HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-12-15-LEARY-min LEARY PROPERTY COMMUNITY HOUSING TASK FORCE
Room G-15, Town Office Building
Meeting Minutes of December 15,2010
Present: Bob Bicknell, Stephen Keane, Bill Kennedy, Wendy Manz, Lester Savage,
and Betsey Weiss. Staff: Aaron Henry,Maryann McCall-Taylor
Absent: George Burnell, Deb Mauger
Minutes
The Task Force approved the minutes of December 1, as amended by Ms. Manz
Recent Meeting Updates
Lester Savage updated the Task Force on the Selectmen's meeting of December 6, where
further guidance was provided on their motion to support the planning money but not
the stabilization of the existing structure. Aaron Henry then provided an update to the
group on the Capital Expenditure Committee's meeting of December 7 The CEC was
generally favorable but had questions regarding the process, specifically why the parcel
didn't simply get turned over to LexHAB, and why the final output of the Task Force
may be a RFP Finally, Lester Savage recapped the Community Preservation
Committee's public hearing, also on December 7
Site Designs
Because of the discussion prompted by the recent meeting updates and absence of Ross
Speer, a resident architect who had volunteered to help with concept sketches, the Task
Force tabled the site design agenda item.
Task Force Process &Final Product (Staff Report)
Staff led a conversation on the group's final product, the RFP, and process to ensure that
the Task Force was clear about what is was doing The RFP was conceptualized as
combining two tasks, the first determined the development program while the second
part consisted of some on-the-ground pre-development activities.
The Task Force must recommend to the Selectmen a development program for the site.
One element of the RFP would express the Task Force's preferred number and type of
units, the architectural style of the development, how it might be permitted, and to a
lesser extent how it might be financed (e.g, should it include local HOME funds) The
pre-development activities that need to be conducted include a site survey and site
analysis, soil and groundwater exploration, ascertain the size and location of the septic
system, and delineate the nearby wetlands.
This conversation prompted several action items for members and staff to complete:
1 Staff should invite Ross Spear's to the next meeting
2. Staff should draft a Request for Interest, to try to ascertain the level of interest in
the development community for a project of this size,for its next meeting.
3 Staff should discuss the site with the HOME Consortium's Technical Assistance
consultant.
4. Steve Keane should discuss assisting LexHAB with the income verification
requirements of the HOME program with the Housing Authority board.
5 Lester Savage and Bill Kennedy should discuss with LexHAB their interest in the
use of HOME funds and a development of four to six units.
6 Staff should distribute the Town of Wayland's RFP used on the Nike Site.
Betsey Weiss then moved to reconsider the actions of the BOS regarding the existing
structure. This motion died for lack of a second. Ms. Weiss then moved to request a
Task Force meeting with the Selectmen and the Historic Commission to discuss the
structure,but again the motion was not seconded. After further dialogue, the Task
Force then agreed that future site planning would not include the existing structure.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 10.00 AM.
The next Task Force meeting is Wednesday,January 12, at 8 30 AM, location TBD