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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-11-20-HPB-min.pdf*0 Lexington Housing Partnership Board Lexington Housing Partnership Board (HPB) Meeting Minutes for Thursday November 20, 2025 Attendees: Nanette Byrnes, Ravneet Grewal, Chris Herbert, Sandra Hackman (COA liaison), Margaret Heitz, Charles Hornig (Planning Board), Christina Lin (LHRC liaison), Paul Linton, Wendy Manz (Chair), Joyce Murphy, Melanie Thompson, Betsey Weiss (Vice -Chair) Absent: Cindy Arens (Sustainable Lexington), Harriet Cohen (Clerk), Vineet Kumar (Select Board liaison), Linda Prosnitz (AHT liaison), Russ Tanner (LexHAB) Guests: Bob Pressman, Michael Schanbacher (Chair, Planning Board), Elaine Tung (Chair, Affordable Housing Trust) The Housing Partnership Board (HPB) meeting was chaired by Wendy Manz and minutes were taken by Paul Linton. The meeting was held remotely via Zoom, per authorization of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1. CaII to Order: Housing Partnership Board Meeting Ms. Manz called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. The roll was called. The board welcomed new members and liaisons, including a new liaison from the Lexington Human Rights Committee, Christina Lin. 2. Reports from Working Groups Ms. Manz confirmed the four working groups and their memberships: Priority A (Mixed -Use in Lexington Center): Ms. Byrnes (Chair), Ms. Cohen, Ms. Weiss Priority B (Less Expensive Housing): Ms. Grewal (Chair), Ms. Thompson, Ms. Murphy, Mr. Linton Priority C (Affordable Housing): Ms. Weiss (Chair), Ms. Cohen, Ms. Heitz, Mr. Herbert Priority D (Communication, Education & Community Outreach): Ms. Manz (Chair), Ms. Grewal, Ms. Murphy Each group presented status of its work to date: Priority C: Affordable Housing The group discussed affordable housing developments in the area, with Ms. Weiss presenting a report on current and proposed income -restricted units. Mr. Herbert explained regulatory approaches like the affordable housing overlay, which grants zoning relief for developments meeting certain affordability levels. Ms. Weiss shared detailed numbers on existing, permitted, and proposed units, noting a need for 500-600 more units to reach a "real"10% of affordable housing units. Ms. Tung provided an update on the Housing Authority's plans for two potential sites, while Ms. Hackman mentioned upcoming developments at 495 Bedford Street and Hartwell Avenue. The group agreed to create a spreadsheet with these numbers for easier tracking. Ms. Heitz presented research on the Lexington Armory as a potential affordable housing site, noting its location, size, and current use by the National Guard. She compared it to a similar project in Newton, which is expected to complete in 2027. Ms. Tung provided additional information on state properties, explaining that the governor's Affordable Homes Act has led to efforts to transfer underutilized state properties for housing, though not specifically prioritizing affordable housing. The group discussed the potential for future opportunities to acquire the 1 *0 Lexington Housing Partnership Board armory for housing, with Ms. Manz suggesting it could be worth exploring. Priority A: Mixed -Use in Lexington Center The group discussed upcoming meetings and research related to center zoning. Ms. Byrnes shared that Mr. Hornig will present on the current state of center zoning at a meeting on December 1st, and they are researching historical zoning and other towns' approaches. They also discussed a proposed mixed-use development at 16 Clark Street, which will be considered by the Historical Districts Commission on December 4th. The group plans to attend the Center Committee's next meeting to gauge their priorities for the center area. Ms. Byrnes mentioned she is compiling a list of towns to study for zoning practices, and Ms. Manz advised consulting with town staff about 40R projects, as the town previously considered them but determined they weren't practical. Priority B: Less Expensive Housing The group discussed various research topics related to housing in Lexington. Ms. Thompson presented on strategies to incentivize smaller, detached homes and explore missing middle housing options. Mr. Linton began researching best practices for lot and frontage changes. Ms. Murphy focused on incentivizing builders to construct multifamily homes instead of singles on demolition delay lots. Ms. Grewal emphasized the importance of missing middle forms and typologies, using Vermont and Portland, Oregon as precedents. The team planned to collaborate on visuals to help residents imagine what missing middle housing could look like in Lexington. Priority D: Communication, Education & Community Outreach The group discussed creating a website to support HPB's housing policy initiatives, with Ms. Manz proposing to request a small budget from the town manager to hire a professional designer. The working groups will focus on affordable housing, missing middle housing, and community outreach, with Working Group D specifically tasked with developing educational programs to address misinformation and build community support for housing policies. Housing Goals and Timeline Planning The group discussed timelines for developing a detailed map of technical tasks related to housing goals, aiming for a first draft by the end of January and a final presentation to the Select Board by March. It was acknowledged that comprehensive solutions would take longer. There was agreement to focus on achieving a true 10% affordable housing goal, as this was emphasized by the Select Board. Christina shared updates on training opportunities for facilitated conversations and highlighted the importance of considering human services supports for housing initiatives. The group also discussed the need for community outreach to gather input on housing priorities and the impact of existing and proposed developments in the area. The board encouraged the recruitment of additional community members to support their efforts. 3. Update on November 13 Lexington Woods ZBA Meeting The board discussed the timing challenges for the Lexington Woods project, where the developer needs Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approval by December 2nd for state funding, though the actual funding decision won't come until January due to ZBA meeting schedules. Ms. Tung explained that while the project has strong support from town officials and community 2 Lexington Housing Partnership Board members, the developer must first get pre -approval before the full application in March, requiring site control confirmation from the ZBA. 4. Next ZBA Meeting Is December 11 The board agreed to consider writing a supportive letter by December 2nd, though they noted any additional letter would need formal board approval at a public meeting. The board authorized Ms. Manz to write a letter supporting the Lexington Woods parcel for 40 affordable units, with the goal of expediting approval. 5. Liaison Reports Planning Board: Mr. Hornig reported on the Planning Board's meeting of November 19th. They discussed potential zoning changes to bring to spring Town Meeting (TM), including proposals for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), SRDs, and more inclusionary housing in the village overlay districts. These will be further discussed at their December 10th meeting. Ms. Thompson noted there was discussion of whether it was prudent to bring more housing issues to TM so soon after last year, as well as changing the rounding of number of affordable units (to round UP rather than the current practice of rounding down). Mr. Hornig noted that construction fencing was up at 231 Mass Ave, though it was unclear if a building permit had been issued. CPC: Mr. Linton reported that the CPC has met 6 times this fall. Seven proposals were submitted, two were withdrawn. At the November 6 meeting, Ms. Morrison of LexHAB and Ms. Tung of the Affordable Housing Trust (AHT) presented in support of their proposals. Mr. Linton stated that Ms. Tung did a great job of explaining to the CPC members the control mechanisms in place for the funding they receive. He displayed a pie chart showing total funding of CPC funding through FY2026; Community Housing has received 18%. Ms. Tung stated that since the establishment of the AHT, this percentage has risen from around 12%. 6. Review and Approve Minutes The draft of the October 21 minutes was to have the first names of participants changed to Ms. or Mr.; Mr. Linton had been tasked to do this, but had not. Ms. Weiss moved that the minutes for October 9, October 21, and November 3 be approved subject to the minor name changes. Ms. Byrnes seconded the motion. In favor: Ms. Weiss, Ms. Heitz, Ms. Byrnes, Mr. Linton, Mr. Hornig, Ms. Murphy, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Grewal, Ms. Manz Against: <none> Abstain: Mr. Herbert 7. New Business The Board discussed a moderate 2 -bedroom condo unit application at 89 Pleasant Street and a withdrawn Town of Lexington land acquisition proposal for Silk Fields Farm. Mr. Hornig announced his resignation from the Housing Partnership but confirmed he would remain on the Planning Board. He said he would be happy to lend his help to housing efforts. Many members of the board expressed their appreciation to Mr. Hornig for his many contributions. 3 Lexington Housing Partnership Board Ms. Byrnes asked about an architect's envisioning of what buildings in the center could look like with MBTA Communities Act zoning, and if anyone had a copy. Mr. Hornig believes that was presented to Town Meeting in 2022; he would have to search through his records for a copy. 8. Setting of the Next Meeting Date The next meeting was set for Thursday December 18th at 7 PM, to be held remotely via Zoom. Mr. Herbert brought up the need to distribute liaison reports in advance of meetings for review; printed reports would need to be submitted early enough (at least 48 hours prior to the meeting) to be attached to the agenda. 9. HPB Adjournment Ms. Weiss moved for adjournment. Ms. Heitz seconded the motion. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the HPB voted by roll call of 10-0-0 to approve the motion. The meeting adjourned at 9:05 pm. 4