Housing Production Plan

Town Planner, Sarah Raposa, sent along last week

• the final draft of the town’s Housing Production Plan  Final Draft HPP – 02-05-15,
• some 40B data put together by Planning Board member Sarah Lemke, and
• the planned adoption schedule for the Housing Production Plan.

In light of yesterday’s 40B news, I thought it might be useful to pass along some information prepared by PB member, Sarah Lemke, on the status of the Town’s SHI and the first draft of the Housing Production Plan. A second draft with more refined sites and strategies for consideration will be available at the end of September and the Board anticipates having a public meeting on the draft HPP on October 17th. Both the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen must vote to adopt/endorse the plan (scheduled for November) before it is sent to DHCD for approval (scheduled for December).

Thanks and best,

Sarah

40B / Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI)

Medfield has 4,220 units of housing, with 283 units of Affordable Housing., leaving us 139 units short of the 10% test, at 6.7%.

If a Comp Permit application is submitted, the Town can deny the application only if:

• The town has met the 10% test- 422 units (10% of the total number of housing units in the Town) – We are at 6.7%
• The Town has 1.5% of its developable land area dedicated to affordable housing (not addressed here) – We are at approximately 0.8%
• The Town has an approved Housing Production Plan (HPP) and has a current certificate of compliance from DHCD (which lasts 1 to 2 years)(more below)
• The Town has, within the 12 months preceding the application, approved 2% of its housing units (84.4 units)(the test is whether these units are “occupied, available for occupancy or under permit as of the date of the application”
• The proposed project is greater than 200 units (for a town the size of Medfield)

Housing Production Plan (HPP)

• Term of 5 years from date of approval by DHCD, may be updated and renewed
• A town is in compliance with its HPP (and can deny an unfriendly 40B application per above) if during a single calendar year the town has increased its SHI units by the number required in the HPP (which must be at least .5%).  Units are counted on the SHI at the earliest of: a) where zoning approval is required (e.g. 40B, 40A or 40R) the approval is filed with the Town Clerk, notwithstanding any appeal of that approval that may be filed subsequently, or the resolution of any appeal, or c) where no zoning approval is required, when the building permit or certificate of occupancy is issued, or when the unit is occupied.  HOWEVER, in the event zoning approval is required, if more than 12 months elapses between the issuance of the zoning approval and the issuance of a building permit for the project, the units come off the SHI until the building permit issues.  If more than 18 months elapses between the approval and the issuance of a building permit, then the units come off of the SHI until the certificate of occupancy is issued.  Additionally, note that the units have to been created in the year the certification is sought to count (there’s no rolling units into the next year for credit)
• DHCD must certify the Town’s compliance- if the SHI units are increased .5% of the total housing units in Town (i.e. 21 units using 2010 census), the DHCD certificate lasts for 1 year from the date the units were eligible for inclusion on SHI.  If the units are increased 1.0% (42 units using 2010 census), then the DHCD certificate lasts for 2 years from the date the units were eligible for inclusion on the SHI.
• The town can only deny a 40B is the town has a valid DHCD certificate before the application is filed, and follows the procedural requirements of the regulations.

Sarah Raposa, AICP

Town Planner