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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-08-21-HPB.min Lexington Housing Partnership Meeting Minutes for August 21, 2008 Attendees: Wendy Manz, Bob Bicknell, Julie Duncan, Martha Wood, Maryann McCall-Taylor, Mary Haskell, Paul Linton, Harriet Cohen, Winifred McGowan Bob Bicknell chaired the meeting; Harriet Cohen took the minutes. The meeting was called to order at 7:18 pm. 1. Open Meeting The Partnership discussed the minutes. Because there was no quorum, the vote was postponed. 2. Sub-Committee Reports Accessory Apt. Committee – Ms. Duncan The previously proposed op-ed piece was submitted to the Lexington MinuteMan and it was printed. Mr. Bicknell suggested that we add information to the Lexington Housing Partnership web site, with a pointer to the bylaw on the Town of Lexington web site. Mr. Linton said he would post the information and create the link. The Partnership discussed ways in which to make information about accessory apartments available. As a first step, Mr. Katz and Ms. Duncan will design a brochure. Once the brochure is available, Mr. Linton will post it on the Partnership web site. The Partnership will look into having the brochure posted on web sites consulted by house buyers or builders. Lexington First-Time Homebuyer Program: Status of Survey and Define Project – Bob LexHab and Lexington Housing Partnership selected Karen Sunnarborg to perform the work, and the purchase order to her was issued on July 22. Ms. Sunnarborg is targeting the first or second week of September for her report. 3. Reports Meeting with Consortium of Local Towns to Prepare Joint Grant Lexington was invited join four other towns to submit a proposal to the MHP Capacity Innovation Grant Program. A two part proposal was submitted. One part was not accepted. The Consortium was invited to submit a follow-up proposal for the second part. The grant, if received, will provide funds to structure an entity to assist the towns with affordable housing. A follow-on grant, if received, would help to establish the entity. The participants in the proposal are Lexington (Lexington Housing Partnership and LexHAB), Waltham (WATCH), Watertown (WCH), Lincoln, and Belmont. Mr. Bicknell will put together a package of materials and send it to the Partnership distribution list. Lexington Housing Partnership CHAPA Proposal The homebuyer assistance program proposal submitted to CHAPA was denied but it was referred to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council MAPC) for possible funding. The White House at St. Brigid’s Church The church had planned to tear down the white house, but the Historic District will not allow the house to be torn down. A proposal is being drafted to use HOME funds either to restore the house or to create accessible housing for four people. 4. Report from Lexington Housing Foundation – Mr. Bicknell Mr. Bicknell and Ms. Baturin have submitted proposal to banks in Lexington for funds for the Lexington Housing Foundation. The Foundation has received funds from Watertown Savings Bank ($500) and Eagle Bank ($1,000). It was suggested that we propose a Lexington Housing Foundation/Partnership booth for use at Discovery Day and other events. 5. New Business Lexington Home Rule Petition Ms. Haskell reported that the Lexington Home Rule petition before the state legislature was approved. The petition permits the Town to extend the property tax deferral program to homeowners whose income is up to $60,000 (from $40,000) and to lower the minimum age to 60 (from 65). The town may also defer property taxes based on “condition eligibility for deferral of real property taxes on objective criteria of disability or other hardship for persons who would not otherwise qualify based on their age.” Both Town Meeting and the Board of Selectman must approve the home rule petition before it can be implemented. It is likely that a warrant will be presented to Town Meeting in spring next year. Continuation of Lexington Site Analysis. After the last meeting, Mr. Bicknell sent a summary of the work that he, Ms. Baturin and Ms. Weiss had done. He requested comments on the work. Mr. Bicknell will re-send the proposal. League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters is sponsoring an Affordable Housing Panel at it’s First Friday discussion on Fri. Oct. 3rd at 9:30am-11:00am in Cary Library meeting room. Mr. Bicknell will represent the Lexington Housing Partnership. One of the goals of the panel is to help clarify the roles of the several affordable housing organizations in Lexington. New England Housing Network Annual Conference announcement Lisa Spellings asked Mr. Bicknell to announce the New England Housing Network Annual Conference. Congressman Barney Franks is the keynote speaker. The conference is Friday Dec. 5 in Needham. The goal of the conference is to share with conference participants the latest housing related information from Washington. Mr. Bicknell will forward the announcement. Lexington Housing Partnership Affordable Housing Ownership Mr. Bicknell would like to create a position paper that describes the rationale for affordable housing ownership (as opposed to affordable housing rental). Mr. Bicknell and Ms. Duncan will provide a draft for review. The next Lexington Housing Partnership meeting will be held on September 25, 2008 in room G-15. The meeting was concluded at 9:09 pm