Patch Facts

Five Things: Trivia, Enrollment Projection, Meetings and More

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know on Jan. 8 in Lexington.

1. Enrollment Forecasts on Tap Tonight: The Lexington School Committee is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Town Office Building and its agenda includes four- and 10-year enrollment forecasts, the superintendent's fiscal 2014 budget recommendation and the LPS facility master plan update. 2. Other Public Meetings: According to the town website, other public meetings posted for today include the Capital Expenditures Committee at 8 a.m. at the Town Office Building, the Tourism Committee at 11:30 a.m. at the Town Office Buidling, the Fund for Lexington Board at 4:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building, a LexHAB public neighborhood meeting at 7 p.m. at the home of Jean and Bob Burbidge on Wood Street and the Sustainable Lexington …

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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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Patch Facts

Five Things: A Groundbreaking Development at Estabrook

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know today in Lexington.

1. Estabrook Groundbreaking: A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. this morning at Estabrook Elementary School. Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash will be the master of ceremonies, while featured speakers include local officials and representatives from the MSBA. 2. Early Education Night: LexFUN!, Lexington’s five and under network, will host its annual Early Education Open House -- formerly known as Nursery School Night -- from 7 to 9 p.m. at Cary Hall. 3. Today in Public Meetings: According to the town website, public meetings posted for today include LexHAB at 7 a.m. at 4 Militia Drive, the Economic Development Advisory Committee at 8 a.m. at Cary Hall, the Water and Sewer Abatement Board at 4:30 p.m. at the DPW Building, …

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Housing Limited to Half of Lowell Street Stretch of Busa Land

Selectmen delineate half the length of Busa Land streetscape for four units of affordable housing; details about housing design and community farm still TBD.

New housing will occupy no more than half of the stretch of the town-owned Busa Land along Lowell Street and that had been under consideration for as many as eight new units. In a 3-to-2 vote on Monday, July 30, the Board of Selectmen decided the property would hold four units of housing on a strip of land not exceed half of the frontage along Lowell and only as deep as the least practical need.  The nay votes belonged to selectmen Hank Manz and Peter Kelley. Manz would have preserved more of the Lowell Street frontage to allow more flexibility on the housing plan, while Kelley hoped to limit footprint to one-third of the land along Lowell Street. In later discussion, the selectmen and Town Manager Carl Valente took up a series of …

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Patrick Ball

11:05 am on Friday, August 3, 2012

Indeed it was a complicated vote. To add a little more context, Hank actually changed his vote to vote in favor of the amendment after originally voting against. What appeared to change his mind was that the chair -- whose vote I'll admit that I did not hear -- announced that the board was 3-2 against expanding from one-third of the frontage to half. Hank then said he would vote iin favor of …   more ›

Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: July 25

Open houses, farm tours, meetings and more today in Lexington.

1. Open House: At 10 a.m. today, Knowledge Beginnings, an early childhood learning center offering care of children from birth to pre-kindergarten, is hosting an open house at its location on Marrett Road. 2. Today in Public Meetings: According to the town website, public meetings posted for today include the Lexington Housing Assistance Board at 7 a.m. at the LexHAB offices on Militia Drive and the Trustees of Public Funds at noontime in Boston. 3. Community Farm Tour for Kids: The Waltham Fields Community Farm, located at 240 Beaver St. in Waltham, offers chlidern and families to explore the workings of the farm at 3:30 p.m. today. Cost is $5 for kids. Sign up here. 4. Like Us on Facebook: For even more information and engagement, like …

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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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Week in Review: Jan. 29 to Feb. 4

A look back at the week that was in Lexington.

A look at plans for Lexington’s 300th Anniversary Celebration came marching in Monday morning. Shortly thereafter arrived news that authorities from Lexington and Waltham shut down the roadway and evacuated businesses after a major gas leak at the town line on Waltham-Lexington streets. High School Quiz Show shared some shots of the Lexington High team’s intellectual battle against the Lincoln-Sudbury squad, but the results of the match must remain secret until after the show airs in March. First thing Tuesday we posted an update on the town’s search for a full-time Veterans Services Agent and the VFW’s vow to monitor the process with a watchful eye. Later in the day, Raising Lexington columnist Audra Myerberg made a case for taking …

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LexHAB Presents Housing Plans for Busa Land

After LexHAB delivered on a request for plans for four to eight units of affordable housing with frontage on the Busa Land, the Board of Selectmen are preparing to take the next step toward making a real decision about the now town-owned farmland.

  Featuring four duplexes that would occupy less than an acre, the presentation from LexHAB was everything the Board of Selectmen had asked for, but still it wasn’t enough to garner any kind of real answer about the Busa Land. On Monday, Jan. 30, representatives from the Lexington Housing Assistance Board delivered plans for eight slightly different units of housing along Lowell Street, including utilities available, solutions to possible problems, a mix of units, square footage and a proposed layout, among other criteria. According to Carter Scott, a high-efficiency housing developer working with LexHAB, the designs include six two-bedroom units, a three-bedroom unit and one accessible unit. With the current plans, the homes would come in…

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: Dec. 6

A Center Streetscape hearing, Estabrook discussion at the School Committee and more today in Lexington.

1. Hear Them Out: The Lexington Center Streetscape Working Group will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. this evening at the Cary Memorial Building and the subject will be the group's conept plan,which establishes a design framework for improvements to the aging streetscape. The plans are available for viewing in the Planning Board's office and online. 2. Estabrook, Transportation and Collective Bargaining: The School Committee is scheduled to go into executive session to discuss collective bargaining to begin its meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at the Town Office Building and then intends to return to an open session, where its agenda includes votes to request the Massachusetts School Building Authority approve a new Estabrook School building and …

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Question of the Day

Question of the Day: Got Your Goat Yard?

Have you checked out LexFarm's goat yard by the Busa Land? Let us know your thoughts about it in the comments section below.

Patch blogger and local conservation photographer Carmen Mandel recently visited the Lexington Community Farm Coalition’s new goat yard, which features a small herd of Nigerian dwarf goats housed right next to the Busa Farms land. In her post today on Patch, Mandel said she had a wonderful time on her visit and “heard interesting facts about the goats, the yard activities and the idea behind this initiative.” LexFarm has said the organization envisions the goat yard as a tool for educating folks about sustainable land use. And, according to Nov. 13 Boston.com story, the coalition is also “hoping the goats will show the value of a community farm” as the Board of Selectmen consider proposals for the 8-acre site the town purchased in 2009. …

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