Lots of educational discussion at last night’s the Board of Selectmen meeting about the affordable housing rules and our status, but no decisions on how to proceed were made. The agenda we followed is below.

I suggested to my colleagues that my strategy, to get us protection from 40B’s, is to use the Hospital Road 40B’s 12 affordable units, combined with the siting of two group homes in town with five disabled residents in each group home to get to the needed 22 affordable units, which combined with an approved Housing Production Plan would protect the town for a year from unfriendly 40D proposals.  I would then seek to gain two more years of protection by building 42 units at Tilden Village.  The Housing Production Plan should be approved by the end of November, so our real task is how to build the required affordable housing units.

I suggested to my selectmen colleagues that the selectmen must clearly assign the Town Administrator the task to get this done as soon as possible, because to protect the town it needs to be done before the Mega-B applies to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a comprehensive permit, and that is likely to happen next February or March.  I do not see that anyone but the town administrator can get this done, unless the town does what we did with the Medfield State Hospital project of hiring a consultant to lead the town to get it done.  I made that same suggestion, to assign the task to Mike, at the selectman meeting last Tuesday.  My selectmen colleagues were not ready Tuesday, or again last night, to assign the task to Mike, so I fear we are currently moving sideways.

Agenda for September 26th Selectmen’s Meeting Affordable Housing Workshop

Welcome by Mark Fisher, Chairman of Board of Selectman and Introductions

This meeting is being recorded. We will begin by observing a moment of appreciation for our Troops serving in the Mideast and around the world.

 

A.      Presentation on Housing Production Plan and Strategies by Roberta Cameron, consultant from Community Opportunities Group (COG)

 

B.      Affordable Housing Discussion

 

1.       Adoption of Housing Production Plan

a.       Approval by Planning Board

b.       Approval by Board of Selectmen

c.       Submission to and approval by State

 

2.       Implementation of Housing Production Plan

a.       Selection of locations for future 40B housing developments

b.       Determination of developers (Town (LIP), non-profit, for-profit) and types of housing

c.        Bidding, sale and/ or transfer (disposition) of land

d.       Details of financing methods

e.       Request for site approval from Mass Housing

f.        Application to Zoning Board of Appeal for Comprehensive Permit

g.       Appeals Period

h.       Bidding for design, construction, site work, landscaping, etc.

i.         Construction

j.         Lottery and/or marketing of units and determination of management plan

 

3.       Construction of Additional units at Tilden Village

a.       Transfer of Land and Project Approval from State (which Agencies)

b.       Project Funding

c.       Selection of Project Manager and Architect

d.       Design, Bidding and Construction (Public construction process)

e.       Tenant Selection

 

4.       Update on Hospital Road 40B project

a.       Status

b.       Options

 

5.       Update on Dale/North Meadows 40B project

a.       Status

b.       Options

 

6.       Creation of Affordable Senior Housing

a.       Locations

b.       Zoning

c.       Funding

d.       Local Preference