The Lexington Cluster Housing Study Group analyzes zoning bylaws and applications for multi-family housing with the goals of identfying: 

• challenges with existing bylaws and recommending improvements

• ways in which proposed developments can be optimized to better serve current and future Lexington residents

Article 34 to comply with the state's MBTA Communities zoning law  was adopted by Town Meeting on 4/12/23 by a vote of 107-63-1.

In the run-up to Town Meeting, LCHSG participated in crafting two modifications to the Planning Board motion that would have limited the pace of growth:

• The first, an amendment authored by the members of the LCHSG, called for a phase in of districts. Under the proposal roughly half of the districts and acreage would become immediately available for development, and the second half would become available five years later, in 2028. This would have provided more control of the rate of development.  The proposal and related discussion can be found here Article 34 LCHSG-An Amendment proposal to phase in development. The amendment was withdrawn when LCHSG chose instead to work on an alternative approach with the Amendment Working Group.

• The Amendment Working Group (13 members) proposed a substitute motion to reduce the MBTA-Communities acreage to 134, of which only 97 were "by-right" development. The motion also incorporated height limitations where overlay districts adjoined residential neighborhoods. The compromise process we followed is explained here. The slides from the Amendment Working Group's presentation can be found here. The motion failed in Town Meeting on 4/10/2023 by a vote of 80-85-7. 

LCHG's housing-related postings to the Town Meeting discussion forum

1. How Does the MBTA-Communities Law Relate to Affordable Housing

2. The Logic of Reverse Musical Chairs - The Regional Effect of MBTA-C Zoning in Lexington

3. How Would a 0.5 Parking Space per Unit Minimum Affect Lexington?

4. Mixed-Use Incentives in Lexington’s MBTA-Communities Bylaw

5. Zoning Does Not Equal Building

6. Overview of Final Bylaw Draft

7. It's Lexington's Time to Lead (Again)

8. Bill McKibben Weighs in

9. What Affects the Likelihood of Development in MBTA-C Districts?

10. Examples of Rezoning from Arlington

11. We Estimate 500-700 Units of Housing Will Be Built  in Ten Years for the Proposed MBTA-C Districts

Image: Cutty Grove, Oregon