HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-26-EDAC-min.docxJune 26, 2025 EDAC Meeting Minutes
Attendees: Rick DeAngelis, Steve Kaufman, Adrienne Ortyl, Jingshi Hu, Charlie Minasian,
Justin Fleming, Sam Ang
Select Board: Doug Lucente, Joe Pato
Planning Board: Charles Hornig
Sandhya Iyer, lay Abdella
The Economic Development Advisory Committee met on June 26, 2025, and discussed
Lexington's business and office market conditions, including a reported 14% commercial
vacancy rate and strategies to engage small businesses and major employers such as Takeda,
along with trends in office attendance and remote work. The Committee reviewed updates on
restaurant and retail spaces, including planned openings, property ownership changes, and
challenges associated with large vacant spaces, and discussed potential approaches to attract
family -friendly and appropriately priced dining options. Members examined broader
commercial development challenges, including space subdivision, rental feasibility, and the
Town's limited ability to offer tax incentives, while noting potential policy tools and first-year
business support concepts. The Committee discussed zoning updates and development
planning, including the need to modernize the zoning use table to better accommodate
evolving and hybrid business models, reviewed zoning and permitting processes and
comparisons to peer communities, and discussed opportunities for greater flexibility in
commercial districts and tourism -supportive uses. The Committee also discussed updating its
charge, approved minutes from the prior meeting, noted a current committee vacancy.