Affordable Housing In – Leary Farmhouse Out

Following the decision to let LexHAB demolish the old farmhouse, the next step will be for the housing assistance board to determine how many units to build there -- a decision that'll go back to the Board of Selectmen.

The Board of Selectmen, at its Dec. 3 meeting, unanimously voted to demolish the Leary Farmhouse on Vine Street, paving the way for LexHab to build affordable housing there and adding more acreage to Lexington’s conservation land.   The decision came three years after the town purchased the 14.2-acre parcel, using $2.7 million of Lexington’s Community Preservation Act funds. According to Wendy Manz, chair of the Community Preservation Commission, $600,000 of the purchase price and 30,000 square feet of 116 Vine Street were earmarked for affordable housing. The conservation land runs “between Vine Street all the way back to Saddle Club Road,” Manz said. “The part that borders on Vine Street was set aside for affordable houses.” It’s been a …

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Looking at the Future of Affordable Housing in Lexington

At Cary Memorial Library last Thursday, June 21, Senior Planner Aaron Henry led a forum that examines Lexington's affordable housing plans for the future.

Crafting a housing production plan (HPP) in-tuned with the state's affordable housing requirements was the purpose of a housing forum held last Thursday night at Cary Library and headed up by Aaron Henry, Lexington's senior planner. Under Chapter 40B, Massachusetts municipalities must have 10 percent of homes available at "affordable" rates. Currently, 11.3 percent of Lexington homes fall into this criteria, and the town even has 134 affordable housing units over the state required minimum. Henry referred to this supply of affordable homes as "tremendous." However, he later added the caveat that "housing has gotten more contentous recently," and the town "could do nothing [regarding affordable housing] and potentially be okay." Thursday's …

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A Farming Future for the Busa Land

The Board of Selectmen officially decided Monday, March 19, to pursue a community farm on the bulk of the town-owned Busa Land.

For several generations now the Busa Land in East Lexington has been a working farm, and its newish owner—the town of Lexington—doesn't plan on upsetting the status quo anytime soon. The Board of Selectmen officially decided Monday, March 19, to pursue a community farm on the bulk of the almost 8-acre parcel, which the town purchased for a little more than $4 million in 2009. The remainder of the property will be used for affordable housing, but the size and scope of that project is yet to be determined. Earlier this month, the Board of Selectmen had designated uses for the property as open space and affordable housing, as is required under the Community Preservation Act, which was used to purchase the Busa property. On Monday, the …

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Week in Review: March 4 to March 10

Base tours, Busa Land plans, elections, arts and more this week in Lexington.

A very busy start to this week as Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray on Monday led a tour of Hanscom Air Force Base and then convened a meeting of his newly created Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force at MIT Lincoln Labs in Lexington. That night, the Board of Selectmen voted on uses for the town-owned Busa Farms property, opting for affordable housing and open space, which doesn’t close the door on either farming or recreation uses for the property. That decision is TBD. Tuesday was the annual Town Election, as well as Super Tuesday. Weidong Wang won a seat on the Housing Authority in the only contested race for elected office and Republican Mitt Romney and Jill Stein, a Lexington resident and Green Party presidential hopeful, easily …

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Busa Land Uses to Include Affordable Housing and Open Space

Down one member due to a medical condition that sidelined its chair, the Lexington Board of Selectmen on Monday voted to designate a portion of the town-owned Busa Farms property for affordable housing and the rest for open space uses.

After more than 20 meetings discussing the subject, the Board of Selectmen has made a decision about future uses for the Busa Land -- sort of. Down a member due to a medical issue that sidelined its chairman, the Board of Selectmen voted Monday to designate a portion of the town-owned Busa Farms property for affordable housing and the rest for open space uses. While a stretch along Lowell Street is now locked in for affordable housing, the March 5 vote doesn't close the door on a community farm, playing fields or both on the remainder of the approximately eight-acre parcel. That'll be a conversation for another day, according to the selectmen. And the decision—or indecision, depending on who you ask—didn't sit well with everyone. Farm vs. …

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LexFarm Delivers Busa Farms Housing Concepts [VIDEO]

The Board of Selectmen could decide next week about uses for the town-owned Busa Farms property following last night's presentation of an alternate housing plan and community farming concept.

A decision regarding uses of the Busa Farms property in Lexington could come next week, the Board of Selectmen said last night before a crowd of 100-plus at Cary Hall. That announcement came after LexFarm President Janet Kern and architect Carl Oldenberg presented their alternative to an eight-unit plan LexHAB delivered at the request of the BOS. This latest presentation, described as proof of concept rather than a recommendation, included a three-floor, three-unit building in close proximity to existing homes on Lowell Street and a mixed-use structure that would combine housing and farm uses near the current farm stand. Kern and Oldenberg emphasized that, if both a community farm and affordable housing are envisioned as community …

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: Feb. 23

Music, meetings, homeownership and more today in Lexington.

1. Digney Fignus Duo in Concert: Hungry for good food and good music? Head over to Nourish from 7 to 9:30 p.m. tonight as veteran singer/songwriter Digney Fignus and mandolin/slide guitar/lap steel player Chris Leadbetter for a night of original Americana/Roots music. 2. Today in Public Meetings: Public meetings posted for today on the town website include the Board of Appeals at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building and the Appropriation Committee at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building. 3. An Affordable Homeownership Opportunity: An affordable two-bedroom, two-bath unit at Jefferson Union Place is to be sold by lottery to an eleigible homebuyer. The $163,600 unit has approximately 1,306 sf of living space. Maximum income limits are $45,…

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: Feb. 22

Entertainment, meetings, some Ash Wednesday services and more today in Lexington.

1. Tales Told by Teens: Looking for a little afternoon entertainment for the little ones? Head over to the Cary Memorial Library where teens from the Teen Advisory Board (TAB) will interpret and perform favorite children’s classics from 3 to 4 p.m. 2. Today in Public Meetings: Public meetings posted for today on the town website include the Tourism Committee's Antony Working Group at 10 a.m. at the Cary Memorial Library; Transportation Advisory Committee at 3 p.m. at the Town Office Building; the Community Preservation Committee at 3 p.m. at the Cary Memorial Library; the Permanent Buliding Committee at 7 p.m. at the DPW Building and the Cary Lecture Committee at 8 p.m. at the Town Office Building. 3. Ash Wednesday Services Around …

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Busa Talks Continued Due to Overcrowding

Facing an overflowing meeting room on Monday, Feb. 13, the Lexington selectmen tabled a scheduled discussion of housing on the Busa Farms property, citing concerns about participation and fire code violations.

  The house was too full to talk about housing. With apologizes to Janet Kern, her LexFarm crew and, later, to Dawn McKenna, the resident who alerted his board to the probable capacity problem, selectmen Chairman Hank Manz last night continued a what was to be an hour-long discussion about housing on the Busa Land. The make-up date is TBD. According to the selectmen’s posted agenda, the Busa discussion—the third item for individual consideration—was due to come up around 8 p.m., but sizeable crowd gathered in the hallway as the board sat in executive session before the re-opening its meeting at 7 p.m. One woman even brought a lawn chair. The posted capacity for the Selectmen’s Meeting Room is 55 persons if the room is set up densely with …

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Five Things You Need to Know Today: Feb. 2

Groundhog Day details, an invitation to Seussland, an affordable housing forum and more today in Lexington.

1. Groundhog Day: Lexington's local groundhog, Ms. G from over at Drumlin Farms in Lincoln, will deliver her forecast about 9:30 a.m. this morning. Look for video coverage and her prediction a little later on Patch. 2. Forum on Affordable Housing: The Lexington Housing Partnership tonight will host “Lexington Affordable Housing: Who, What, Where, When and Why,” a forum looking at financing affordable housing, the town’s changing demographics, tenant selection, and the impact of 40B legislation, at 7 p.m. tonight at the DPW Building. 3. Today in Public Meetings: According to the town website, public meetings posted for today include: Minuteman High School’s quarterly municipal representative breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the school’s Paul …

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