Category Archives: Affordable housing / 40B

Dale St. 40B developer meeting 7/18

Posted on July 8, 2017 | Comments Off on Dale St. 40B developer meeting 7/18

The developer of the proposed Dale Street 40B has scheduled a public meeting about his plans.  Below is the notice the town received yesterday, too late to be included in the select board meeting materials for our 7/11 meeting.

Date: July 5th, 2017 To: Interested Parties & Neighbors From: Medfield Meadows, LLC and Medfield Meadows 2, LLC Re: Neighborhood Meeting- Redesign of 39/41and49 Dale Street Dear Neighbors, We would like to invite you to attend a neighborhood meeting to discuss the revised development proposals planned for 39/41 Dale Street and 49 Dale Street. Based on the feedback previously received from both the neighborhood and the municipality, and after working closely with Masshousing, we have made profound and significant changes to both plans including a major density reduction. We recognize and appreciate that the previous proposals were not well received. We believe the revised concepts have addressed many of the criticisms previously provided. We are interested in soliciting additional feedback on the revised plans and hope that you can attend the meeting which is scheduled for: July 18 at the American Legion in Medfield at 7pm. Some of the differences between the original proposal and the revised proposals include: REVISED PLANS (dated May 2017) PROJECT Medfield Green Grovedale Homes LOCATION NU.MBER OF UNITS 70 Units 25 Units BLDG. TYPES 50 units in a mid- 25 townhouse units rise building on North Meadow Road and 20 Townhouses that more closely resemble the surrounding neighborhood BUILDING HEIGHT Midrise at 50' +/- Townhouse at 35' ORIGINAL PLANS Dated 12/08/17 NORTH/SOUTH COMBINED INTO 1 PROJECT 182 Units - 98 units in the North Parcel - 84 units in the South Parcel. 3 & 4 story mid-rise buildings Midrise at 50' RECEIVED JUL r 7 Z017 MEDFIELD SELECTMEN Townhouse at 35' PARKING 106 spaces 60 spaces 280 spaces PARKING RATIO 1.5 2.4 1.53 Reconfiguration The apartment Townhouses are 3 & 4 story mid-rise building is near the contextual to the buildings DPW, set back 15 surrounding Total reduction of 87 units feet from North neighborhood. Meadows Road. The building height is reduced near neighboring homes. Park area in the center of the development. Landscape buffers along property lines for neighbors and DPW. The townhouses are along the street to provide a more contextual buffer. We still plan on seeking comprehensive permits under Chapter 40B. However, we have not formally filed anything with any Subsidizing Agencies, like MassHousing, as we hope to have the benefit of your comments prior to filing. We look forward to seeing you on July 18 at the American Legion in Medfield at 7pm. John Kelly20170705-John Kelly-meeting notice_Page_2

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Uncategorized

We are at 7.2% affordable housing

Posted on June 21, 2017 | Comments Off on We are at 7.2% affordable housing

The Department of Housing and Community Development provided this chart of our current SHI with its notice that we are in a safe harbor, which shows that we have 7.2% affordable housing now per the Department of Housing and Community Development tally.  We have a total of 304 SHI with the two 40B projects that are being built, and we need a  total of 422 to be at the 10% threshold.  However, the new decennial census in 2020 will up our total number of dwelling units above the 4,220 that Department of Housing and Community Development is using below from the 2010 census, and hence that will increase the 10% needed to be in safe harbor too, so we will need more that just another 118 SHI to be in safe harbor after 2020.

SHI-20170620

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Uncategorized

Certified in safe harbor

Posted on June 21, 2017 | Comments Off on Certified in safe harbor

40b

Letter today, dated yesterday, from Department of Housing and Community Development certified that the Town of Medfield is in a safe harbor due to our having both a certified Housing Production Plan and 21 Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) eligible units that have been approved.

==================================================================

This Certification of Municipal Compliance is based on the following findings:

  1. Medfield has provided evidence that the required number of units described in its request is eligible to be counted towards certification.
  2. The 21 Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) eligible units in these projects (Country Estates SHI ID# 10062) and (67 North Street SHI ID# (10063) meet the number necessary to satisfy a one year certification threshold.
  3. The housing development is consistent with the production goals outlined in Medfield Housing Production
    Plan.

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B

Affordable Housing Trust $1m. bond passed

Posted on June 6, 2017 | Comments Off on Affordable Housing Trust $1m. bond passed

The Medfield Press reports that the $1m. bond to provide working monies for the Affordable Housing Trust passed yesterday – the article is linked to here – http://medfield.wickedlocal.com/news/20170605/medfield-passes-affordable-housing-override

affordable-housing

Medfield passes affordable housing override

By Alison Bosma
abosma@wickedlocal.com

Medfield voters easily passed a tax override in Monday’s special election, with 904 votes for and 180 against.

 

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Elections, Uncategorized

The Junior-B

Posted on June 2, 2017 | 3 comments

The 40B on Dale Street is back, this time with a total of 95 units instead of 200, consisting of:

  • 25 townhouse condos on the cemetery side with access from Dale Street, and
  • 70 units on the other side of Rte 27, comprised of 50 units in an apartment building and the other 20 in townhouses, all with access via Rte 27.

Per Mike Sullivan the cemetery side are condos and the other side are rentals –  although it does not make sense to me that townhouses on one side would be ownership and rental on the other side, so I will follow up on that.  See this link for the full plans 20170405-Medfield Meadows-2-plans  Mike reports that the town department heads opined to the developers when they met last week that the design was “too modern looking.”

20170405-Medfield Meadows-2-pictures-220170405-Medfield Meadows-2-pictures

3 Comments

Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Uncategorized

6/5/17 ballot to fund the AHT

Posted on May 10, 2017 | Comments Off on 6/5/17 ballot to fund the AHT

At the annual town meeting (ATM) we voted to create an Affordable Housing Trust and to fund it with $1m. by means of a bond.  Where that funding is a Proposition 2 1/2 override, it also needs to be approved by an election ballot.  That special election will be held on June 5, 2017, and this is the ballot.

20170605-election ballot

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Elections

Volunteer for ALS & AHT by tomorrow

Posted on May 10, 2017 | Comments Off on Volunteer for ALS & AHT by tomorrow

ambulance

The Town of Medfield’s nascent:

  • Advanced Life Support Study Committee, and
  • Affordable Housing Trust

are seeking volunteers to serve on both those entities.

Those interested should express their interest to Evelyn Clarke by 3PM tomorrow, when our agenda closes for the Tuesday meeting, per our recently enacted policy about BoS meetings and agendas.  The Board of Selectmen will make appointments to both at our May 16 meeting.

Evelyn Clarke
Town House
eclarke@medfield.net
Work   508-906-3012
Fax      508-359-6182

 

affordable-housing

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Fire Department

ATM votes last Monday on ALS & AHT

Posted on April 28, 2017 | Comments Off on ATM votes last Monday on ALS & AHT

town meeting

ALS Study Committee & Affordable Housing Trust at ATM

The town posted a summary of the votes on each warrant article at last Monday’s annual town meeting (ATM) (20170424-Warrant_votes_2017) .

On the only two substantially disputed warrant articles, my own estimate of the votes was that the warrant article:

  • #15 about ALS had the ATM voting about 80% against giving $500,000 to the selectmen to implement ALS as it saw fit in the next year if the selectmen felt it was needed – a clear mandate that the residents wants to make that decision themselves, rather than delegate it.  ALS will now go to the study committee that both the Warrant Committee and selectmen recommended; and
  • #17 about funding the Affordable Housing Trust with a $1m. bond had the ATM voting about 80% in favor.  Those monies will provide the town a financial tool to use to create affordable housing, in its efforts to get to 10% affordable housing and to therefore eliminate unfriendly 40B’s.  The town needs about 139 more affordable housing units to reach that 10% threshold, or about 160 if one considers the likely increase in housing units in town to be needed after the 2020 census.

Residents interested in serving on either the newly created ALS Study Committee or the just created Affordable Housing Trust should contact Evelyn Clarke (eclarke@medfield.net) to make his or her interest known.

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Fire Department, Town Meeting

Affordable housing at the Legion

Posted on April 20, 2017 | Comments Off on Affordable housing at the Legion

Selectmen were informed yesterday that the Legion is looking to build affordable housing for veterans at its current location, and as a byproduct of the affordable housing project, to get a new facility (a copy of the email appears below).

I suggested to Ron Griffin that I would like him to follow up on my past suggestion to explore the possibility of adding onto the Legion’s land some of the adjoining town owned land, where the town both has an interest in developing more affordable housing and may well have no other possible use for that land.  That town land could perhaps allow the number of affordable units provided to be increased.

 

Legion

From: Vet Ron G HM [mailto:rgriffin@medfield.net]
Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2017 5:47 PM
To: Pete Peterson ; Mike Marcucci ; Gus Murby
Cc: Mike Sullivan
Subject: American Legion discussing 40B units

 

Hi Pete, Mike and Gus

I wanted to inform you that the American Legion is discussing with developers Ralph Costello and  Mike Larkin to build 40b rental units on their property on Peter Kristoff Way.

Preliminary discussion, is for the Legion to receive a new building on the existing property in exchange for 40B rental units to be developed on the remainder of the 2.5 acre piece of property.  Some of the rental units would be reserved for low income veterans or their surviving spouses.

The current Legion building has turned into a money pit of needed expenses.  We have been trimming operational costs for the building for the last few years but heating and cooling this metal building with limited insulation is overwhelming.  We now have major roof, sewer and parking lot maintenance issues pending.  We’ve patched our patches with more patches.

Our goal is to have a two story building with a function hall on the first floor and in the basement the members rooms.  We hope to offer Medfield, an attractive location to hold functions larger than 40 people but less than 140.  With limited building overhead costs, we hope to be financially able through function rentals to support the many programs that the Legion, Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion support through out our community.

We also understand that this project might meet the towns Safe Harbor requirement for 2018

I provide this infromation as Executive Board Chairman of American Legion Beckwith Post 110, Medfield Ma. and very close acquaintance of Medfield’s Veteran Service Officer.

Ron Griffin
Medfield VSO

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Veterans

Affordable housing workshop, 7PM this evening

Posted on April 11, 2017 | Comments Off on Affordable housing workshop, 7PM this evening

This today from Suzanne Siino’s Medfield Inclusion Project.

affordable-housing

YOUR TOWN, YOUR 40B

If you think our 40B issues are behind us after Mass Housing’s denial of Medfield Meadows, think again.

Since 1969, Mass Chapter 40B Law mandates that 10% of EVERY towns housing inventory be affordable.  Medfield has 4220 housing units.  Currently, we have 283 units designated as affordable.  We are short by 139 units.

Medfield’s newly approved Housing Production Plan (HPP) is a blueprint to our 40B future.  It is Medfield’s vision and commitment to the development of future subsidized housing.   Do you share this vision?   Take the time to read the document.  It’s on the towns website.

Medfield has “Safe Harbor” from future unwanted or unfriendly 40B developments  (like Medfield Meadows) ONLY if we create 0.5%  (of 4220) or 21 units of affordable housing every year until we reach the 10% goal.   Two new 40B projects, the Bike Shop rental project and the Hospital Rd ownership project will give us a one-year reprieve once they are permitted.  It’s vital we begin to plan for 2018 and beyond, or risk exposure to unwanted 40B once again.

Medfield is a bucolic town with top-ranked schools.   The cost of land and the average home prices are well above the state median.  There is very little, if any, state or federal funding for development of subsidized housing.  This presents financial challenges for towns, housing authorities and developers.

More than 80 communities in the Commonwealth have created Affordable Housing Trusts (AHT) since 2006 to address this issue. .  AHT’s have a Board of Trustees whose purpose is to create and preserve affordable housing.  More importantly, they rely on the voices of the citizens, the goals of the HPP, and the Town’s Master Plan to proactively and creatively plan 40B housing.   Long term revenue funding of the Trust can be achieved creatively in over 40 ways, including Inclusionary Zoning Funds and CPA (Community Preservation Act) funds.

At Town Meeting on April 24, you will be asked to vote on Articles 16 and 17; the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust (AHT) and its initial funding of one million dollars.  These monies will simply get the ball rolling for the first year until the Trust establishes its funding mechanisms.

There’s a lot to learn and much at stake.  In October, the High School auditorium was filled with hundreds of residents passionately protesting the mega 40B.  We need that same energy now!

Come listen to the experts from COG (Community Opportunities Group) the town’s consultants, ask questions, and let your voice be heard.  It’s your town, and it can be your 40B too!

Please attend the Affordable Housing Workshop, Tuesday, 4/11, 7 pm at The Center.

 

Suzanne Siino

Medfield Inclusion Project

 

 

 

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Uncategorized