Lexington officials and voters embraced the spirit of the MBTA Communities law – and exceeded its requirements – when they approved an ambitious plan in 2023 that could allow construction of nearly 13,500 multifamily housing units.
Developers responded in force, proposing 10 projects totaling nearly 1,100 apartments and condominiums in Lexington Centre and along major corridors.
The volume of the development proposals surprised officials and animated opponents, who successfully forced a special town meeting in March that slashed the size of the new zoning districts and maximum allowed density of projects.“
When the zoning was adopted, we thought we’d get applications. That was the intent: to create new housing,” Planning Director Abby McCabe said. “But then in 2024, we did get more applications than we expected, and so many residents had concerns about how quickly the applications were coming in.”
Source: Lexington Waits for Next Shoe to Drop – Banker & Tradesman
