An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities for the purpose of funding the creation of community housing

This bill establishes a new fee for the town of Lexington to help pay for affordable community housing. It requires developers who demolish existing single- or two-family homes to build new ones to pay a surcharge based on the square footage of their new construction, unless the project is specifically for community housing. The town's select board will set the fee amount, which will be adjusted annually for inflation, and the money collected will go into a dedicated trust fund for housing projects. A building permit cannot be finalized until this fee is paid, and the town must review the program's effectiveness every seven years.