Across from Accelerated Fitness at the intersection of Lowell and North Street, a wooded piece of land named Parcel 68-44 sits unused by the Town.
The three acre parcel was given to Lexington by the Commonwealth in 1978 for “conservation, recreation, and housing purposes.” It has been vacant since — but after Wednesday’s Town Meeting session, it is one step closer to turning into housing that the state and many residents have been asking for.
Members voted yes to Article 33, which will allow the Select Board to designate Parcel 68-44 for use as 100% affordable housing, and to begin the process of finding a private developer most fit to build it — and help fund it.
“We are investing in the future of Lexington, and most importantly, [Article 33] is a statement of our values in the community, that we believe in justice, equality and compassion,” said Bob Burbidge, the Chair of LexHab.
A 15 minute walk to a Market Basket and other shops, a 5 minute drive to Town center (or a 45 minute walk), and sitting on the Lexpress Bus route, part of why the Affordable Housing Trust chose this parcel out of the 229 they looked at was the readily available amenities.
“This amount of units will unequivocally move the SHI needle,” said Charles Lamb of the Capital Expenditures Committee, referring to the Subsidized Housing Inventory, a measure of a community’s low or moderate-income housing used in Massachusetts.
There isn’t a set number of units planned for the land — the Select Board would work with the chosen affordable housing developer to decide — but members have asked that the project be split into multiple smaller buildings instead of one big complex. The right developer would fund the majority of the construction with the help of federal and Town affordable housing funds.
“The SHI is an excellent single metric of a topic that is near and dear to our constituents, and this article potentially represents an extreme bargain,” said Lamb.
Between 2011 and June 2023, Lexington had a net gain of zero affordable housing units on the state’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI). The state recognizes 1,354 units in Lexington as affordable (or requiring a family to put no more than 30 percent of its income to housing). Almost half of those are market rate units in buildings where 20-25 percent of units are affordable. These inclusionary housing units help Lexington stay above the state’s required 10 percent affordable housing inventory. Parcel 68-44 would be one of the first larger projects where all units are considered affordable.
Affordable Housing Trust Member Elaine Tung reported that, though Lexington is one of the wealthiest towns in the Commonwealth, around one in five Town residents are considered low-income, defined as making under 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). The goal of the Lowell Street project is to make units available for families with incomes of 80 percent of AMI or less, with an average of 60% AMI across all units.
Tung said wait lists for affordable housing in Lexington are “incredibly long,” with LexHab wait lists up 5 years long, and Lexington Housing Authority estimates of up to 8 years.
Avram Baskin of Precinct 2 remembered his time growing up 30 minutes away in Norwood, where his parents, as the only couple with masters degrees, were the most educated on the block.
“In Lexington now, everybody has that,” he said. “Norwood is diverse in one way that Lexington is not, and that’s economic. I support affordable housing especially at this lot because it’s something the Town is in control of and we can start developing almost immediately.”
The Affordable Housing Trust has started community input meetings that will continue throughout the development process. They’ve held listening and information sessions with neighbors in Precinct 5 and 6, and given presentations to 10 boards committees, commissions, and five community groups.
Mark Lang — an abutter of the parcel — says he wants to know more about the project before completely handing the reins to the Select Board.
“We [neighbors in Precinct 5] are not anti-affordable housing,” said Lang. “Why should Town Meeting vote to approve a project without any details?”
Lang said that his request to more directly include the immediate neighbors in the development process was rejected by the Select Board.
“They’re determined to build affordable housing whatever the cost,” he said.
The biggest concerns posed for building on the parcel are walkability to the center of Town, protection of wetlands and natural resources abutting the site, flood damage from close proximity to high water soil, and school enrollment.
According to Tung, a traffic study will be done at the developer’s expense, sidewalks will hopefully be addressed by other funds before the permitting process, and the wetlands were delineated by a scientist that determined the site could support development while leaving the protected area undisturbed. As for school enrollment, Tung expected a gradual increase from students living in the units that would level out after several years.
As a way to include neighbors and Town concerns, the Select Board outlined a set of criteria they say would be required to ensure developers work collaboratively with the Town. This includes making sure buildings are universally accessible, that the architecture be compatible with the neighborhood, that whoever is chosen conduct at least two community review meetings before design is finalized, and more.
Mike Kennealy, Former State Secretary of Housing & Economic Development, emphasized the importance of community governments “getting into the housing production business” in a March letter to the editor published by LexObserver.
“One of the best ways communities like Lexington can do this is by building 100% affordable housing on currently available town owned land,” said Kennealy, who is also a 20 year resident. “It is a rare opportunity to make a meaningful difference.”
“Having Town Meeting approve Article 33 will ensure the best and most responses,” said Kathryn Roy, Lexington resident and VP of Charlesbank Homes Foundation. “Let’s see who responds to the [Request for Proposal] and what they recommend for the buildings. The Select Board needn’t accept a bad response to the RFP.”
Town Meeting Members overwhelmingly decided in favor of Article 33, with 175 yes votes, five no votes, and five abstaining.
No matter what happens at Parcel 68-44, both supporters and critics agreed the next most important step will be how the Select Board deals with community concerns going forward.
“Any development 100 percent affordable is great,” said Kennealy Wednesday night. “There’s a story behind every development, and a lot of that story has to do with the concerns behind it.”
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