Lexington's five housing bodies hold first joint strategy session to align priorities

LEXINGTON — July 16, 2025 — Lexington's five affordable housing bodies held their first-ever joint strategy session on July 16, with Select Board Chair Jill Hai and Town Manager James Malloy convening leaders of the Lexington Housing Authority, LexHAB, the Affordable Housing Trust, the Housing Partnership Board, and the Regional Housing Services Office. Outside facilitator John Bartha guided the three-hour session through role clarification, problem-statement exercises, and a discussion of priorities, surfacing the town's current affordability rate — approximately 6 percent of total housing stock — against a stated goal of a "true 10 percent." The Affordable Housing Trust named three near-term targets: a new tenant financial assistance program, a buy-down agreement with an MBTA developer for deeper affordability on inclusionary units, and a successful conclusion to the Lowell Street/North Street project. Housing Partnership Board Chair Wendy Manz framed the group's primary problem as the lack of community support for diverse housing, saying the town needs "persuasive advocacy and more information" to move residents. The full coalition agreed to reconvene two to four times per year, with the next facilitated session set for December 2025 or January 2026.