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Home My WebLink About2026-02-12-LCC-min.pdfTown of Lexington Lexington Center Committee Submitted by Kat MacDonald Minutes for the meeting held on Thursday, February 12, 2026 beginning at 8:30 am in the Parker Room, Town Office Building, Lexington, Massachusetts Members present: T. Eric Ballard, Katherine Huang, Stephen Jackson, Jeffrey Lyon, Kat MacDonald, Jerold Michelson (Chair), Danit Netzer, Jon Wakelin Liaisons present: JayAbdella, EDC; Doug Lucente, Select Board; Sandhya Iyer, EDD; Olivia Kelley, Lex Chamber of Commerce; Tina McBride, Planning Board Guests present: Dawn McKenna, Carol Sacerdote DPW Update (Jerry) • Town removed snow timely but with significant damage. • Many new sidewalks, curbs, rotary, street furniture as well as new staff plowing were rhallang0Q Npprl to aeI' nava P ‘mhathar itame ran ha fladw ri in arivanro to haln those who clear snow. Economic Development Update (Jay and Sandhya) • 1800 Mass Ave (Signature Stationers) o Interest in adding a restaurant; renter working with an architect. Lots of prospective interest but limitations come with the space. Owner also owner of adjacent red building; both likely tear downs sometime in future. • Via Lago Space • Lirniied eieciricai cauaciiy has beer' an issue. Owner seeks Lu increase hum 800 amps to 2,000 amps. Working with Eversource. Concern there may not be adequate electrical capacity in Center. Restaurants can apply for a waiver from all -electrical restrictions. • Ch tnninn Cnknnl of Mn+r, o Planning to open in summer; working with Lexpress/parents to mitigate parking/dropoff issues. Lexpress routes have contracted over the years. • Upcoming Event: o Lunar New Year and Lantern Festival— March 1 Page 1 of 3 Liberty Ride and Tourism Opportunities • Tourism Committee voted 6-0 (with 1 abstention) to recommend to the Select Board to continue the Liberty Ride beyond the existing contract period. • Ca nrlhva chararl thni.:Fnn avninrorl nartnorind xn,ith Mini iitaman NP anti nthor to A,nQ but did not receive applied for federal grant. EDD also explored Old Town Trolley (Boston) to bring Boston visitors to Concord/Lexington but Concord pulled out first, then trolley company. • Some discussions surrounding the Liberty Ride are false. The 90 minute route goes into Concord but does NOT drop off anywhere in Concord. • LCC raised possibility of coordinating with the Lexpress. Sandhya stated this could not include I-tistorical Society Guides and would need to be self -tours. This would also require a new route through Lincoln and Concord which would require extensive negotiations. Currently, the Liberty Ride is the only vehicle allowed in Minuteman NP • The main issue with continuing the Liberty Ride is that the vehicle needs replacement. Maintenance issues have been significant. Current rates are $220/hr fur tilt veilicie and di ivei. iuseuh's Tien isliui tdtiuii Cuiiipaily (Medford) is the uui ieiit operator and the only operator who continues to bid on the RFP. o The estimates for a new trolley are $100,000 upfront with $280/hr for vehicle and driver. n Tho Tmnin of 1 avindtnn rnncirlororl ri inning the:, 1 iharty Rina hi it ova dissuaded by the huge insurance cost as well as maintenance and storage of the vehicle. Dawn McKenna shared some of the history of the Liberty Ride: o The original. purpose of the Liberty Ride was to get peopie to come to Lexington and spend their money in Lexington. Businesses have definitely benefitted from the presence of the Liberty Ride. o The Liberty Ride now has a 25 year reputation for contributing to the on nrs e,rtn.in a<re,“.l+h /.i 1 own.-c+1,n Coon+or s...s 1V1111V 51 V VV 111 V1 LV/`II I5lV11 VV11LV1. o A future RFP requires a new trolley which would need to be amortized over 7 or 10 years. We need to have conversations with prospective trolley operators. o Lexington won a creative marketing award because of the Liberty Ride. Many people know Lexington because of the Liberty Ride. o There is currently over $300,000 in the tourism revolving fund. This money could be used to fund the future of tourism in Lexington. Page 2 of 3 • Summary: o The future of the Liberty Ride is scheduled to be put before the Select Board on March 9th. LCC will not make its own recommendation to the Select Board regarding the Liberty Ride. 16 Clarke Street Development Update • New version of plans includes a smaller section of the 4th floor for community tenant amenities. • HDC are meeting March 5th on Zoom. Anyone interested should participate. Updates on Information Gathering on Committee Priority Items Traffic and Transportation Study (Innessa M) o Refer to Memo addressed to CC dated 2/12/26 o Group should perhaps be re -named "Center Parking and Circulation" o There is currently no funding for this work. A One Stop Grant is available. If we applied now, we would hear November or December. The funding would follow 2-3 months later. o Items for consideration: Pay by Phone, Day vs Night Parking, Number of spots/valet parking/garage parking; Need to consider benchmark number of spots needed for full occupancy in Lexington Center. Lexington Center Committee voted to accept the minutes of the December 2025 and January 2026 meetings as written. Meeting adjourned 10:00 Next Meeting: March 12th 8:30-10:00 Page 3 of 3 Town of Lexington Lexington Center Committee DATE: February 12, 2026 TO: Center Committee Members• T. Eric Ballard, Jr., Upasna Chhabra, Mike Harris, Katherine Huang, Stephen Jackson, JJery Lyon, Kat MacDonald, Innessa Manning, Jerold Michelson (Chair), Danit Neter, Jon I/akelin. Liaisons: Doug Lucente, Select Board, Tina McBride, Planning Board, Michael Boudett, CEC, Sandhya Iyer, EDD, Jay Abdella, EDC FROM: Innessa Manning FOR DISCUSSION: Traffic & Transportation Study (proposed renaming "Center Parking and Circulation") BACKGROUND During our goal setting exercise in the Fall of 2025, "Traffic & Transportation" received the most votes from Center Committee members to follow up on as a 2025-26 priority area. EFFORTS TO DATE_ • Jeffrey Lyon, Katherine Huang, Kat MacDonald, and Innessa Manning volunteered to follow up. • EDD shared: RFP, Recommendations, and Map from the 2014 Study that led to many parking management changes and still referred to help EDD in their work today • Outreach to the Bike Committee and the Transportation Committee • Innessa's conversation with EDD • Jeff reviewed Map FINDINGS • Liaisons identified from the Bike Committee (Sarah Hews) and the Transportation Committee (Kanal Botla and Jay Luker) willing to work jointly with the Center Committee • Initial feedback from Bike Committee (see below) • EDD o Suggested renaming this priority "Center Parking and Circulation" to better capture what issues we are trying to explore. o Identified a possible grant funding source (Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Capital Grant Program) and is willing to work with us to solidify a Scope of Work and apply for the grant. o Indicated that findings from this study would be helpful for their work as parking/parking management are often issues raised by property owners and retailers looking to develop or move into Lexington Center. • Jeff identified issues on the Map (private ownership showing as "public") • At the last Center Committee meeting (January 15, 2026) we discussed balancing moving forward with scheduled/planned capital projects such as the "Michelson Lot" redesign with consideration of changes to traffic flow that are known to be coming. NEXT STEPS/QUESTIONS • Is this topic remains a priority for the Center Committee (or not)? • Should we work with EDD to pursue the MA Downtown Grant? o As we work offline with EDD on the Scope of Work, how do we coordinate with broader committee? o Who is interested in being the "we"? o Are there committees other than Bike and Transportation that we should involve? • Who can Jeff work with to update the Map? FEEDBACK FROM THE BIKE COMMITTEE 1. The importance of safety (members of the public visiting the town center and those passing through using all modes of transport). 2. The town's commitment to Net Zero, • Lexington's Renewable Future: Getting to Net Zero Emissions Roadmap & Recommendations (2018) • https://\Www.lexingtonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2527/Getting-to-Net-Zero-Fmissions- Plan-PDF?bidld= 3. The Lexington Town -wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan • Accepted by the Select Board on May 6, 2024 • h r 1 1_1/Town-wide-Bicycle-and-Pedestrian-Plan (Page 65 for details on bike lanes in Lexington Center) • Note: ari of the priorities identified in the Lexington Town -wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan recommends creation of a bike lane that would run down Muzzey to the High School impacting ctirrent 22 parking spots (including 1 handicap). An addition 1 spot on Waltham is also being explored for conversion to a bike parking hub.