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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-03-22-HPB.min Lexington Housing Partnership Meeting Minutes for March 22, 2005 Attendees: Anne Frymer, Bob Bicknell, Art Katz, Winifred McGowan, Martha Wood, David Burns, Tom Harden, Mary Haskell, Jeri Foutter, Paul Litton, Betsy Weiss,, Inky MacDougall, Bill Carlson Bob Bicknell chaired the meeting; Harriet Cohen took the minutes. The meeting was called to order at 7:05 1. Approval of December, January, and February minutes The minutes for the December, January and February meetings were approved unanimously. 2. Discuss Town Meeting Business CPA Articles – Bob Bicknell Mr. Bicknell is seeking the endorsement of the Partnership for Articles 7, Adoption of Community Preservation Act, and Article 8, Establishment of Community Preservation Committee. Both articles were submitted by Mr. Bicknell (and nine or more registered voters). As the submitter of the articles, Mr. Bicknell is responsible for a presentation to Town Meeting on those articles. His presentation will provide several proposals for the use of CPA funds; he will also show that CPA funding could be used to support Articles 20 and 23 as proposed for the current town warrant. Motion : The Lexington Housing Partnership endorses Article 7, Adoption of Community Preservation Act, and Article 8, Establishment of Community Preservation Committee. The motion passed unanimously, with one member voting present. Accessory Apartment By-Law Change – Mary Haskell The zoning by-law sub-committee began work on amending the accessory apartment by- law. The Planning Committee has pursued this work and is presenting it in Article 10, Zoning By-law, Accessory Apartments. The goal is to simplify the by-law and make it easier for apartment by-laws to be made available and thus increase the affordable housing base. Motion : The Lexington Housing Partnership endorses Article 10, Zoning By-law, Accessory Apartments. The motion passed unanimously, with one member voting present. Conservation Article 19 – North St. – Martha Wood There is a proposal to put a town-owned lot on the corner of Lowell St. and North St. into conservation in perpetuity. LexHab would prefer to wait for any change in status of the land and use the time to assess alternative uses for the land. Motion : The Lexington Housing Partnership opposes Article 19, Conservation Land Transfer – North Street. The motion passed unanimously, with one member voting present. Lexington Housing Partnership Battle Green Condos – Tom Harden The Planning Board has published an extensive report about the Battle Green Condos. The report is available on the town web site. Included in the proposal is an agreement that 4 of the 40 units to be affordable units for first time home buyers with income at or below 70% of Area Median Income (AMI). Motion : The Lexington Housing Partnership endorses Article 4, Zoning By-Law Amend CB to CD, Battle Green Inn, 1720 Massachusetts Avenue. This endorsement is contingent upon the availability of four affordable housing units. The Partnership would not necessarily endorse a proposal with fewer than four affordable units. The motion passed unanimously, with one member voting present and one member abstaining. Franklin School Apartments – Bob Bicknell Dawn McKenna had been leading the negotiations on the Franklin School Apartments. The Selectmen have now asked Marshall Derby to lead the negotiations in her place. Motion :To advise the Town in the event it is considering acquiring Franklin School Apartments: the Lexington Housing Partnership supports the acquisition of the Franklin School Apartments as an affordable housing asset for the town, we encourage the town to make the acquisition, and we further encourage the Town to assist the current tenants with their housing needs. The motion passed unanimously, with one member abstaining. 2. New Business Report from Lexington Housing Foundation – Jeri Foutter Ms. Foutter provided an accounting of the LHF credits and debits. The report is attached as Attachment A. A grant application for a Cambridge Savings Bank grant is being developed. Meeting Schedule – Bob Bicknell Mr. Bicknell suggested that we consider meeting as a Partnership on a quarterly basis and focus our efforts on working in sub-committees. He is planning to add an agenda item to the April meeting for a discussion on the subject of considering a change to the current monthly meeting schedule. Web Page Ms. Foutter reported that the Cambridge Savings Bank has a branch in Lexington High School. The manager of that branch is working with the high school to find one or a few students who are willing to develop and maintain a web site for the Partnership. The meeting adjourned at 9:22 pm. Lexington Housing Partnership Attachment A: Accounting of Debits and Credits for the Lexington Housing Foundation March 21, 2005 To Members of the Lexington Housing Partnership: $1,338.09 As of March 21, 2005, the Lexington Housing Foundation, Inc. has a balance of in a non-profit checking account at Cambridge Savings Bank. Credits to date are as follows: Date Amount Source August 16, 2004 $1.00 Jeri Foutter August 20, 2004 $2,000.00 Hancock Church – Bob Bicknell August 23, 2004 $517.27 Bedford Housing Trust – Florence Baturin Debits to date are as follows: Date Amount Purpose August 26, 2004 $500.00 Filing Fees August 31, 2004 $590.62 Michael Betcher, Attorney at Law: Fees November 15, 2004 $42.86 Thank-you gift for Pat Nelson December 3, 2004 $46.70 LHF Corporate Seal Future reports to the Lexington Housing Partnership will include activity from this date forward. If you have any questions or would like any copies of the Lexington Housing Foundation, Inc.’s bank statements, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Jeri Foutter Director and Treasurer Lexington Housing Foundation, Inc.