MICHAEL J. SCHANBACHER

MICHAEL J. SCHANBACHER

Name: Michael Schanbacher
Office Sought: Planning Board
e-mail address: michaelschanbacherlexpb [at] gmail.com (
)phone number: 713-204-0133

Community Activities: 

  • Lexington Planning Board: 2021 - Present
  • Lexington Town Meeting: 2015 - Present
  • Five Fields Neighborhood Board President: 2019 - 2023
  • Five Fields Neighborhood Board Member: 2013 - Present 

If elected, what would be your three top goals to work towards during your term on the Planning Board?

#1.

Lexington and the Greater Boston area are in the midst of a serious housing shortage and as a result housing costs continue to rise, pricing modest income people out of the region and our town. I am a staunch supporter of diversity in housing stock and the only way out of this problem is to build. 

The town started last spring with the passage of the MBTA Community legislation and the Special Residential Development Bylaw. I voted for both initiatives. 

However, there is much more work to be done. If I am re-elected to the Planning Board, I can help find solutions to incentivize building Missing Middle Housing units which will create diverse, smaller, housing for older residents, young people, and town employees.

#2. 

Lexington needs to generate more commercial tax revenue. I support building new projects in commercially zoned areas as well as mixed -use areas which will reduce the impact of the new high school on future residential tax bills.

The MBTA Community Bylaw’s mixed-use development will create new commercial and residential tax revenue. If I am re-elected to the Planning Board, I will support the first MBTA mixed-use proposed projects which will create more new tax revenue. 

#3. 

Integrating sustainable practices into housing projects through Planning Board bylaws and regulations. For example, the Planning Board cannot mandate that a project be entirely electric since it is part of the building code, but the Planning Board can incentivize this type of initiative. I want to further Lexington’s efforts to build a resilient community for our children and grandchildren.