Loading...
The URL can be used to link to this page
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Home
My WebLink
About
2007-09-04 Board of Selectmen Handout
TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT Tuesday, September 04, 2007 • Franklin Street sidewalks are under construction. • The Sunnyside Ave. / Fairview Rd. Sewer project is completed - paving will be done next spring. • The DPW has completed a water line installation on Vine Street from High to Arbor Way. This looped an otherwise dead end. • The next Household Hazardous Waste Collection is a Wakefield High School on September 22. This is a joint program with the Town of Wakefield, open to Reading and Wakefield residents. There will be another collection in Reading in the spring. • The Birch Meadow Playground came out great. A recent newspaper article on the project did not recognized the work of the Highway Division, Parks and Forestry Division, Recreation Administrator, and Office Manager in my office (there was an insurance claim involved) as well as the Facilities Department in removal of the portable buildings. • The Hopkins Street drainage improvements (Gazebo Circle) are completed. • The Reading Public Library has won an important federal grant administered through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The library has received a two-year $20,000 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant to be used for the library's proposed "Contact with Impact: Serving 'Tweens and Teens" project. The grant will fund a variety of materials and services for students in grades 6-12. • The RCASA Annual Meeting is on September 26 at 7 PM at the Parker Middle School. I would encourage all residents who are interested in the issue of Substance Abuse to become involved. There is a need for many areas of expertise, if you have the time to volunteer. Street condition Hechenbleikner, Peter From: Hechenbleikner, Peter Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 4:48 PM To: 'Robillard, Scott' Subject: RE: Street condition Scott Page 1 of 2) I see that DPW did your street - it looks good. As you know this is a somewhat temporary fix (5 years or so) - until we can got the funding level to do a complete reconstruction. Your neighbors on the other end of Barrows are jealous now. Pete From: Robillard, Scott [mailto:Scott.Robillard@FMR.COM] Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:33 AM To: Anthony, Camille Cc: Reading - Selectmen Subject: RE: Street condition I forgot one other thing. I do have pictures I took a few weeks ago. I won't be able to send them until tonight however. Thank you. From: Robillard, Scott Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 9:37 AM To: 'Camille Anthony' Cc: selectmen@ci.reading. ma. us Subject: RE: Street condition Thank you for your quick response. The street is Barrows Road. I actually live at 48 Barrows Road. Barrows crosses Rt 129 so there is, for lack of a better term, a North and South side. I live on the North side. The worst part of the street is toward the end of the street. Scott Robillard From: Camille Anthony [mailto:canthony@ftmc.net] Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 4:35 PM To: Robillard, Scott Cc: selectmen@ci.reading. ma. us Subject: RE: Street condition Scott: What is your street address? I will bring this issue up to the BOS tomorrow night. We do have a pavement study of road conditions being conducted presently. It will be interesting to see where your street is in the program. Regards, Camille Anthony 3 8/31/2007 Street condition 8/31/2007 Page 2 of 2 -----Original Message----- From: Robillard, Scott [mailto:Scott.Robillard@FMR.COM] Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 2:58 PM To: cwanthony@ci.reading.ma.us Subject: Street condition Good afternoon, I'm a Reading resident and the street I live on wants to petition the Town to look at our Street for getting paved. The street is in very poor condition and parts of it are worn down to dirt. Five families, including my family, have children age 5 years and younger and we believe the poor condition is becoming a safety issue for our children. This is the fourth year in a row I will have to have a strip of 40 feet of pavement cleaned up because it is breaking away from the street. Some of my neighbors have the same problem. I know this is a busy time for the Town. Could you tell me where I can best direct our petition and photographs of the street. Thank you, Scott Robillard 9 Page 1 of 2 Hechenbleikner, Peter From: Dennis Collins [dxcollins@verizon.net] Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2007 1:32 PM To: Hechenbleikner, Peter Cc: McIntire, Ted Subject: Re: Beech Street Asphalt Importance: High Peter I hope your summer has been enjoyable. I'm following up on my earlier inquiry regarding Beech Street. We are experiencing continual "pothole expansion." I realize that the demand is high and am aware of the difficulties of equitably distributing resources. My concern, however, is that I would expect that the potential increases in local traffic with the impending opening or Stop&Shop, Demoula's and other retail expansion projects in the Walker's Brook area would only exacerbate the conditions to the point where a skimcoat may not be feasible. If this becomes the case and we need to wait until FY'11(or whenever the scheduled work is slated) the street will become more and more damaged, particularly as winters approach. In addition, Beech Street has a fair amount of pedestrian traffic from residents, particularly families of the housing on Lakeview, who travel to and from Hunt Park, downtown and other areas of the community and since there are no sidewalks they navigate the street with baby carriages, etc. Thank you again for your consideration and response. Anything that could be done would be greatly appreciated. Dennis Collins 12 Beech Street Reading, MA 01867 781-942-1333 (home) 781-258-0361 (cell) Original Message From: Hechenbleikner. Peter To: Dennis Collins Cc: McIntire. Ted Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 9:12 AM Subject: RE: Beech Street Asphalt Dennis There is not formal process. We don't have any resources before July 1 - I'll ask our DPW director to see if there is anything we can do after July 1. There is so much demand and you'd think with $800,000 a year available we would be able to do more - but everything has gone up because of fuel. 8/31/2007 ~o~N.OF RFq~~~ / Town of Reading (i 16 Lowell Street `Reading, MA 01867-2683 ~ E39:1NCOR40~~~~ Fax: (781) 942-5441 Website: www.ci.reading.ma.us August 31, 2007 Ms. Patricia A. Leavenworth, P.E. District Highway Director Massachusetts Highway Department, District 4 519 Appleton Street Arlington, MA 02476. Re: Future Sidewalk Maintenance Dear Ms. Leavenworth: PUBLIC WORKS (781) 942-9077 The Town of Reading currently has three permit requests into District four for three different locations on the State right-of-way Rte 28 (Main Street). With these permits, the Town is requesting to construct handicap ramps, in all locations, install granite curb in two of the locations and alter the existing sidewalk in one location. The State permits division is requesting from the Town a letter stating that the Town of Reading will be responsible for all future maintenance on the newly constructed sidewalk. By this letter, please note that the Town of Reading will accept the future responsibilities of maintaining the newly constructed sidewalks. If you have any questions regarding this project or if we could be of any assistance in other matters, please do not hesitate to contact me at (781) 942-9082. Thank you for your time. G. CC. P. Hechenbleikner, Town Manager E. McIntire, Director of Public Works 9 Hechenbleikner, Peter From: Hechenbleikner, Peter Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 4:19 PM To: 'keith albert' Cc: Zambouras, George Subject: RE: street repair Keith Thanks for your email. Page 1 of 2 ~ I I disagree as to the relative condition of the ends of Barrows Rd. The end that we did pave was down to bare dirt in some places. Your end has portions that are "unraveled" but there is some pavement there. That being said, we are struggling to bring our roads back to reasonable condition, and certainly your end of Barrows Road is in need of work, as are a lot of streets in Reading in similar condition. In our road program, we have some funds (the vast majority) that we use for major work. Each year we try to devote some much.smaller amount of funds to work that we do with our own work crews. This work is often more cosmetic - we don't use our work crews to dig down to bare dirt and reconstruct a road from the base up, but we do use our crews to construct leveling courses. The estimated life of this work is fairly short - 5 years plus or minus - but it is an improvement. We do not have any funding remaining for this type of work this fiscal year. I am considering asking the Board of Selectmen to request some modest additional level of funding from Town Meeting this fall, so we would have some funding to do a few streets next spring. We will certainly keep Barrows Road in mind if we are able to secure additional Town Meeting funding for materials. Pete From: keith albert [mailto:albert279@verizon.net] Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 8:50 PM To: Town Manager Subject: street repair It is with great concern for my family's safety, as well as my neighbors, that.l am writing to you. I am writing concerning the recent street repavement on Barrows Rd..l spoke with the Dept. Of Public works and the Engineering Dept. to ask if the other end of Barrows Rd will be repaved. The end I live on. Both Dept.'s said that no plans have been made to repave the end of Barrows Rd. where I live. When I spoke to the gentlemen in the Public works Dept. he agreed that the end of Barrows Rd. I live on was in far worse shape than the end that was recently repaved. I'am very concerned with the hazardous condition of the street. There are several children on this end of the street (8 total) who enjoy rollerblading and bike riding. There are potholes that have been temporarily repaired in the middle of the street that keep opening up. In front of several homes on the street the pavement is uneven due to large chunks of asphalt crumbling off. A year ago I called with the same concerns and was told Barrows Rd. was on the list for repairs. I assumed that meant the entire street. Conditions have gotten worse and so far no one has been seriously injuried, although some minor scrapes have occured from skating over broken pieces of asphalt. 8/31/2007 Filter blurb Page 1 of 2 Hechenbiefter, Peter From: Tassi, Peter Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 1:56 PM To: Peter Hechenbleikner (phechenbleikner@ci.reading. ma.us) Cc: 'Ted McIntire (tmcintire@ci.read ing.ma.us)' Subject: FW: Home Filters Plugging Pete: FYI. Ted asked me to forward this to you. We have gotten a few calls from residents regarding their home filters requiring more frequent filter changes since being on MWRA water. I have been working with the MWRA on the issue and they sent me the email below as a result. The information has been posted on our web page. Peter Peter]. rIassi, WaterSupply zZTreatment Supervisor Town of Reading (Ph) 781-942-9199 (Fax) 781-942-9197 (Cell) 781-858-2566 Email: ptassi(iM.reading.ma.us From: Reilley, Betsy [mailto: Betsy, Reilley@mwra.state.ma. us] Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 3:49 PM To: Tassi, Peter Subject: Filter blurb Peter - here is some text from some of the work I have done. I think you have pretty much covered these points, but maybe it will help! I use a filter in my home and I have to change it more frequently than the manufacturer specifications. Why is this? The use of filters is a personal one. Some homes may experience particular problems or specific concerns that impact their decision to use a filter. It is important to note that manufacturer specifications are based on generic conditions and are not based on actual water quality in the MWRA service area. Since MWRA is an unfiltered surface water supply, it is likely that more frequent filter changes will be requited. In particular, during certain times of the year, the source water reservoirs experience algae blooms and these can result in 9/4/2007 Filter blurb Page 2 of 2 rapid fouling of filters. Also, depending on local conditions, iron may be elevated and this will result in more rapid fouling of the filter. It is important to properly maintain your filter. To reduce required filter changes, you may want to filter only the drinking water, not all the water entering the house. Betsy Reilley-Matthews, Ph.D Senior Program Manager, Water Quality Assurance and Data Management MA Water Resources Authority 268 Boston Road, Southboro, MA 01772 Telephone: 508-820-1527 Direct Dial: 508-424-3613 Cell: 617-839-2997 Fax: 508-872-4527 E-mail: Betsy. Reilley@mwra.state.ma.us Website: www.mwra.com 9/4/2007 - Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse Presentation to Reading Board of Selectmen 9-4-07 I" RCASA formed - August 2006 as a Communitv Based Coalition to address Substance Abuse issues Board of Directors: - Community-Two (2) Members-at-Large; Medical Provider; Pharmacist; Clergy Association; Burbank branch of the YMCA; media. (7) - Schools - Superintendent of Schools; School Committee; 2 Student Representatives; Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School Representative; Austin Preparatory School Representative; Reading Schools Health Educator; School Administrator. (8) - Town - Town Manager; Board of Selectmen; Police Chief; School Resource Officer, Board of Health; Recreation Committee; (6) a..m.o wwo.. abv.. Vision RCASA's vision is a safe, healthy, vibrant community in which everyone makes healthy decisions and ensures that today's resources shape tomorrow's strengths. ~r wuuo aa•~wWa Mission RCASXs mission is to collaboratively reduce youth substance abuse in R ategc through increased education, prevention, and community Support. Strategic Prevention Framework 1) Goals To Reduce Youth Substance Abuse To maintain a sustainable prevention coalition thru enhance community collaboration A mufti-faceted approach The SOCIO-Ecologic Modol PuBLiC POLICY 00TOW, rote. IoW law,• comNJUNrrY 19n•fi19s asnun9 aNmt hVk *;ORGAWATIONAL L W9•^ , INDIVIDUAL attRudxs, stuns .2 wuvo. STRATEGIES Strategies and Activities to: • Inform • Enhance Skills • Enhance Protection • Chanae Phvsical Desion • Chanae Consequences • Enhance policies Strateaies and Activities to Inform:, • Collect Baseline Data • Coalition Communication/Marketing • Media Campaign/Marketing Plan • Community Outreach and Education Strateaies and Activities to Enhance Skills • Build Coalition and Leadership Skills • Parent Education and Skill Development • Education for Students, Staff, and Coaches/Athletes • Board of health • Police Department 3 A91- wb~Wa Mm. Strateaies and Skills to Enhance Protection • Establish Parent Network • Explore Collaboration with SADD • Nigh School Mentoring Program • Role Model healthy youth behavior - youth awards Stu ~Wo Strateaies and Activities to Chance Phvsical Design Assess physical environment and how it may impact/pose risk factors Strateav and Activities to Chance Conseauences • Enforce retail and third party alcohol sales to minors • Clear consequences for school policy violation • Reward compliance Strategies to Enhance policies • School Policy • Town Policy • Organizational Policy Activities to Date • Organized RCASA -August 2006 • Applied for and received planning grant • Completed a Readiness Survey • Coalition building, training, and planning • Participated in Friends and Family Day • Mailed letter to all Junior and Senior RMHS households re prom Activities to Date (continued) • Applied and selected for MassForum Community Team Training • Developed and printed brochure • Press releases re community news • Panel of coalitions from other communities • Contact/discussion with liquor retailers • Applied for and received SAMHSA grant • Applied for Police Department grant 0 PnnpMp fonlip•n ppniwt Mown na Next Steps (within 6 months) • Annual Meeting - September 26, 2007 • Training for RCASA team - 6 members - 9 1-day sessions • Hire staff • Continue work with Liquor retailers • Develop/implement "Shoulder Tap" program Rp4M Wa Next Steps (continued) • Develop Web Page • Evaluate additional grant opportunities • Conduct a fall "Community Event" speaker program • Review Youth Risk Behavior results • Conduct PRIDE Survey (Parents) • Develop/implement "Youth View" activity Funding • Planning Grant - $10,000 • SAMHSA Grant - $100,000 per year for 5 years • Donations • Police Grant • Looking at additional grant opportunities to accelerate work program S6? a•~o nmcdtii° enww~a Conclusion RCASA Is a community based coalition. Much has been done. More needs to be done. This is hard work, and we need the hands of the entire community to have success. The Annual Meeting on September 26, 7 PM at Parker Middle School is a good place to start. H w m w a o f,, bW ♦p~M®V 0 v BRADLEY H. JONES, JR. STATE REPRESENTATIVE MINORITY LEADER Mr. Peter Hechenbleikner Town Administrator Town Hall 16 Lowell Street Reading, MA 01867 Dear Mr. Hechenbleikner, C_ ~!Cf ~,accdc a~~c~zNCdcraL°cctcirc~ 20'" MIDDLESEX DISTRICT READING • NORTH READING LYNNF(ELD • MIDDLETON TEL. (617) 722-2100 Rep.BradleyJones©hou.state.ma.us August 30, 2007 www.bradjonesonline.com I am writing to inform you of opportunities provided to municipalities by the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The MPO encourages active participation by members of the public and officials in the region. As you may know, the MPO conducts studies in towns and cities throughout the Boston metropolitan area in order to improve transportation planning. Therefore, I encourage you to contact the MPO, if your town wishes to participate in one of their studies, at the following: Mary Ellen Sullivan Principal Planner Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization 10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150 Boston, MA 02116 Phone: (617) 973-7119 Fax: (617) 973-8855 c E-mail: mesullivanQctDs.org w Ln Additionally, the MPO's Unified Planning Work Program has released their transportation draft for FY '08. Feel free to download the document at: httD://www. ctos.ora/bostonmoo/resources/UPWP/DraRFFY2008UPWP.Ddf w. 00 I hope you find this information helpful. Should you have further questions regarding this or any other matter, please feel free to contact me at your convenience. Sinc Brad :Jones, Jr. Mir iry Leader v Page 1 of I Hechenblefter, Peter From: Secretary, MCAH [mcahinfo@mcahinfo.org] Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 3:20 PM To: Secretary, MCAH Subject: Municipal Coalition for Affordable Housing Attachments: MCAH Newsletter August 30, 2007.pdf The Municipal Coalition for Affordable Housing (MCAH) is a growing non-profit organization of municipalities and officials of cities and towns in the Commonwealth. Its purpose is the development of better methods for producing affordable housing in Massachusetts than currently provided under MGL40B. The members of MCAH believe that the responsibility for the production of low-cost housing should be returned to individual communities. Existing statutes, administrative regulations, and policies.should be reformed to enable municipalities to implement a broader range of low-cost housing alternatives, ensure consistency with long-range planning, maintain historical preservation, respect environmental protection, use appropriate local preferences, and exercise sensible oversight. If this message resonates within your municipality, then you may want to join MCAH and learn more about returning control of affordable housing to out communities. Check out out newsletter and visit us at www.MCAHinfo.ota 9/4/2007 0 MCAH Municipal Coalition forAffordable Housing ' ark Putting the Community back in Affordable Housing" P. O. Box 1084, Berlin, NLA 01503 www.MCAHinfo_org Emad: infoMCAI-I@MCAI-linfo.org MC. 48 Issue Number 3 August 30, 2007 A summary of affordable bousing news MCAH Editorial: DEVELOPMENTS ON UNSTEADY GROUND July 30, 2007 THE GLOBE and the Division of Housing and Community Development are missing the point on Chapter 40B housing developments ("No ouarter for snob zoning," Editorial, July 27). The underlying problem with 40B is not. excess profits. Rather, the furor that has erupted is rooted in the fact that there is little control over the scope and location of 40B projects. DHCD and other subsidizing agencies, as well as the governor's office, are fond of trotting out buzzwords like "smart growth," but to date there has been no true effort to curb plans that would squeeze excessively large 40B projects on land that is not fit for development. Until these. agencies make strides to thwart bad projects, the statute will continue to exist as a loophole that is abused by developers with no genuine interest in affordable housing. In the meantime, well- conceived projects will not get the attention they deserve. In that these concerns have fallen on deaf ears on Beacon Hill, it is not surprising that cities and towns would propose repeal of this troubled statute. JASON R. TALERMAN, Norfolk The writer is air atto»ry who represents vnany m nidbalities on 40B projects and is on the Board of Directors of MCAH. to continue to work with people on this and try to bring resources to the table." MCAH Upcoming Events Affordable Housing . Conference MCAH will host an affordable housing conference on Friday October 26, 2007 The conference will be open to communities and individuals interested in understanding more about affordable housing. The theme of the conference: Is 40B the solution? Positive Alternatives for Affordable Housing This will be an opportunity to meet with other communities, as well as interested individuals, legislators and the press for a debate on affordable housing. Location: National Grid Route 9, Westborough 40B PLAN NIXED The Beacon, Brad Petrishen, GateHouse News Service, Jul 23, 2007 Boxborough - The Board of Selectmen will draft a letter to MassHousing recommending that the site eligibility for the Stonewall Estates 40B project, which expires next month, not be extended because of poor planning on behalf of its developer, Codman Hill Development LLC. "There have been numerous issues and concerns raised by town officials and abutters concerning the development of the site, including some physical limitations within the AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT RISK By Rebecca Harris, Correspondent, GateHouse News Service, July 19, 2007 Allston, MA - Allston-Brighton could lose as many as 350 of its affordable apartments over the next four years - but not if a group of community development organizations gets its way. The apartments at risk are those funded through government- subsidized mortgages. When the mortgages are paid off, building owners can choose to lease vacant apartments for full market prices. Across Boston, there are 3,778 such units with mortgages ending by 2012. In Allston-Brighton, this includes the Camelot Court building and its 160 apartments, which the owner may be able to lease at market rates as soon as the beginning of 2008. "Despite all the [affordable] units that are being built, if we lose these units that are expiring, it will be a net loss," said Tamara . Daly, the vice president of Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation's board of directors. The Enabling Act to Save Affordable Housing would allow municipalities to regulate rents in buildings with expiring mortgages, including buildings that have already converted to market rents. Another bill currently before the legislature would give cities the right to purchase - or choose purchasers for - buildings slated to become market- rate. State Rep. Kevin Honan, who chaired the housing committee hearings on the bills, said at the meeting that he has been dealing with expiring use housing for his whole term in office. "If you're losing and not preserving housing, you're not getting where you need to be," Honan said. "I'm going Ce-2-P site that raise cost," said Elizabeth Hughes, the town planner. According to Hughes, the MassHousing site eligibility letter has a two-year time limit, which expires Aug. 10. The developers have submitted a request for an extension of that limit, but Hughes said many of the town's concerns have not yet been addressed. "The Zoning Board of Appeals believes the project is uneconomic," she said, referring to an estimation done that projects a profit from the Estates of only 0.6 percent. Hughes said due to a 20-foot engineering error in the developer's survey, some of the buildings were over the property line and had to be readjusted. Fire protection is also an issue, as it was determined a fire cistern would be needed for the project, something the town wanted to avoid. "There are also division of property issues," said Hughes. The plan calls for the property to be split up on different sides of the street since it is located at intersection of Codman Hill and Commercial roads. Water and sewage issues that were of initial concern to the town when the project was proposed have still not been settled. In April 2005, the board supported the 40B project, saying it would be a nice addition to the town's affordable housing stock. Two years later, the board believes the developer not only acted too slowly in addressing these concerns, but that the additional pitfalls that arose, including the unfavorable financial analysis and errors in the initial survey, should preclude the developers from gaining an extension from MassHousing. "I believe the plan should be abandoned," said Selectman Les Fox. The other members agreed and decided to send a letter to MassHousing requesting permission for building to be revolted on the grounds that the initial concerns of the board, as well as subsequent problems resulting from developer error, have not been addressed in a timely manner. Boxborough has been the subject of many 40B projects in the past few years, as the town seeps to push itself above the 10 percent affordable housing requirement. Once past that mark, die town would be able to block future 40B projects. EDITORIAL: IT'S TIME TO REPEAL 40B Worcester Business Journal, Monday, 23 July 2007 The all but untenable regulations of the commonwealth's Chapter 40B affordable housing law provide for the kind of state control over local matters that can only serve to confuse and enrage municipalities. It should be repealed. But that only means the responsibility for ensuring the availability of affordable housing falls back to towns and cities, which for all of 4013's bureaucratic, nanny state market obliviousness, have done an equally miserable job zoning for affordable housing. Chapter 40B requires 10 percent of a town's housing stock to be designated as "affordable." While reasonable if a bit idealistic in theory, it's a mess in practice. It is virtually impossible for a vast majority of towns to have 10 percent of their housing certified as affordable. While towns are under the 10 percent threshold, the state can force them to stand aside while affordable housing projects are built. In Natick, land use officials had nearly lost the will to fight as 40B development after 40B development was foisted upon the town without so much as a municipal by-your-leave. But just last week, the state Department of Housing and Community Development, after a year of wrangling with the town, a developer and a property owner, came around to Natick's point of view. The department told the town that it had met not its 10 percent threshold, but a one-year threshold for affordable housing the town itself calculated. As a result, the state allowed the town to deny or restrict a permit for a 100-unit 40B development in South Natick. The battle between the state and Natick is an example of the hind of meddling, the hind of arbitrary, ill- informed government intrusion that prompts us to call for Chapter 4013's repeal. Page 2 But towns aren't off the hook. Chapter 40B is known as the "anti- snob" law for a reason. Repealed or not, we hope the 40B experiment helps towns admit that they have played a leading role in pushing young would-be homebuyers out of Massachusetts. If it accomplishes nothing else, Chapter 40B should help municipalities realize that they must revise zoning regulations to allow for cluster developments. Today, we know what some during the boom times feared: young homebuyers circa 2007 can't afford large homes on expansive lots, yet towns have forbidden the development of almost anything else. As of 2005, the 20-34-year-old age group was the only age group in Massachusetts to lose population. Goodbye Massachusetts, hello North Carolina, they said. And those aren't the folks the commonwealth can afford to lose. Towns should look upon this state of affairs with shame, and should be equally ashamed that the state felt obligated to remedy the problem with a law that acts as if the housing market is in state receivership. . Outside of necessary regulation, we favor a minimum of government intrusion in business and in the lives of ordinary citizens. Chapter 40B and the shortsighted residential zoning regulations of the last 10 years have intruded in both, and have hurt the state's housing market. It's unfortunate that towns couldn't see the need for even somewhat affordable housing coming, but it's not the state's place to require them to build it. That's the responsibility of the real estate market, residents, and ultimately, the towns themselves. If towns can't realize this while people still live here, they will when they're having a tough time convincing people to move back. STATE GIVES FUNDS FOR OFFICE, HOUSING July 24, 2007, MIKE PLAISANCE, mplaisance@repub.com SPRINGFIELD - A state financing agency yesterday said nearly $3.5 million has been provided for a Valley Z~ Opportunity Council Inc. office in Chicopee and for affordable housing for people 55 and older on Chestnut Street here. The Valley Opportunity Council, a nonprofit that helps low-income people in the Chicopee-Holyoke area, received $3,150,000. The money will help with the purchase and renovation of the former Mount Carmel School on Chicopee Street into a child-care center that will consolidate two spaces the Valley Opportunity Council is renting, officials said. MassDevelopment, the state finance and development authority, works with business, financial institutions and local officials to stimulate the economy, spokesman Adair M. Bickelman said. What the funding means for Valley Opportunity Council is that a new child-care center will be available by November in a building known to the community, said Executive Director Stephen C. Huntley. "It really is making a project that is marginal financially become a reality," Huntley said. Project manager Gilbert J. Winn of Ashford Place Winn II LLC said the 55-and-over housing project is 80 percent done. Units are being leased and the residences will be completed by September. AFFORDABLE HOUSING LAWS: 40B OR NOT? MOST SEE STATE LAW AS MIXED BAG Andover Townsmen, Lisa Schwarz Town planner, July 25, 2007 "If it's in the right place and meets the right need, I think it can be an effective tool for a community. Without 40B a lot of the affordable homes in the area would not have been built. But I also see that when they're building it, a lot of it is a developer-town game." Schwarz said when Coachman's Ridge on Haverhill Street was created, affordable unit owners paid lower condo fees than the market rate unit owners, because it allowed the developer to charge more, and make more money, on the affordable units. Now, Schwarz hears complaints from market-rate owners that they are subsidizing the other homeowners. "Having a market-driven system when there's enough supply would be much better. Having a 40B law is a Eight back against home rule. You go to Boxford and there's 2-acre zoning [meaning only one home for every 2 acres]... Boxford has some of the most atrocious development laws to limit development. "Without 40B you'd have almost no multi-family housing. No, it's not perfect," he says. "I don't love 40B. I see some problems with it. But given the home rile and the way some of these towns have planned their communities, I don't see any other alternatives." TOO FEW HOMES HIT MARK ON SNOB' RULE Andover Times, July 25, 2007, Crystal'Bozek Right now, a developer could sidestep certain zoning laws and build a large housing development the town objects to, as long as it's considered affordable by state standards. Town leaders, however, are not too concerned. They have been in .this spot before several times and Andover has made out OK, they say. It's the state 40B law, also known as the and-snob zoning law that allows developers to come in with potentially undesirable projects if a town or city does not keep 10 percent of its housing stock "affordable" by the state's standards. Developers have to make only 25 percent of the units in a complex available for people who make less than 80 percent of the area's median income for the complex to be considered affordable. Only 47 communities in the state have met the 10 percent standard. Until recently, Andover was one of them. But Andover has now lost 220 units at Riverview Commons, an apartment complex off Bulfinch Drive, after its "affordable restrictions" began expiring last year. The town stands at 8.9 percent, according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development. Page 3 Older affordable housing complexes at one time were built with so-called sunset clauses. After a certain number of years, the affordable units could be rented or sold at market rate prices. That's what happened at Riverview Commons. An effort to save some affordable units there failed. "We've been at this point before," said the town's chief planner, Lisa Schwarz. "We' have fluctuated back and forth." Join MCAH If you are an elected or appointed official of a Massachusetts municipality, you are invited to join MCAH as an individual to voice your support for affordable housing. Your community is also invited to sign up and voice its support of returning control for affordable housing to our communities. Go to wwLv.MCAHinfo.orrr for more information or send email to joiDMCAI-I@MCAHinfo.org GROUP SEEKS TO REPEAL HOUSING LAW: SAYS DEVELOPERS UNFAIRLY PROFIT By Christine McConville, Globe Staff July 25, 2007 Hoping to harness the simmering outrage over the state's affordable housing lawi a group of activists opposed to die law has launched the first-ever statewide effort to repeal it. State and local politicians are also advocating various changes to the law, first enacted in 1969 to encourage developers to build affordable housing by offering them a smoother path through local building regulations. Critics say that the law has encouraged huge profits and other abuses by some developers. The state inspector general's office has investigated several projects and found that developers exceeded the maximum profit allowed under the law. On Monday, John Belskis, founder of the Coalition for the Reform of 40B, went to the office of the attorney general to begin the process of getting an initiative to repeal the law on the November 2008 ballot. -L2 If it is approved by the attorney general's office, Belskis plans to begin collecting the necessary 66,593 signatures of registered voters in September. The petition would be presented to the Legislature in January 2008. "I think we can do it," said Belskis, who has battled the law for four years. Belskis, a retired telephone worker who lives in Arlington, plans to tap coalition members, who represent 132 towns in the Commonwealth, to help him out. "It's a developers' welfare program that doesn't really create affordable housing," he said yesterday. "It just doesn t work." But 40B supporters, a group that includes politically connected real estate developers, lawyers, and bankers say the law encourages the building of critically needed lower-cost housing in a state where housing costs are out of reach of working-class people. "Without 40B, there would be a lot less affordable housing," said Paul Wilson, a lawyer who has represented dozens of 40B developments. Repealing 40B, he said, would be a bad idea. Phil Hailer spokesman for the state Department of Housing and Community Development, which oversees the law declined to comment on the petition, because he had not seen a copy of it. Chapter 40B allows developers to bypass local building regulations, as long as one quarter of the housing units are sold at below-market rates to qualified buyers. According to the state's Department of Housing and Community Development, 31 percent of all new housing units built in Massachusetts in 2005 were built under the law. Local officials and residents in many towns around Boston resent the developments because they have no say in projects that, they say, are generally too big. Between 1999 and 2004, more than 70 bills designed to amend or abolish Chapter 40B were filed at the State House. Senator James Tirnilty, for example, has called for a three-year moratorium on all 40B developments. "A lot of people believe 40B isn't working," said Tim O'Neill, Timilty's chief of staff. "The senator wants to take some time to investigate it and see what to do about it." When the law was enacted in 1969, middle-class families were abandoning cities for the suburbs. Urban legislators, concerned that cities would become warehouses for the poor, crafted the law as a way to counter that trend. For its 30 years, 40B was not much of a community concern; only a few developers knew how to navigate the governmental agencies that subsidized the projects. But in 1999, the state's Housing Appeals Committee decided that private banks could finance the developments, and developers began to take advantage of the law. Traditional homebuilders an d national real estate investment trusts started using the law to convert land that had long been undeveloped into apartment complexes, and local officials began begging legislators for relief. Last week, the Supreme Judicial Court upheld the Housing Appeals Committee's 1999 decision that private banks can subsidize the developments. Some municipal advocates have long argued that private banks should not be financing the projects, because with the finances comes an obligation to ensure that other parts of the law, such as the profit limitations, are enforced. Critics say they don't trust private banks to serve as project overseers. The day after the housing decision, critics of 40B decided to launch the repeal effort. LETTER TO EDITOR JUST LOOK at the array of characters in Christine McConville's article "Grout) seeks to reveal housinv law" (City & Region, July 25), and you can see why groups are up in arms. The 40B supporters on one side include "politically connected real estate developers, lawyers, and bankers." This raises red flags just by itself, Massachusetts stinks at producing affordable housing, even with this Page 4 nearly 40-year-old law. We all want affordable housing, but it must be time to start over. When the government pits moneyed interests against citizens, something is wrong. . JON GERSH, Arlington NEW CONTROVERSY FOR CHAPTER 40B BILL TVIANzi.Com Political Blog of Methuen Mayor Bill Manzi, July 27, 2007 Chapter 40B, the State's so called anti-snob zoning law, is under renewed attack. The Boston Globe has run a story detailing a renewed effort to repeal the law by a group formed for that purpose. The Globe story has the usual suspects weighing in on both sides of the issue. Belskis is quoted as saying "It's a developers' welfare program that doesn't really create affordable housing," he said yesterday. "It just doesn't work." On the other side of the question: But 40B supporters, - a group that includes politically connected real estate developers, lawyers, and bankers - say the law encourages the building of critically needed lower-cost housing in a state where housing costs are out of reach of working-class people. "Without 40B, there would be a lot less affordable housing," said Paul Wilson, a lawyer who has represented dozens of 40B developments. Repealing 40B, he said, would be a bad idea. And so a statewide petition drive is launched. Chapter 40B has had changes made administratively, as well as legislatively. Without question it has created housing stock that would not have existed in its absence. And yet in so many cases it is a burr in the saddle of local officials, (like me) who have to deal with the ramifications of these developments. The state needs to overhaul this law or scrap it entirely. If the State or proponents of Chapter 40B don't like suburban zoning then let them legislate mandatory prohibitions on what they consider to be the most objectionable aspects. I look forward to the day that the state actually pays for the additional financial burdens that their policies impose on municipalities. From a 07-3 planning perspective this law is a disaster, and that judgment comes despite my acknowledging that many of the objections raised to specific developments are solely NIMBY driven. The financial regulations attached to 40B have also been made Swiss cheese out of, with locals having to face the questions on the failures of die financial audit process. When the State sets up a set of financial conditions and then winks and nods at blatant violations of those very requirements confidence is not built in the system. Time to start fresh! POLITICAL BLOG OF METHUEN MAYOR BILL MANZI AND GUESTS Chapter 40B Guest Post, John Belskis, August 2, 2007 40B Disinformation in the News: Pro-40B interest groups have worked for years to frame the affordable housing debate according to their terms. The following are common pro-40B arguments, misinformation or disinformation and the real truth behind the spin: "Without 40B, there would be less affordable housing. " This is the mother of all pro-40B arguments and we shouldn't be surprised! Leave it up to lobbyists and lawyers to use technicalities. Of course 40B developments contribute something, but what this argument fails to acknowledge is that 40B produces very little affordable housing at all. • If 40B worked, then after 38 years Massachusetts wouldn't be at the bottom of national rankings in housing affordability (49th!). • . If 40B worked, then 53% of the few "affordable" units the state does have wouldn't be in danger of expiring due to deed restrictions running out. • If 40B worked, then two-thirds of the additions to the state's affordable housing stock: wouldn't have been from repair programs, new houses for the Dept. of Mental Health/Retardation and market rate rental units that "count" towards 40B thresholds but which aren't actually affordable; such gains would have come from 40B. • If 40B worked then why, of the very few communities that have reached the "109/6 affordable" threshold set by 40B, were half accomplished by utilizing other methods: usually local plans that alleviated local problems? • If 40B worked, it would have a record better than, at best, 3 affordable units, per town, per year! The fact remains that we are the real advocates for affordable housing with many faces and one goal: repeal 40B, a law that costs hundreds of millions of dollars annually to produce skyrocketing land prices and mostly market-rate units. 40B advocates claim the law is working because it is producing more housing. They are right, but it is the wrong !and of housing! 40B has provided negligible amounts of "affordable" units, 30% of which require residents to seek further funding to afford. Thirty-eight years of 40B has failed to pull Massachusetts out of its bottom ranking in national affordability while, at best, only producing three "affordable" units per town per year of its existence. Shortly, 53% of those "affordable units" will expire due to time-limited deed restrictions. 40B is not synonymous with affordable housing. It is a special interest law that forces undesirable growth while diverting resources that should be used to provide the real affordable housing we need. `40B provides incentives developers so that they are to produce affordable housing in cities and towns that wouldn't allow it" Firstly, this assumes incorrectly that cities and towns do not seek more affordable housing. Excellent examples are seen across the state where local plans provide affordable housing that is appropriate and necessary and far more successful than 40B. One group, the Municipal Coalition for Affordable Housing (http://www.mcahinfo.org/Home-Pa ge.html), represents municipal leaders who want to regain the ability to provide affordable housing since the state has been so unsuccessful in providing it. When originally developed in 1968, 40B meant to produce rental housing so a supply of reasonable and available units would allow residents Page 5 appropriate housing. By 1988, powerful developer and, real, estate lobbyists pressured changes to the legislation that added home ownership units to 40B. This began the era of confrontation and bullying by the state and by developers who could seek outside funding and force development on communities while reaping significant profits. As a recent expert on 40B developments said at MIT: "This is a statue that should be used as an exception when towns aren't doing a good job. It shouldn't be the thing that developers look to first; we have to close that loophole." Consider. the following statistics: Prior to 1999, 40B rental units. had been built with affordable units comprising 81% of total units. Each year, the percentages dropped as developer profits rose. In 2006, the affordable units comprised 32.1%1 Prior to 1999 40B owner-occupied units were built with affordable units comprising 33.6% of total. By 2006 it stood at 26.6%. The future is telling: affordable owner-occupied 40B units in the pipeline represent only 19.1% of total. This is occurring at the same time that the number of towns in Greater Boston, according to the Boston Foundation, in which a median- income household can afford a median-priced home plummeted from 148 to only 27 out of 161! Ladies and gentlemen, 40B is working. It just isn't working for us! `Developers don't make huge profits on 40B developments because of resitictions" Pro-4013 advocates argue that unlike conventional development, 40B. developers are subject to a limited investment return on rental projects and a limited profit in excess of costs for home ownership. They cite the fact that a developer's audited financial statements must be provided to the subsidizing agency. Any profit in excess of the limit must be paid to the town. This is all true, but it doesn't mean that such restrictions are effective. According to the Boston Globe's report on the investigations being conducted by the Massachusetts Investigator General's office: 2~ "A pattern is emerging: Developers use a variety of tactics to conceal their profits, including exaggerating land costs and hiring companies in which they have a financial interest as subcontractors, then paying the subcontractors excessive amounts to inflate the project's expenses. In addition, he said, some developers are "permit brokering - buying land and securing the coveted 40B permit from the community, then selling the suddenly more valuable land and the permit to another developer at a significant profit, without reporting those profits to the state." A recent case of abuse occurred in Duxbury where a developer attempted to claimed land costs at eighteen times the actual appraised value! This could have resulted in a profit margin 62 to 82 percent higher than allowed under state law, according to an appraisal. Beyond the egregious examples of abuse, it is a fact that the percentage of affordable units in 40B developments drop every year and profits rise. It is what Reform 40B Coalition founder John Belskis describes as "developer- welfare." "40B has created affordable housing and segues the people tvho really need it." 40B advocates would love to have you believe that 40B housing serves a broad range of.needs and is available to households with incomes up to 80% of median. But in reality, according to a recent report produced by the Pro-40B CHAPA: • The report concludes that it is exceedingly difficult for 40B to serve the neediest households unless it secures even more funding since 40B targets only those at the upper end of eligibility (70-80% of median income.) As an example, to apply for a 40B home in Chelmsford, a family may not earn more than $53,650 and they must earn at least $48,000. A $5,650 range. Thus, it does nothing to provide housing to those that really need it with incomes of less than $48,000 per year. • A recent sampling of 40B rental units showed that 10-30% of tenants needed additional rent vouchers just to be able to afford to live in the "affordable" units. • Of the communities that achieved having 10% of their housing stock `affordable', only half were accomplished because of 40B • Two thirds of additions to the affordable housing stock in the state since 2001 resulted from repair programs, new qualifying houses that serve the Dept. of Mental Health/Retardation and market rate units in rental developments for which the community gets credit on the inventory but which aren't affordable In Massachusetts, a minimum wage worker earns an hourly wage of $6.75. In order to afford the Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom apartment, a minimum wage earner must work 130 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. In Massachusetts, the estimated mean (average) wage for a renter is $15.33 an hour. In order to afford the Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom apartment at this wage, a renter must work 57 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Now consider the amount of people who do not make that much money per hour. Tlae Hotrsittg Appeals Committee (HAC) doesn't always sides with the developer." True. Just 81% of the time! Those examples include development projects that had proven public safety problems: • Walpole was overruled by the HAC even though they demonstrated that their police, fire and EMT vehicles would be unable to even get to the proposed site under common traffic circumstances!) • There is also consistent precedence for the HAC to continue to rule in favor of developers despite the fact that abutting properties would incur serious structure damage due to land changes or impact on watershed. Just hope that if a 40B development is proposed near you that your city might fall into the 19% success category in appealing to the HAC. Page 6 DECEIT BY CHAPTER 40B DEVELOPERS Letter to Editor, August 1, 2007 "FUDGING OF the books" this is how the July 27 editorial "No quarter for snob zoning" refers to the practice of cheating the cities and towns out of tens of millions. I have another word for it: "fraud." Developers posing as limited dividend organizations have for years been overstating costs and understating sales to hide profits on projects approved under the Chapter 40B statute., The effects of these purposefully deceitful practices go beyond lost revenue for the municipalities. They also result in cost burdens associated with irrational development by falsely creating a need for densities that leave the communities responsible for providing services without adequate remuneration. The editorial writer also cites "strong internal controls" that prevent 40B developers from running amok. These controls are nothing more than a series of rubber stamps from entities dedicated to producing affordable housing. Inspector General Gregory Sullivan has confirmed this and is working to correct it. At the very least, 40B should be corrected, but since those in charge don't seem to get the message, possibly abolition is the only way to make this happen. FRANK PUOPOLO, Georgetown DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR THE 5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SEAT DEBATE Eileen Donoghue, Niki Tsongas, Jamie Eldridge, Jim Miceli, and Barg 5negold debated at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough Christian Sclvavone, GateHouse News Service, Aug 1, 2007 Boxborough - Organizers of this week's 5th District debate hoped it would be a chance for the Democratic candidates to distinguish their stances on environmental issues. But the five hopefuls stuck closely together throughout most of the debate. During the 90-minute July 30 forum on energy and the environment at the v Holiday Inn in Boxborough, the five Democratic candidates vying for the seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan espoused similar positions on nuclear power, global warming and conservation. They only occasionally tools jabs at one another. One audience member asked candidates to describe their. positions on Chapter 40B, a state housing law that allows developers to ignore many local zoning regulations to create affordable housing, if a community has less than 10 percent of its housing deemed affordable. The law has often been criticized for pitting developers and state officials against municipalities and local boards. State Rep. James Miceli, D- Wilmington said he adamantly opposed Chapter 40B and planned to join a new effort to repeal the'law. "I think that's the single worst' law we've put on the books," he said. "The bad far outweighs the good." The other candidates said that Chapter 40B should be reworked to prevent developers from making excess profits and to better serve towns, but balked at the idea of repealing it. Niki Tsongas, a dean at Middlesex Community College, Rep. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, Barry Finegold's AN Andover Democrat "Do you throw the baby out with the bathwater or do you go back and fix it?" said Donoghue, Eileen Donoghue, a Lowell city councilor and former mayor. HOUSING CORP. SAVING SITE By Christian Schiavone, GateHouse News Service, Jul 26, 2007 Acton, Mass. - If you look up the word "eyesore" in the dictionary, you probably wouldn't be surprised to find a picture of the plot of land at 28 Willow St. With paint peeling off the walls and weeds nearly as tall as the dilapidated fence that surrounds the property, the one-story garage doesn't look like it could withstand a mild wind. But after four years of work by the Acton Community Housing Corporation, the site, which sits between Willow Street and Central Street, is finally ready to be converted into three affordable homes, which are badly needed as the town's housing prices continue to climb. During their July 16 meeting, the Board of Selectmen cleared the way for the housing corporation to purchase the plot of land for $1 and then sell it to developer Mark O'Hagan for the same price, the final step before development can begin. The sale will take place July 31. "During the past four years, much work has been done and many hurdles have been pushed aside, and we arrive here tonight proud of what we have accomplished," Nancy Tavernier, Acton Community Housing Corporation chairwoman. The selectmen thanked Tavernier for her organization's work and expressed continued enthusiasm for the project. "This is just a tremendous win-win for everyone and it shows what right minded people can do despite some of the regulations," said Selectmen Chairman Dore Hunter, who then led the crowd of about 30 people, several of whom had hand in the project, in a standing ovation for Tavernier. O'Hagan, of MCO & Associates in Harvard, will be in charge of building a two-family farmhouse style building on the Central Street side of the property and a one family bungalow on the Willow Street side. The farmhouse units will be sold to qualified first-time homebuyers, and the Acton Housing Authority will purchase the bungalow as an affordable rental property. O'Hagan agreed to develop the site for exactly the selling cost of the three units, well below the 20 percent profit he is allowed under the state's Chapter 40B affordable housing law. "From my perspective I didn't really add value to it," he said after meeting with the selectmen. "What we do is work with communities to create housing and get it to the right people." Developers across the state have been sited in recent years for receiving excess profits, and several legislators have filed proposed amendinents to Chapter 40B. The three units will also count toward the state's guideline that 10 percent of municipalities' housing stock be affordable, said Tavernier, but would likely not be enough to Page 7 change the percentage. Currently, 6.6 percent of the town's housing is considered affordable. The Willow Street property housed a septic system installation and repair company until the mid '90s, and the property, as well as the adjoining parcel facing Central Street, was seized by the town for nonpayment of taxes in 1998. The Acton Community Housing Corporation first approached the selectmen in 2003 seeking to use the site for affordable housing, but there were problems almost from the start. There had been a gasoline leak on the property, which had contaminated the site. The town paid for the area to be cleaned, but was later reimbursed $203,000 for the cleanup and the lost tax revenue by the housing corporation using Community Preservation Act and gift funds. While Chapter 40B projects often become . protracted battles between abutters and developers, neighbors of the Willow/Central Street lot were more than happy to help-partly due to the present condition of the lot. "It's going to be a definite improvement to the neighborhood," said Flannery. Tavernier said the outcome of the project was the result of multiple town departments and community members working together. She also said the project had received a $100,000 donation from the Steinberg-Lalli Foundation, some of which would be used to reduce the cost of the units. INSPECTOR GENERAL WANTS STONEGATE DOCUMENTS Jeff Mucciarone, Stoughton Journal, Aug 09, 2007 Stoughton - The Chapter 40B development, the Villages at Stonegate, has seen itself fall under a great deal of scrutiny from the Stoughton Neighborhood Coalition as it waits for a ruling from the Zoning Board of Appeals. West Street Group, which is the developer behind the proposed project, may be facing an additional level of scrutiny now from state Inspector General Gregory Sullivan. A letter dated July 26 was sent to both the ZBA Chairman Sherman Epro and Selectmen Chairman Richard Levine requesting a series of information regarding the development, including but not limited to, all communications between the developer and the town, appraisal information, tax assessment history for the site, meeting minutes and all assessments and analyses for the development. The requested information was due by August 10. Calls to the Inspector General's office were not returned this week but it does read on its Web site that it is the general policy of the office to neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation or review prior to the disposition of the matter by the Inspector General. ZBA members have said they want to make sure everyone's voice is heard on this development: "I think we want to be fair to everybody," said ZBA member Robert O'Regan. The ZBA is accepting proposed decisions for ruling on Stonegate until September 20, which is 14 days prior to their October 4 meeting. O'Regan said the proposals must be typed and must not exceed 15 pages. He also asked the letters to be filed with the ZBA office at Town Hall and said the letters should include copies for all Eve board members. In addition, O'Regan said the board would not consider correspondence sent directly to board members' homes. The Town Hall is located 10 Pearl Street, Stoughton, MA 02072. STATE RENEGES ON LOCAL REWARDS FOR'SMART' DEVELOPMENTS Robert Preer, Boston Globe, August 16, 2007 For North Reading, the rewards the state promised for allowing a large residential development at the closed state J.T. Berry Rehabilitation Center were enticing. Under Chapter 40R, the state's 2004 smart growth-affordable housing law, the town would get $600,000 for approving the project's zoning, then more than $1 million when building permits were issued. The town got its initial payment last year, and officials made plans to spend the second installment on new roofs for town buildings, police cruisers, computer upgrades, and other capital projects. But as work started this spring on the 434-unit housing development, state officials informed the town that the second round of money would not be forthcoming. The reason: The account is empty. "We are greatly disappointed that this is the position the Commonwealth has taken," said North Reading Town Administrator Greg Balukonis, who added that capital projects will be on hold at least until next year. "You don't spend what you don't have." "There's a lot of apprehensive people out there," said Robert J. Halpin, president of the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council. About half-dozen communities in the area served by the council have either adopted 40R districts or are considering them. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40R was designed as a kinder, gentler alternative to Chapter 40B, the so- called antisnob zoning law that forces cities and towns where less than 10 percent of the housing stock is deemed affordable to accept affordable housing by overriding local zoning. Chapter 40R is a voluntary program, which rewards municipalities that create zoning districts that encourage affordable housing near public transportation, existing city and town centers, and other desirable areas, Cities and towns can qualify for $600,000 just for adopting a district, then $3,000 for each building permit issued. That funding request is pending before the House Ways and Means Committee. Jim Eisenberg, a spokesman for the committee, said the issue is being studied. . Backers of Chapter 40R say the state must resolve the funding question soon or communities will abandon the program. "I think it's a very dangerous message to send if you offer a financial incentive to cities and towns and then don't follow through," said state Representative Bradley Jones, a North Reading Republican who has 40R Projects pending in his district in Lynnfield and North Reading Page 8 Northwest of Boston, locally approved districts are in North Reading and North Andover, while districts are being considered in Lawrence, Billerica, and Belmont. Haverhill has one of the state's first 40R zones, which is in a former mill area downtown. The city last year received $600,000 from the state when the zone was established. In June, North Andover Town Meeting approved a Chapter 40R zone for the former Lucent Technologies property on Route 125. Avalon Bay Communities is planning 530 units of housing on the site. The town is awaiting state certification of the plan. Lawrence is considering seeking a 40R district for the area around the Malden Mills complex in the northwest corner of the city near the Methuen line. Also, Lawrence is looking to get credit for a zoning district the city adopted in 2003, before Chapter 40R became law. The 2003 district encourages housing in the downtown mill area, and city leaders are hoping to gain 40R designation and financial rewards. "The intent of 40R obviously was not to punish a community like Lawrence, which was ahead of the curve," said Andre Leroux, director of planning for Lawrence Community Works, a nonprofit development agency working with city government on zoning issues. - Belmont is considering a 40R district for the Our Lady of Mercy church property, closed by the Archdiocese of Boston three years ago and now for sale. The town would get a small financial reward under Chapter 40R for redevelopment of the 1 1/2-acre site with 12 to 16 housing units. Neighborhood activists proposed the 40R designation for the Our Lady of Mercy property. "The neighborhood would like something built there that they would have some control over," said Jay Szklut, Belmont's planning and economic development manager. Robert Preer can be reached at preer@globe.com. i~ Municipal Coalition for Affordable Housing (MCAH) Elected and appointed officials across the Commonwealth have taken action to voice their concern about Massachusetts Affordable Housing Law, - MGL 40B. You are invited to join with us to support the goal of putting communities back in control of affordable housing. The Municipal Coalition for Affordable Housing (MCAH) is a non-profit organization comprised of municipalities and officials in cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that has been formed to put communities back in control of the production of affordable housing.. The goal of MCAH is to promote more meaningful participation by the communities of Massachusetts in the definition and implementation of affordable housing. We are committed to providing affordable housing to the residents of Massachusetts, and believe that a community benefits from an economically diverse population. While MCAH recognizes existing state programs, we seek to establish new mechanisms for development of affordable housing by the Commonwealth's towns and communities. The present apparatus for implementation of affordable housing has become cumbersome and unnecessarily adversarial. The Commonwealth should find ways that will better foster the spirit of Municipal Partnership advanced by the new administration and enable our communities to have a stronger voice and role in the development of affordable housing. Ideally, we would like to see communities and developers working together cooperatively to build suitable affordable housing without undue and counterproductive regulatory interference. This does not seem possible under the current maze of regulations and administrative interpretations. Fe strong believe that the development of affordable housing should not be predicated on the assuiuption that corlnnrnities cannot or will not do the right thing rvithout state oversight. At the same time, we recognize that new funding programs and mechanisms will be needed to support affordable housing development at the local level. This will require vision, imagination and courage. We would like to share our thoughts on this topic and encourage you to join with us. Joining MCAH means the following: • You may join as either an individual or as a community. If you are an appointed or elected official, you may join as an individual. Or if you wish, upon vote of the Board of Selectmen or other appropriate authority, you may join as a community. • You will have one vote per community to elect officers of MCAH and to approve changes to the bylaws, as well as to help set the policy of MCAH. • You will be joining with other communities to express your support to return control over the creation of affordable housing to your community. • You will be supporting MCAH as its members meet with state officials to request a place at the table in developing a rational affordable housing policy. • You will be lending your support and sharing information to elected and appointed officials in other communities that have similar goals. • You will receive periodic updates via email on what is happening in other communities regarding affordable housing so you will be knowledgeable about the issues that may affect your community. Municipal Coalition for Affordable Housing R O. Box 1084, Berlin, MA 01503 www.MCAHinfo.org Email: joinMCAH@MCAHinfo.org Page 9 0 SIGN-IN SHEET FOR THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING DATE: NAME ADDRESS (Please print) ScAe~lih, ~l o CA %'G C~~ . C►~Q~s C~,z~sa `77 1~A~rs~aa~~v Sr' ~QQ ~J7 c~ o d~- ~ 7 P a A