposed federal budget cuts to Section 8 and public housing programs. Mr. Sandeen talked about the Select Board's retreat to set goals, though final decisions are pending. Ms. Tung stated that the letter from EOHLC notifying the Select Board of the 30 -day comment period on the application by Causeway for a Project Eligibility Letter was received by the Select Board on June 18th. A letter is expected from the Select Board expressing support as well as consolidating community input. Ms. Kowalski will draft the letter for the Select Board's review and consideration. Ms. Kowalski asked the Board how to describe its anticipated financial contribution from the Housing Trust, in addition to the land. Ms. Rust emphasized that local contribution is expected for competitive applications. The Trustees agreed to state that the Affordable Housing Trust is prepared to make a local contribution without specifying details. Ms. Tung inquired how the community would be notified about the 30 -day public comment period. The Select Board will submit a consolidated comment letter, including public input, within the comment period to EOHLC. The Select Board is scheduled to have the PEL letter on its July 7 agenda. Page 1 of 2 Mr. Sandeen will request the Town Manager to post the 30 -day public comment letter for the Lowell Street Project Eligibility Letter on the Town website. Ms. Tung will write a letter to the Planning Board before July 16th regarding the developer payment in lieu for SRD developments of 6 units or less. Ms. Rust updated that RHSO is working with the Town and LexHAB on the resale of an affordable unit at Pinegrove Village. The lottery is coming up and they have received a number of applications. 2. FY2026 Goals There was discussion on the draft goals and strategies put together by the Trustees. The Trustees discussed structuring their housing goals into three main categories: creation of affordable housing units, providing residential assistance, and developing a long-term strategic plan. The Trustees finalized their goals. Ms. Tung will compile and present the Affordable Housing Trust's goals to the Select Board. The group acknowledged the need to present the goals to the Select Board annually but expressed concern about completing the strategic plan due to lack of necessary information. They agreed to inform the Select Board about the resources required to gather this information before providing a comprehensive plan. There was a brief discussion on the five priorities set forth by the Select Board at a recent retreat and how the priorities relate to housing. The priorities include completing the high school project, addressing concerns as a result of the recent federal directives, community vibrancy, addressing financial viability of the community, and community livability. 3. Any other business that may properly come before the Trustees which could not be reasonably anticipated The Trustees reiterated that Ms. Payne and Ms. Tung met with the Town Manager on AHT's proposed rental assistance programs and it was well received. The Trustees felt further discussion within the group is necessary to make specific choices about the rental assistance program implementation, and that they need to flesh out more details about the program before presenting to the Select Board. 4. Adjourn Ms. Tung moved to adjourn the Affordable Housing Trust Meeting. Mr. Sandeen seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by roll call vote (Payne — yes, Sandeen-yes, Prosnitz- yes, Erickson- yes, Tung- yes) The meeting adjourned at 1:48 pm. Page 2 of 2