Lexington Select Board Splits on Vine Street Affordable Housing RFP Authority

LEXINGTON — April 9, 2025 — Lexington Select Board reaches consensus on EV charging rates while splitting over a Vine Street affordable housing RFP. Meeting Wednesday, the five-member board indicated broad agreement on a proposed flat rate of 45 cents per kilowatt hour for new Level 3 chargers at the NSTAR lot, along with an idle fee and a 100-kilowatt power cap recommended by member Mark Sandin to avoid what Sustainability and Resilience Officer Maggie Peard said could be tens of thousands of dollars annually in demand charges; a final vote is set for April 28. The sharper divide emerged over Article 23 for the town-owned parcel at 116 Vine Street, where Chair Doug Lucente announced he was moving from a wait to a no, saying "I definitely feel different than everybody else on this particular matter" and questioning cost-per-unit feasibility and staff capacity. Members Jill Hay, Joe Pato, and Sandin argued the RFP authorization carries no obligation to accept any proposal, and Hay noted that LexHAB's newly independent 501(c)(3) status removes the municipal procurement constraints that killed the project's last development attempt. The board voted 5-0 to approve a seven-item consent agenda before adjourning.