HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-04-21 Metro North Regional Housing Advisory Committee MinutesTown of Reading
a b Meeting Minutes RECEIVED
TOWN CLERK
F MASS,
1NLOPQ
Board - committee - commission - council: 1016 AUG 25 P tP 9
Metro North Regional Housing Services
Committee
Date: 2016-04-21
Building: Reading Town Hall
Address: 16 Lowell Street
Purpose: Bi -Monthly Meeting
Attendees: Members - Present:
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Berger Room
Session:
Version:
Julie Mercier, Laurie Stanton, Danielle McKnight, Valerie Gingrich,
Members - Not Present:
Bob Luongo
Others Present:
Liz Rust
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Laurie Stanton
Topics of Discussion:
Call to order 10:05
Ms. McKnight moved to approve the minutes of 2/25/16. Ms. Gingrich seconded the motion. The
minutes were approved unanimously.
Report and status update
Saugus is still interviewing for a new planner/economic development officer to replace Bob Luongo.
Wilmington had a lottery for the five Whispering Pines units. Ms. Stanton submitted these units to
DHCD, and they were added to the SHI, along with three group homes. A house in the HOR program on
Carmel Street had its affordability restriction expire, and was removed from the SHI.
Reading has an affordable unit available at Reading Woods. This resale is sold on a first-come, first -serve
basis.
North Reading is using HOME funds to rehab 2 units at Park Colony, owned by the North Reading
Housing Authority. The Housing Authority rents the units to people with Section 8 vouchers. These units
were originally bought with HOME funds, and their affordability restriction has expired. We are working
to reinstate them on the SHI.
North Reading is on track for the PATH grant.
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HOME FUNDS
HOME funds help with building, buying, or rehabbing affordable units; down payments for the first-time
homeowner; and tenant based rental assistance for very low-income households. Both Wilmington and
North Reading participate in the North Shore HOME Consortium. Reading and Saugus do not. When the
funds are used for building, buying or rehabbing affordable units, depending on how much money is
used, HOME restricts the affordability to 5 or 10 years. HOME will extend the affordable restriction on
the Deed Rider past 10 years if a Town acts as the monitoring agent. Towns need the restriction to be
for a minimum of 15 years, in order for the unit to be counted on the SHI. Liz suggested that a Town
could apply for a DHCD/ LIP deed restriction, which would be in perpetuity. HOME and DHCD have a
difference of philosophy. DHCD wants to preserve affordability, and prefers perpetuity, while HOME
wants the owner to build equity, so limits the affordability restriction.
We reviewed the resale price multiplier, used in the deed riders.
Liz demonstrated the RHSO website, and how the original RHSO towns can access a members' only
section that includes information from the spreadsheets and makes it easier to keep track of updates.
She will give us an in-depth demonstration at the next meeting.
Next meeting: June 23, 2016 at 10 AM in the Berger Room at Town Hall.
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