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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-02-09-BLUPC-min Busa Land Use Proposal Committee (BLUPC) Minutes of 2 -9-2011 Meeting Public Services Building Cafeteria, 201 Bedford Street Attendees. David Horton (Chair), Ginna Johnson, Pam Shadley, Deborah Strod, Al Zabin Absent: William Dailey, Ric Fulop Mr Horton called the meeting to order at 7 05 pm 1. Old Business a) The minutes for the 2/2/2011 meeting were approved, as amended b) Mr Horton reviewed the information available on the BLUPC web page and the meeting procedures. c) Lynne Pease will be able to help the Committee assemble the report. She suggests that one binder with all the appendix documents be made available to the selectmen and that 20 copies of the draft report be prepared d) Mr Horton reported that he had received an email from the Goldingers, who stated that they do not have plans to sell any or all of their property that abuts the Busa land 2. Public Comment a) Mary Haskell stated that she would like to see the full business plan from the Lexington Farm Coalition She also said that an 8-acre community farm in Waltham's annual report shows that 1/3 of their gross income is gifts, and therefore a farm may not need every foot of tillable soil if the group receives gifts. She is concerned that that there are so few affordable housing units being discussed because so much of the land is being protected for the farm She then stated that cluster housing has not been fully explored at Busa, it is a modern approach to housing, which would benefit from views of the farm Lexington needs affordable housing. Living in Lexington and having access to Lexington schools can be life changing for families who otherwise are not be able to afford to live in Lexington b) Bella Tsvetkova stated her belief that smaller numbers of housing units are better than larger numbers, Lowell Street is dangerous due to traffic, there is no sewer line along Lowell Street (south of the Westminster Avenue/Lowell Street intersection), and housing may not fit near the farm stand 3 New Business a) Al Zabin read from a prepared statement. He said that he would like to accommodate as many interests as possible on the Busa land He supports farming as part of open space but also wants to include affordable housing, preferably 4 units, even though he does not believe that federal or state funding would be available for this housing. He wants to maintain open space, add to affordable housing, provide the farming that so many diverse interests spoke for, and address the concerns of the neighbors and abutters,who overwhelmingly have spoke n for continued use of the land as a farm He stated that he does not believe there is enough land available to accommodate active recreation and also the farm b) Mr Zabin stated his discomfort for the town spending$4 million and possibly turning over the land to a private group for farming, who would limit access to the site to the people who can afford to pay the CSA shares. This led to an animated discussion and the confirmation from Janet Kern that the farm proposal includes community farming education, a 10%donation of all produce to the Lexington food pantry, and that the entire site would be open to everyone 1 regardless of CSA membership The Committee also restated a previous recommendation that the Town create an RFP for a non-profit group to run the farm with community access and benefit. The idea that the Town would turn over the land to a private group for their own private use with limited public access, an idea that has been stated in the local media, is one that the Committee vocally refuted c) Mr Zabin stated his preference to site a building with 4 units plus the required parking in the northwest corner of the site, in and north of the existing temporary greenhouse, a location that would allow the present farm stand to remain Ginna Johnson stated her concerns with this location affecting abutters, some of whom have not participated in this process, the removal of the greenhouse, the occupation of prime, flat farmland, and location of vehicles within the site and immediately behind an abutter Ms.Johnson also stated her preference for housing near the farm stand, close to Lowell Street and its utilities, and that the building could have one or two units plus community space and community restrooms. The third possible location is facing Lowell Street near the intersection with Westminster Avenue d) The Committee then had a lengthy conversation about possible locations for housing. All agreed that the Busa land, with its zigzagging property lines, slopes and environmental restrictions, is a difficult site on which to locate housing and preserve the infrastructure necessary for a successful farm The three possible housing locations, as discussed by the Committee, are a The northeast corner•the Committee explored the advantages and disadvantages at length and concluded that it cannot recommend this location b The northern side of the farm stand parking area,where a building could house one or two units plus community space and the parking could be shared with the farm stand The units could be tenanted by the farm manager or other farm-related people (LexHAB has stated that the way the housing project is funded affects how the project is tenanted) The main disadvantage with this location is that the number of parking spaces in front of the farm stand will probably be inadequate, and therefore cars will need to pass between the farm stand and the new building and park behind the farm stand c. One or two parcels with one or two units each facing Lowell Street adjacent to the existing housing in the southeast corner The two main disadvantages are the traffic on Lowell Street and the difficult vehicular sight lines and turning movements, and the slope of the land that could possibly require house construction with extensive retaining walls. A third disadvantage is the blocking of the sunsets across the farm as viewed by travelers on Lowell Street and the eastern neighbors, a gateway to Lexington e) In response to a question from the Committee about incorporating housing into the site,Janet Kern stated that 1 acre of farmland can produce$22,000 of produce. The Committee had requested LexHAB and the farming group to work together to craft a solution and they did so However,the housing group remained committed to their original proposal of 7-14 units. f) The Committee then went through the Report Draft and confirmed the responsibility of the written sections by the Committee members. Debbie Strod volunteered to assemble the report as a DRAFT for discussion at the next Committee meeting. The next meeting date is Wednesday, February 16, 2011 in Cary Hall The Committee discussed two possible meeting dates with the Board of Selectmen February 28 and March 14 There will likely be other working sessions between the Committee and Board of Selectmen after that. 2