Lexington Select Board Delays Commercial Housing Linkage Fee Vote to January

LEXINGTON -- December 8, 2025, Lexington Select Board tables commercial linkage fee decision, citing need for broader stakeholder input. The board voted unanimously Monday to defer action on a non-residential surcharge for affordable housing to its January 5, 2026, meeting, one day before the statutory deadline set by the state act authorizing the fee. Nexus study consultant Jonah Seidman presented findings projecting 486,000 square feet of new commercial development over the next decade, generating demand for 131 affordable housing units, and recommended a fee in the range of $4.60 to $23.02 per square foot against a calculated maximum of $92.09, the full fee of which Seidman said would likely deter development. Member Mark Sandin said he would favor "the higher end" of the recommended range and argued for acting promptly to prevent developers from permitting projects to avoid the fee; Vice Chair Joe Pato and member Doug Lucente said they were not ready to set a number without input from the Affordable Housing Trust, Housing Partnership Board, and the Economic Development Advisory Council. Affordable Housing Trust Chair Elaine Tung, who said the trust received the study only December 1, urged the board not to assume her group's position before it had a chance to review the report.