Have you ever tried this

1. “Haveyouevertriedthis?”
TheHousingPlanners/CoordinatorsNetwork: asynergized
approachtodevelopingaffordablehousing
Session for the Southern New England American Planning
Association (SNEAPA) Conference
Elizabeth DeMille Barnett, AICP, MODERATOR
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

2. HousingPlanners/CoordinatorsNetworkorthe
HousingNetwork
• Was formed in the Fall of 2011, following a Massachusetts Housing
Partnership Housing Institute, by primarily small-town affordable
housing staff and board members
• Meets on a monthly basis in each other’s communities for breakfast
• Participation is voluntary – members from a variety of professional
backgrounds, e.g., planners, lawyers, community leaders, engineers,
etc.
• Disciplined monthly “roll-up-your-sleeves sessions” with project
progress updates and/charrette-style problem solving.
• Organization has served as a professional support incubator for both
housing development and housing planning – sharing
resources/experience ranging from planning and procurement to
operations.
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

3. Affordable Housing Timeline
• 1937 United States Housing Act
• 1949 Housing Act of 1949
• 1959 Housing Act of 1959 Section 202 and Section 221D3
• 1965 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• 1969 M.G.L. Chapter 40B – local permitting override for affordable housing
• 1973 HUD Section 8 Program for New and Existing Housing
• 1986 Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program and the McKinney Act
• 1989 HUD HOME Program
• 1993 HUD Hope VI (unit rehabilitation/replacement)
• 1997 Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC)
pre-development loans and supportive housing financing
• 2000 Massachusetts Community Preservation Act –funding for
Community Housing development/establishes Municipal Affordable
Housing Trusts
• 2012 HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) - rehabilitation of
existing developments
(Massachusetts initiatives in italics)
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

4. 2016AffordableHousingResources
(Massachusetts)
• 1937 United States Housing Act
• 1949 Housing Act of 1949
• 1959 Housing Act of 1959 Section 202 and Section 221D3
• 1965 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• 1969 M.G.L. Chapter 40B – local permitting override for affordable housing
• 1973 HUD Section 8 Program for New and Existing Housing
• 1986 Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program and the McKinney Act
• 1989 HUD HOME Program
• 1993 HUD Hope VI (unit rehabilitation/replacement)
• 1997 Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC)
pre-development loans and supportive housing financing
• 2000 Massachusetts Community Preservation Act –funding for
Community Housing development/establishes Municipal Affordable
Housing Trusts
• 2012 HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) - rehabilitation of
existing developments
(Massachusetts initiatives in italics)
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

5. HousingNetworkTopics: affordablehousingand
publicprivatepartnerships
• Areas highlighted today:
• Demand vs. supply – Fran Stanley, Housing Coordinator, Groton,
MA
• Who, what and where?: Easton’s experience maximizing
opportunities – Wayne Beitler, Community Planner, Easton, MA
• Aligning the stars: the political challenges – Laura Spear, Vice-
Chair, Stow Affordable Housing Trust, Stow, MA
• Mobilizing the army: the logistical challenges of affordable
housing implementation – Adam Duchesneau, AICP, Town
Planner, Boxborough, MA
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

6. • “Today’s local housing developer (community
side) needs to be able to work with architects,
engineers, state officials, understand financing
deals, and be a team player.”
-- Seasoned Massachusetts state housing veteran
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

7. HousingNetwork:AffordableHousingProjects
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

8. E. BARNETT END
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

9. Housing Network Panel
Fran Stanley
Housing Coordinator
Groton, Massachusetts

10. Located 35 miles northwest of Boston and 15 miles south of Nashua

11. Groton’s Community Profile
Land Area: 32.5 square miles
Population: 10,937
Government: Open Town Meeting
Affordable Units: 215 units or 5.47%
Roadway miles: 107
Public Water: 60%
Public Sewer: 15%
Rivers: Nashua & Squannacook
Open Space: 41% land area or 8889 acres or
ACEC: 88% of Town in either Squannassit or Petapawag

12. Age restricted homeownership units. Senior subsidized housing allowed under
local zoning. In Massachusetts, age restricted affordables allow applicants to
have more assets than the typical affordable unit. Highly successful.

13. Affordable Housing Trust invests in development to create 3 affordable
homeownership units. Development features re-use of historic building, siting of
affordables with proximity to Town Center amenities and is an infill development.
Project started in 2012 and is still being built out.

14. Housing Network colleagues have offered practical suggestions based on their
community’s experiences. Those varied ideas and suggestions have improved my
ability to support Groton’s existing affordable/subsidized inventory.
Examples:
• Sharing information about DHCD oversight of affordable units.
• Resolving monitoring issues.
• Assisting affordable homeowners with questions about condo
association governance, home repairs, property taxes.
• Sharing ideas to support maintenance of existing subsidized rentals
offered through the housing authority.
• Assisting households in need of subsidized and affordable housing.

15. Thank you.
Fran Stanley 978.732.1913
Housing Coordinator fstanley@townofgroton.org
Groton in 1886

16. F. STANLEY END

17. Incorporated in 1725, Easton is 28 miles south of Boston 26 miles
northeast of Providence
Town of Easton
Massachusetts

18. Easton’s Community Profile
Land Area: 28.44 square miles
Population: 23,357
Government: Open Town Meeting
Affordable Units: 826 units or 10.19 %
Roadway miles: 129 (121 Municipal, 8 State)
Public Water: 98%
Public Sewer: 5%
Open Space: 32% land area or 6,002 acres
ACEC: 8,960 acres in Hockomock Swamp or
Canoe River Aquifer ACECs
Town of Easton
Massachusetts

19. In the past decade Easton became very proactive in planning for diverse
housing options
• Queset 40R “Smart Growth” mixed-use zoning overlay district (2008 Town
Meeting)
• Offices, stores, 60 condos, 220 mixed-income rental apartments
• Waste-Water Treatment Facility also supports abutting new Queset
Commercial zoning overlay district (2015 Town Meeting)
• Encouraged several “Friendly 40B” apartment developments
• 290-unit mixed income Avalon Easton development mitigation
included tying Five Corners area into neighboring sewer district,
supporting higher-value commercial development (2015 Town
Meeting)
Town of Easton
Massachusetts

20. Ames Shovel Works –
rehabilitation of historic factory
complex into 113 mixed-income
apartments
• $3 million preservation
restriction purchase
• $4.35 million loan
• 10-year Tax Increment
Financing agreement
• Waste-Water Treatment Facility
for Shovel Works and historic
downtown commercial district
• (2011 Town Meeting)
Town of Easton
Massachusetts

21. Affordable Housing Trust (2008
Town Meeting)
• Mostly CPA Funds
• Homebuyer Assistance Program
(5 Units, $269,056)
• Housing Authority Roof &
Windows (87 Units, $366,589)
• Exploring Rebuilding 1 Housing
Authority House (~$200,000)
• Exploring Building Veteran’s
Housing (~8 Units, ~$400,000)
• Part-time Staff Salary (Also
Supports 40B/40R etc.)
Town of Easton
Massachusetts

22. Only a small number of volunteers and professionals do this specific work,
which is fairly complicated and arcane. Most of that work is in cities which
operate at larger scales and with more professional and non-profit support
and programs.
Housing Network contacts and discussions have been invaluable in helping
me support Easton’s community housing goals.
Examples:
• Group provides very accessible “peer to peer” learning environment
• Group provides venue to invite expert guests (State, non-profits, etc.)
• Informal discussions provide real-world examples of RELEVANT successful
projects & programs in similar suburban towns
• Informal discussions help map out complex projects and timelines
• Informal discussions help strategize for maximum effectiveness structuring
deals, public relations campaigns, regulatory approvals, etc.
Town of Easton
Massachusetts

23. Town of Easton
Massachusetts
Wayne Beitler, M.A., Community
Planner
Town of Easton
136 Elm Street
Easton, MA 02356
Direct Line: 508-230-0645
E-Mail: wbeitler@easton.ma.us

24. W. BEITLER END

25. H O U S I N G N E T W O R K : L A U R A S P E A R , S T O W,
M A
SNEAPA 2016

26. Incorporated in 1683, Stow is 21 miles west of Boston
TOWN OF STOW

27. STOW’S COMMUNITY PROFILE
Land Area: 18.1 square miles
Population: 6590 (2010)
Government: Open Town Meeting
Roadway miles: 60
Municipal Water: 0%
Municipal Sewer: 0%
Affordable Units: 179 units or 7.16%
Open Space: 1000 acres of protected conservation land
plus 1300 acres owned by U.S. Government and
Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
50% of undeveloped land in Stow is in a Chapter
61 program

28. SMAHT: ROLE AND EXPECTATIONS
• Provide 10% certified affordable housing but not…
• In anyone’s backyard or on an abutting parcel
• In existing golf courses
• In existing apple orchards
• In the center of Town
• In Chapter 61 land
• At the expense of undeveloped open space
• At any cost
• Know everything about Chapter 40B, Housing Production
Plans, Community Preservation Act, Chapter 61 (61A, 61B),
LIPs, zoning, HUD, affordable housing development
community, federal and state funding sources and subsidies,
legal defense, state and federal grant programs, affordable
housing trust requirements, procurement laws, etc… as
volunteers

29. AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXAMPLES:
NOT SUCCESSFUL
241 Boxboro Road, Stow

30. AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXAMPLES:
NOT SUCCESSFUL
323 Great Road, Stow

31. AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXAMPLES:
NOT SUCCESSFUL
Plantation 2

32. AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXAMPLES:
SUCCESSFUL
CPA funds for buying, selling, renting,
and rehabilitating housing units on the
subsidized housing inventory facing
foreclosure proceeding

33. AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXAMPLES:
SUCCESSFUL

34. AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXAMPLES:
SUCCESSFUL
Pilot Grove 2: Partnership with Stow Community
Housing Corporation, CPA funds

35. AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXAMPLES:
SUCCESSFUL
Pine Point parcel (municipal land): SMAHT granted control by Town Meeting

36. PROCESS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
ON MUNICIPAL LAND
Key Steps Activities
1 SMAHT assesses parcels for suitability for development of affordable
housing
2 SMAHT informs Board of Selectmen (BOS) of intent to proceed with one or
more parcels, formally requests control of property
3 BOS distributes memo of intent to all Town Boards and committees, solicits
feedback
4 If needed, SMAHT and BOS sponsor Joints Boards meeting
5 BOS decides whether to move forward
6 If proceed: SMAHT and BOS draft Town Meeting article
7 SMAHT does community outreach and education
8 Town Meeting decides whether to change use and grant control to SMAHT
9 If approved: SMAHT further investigates technical and financial feasibility
and issues RFP for development if appropriate
10 Developer selected based on RFP criteria
Similar to surplus property process

37. LESSONS LEARNED
• No one has all of the answers
• Don’t get discouraged -- keep plugging away
• Communication with all stakeholders is essential
• Make sure you have
a great support
network

38. HOW HOUSING NETWORK HELPS
1. General support
2. Prior experience from the trenches
3. Information sharing

39. L. SPEAR END

40. Adam Duchesneau, AICP
Town Planner
Boxborough, Massachusetts
Boxborough: A Rural, Engaged Community for All

42. Boxborough’s Community Profile
• Land Area: 10.4 square miles
• Population: ~ 5,000
• Government: Open Town Meeting
• Affordable Units: 23 units / 1.12%
• Roadway Miles: 45
• Public Water: None (wells only)
• Public Sewer: None
• Open Space: 1,415 acres / 21.3%

55. Adam L. Duchesneau, AICP
Town Planner
Town of Boxborough
29 Middle Road
Boxborough, MA 01719
978-264-1723
ADuchesneau@Boxborough-MA.gov

56. A. DUCHESNEAU END

57. QUESTIONS FOR PANEL?
SNEAPAOctober21,2016

58. THANK YOU!
SNEAPAOctober21,2016