LYNNFIELD — Beverly Merritt, Chair and President of the Lynnfield Initiatives for Elders (LIFE), presented proposed updates to the organization’s eligibility requirements at Monday’s Select Board meeting.
The changes are intended to better manage the high demand for senior housing and prioritize longtime Lynnfield residents.
During the public meeting, Merritt was joined by board members and supporters to outline two key proposals related to LIFE’s informational website and application process:
Currently, LIFE requires that at least one occupant in a household be 58 years old or older. Merritt proposed raising the minimum age to 60, reversing a previous change made to attract younger residents when Colonial Village was still selling units.
Chair of the Select Board Philip Crawford said, “I know we made the change from age 60 to 58 years ago when we had Colonial Village, and we’re trying to get a younger demographic to finish selling those units. We aren’t producing any more units, and I think that all makes sense.”
The second change proposes to eliminate extended family eligibility. Specifically, removing parents and siblings of current or former Lynnfield residents from the waiting list qualifications.
The updated policy would limit eligibility to current or former Lynnfield residents with at least two years of residency.
Merritt confirmed that all current names on the waiting list, now totaling approximately 533, will be grandfathered in and will not be removed as a result of this change.
“By removing the eligibility of parents and siblings of Lynnfield residents,” Merritt said, “it gives current and former Lynnfield residents a better opportunity to secure a residence at LIFE.”
Vice chair of the Select Board, Alexis Leahy, asked if there would be enough demand for the residences after these stipulations.
Merritt stressed that demand remains high. “We’re getting calls every day, seven or eight applications every week. Seniors in their 60s and 70s are downsizing, and there’s growing interest in our villages,” Merritt said.
Currently, LIFE oversees 174 units across three villages — Colonial Village (MarketStreet), Central Village (Main Street), and Essex Village (Essex Street), housing approximately 350 residents.
Select Board member Dick Dalton, suggested making the waiting list publicly accessible, at least in a simplified form without sensitive data such as emails or phone numbers. While the list is currently private due to confidentiality concerns, Merritt acknowledged the request to enhance transparency and promised to bring the matter before the board once the list is reviewed and updated.
“We’ll certainly consider a public-facing list that includes just names and perhaps addresses,” Merritt said. “But first, we need to purge the list. We know many people have moved away, passed on, or chosen to come off the list.”
The proposal was unanimously approved by the Select Board and will take effect immediately.
