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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-03-AHTBT-min.pdf Page 1 of 3 Affordable Housing Trust Meeting Minutes of September 3, 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: Linda Prosnitz, Vice Chair; Mark Sandeen, William Erickson, Tiffany Payne Absent: Elaine Tung Staff present: Ragi Ramachandran, Administrative Assistant; Kristen Guichard, RHSO Director Ms. Prosnitz chaired the hybrid meeting and called the meeting to order at 11:04 am. 1. Approve Meeting Minutes Ms. Prosnitz requested a motion to approve the Affordable Housing Trust meeting minutes of 7/23/26 Open session. Mr. Sandeen moved. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 4-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Sandeen – yes, Payne – yes, Prosnitz – yes). Meeting minutes approved. 2. Chair, Select Board, Board/Committee Liaison and RHSO/staff report Mr. Erickson shared the liaison update from LexHAB meeting. The Trustees discussed LexHAB’s request to the Trust for parameters on per-unit grant amounts. Ms. Prosnitz stated that the Housing Partnership Board deliberated on the proposed Special Residential Development zoning amendments and its impact on affordable housing. Melinda Walker stated that the next HPB meeting will be on Sept. 10, 2026, and that they will be discussing their budget for the next fiscal year. Ms. Payne stated that the Lexington Housing Authority has not met since last AHT meeting. Ms. Prosnitz shared that the Planning Board approved the housing proposal at 439 Marrett Rd at the Planning Board meeting. 3. Meeting coverage at non-Trust meetings The Trustees discussed attending the MAPC – MAHT MAGIC region convening on Oct. 7, 2026, in Sudbury. Ms. Prosnitz agreed to share the MAPC agenda with the Trustees when it is available. The Trustees discussed meeting attendance for upcoming Planning Board meetings in September. 4. Finance Report and Budget Ms. Prosnitz stated that the decisions were pending about allocating the Trust expense line items to CPA versus non-CPA funding. 5. Annual Town Report The Trustees reviewed and proposed changes to the draft Annual Town Report. Ms. Prosnitz requested a motion to authorize the AHT Vice Chair to submit the revised Town Report as discussed and finalized in today’s meeting. Mr. Sandeen moved. Mr. Erickson Page 2 of 3 seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 4-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Sandeen – yes, Payne – yes, Prosnitz – yes). 6. Planning Board Zoning Amendments The Trustees discussed the Planning Board proposed amendments to the zoning bylaws regarding historic preservation requirements and GFA (Gross Floor Area) limitations for MBTA multifamily housing developments. The key concerns centered around how mandatory preservation of historic structures could impact affordable housing development. The Trustees discussed the potential for these zoning amendments to make SRD development affordable housing less competitive. Bob Pressman stated how the Edgewood Road housing development advanced the town affordable housing goals and the priority for preservation. The Trustees agreed to review the full proposal packet before developing a formal position on the matter. They agreed to draft a response to the Planning Board regarding the SRD zoning amendments, to be discussed at the next Trust meeting. 7. Community Preservation Application The Trustees reviewed the draft CPC application Mr. Erickson had prepared. Mr. Erickson walked through the edits, to emphasize the need for affordable housing and clarified the timing differences between funding requests and actual cash flow. The Trustees shared their feedback and proposed changes to the document. Mr. Erickson will update the document based on the Trustees’ comments. The Trustees discussed the revisions to be made to the budget charts for FY28 CPC application, and reviewed FY27 power point presentation to determine the changes to be made for FY28. Mr. Erickson requested the Trustees to review the CPC budget chart and provide feedback. 8. Pilot Rental Assistance Program Update Alisa Gardner-Todreas from Metro West Collaborative Development joined the meeting virtually and shared the status update on the Pilot Rental Assistance Program. Ms. Gardner-Todreas reported that 8 applicants were approved to move forward, with the first round of assistance payments planned for October 2026. The program is currently utilizing about 60% of its $50,000 three-month budget, leaving room to accept 6-8 additional applicants. The applicants approved so far are primarily graduate students or those with low-paying jobs, and she noted positive feedback from participants who expressed appreciation for the assistance. The Trustees discussed potential increase to rent limits to enable more low-income individuals and families to qualify and apply for the program. They agreed to re-market the program with updated rent limits, which would allow new applications, and previously denied applicants to reapply. Mr. Sandeen made a motion to increase the rental limits shown today by $10.00 contingent upon remarketing and Town staff review and approval. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 4-0-0, by a roll call vote (Payne – yes, Erickson – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes). Executive Session Ms. Prosnitz requested a motion 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 Vice Chair stated that, in her opinion, an open session would have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the Page 3 of 3 Town and Affordable Housing Trust. Ms. Prosnitz stated that the Trust will not reconvene in the open session after the Executive session. Mr. Sandeen moved. Ms. Payne seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 3-0-0, by a roll call vote (Payne – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes). The Trust exited the open session at 1:04 pm. List of documents reviewed 1. 2026_AffordableHousingTrust_AnnualReport DRAFT 1 2. FY28 CPA Application Continuation Sheet_DRAFT_REV 1 3. CPC FY2027 Presentation v3 4. PRAP – Increased Max Rent Options for AHT