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Home My WebLink About2003 Final List of GoalsFinal List of Goals from Meetings in Precincts Fall 2003 1. Goal: Design and promote community gathering places and events (Theme I, Goal 1) • Reuse of Cary Hall as Performing Arts Center • Youth Center • Lexington Town Day — similar to Arlington's • Community Media Center • Fruit and vegetable market 2. Goal: Address affordable housing • Provide increased housing options to promote diversity of income and age (Theme I, Goal 3) • Create strong incentives to maintain and expand affordable housing (Theme I, Goal 4) • Develop strategies for keeping housing affordable for current residents • Affordable housing in downtown — would change character of downtown and require zoning changes • Staying affordable for our older residents • Control changes to housing stock to preserve some more affordable units (use various zoning options, take small steps — not all at once like mansionization proposal) • Provide different types of housing, eg. high end, smaller units for downsizers; Encourage intergenerational living options; and ways to bring in economically and ethnically diverse population • For new people to be able to afford to move into Lexington as homeowners 3. Goal: Preserve and maintain historical areas, and celebrate the Town's place in national history for residents and tourists (Theme I, Goal 6) • Capitalize on Town's historic standing to generate tourist revenue • Enhancement of portal to Lexington to indicate historical areas 4. Goal: Provide sufficient funding for educational and learning opportunities (Theme II, Goal 3) • Make sure school budget is allocated to classroom services • Special education support — post-LHS/LABBB • Future of East Lexington Library • Completion of Library -- fully staffed and equipped, hours of operation • Maintain excellence in library • Public schools as a focus for educational excellence 5. Goal: Improve traffic and parking conditions in the Center (Theme III, Goal 1) • Not just in center, but all over town • Improve signage and crosswalks for pedestrians • Revise/regulate old road design that leads all traffic through the Center 6. Goal: Increase protected open space (Theme III, Goal 2) • Private land conservation trust/CPA • More narrowly define "open space" - what will we do with the space, involve as many constituents as possible, conservation/environmental vs. recreation - move beyond a "winner take all" mentality, examine the roles of the Planning Board and the Design Advisory Board and make connections with constituents, is it possible to maintain open space given smaller budgets and the maintenance needs of the infrastructure? 7. Goal: Limit traffic, noise and pollution from Hanscom Civilian Air Field (Theme III, Goal 5) 8. Goal: Enhance citizen involvement • Provide approaches to inspire the uninvolved of all ages to become involved (Theme IV, Goal 2) • Strengthen and support existing democratic processes for town decision-making (Theme V, Goal 5) • strengthen democratic process for involvement • Some decisions made without participation and communication - get information out to the public, ie., costs, impact on town • Feeling of powerlessness in town. Nice to talk but do we really have any power? • Address distrust/dislike for government; foster sense of community and involve those who aren't involved; Greater integrity of public discourse • Represent a wide range of all demographics in public processes • How to get our ideas realized, to be more concrete • Improve communications to ensure citizen understanding of issues/proposals • Reach out to all citizens and allow them to participate with dignity 9. Goal: Strengthen fiscal process • Encourage increased resident participation in and understanding of the fiscal process (Theme W, Goal 4) • Enhance and refine the fiscal process to make it useful and accessible (Theme V, Goal 1) • Creative non -tax based revenue sources (e.g., municipal electric utility) • Radically promote commercial development throughout Town to increase revenue, balanced with the character of the Town • Comprehensive plan for long-term fiscal stability (that recognizes "override exhaustion") including non -tax options • Lexington to explore making a commitment to integrating fiscal and environmental stability, eg. more energy efficiency • Ways to expand revenue base without going only to property taxes or fees -- find unique sources of revenue such as tourism • Plan for fiscal stability • Balance between public vs. private funding • Develop a tax capability that is equitable and appropriate to incomes • Fees vs. taxes and planning thereof • Dealing with the cyclical nature of budget - how to deal with revenue fluctuations i 10. Goal: Initiate and/or participate in regional groups to resolve common problems, address common needs, capitalize on common strengths, and share services and resources in the areas of transportation planning, open space, environmental quality/monitoring, and fiscal planning (Theme V, Goal 3) • Transportation Issues — Lexington excluded from Rte. 3 Committee — dealing with air quality, traffic, noise, wetlands/conservation land, visual impacts 11. Goal: Ensure public safety • fire and police, physical safety, Roads and lights — not just how they look but quality of light • disaster contingency planning • re -opening of East Lexington Fire Station • adequate police and fire services • restore confidence in safety (police and fire) • identify, maintain, and evaluate appropriate levels of basic services and infrastructure — public safety and public health 12. Goal: Encourage economic development • Maintain a town where it is possible for small businesses to start and continue • Clarify vision/focus for vibrant downtown Center and update old regulations to help realize it • Vital center with affordable housing (partially subsidized by parking) and accessibility to businesses • Economic Development for local businesses • Revitalization of Center movie theatre and other downtown businesses • Bring in more businesses • Preserve Central Business District by encouraging economic development as well as staying connected to the character of the town 13. Goal: Address anger/divisiveness • Address rancor, divisiveness in Town • Ombudsman • Providing factual information in response to public comments/information -- method for responding to rumors, public info/comments that may be inaccurate and are promoting divisiveness and positional behavior in public discourse (eg. in newspapers, on web, ombudsman for town) 14. Goal: Improve town aesthetics • Wires underground • Preserving trees • Address noise pollution and aesthetic deterioration • Save street trees