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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-07-23-AHTBT-min.pdf Page 1 of 3 Affordable Housing Trust Meeting Minutes of July 23, 2026, 11:00 am Hybrid meeting on Zoom and attended in-person in the Select Board Meeting Room, Town Office Building Affordable Housing Trust Board Members present: Elaine Tung, Chair; Mark Sandeen, William Erickson, Tiffany Payne, Linda Prosnitz Staff present: Ragi Ramachandran, Administrative Assistant Ms. Tung chaired the hybrid meeting and called the meeting to order at 11:08 am. 1. Approve Meeting Minutes Ms. Tung requested a motion to approve the Affordable Housing Trust meeting minutes of 5/21/26, 6/4/26 and 6/18/26 Open sessions, and 6/4/26 and 6/18/26 Executive sessions. Ms. Prosnitz moved. Ms. Payne seconded. The Trustees voted ‘Aye’ 5-0 in favor of the motion (Erickson – yes, Sandeen – yes, Payne – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Tung – yes). Meeting minutes approved. 2. Chair, Select Board, Board/Committee Liaison and RHSO/staff report Mr. Erickson and Ms. Tung shared updates from their meeting with Caileen Foley, Executive Director of Lexington Housing Authority, LHA’s consultant, and architects on a potential development on North Street. Ms. Tung reported from her discussion with the EOHLC staff at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership Housing Institute in June. For the LexHAB project, there is ongoing discussion about whether the town can impose its own affordability restriction in addition to EOHLC’s affordability restriction. Wendy Manz from Housing Partnership Board shared the update from the Housing Partnership Board (HPB). Lexington was selected as one of four communities for CHAPA's Municipal Engagement Initiative. A new member, Emily DeHoog, was appointed to the HPB. There was discussion about development of Vine Street property. Ms. Manz added that the HPB voted to authorize a letter to the Select Board requesting input into the hiring process. Melinda Walker explained the urgency behind increasing public housing units. The Faircloth Amendment which passed in 1988 put restrictions on building new units. It prevents any net increase in public housing stock beyond the level existing in October 1999. Ms. Walker said it could result in potential loss of vouchers. Ms. Walker also stated that the loss of vouchers means the loss of homes for people at very low-income levels. Finally, Ms. Walker stated that it is important for the Town to support developments like the scattered family sites that LHA is pursuing before it's too late to build them. Bob Pressman requested Mr. Sandeen for a Select Board update on the status of development on the Vine Street since the Town Meeting approved proceeding with affordable housing on the Vine Street site more than a year ago. Mr. Sandeen responded that this item has not come to the full Select Board. To a question on 114 Wood Street owned by LexHAB, Ms. Tung responded that the Affordable Housing Trust has approved conditional funding to LexHAB for constructing three new ADUs and rehabilitating the property at 114 Wood Street contingent on EOHLC’s funding approval. Page 2 of 3 Mr. Sandeen shared that he attended a Mass CEC presentation on a new ADU Resource Center launched by Mass CEC, which offers pre-qualified ADU designs and an ADU wizard tool for property assessment. The website is https://goclean.masscec.com/adu/. Ms. Tung reported from the Planning Board meeting on the status of the following developments, 16 Clarke Street, 5-7 Spring Street and 439 Marrett Rd. Ms. Tung shared the status of an appeal to the Barnstable Zoning Board of Appeals of a building permit for a homeless shelter in Hyannis. The Trust unanimously approved and voted to sign on to a letter of support for the MAPC – MAHT MAGIC region convenings. Ms. Tung requested a motion to authorize the AHT Chair to sign the letter of support on behalf of Lexington Affordable Housing Trust, for MAPC MAHT MAGIC region convenings, and to forward the letter to Gwendolyn Hellen-Sands at MAPC. Mr. Erickson moved. Ms. Payne seconded. The Trustees voted ‘Aye’ 5-0 in favor of the motion (Erickson – yes, Sandeen – yes, Payne – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Tung – yes). 3. Pilot Rental Assistance Program Update Ms. Prosnitz shared the update from Metro West that 36 applications were received, with 20 eligible applicants moving forward to the lottery scheduled for July 30, 2026. Of the 16 not eligible applications, 5 exceeded rent limits, 2 were incomplete, and 9 received other rental assistance. After the lottery, applicants will be asked to submit detailed income and rent information to confirm eligibility and determine the amount of assistance for eligible applicant. The exact amount of funds to be dispersed will depend on the verified income gap between applicants' current rent and 30% of their income. Metro West will confirm eligibility for applicants with complete applications the week of August 10, 2026, and check distribution will commence the week of August 24, 2026, for September rent assistance. Ms. Ramachandran agreed to process the invoice upon receipt from Metro West for initial funds of $50,0000 to cover program grants for initial three months. 4. 80 Bedford Street Ms. Tung reached out to the owner of 80 Bedford Street because the owner had expressed an interest in giving the property to anybody who can take it and move the carriage /coach house. Ms. Tung and Mr. Erickson as well as the Lexington Housing Authority Executive Director and Board Chair attended a meeting at the site. Mr. Erickson explained the characteristics of the property and the Trustees reviewed the images of the carriage house which is under historic designation. Mr. Erickson noted the cost of moving the house would be similar to building a new accessory dwelling unit. Mr. Sandeen mentioned the ribbon cutting of 93 Bedford Street , the first passive house development and the first MBTA community multifamily housing project that was issued a building permit in Lexington. Ms. Tung reported that LexHAB’s renovation of 26 Douglas Road is almost complete and LexHAB’s current plans are to market the property for tenancy after LexHAB receives the housing vouchers that were part of its application to EOHLC. 5. AHT Form Application for Funding The group reviewed and edited the revised funding application form - adjusting language and submission requirements. They discussed developing a simple pre-application form for funding requests, including developer, project address, brief description, anticipated funding, other sources, number of units, size, and timing. Page 3 of 3 Mr. Pressman provided clarification on the distinction between rehabilitation and renovation, explaining that CPA funds allow for rehabilitation in terms of building envelope improvements like roofs, siding, and energy efficient windows but not renovation involving major structural changes or additions. The Trustees plan to finalize the revised forms which Ms. Prosnitz will prepare at the next meeting. 6. Strategic Planning: Goals and Strategies The Trustees reviewed draft strategic planning goals and strategies discussed their approach and concerns. The Trustees explained their point of view under each strategy section – preserving existing affordable housing, creating new affordable housing, and building financial strength . Mr. Sandeen will consolidate all proposals and feedback, align terminology with the Select Board goas, and bring a draft back to the group for review and prioritization. The group agreed to prioritizing 3-5 actionable items for the strategic plan. Executive Session Ms. Tung moved for the Affordable Housing Trust to go into Executive session under Exemption 6 to consider the purchase or lease of real property regarding 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 not reconvene in the 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, Prosnitz – yes, Sandeen – yes, Tung – yes). The Trust exited the open session at 1:09 pm. List of documents reviewed 1. 80 Bedford Street images 2. AHT Draft Funding Application v.2a redlined 3. AHT Draft Funding App. BUDGETS v.2 4. AHT Strategic Plan Actions Goals - consolidated