Katie Blauer for Town Meeting - Precinct 7

51197

home,wp-singular,page-template,page-template-full_width,page-template-full_width-php,page,page-id-51197,wp-theme-capri,qode-core-2.1.2,select-core-2.1.2,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,capri-ver-3.4, vertical_menu_with_scroll,smooth_scroll,grid_1200,blog_installed,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.7.0,vc_responsive

Katie Blauer

Town Meeting Member

Precinct 7

Hi, thanks for visiting! And thanks so much to the Precinct 7 constituents for electing me to Town Meeting in March 2025. I look forward to continuing to share news here and engage with you on the important topics that affect our neighborhood and town as a whole.

Scroll down to learn more about my background, my perspective on the issues we’re facing, links to other resources and reminders of upcoming events.

If you’d like to be added to my distribution list to receive occasional emails with these types of reminders, please drop me a note at katieblauer@gmail.com.

Hello Katie

Lexington has always been my home. From Hancock Nursery School and Bowman Elementary to Clarke Middle School and Lexington High School, where I met my future husband, Adam Blauer. Adam lived on the other side of town and attended Estabrook and Diamond. After getting married and living in a few other places, we were fortunate enough to purchase our own home here in 2011, just a mile down the road from Adam’s parents.

My dad grew up in Lexington too, and my grandfather not only served as a Town Meeting Member for multiple terms in the 1960s but also as Chairman of the Appropriation Committee and multiple other financial committees over the course of 20 years.

I am proud that our children are 4^th generation Lexingtonians, and just the same as anyone, we only want the very best for them. Participating in Town Meeting is one of the ways I can contribute to ensuring Lexington remains a wonderful place to live for generations to come.

Trash Talk

GET REAL INFO: Article 31 Overview and Article 31 FAQ

BULKY ITEMS: Fees for bulky item pick-up is separate from Article 31 and will be instituted July 1^st of this year along with a new online payment system. A draft version of the fee structure can be found within this doc

YES Campaign: Keep a Lid on Trash Spending site

NO Campaign: Vote No Trash Fees site

SURVEY: Waste Reduction Program Feedback – open thru June 16^th

Tuesday June 16^th Special Election – voting info here

Topline Points on Trash:

As costs continue to rise, Lexington needs to move from manual trash collection to an automated service for an estimated savings of $9 million over 5 years.
The Town is exploring 35-, 48-, and 64-gallon trash carts for the updated program which could include more than one size or the option to have more than one cart to accommodate varied household needs.
This first bin will be provided and will continue to be “free” as part of the baseline level of service. There will be a charge for any overages – either through an annual fee for an additional bin (approx. $200/year) or on an as-needed basis by putting out an extra pre-purchased specific bag (approx. $3/bag).
My recommendation is to vote YES. This allows the Select Board time to develop a program based on townwide feedback before entering into negotiations with haulers in the Fall for next year’s contract.

LHS Building Project

On December 8^th, Lexingtonians showed their support of the new Lexington High School project by voting YES for the Debt Exclusion that will fund this important project. It was an honor to have contributed to this successful effort by creating the graphic designs for the “Yes for Lex” campaign and I will work to stay involved in project going forward.

“Bloom” is a thoughtful, elegant and innovative design that Lexington can be proud of. It will replace the current campus that is outdated and undersized, upholding our expectation and reputation for educational excellence. To learn more about the details of the new building and take a virtual tour, visit the LHS Building Project Website.

The new high school is also an investment in ensuring the strength of our individual property values. To help understand the impact on your property taxes going forward, please visit the LHS Project Tax Impact Calculator. First, look up your home’s assessed value by using Lexington’s Property Database and then plug that info into the calculator.

MBTA Communities Act &

Impact on Precinct 7

As part of the MBTA Communities Act that was passed in 2023, over 60 acres in Precinct 7 were zoned for high-density multi-family development. While Article 2, a community-driven push to scale back these ambitious plans, did remove the Village Overlay zoning in this area, the below list of properties spanning across 44 acres, was filed on in advance of Article 2’s passage, locking in the by-right development potential for the next 8 years. So far, 4 of those properties have plans underway that, based on my calculations, will bring 429 additional students to our school system.

This number is based on the average density metrics from Lexington’s Enrollment and Housing Update, published January 2025. For the rentals, I used the October 2024 enrollment data per unit size from Avalon at Lexington Hills, a 387-unit housing development built in 2007. For condos, I used enrollment data per unit size across all condos in Lexington (890 total). Out of the 429 new K-12 students that these 4 properties are predicted to bring, 198 will be elementary aged students, which will put us 125 students OVER the capacity at Estabrook School unless redistricting is considered.

7 Hartwell Ave – 130 rental units with 138 parking spaces on 1.61 acres

~57 total new students (24 ES, 16 MS, 17 HS)

17 Hartwell Ave – 312 rental units on 5.26 acres

~156 total new students (67 ES, 42 MS, 47 HS)

3 Maguire Ave – preliminary subdivision of 2.69 acres

10 Maguire Ave – definitive subdivision of 16.72 acres

125 Hartwell Ave – preliminary subdivision of 4.02 acres

131 Hartwell Ave – 290 rental units with 444 parking spaces on 5.01 acres

~154 total new students (67 ES, 41 MS, 46 HS)

475 Bedford St – 150 condo units on 9.01 acres

~62 total new students (40 ES, 11 MS, 11 HS)

MBTA Communities Act &

More Cost Implications

Last year, the Appropriation Committee published their MBTA Zoning Impact Memo, highlighting that “The implications of massive development will be far reaching and will touch many aspects of life in Lexington.”

One of the key takeaways from this document is that the town receives much lower property tax revenues from apartments on a per unit basis, compared to single-family homes and condos – yet we still pay an average of $26K per student per year in our school system. Because we expect the multi-family developments to bring a certain amount of new students, as highlighted on the previous page, “the increase of expenses for the schools will exceed new tax revenues by an amount in the range of $4M-$12M for every 1,000 new dwelling units built in the overlay districts.” With nearly 80% of our town budget allocated to schools, this can only mean that our school system will suffer as we seek to confront these funding gaps.

This concept is proven by the two Avalon properties, which house 405 students and bring in $2,149,539 in tax revenue, equating to a yearly deficit of 8 million dollars. Add the $4-$12 million shortfall for every additional 1,000 units and you can imagine the tax burden our town will feel as 732 new rental units come to Hartwell Ave alone.