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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-05-21-HPB.min Lexington Housing Partnership Meeting Minutes for May 21, 2009 Attendees: Melinda Walker, Julie Duncan, Charlotte Rodgers (Lexington Director of Human Services), Chris McVay, Ken Kreutziger, Arthur Katz, Bob Bicknell, Harriet Cohen, Betsey Weiss, Mary Haskell, Mara Bohn Bob Bicknell chaired the meeting; Harriet Cohen took the minutes. The meeting was called to order at 7:12 pm. 1. Needs Assessment Ms. McVay asked for our input as part of the public outreach Needs Assessment in support of a requirement for H.O.M.E. funding which Lexington receives each year for Affordable Housing. We discussed: Populations to consider for affordable housing  Barriers to affordable housing development  Homeless needs  Persons displaced from affordable housing because of changed circumstances  Expanding Greeley Housing or the other affordable housing areas  Housing as a regional need, rather than a town-by-town need  Action steps for the next 5 years to help promote affordable housing  2. Approval of Minutes The minutes from the March meeting were approved unanimously. 3. Sub-Committee Reports Consortium of Local Towns Proposal – Mr. Bicknell Work is continuing to define an organizational structure.  A financial model has been defined.  Meetings continue with the towns of Belmont, Lexington, Waltham and Watertown.  Lincoln has opted out and Arlington is now participating. Report from Lexington Housing Foundation – Mr. Bicknell Development of the financial summary is in progress. The Foundation may need to re-file its form Busa Farm status – Mr. Bicknell The Town has purchased the property and will be developing a plan for the property. Jefferson Union Development – Ms. Haskell One of the units is to be sold as an affordable unit, but $200,000 in cash is to be given to Lexington by the developer. The Town does not get involved until the tenth unit is sold, that is, when three more units are sold. At that point, the last two market rate units cannot be sold until the affordable unit is occupied. Aaron Henry will talk to the attorney for the developer. Lexington Housing Partnership Affordable Homebuyer Assistance Program – Mr. Bicknell Karen has produced the first draft of the program parameters. This has been done in coordination with LexHab. There is a meeting with the Lexington Selectmen on June 22 to review the report. The meeting with the Selectmen is to discuss: (1) assessment of the need for repair of the candidate properties; (2) quick reaction will be needed to acquire properties; and (3) definition of the intake process (finding and qualifying buyers, creating a priority list.) Questions to be answered: (1) Should we plan a split of CPA funds between rental and purchase? And (2) What are the possible forms of subsidy> 4. Proposed Town of Lexington Integrated Land Acquisition Process A letter was sent to the Board of Selectmen on April 3, 2009 to express the Partnership’s interest in an integrated approach to future land acquisitions to include affordable housing opportunities. The next meeting will be held on September 10, 2009. The meeting was concluded at 8:56 pm