Town Meeting OKs UniQure TIF, Medical Marijuana Moratorium

A special Town Meeting convened Monday, June 17 in Lexington.

  A couple of typically politically charged topics were on the warrant for the special Town Meeting that convened on Monday, June 17 in Lexington: Drugs and taxes. And in just about two hours, Town Meeting members gathered at Cary Hall approved a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement that could lure a Netherlands-based gene therapy company to establish a manufacturing operation here, and OK’d a moratorium that will bide some time for Lexington boards to develop local regulations. In other business, Town Meeting approved a “housekeeping” article that made a technical correction to the financing outlined in Article 2 of the March 18 special Town Meeting vote to purchase a swath of the Scottish Rite property off Marrett Road. Article 2: Tax…

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Andrei Radulescu-Banu

9:33 am on Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Planning Board member Charles Horning opposed Article 4. It was too bad Town meeting members could not hear his reasons, because the debate was summarily cut. I voted NO on Article 4 for that reason, and went afterwards to ask Charles why he would be opposed. And he gave me his reasons, which made perfect sense. I am glad to have opposed this motion, and I think Town Meeting rushed to judgement …   more ›

Patch Facts

5 Things: Special Town Meeting Tonight

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know on June 17 in Lexington.

1. Special Town Meeting Tonight: A special Town Meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Cary Memorial Hall. Here's a peek at the warrant, which includes a medical marijuana moratorium and TIF agreement. 2. Other Public Meetings: According to the town website, other public meetings posted for today include the Lexington Housing Authority at 6 p.m. at the Housing Authority Offices, the Board of Selectmen at 6 p.m. at the Town Office Building, the Planning Board at 6 p.m. at the Town Office Building and the Appropriation Committee at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building. 3. From the ICYMI Department: Some interesting conversation over the weekend around state Sen. Mike Barrett's blog post about banning Styrofoam takeout containers. 4. …

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Special Town Meeting: A Peek at the Warrant

Medical marijuana, a TIF proposal are expected to be discussed at a special Town Meeting called for today, June 17, in Lexington.

Monday, June 17, has been set as the date for a special Town Meeting to consider four articles, including a tax increment financing proposal, a medical marijuana moratorium and a little housekeeping. One of the articles would consider a TIF agreement to support Netherlands-based uniQure’s capital improvements plan should the company decide to establish a base here in Lexington. Another article proposes a moratorium on the use of land or structures in town for medical marijuana treatment centers. The idea here is to bide a little time to allow the town can better educate the community following the new laws and guidelines after the 2012 approval of medical marijuana in Massachusetts. A third article will clean up a technical error …

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Town Meeting Approves TIF Town Hopes Will Keep Vistaprint in Lexington

In a voice vote not quite close enough to count, Town Meeting members on Nov. 19 approved a tax increment financing proposal that would offer tax relief as an incentive for the company to expand.

  With Town Meeting’s approval last night of a tax increment financing plan, Lexington took what supporters called important step toward convincing Vistaprint to keep its North American operation here for the long haul. The plan, known as a TIF, offers 13 years of tax relief to Vistaprint and its landlord, Hobbs Brook, in exchange for an expansion to the Ledgemont campus on Hayden Avenue that could allow Vistapint to expand and generate more than $600,000 annually in real property taxes for the town.  According to estimates, property tax projections put the financial benefit of the Ledgemont expansion at about $7.8 million over 13 years, with the TIF offering about $1.2 million in tax relief to Vistaprint, an online company that provides …

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Patch Facts

Five Things: Special town Meeting Tonight

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

1. Special Town Meeting Tonight: A special Town Meeting will meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Cary Hall and warrant articles include budget amendments to distribute an approximately $3 million surplus and a tax increment financing plan presented by Vistaprint. 2. Margery Milne Battin Hall Ceremony: Prior to the start of special Town Meeting, a ceremony will be held for the dedication of the Margery Milne Battin Hall at 7 p.m. in the lobby of the Cary Hall. Over the summer, the Board of Selectmen approved the naming of the building's auditorium after Battin, a former longtime town moderator and role model for women. She died less than two weeks after the decision. 3. Photo Exhibit--The Women of Panama & Their Stories: Hancock United Church of …

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