Category Archives: Seniors

Rosebay comments due 12/6/18

Posted on November 8, 2018 | Leave a comment

Get the full Rosebay plan and materials at the Town of Medfield website by clicking here

Affordable Housing Trust Committe

Posted on: November 6, 2018

DHCD Comment period open for the Rosebay 40B Application (Pound Street)

Rosebay cover picture Opens in new window

On 11/6/18, DHCD hand-delivered the Rosebay 40B application packet to the Town, commencing the 30-day comment period. The municipal comment letter must be received by DHCD by December 6, 2018.

Departmental comments should be submitted to the Town Planner by Tuesday, November 13th for incorporation into the draft municipal comment letter for approval at the 11/27 BoS meeting.

Residents may submit comments to the Board of Selectmen through Evelyn Clarke at eclarke@medfield.net and send comments directly to DHCD:

Catherine Racer, Associate Director, (with cc to Rebecca Rebecca Frawley Wachtel – DHCD Tax Credits and HOME Program Director)

Department of Housing and Community Development

100 Cambridge Street, 3rct Floor

Boston, MA 02114

Project description:

This new development is proposed as 45 units of rental housing restricted to residents age 62 and over. All 45 of the apartment homes in The Rosebay are proposed to be affordable to senior residents. The development site is a portion of the Medfield Housing Authority (“MHA”) property in Medfield, Massachusetts, for which MHA has granted the applicant an option to enter into a Ground Lease. MHA has also entered into a Master Development Agreement with NewGate Housing LLC (“NewGate”) for the proposed development.

The proposed development is expected to include 45 apartment homes in a single residential building. Of the 45 apartments, 37 are proposed as one bedroom/one bath units, and 8 are proposed as two bedroom/two bath units. All of the apartments in the proposed development will be age-restricted and all 45 will be eligible to be counted on Medfield’s Subsidized Housing Inventory for purposes of Chapter 40B. In addition to residential units, the building is also expected to house a community center “Club Room” for residents, a fitness center, a computer lab, a leasing and management office, a dedicated supportive services office and consultation center, mail and package facilities, and a maintenance facility. The proposed development will also include trash/recycling; outdoor recreation amenities such as picnic areas, community gardens, and a rooftop garden deck; and related parking, utilities, infrastructure, and landscaping improvements.

Here is info on the rare rosebay rhododendron and the trail off Woodridge:
http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/greater-boston/medfield-rhododendrons.html

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Seniors

Status of Rosebay

Posted on October 23, 2018 | 8 comments

Rosebay

Town Status on the Rosebay Project

I have been asked enough about the status of the Rosebay project that I thought I would share what I know.  Rosebay is the private development proposal for 45 units of senior affordable housing on Medfield Housing Authority land that is directly adjacent to Tilden Village on Pound Street.  Rosebay would be all seniors, all rental, and all affordable.  The developer is Brian McMillin of NewGate Housing LLC of Westwood, who was selected by the Medfield Housing Authority.  Brian McMillin previously worked for Gatehouse, at the time Gatehouse built The Parc in Medfield.

In general, the Board of Selectmen have been pushing to have more affordable housing, especially for seniors, so conceptually I support the Rosebay project.

The town’s active and effective Affordable Housing Trust has been meeting with the Rosebay developer and I understand that the Affordable Housing Trust has been advancing the Rosebay project as part of the town’s solution to our affordable housing needs.  I also believe that the Affordable Housing Trust even provided some monies for fees to that developer to advance the project.

The Town of Medfield is in a good spot at the moment with respect to unfriendly 40B proposals because we are currently in a safe harbor, meaning that:

  1. we have a Housing Production Plan that the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has accepted, and
  2. we are currently building 21 SHI units per year.

I believe that we have about another year and a half of safe harbor remaining, but we also have several irons in the fire that could extend that time frame.

So as long as we remain in that safe harbor, the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Medfield can turn down any 40B that it does not like on the basis that we are in that safe harbor, and the developer cannot end run the town by appealing for state approval to the Housing Appeals Committee (HAC) at the DHCD for an approval.  The HAC routinely approves any developer’s 40B developments turned down by towns, but the HAC will not overturn a ZBA denial based on our being in a safe harbor, while we continue to be in that safe harbor.

The Board of Selectmen will soon send a letter to Department of Housing and Community Development opining about the suitability of the Rosebay project in general, and we would welcome citizen input as part of our formulation of that letter.

The project is not looking to be a Local Initiative Project (LIP), which is a town endorsed 40B.  The need for that town endorsement of a LIP gives the Board of Selectmen a high level of control over any LIP.  The Board of Selectmen therefore does not have that same high level of input and control over Rosebay that we would have if it were a LIP.

In this instance the Zoning Board of Appeals will be the main town entity that will deal with the nuts and bolts issues of the Rosebay project, and that will seek to ameliorate the proposed project and its impacts on both the neighbors and the town.  The ZBA has even greater than usual control over the Rosebay proposal, because of the fact that we are in a 40B safe harbor, and any ZBA denial should be supported by the HAC.

I am trusting the Zoning Board of Appeals to see that the details are worked out as well as they can be so as to minimize the impacts and effects of the project on the neighbors.

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Buildings, Development, Downtown, Permitting, Selectmen matters, Seniors, Zoning

DHCD site visit to Rosebay site 11/6

Posted on October 22, 2018 | 2 comments

Email this afternoon from Sarah Raposa about the Department of Housing and Community Development site visit to the Tilden expansion project called Rosebay (a copy of the email appears below) –

Rosebay

The Town of Medfield has received notice (from the Developer) that DHCD is currently reviewing an application for Site Approval submitted by NewGate Housing LLC (the “Applicant”). The proposed development will consist of 45 age restricted (62+) rental units comprised of 37 one-bedroom units and 8 two-bedroom units contained within one residential building with amenities, facilities, driveways/roadways and associated infrastructure on ~2.4 acres.

 

Access to the site will be provided from Pound Street. The project will access the utility infrastructure located on Pound Street, including sanitary sewer, water, gas, electric, telephone and cable. The stormwater management system will be designed to fully comply with all the standard of the MA DEP Stormwater Management Regulations. The Applicant is proposing that all units (100%) will be identified as affordable units for the Town’s Subsidized Housing Inventory.

 

The application may be viewed on the Town’s website: HERE

 

Should DHCD deem the conceptual design appropriate for the site, the Applicant is then allowed to submit a formal comprehensive permit application to the Medfield Zoning Board of Appeals for this project.

 

As part of its review, DHCD will conduct a site visit, which Local Boards[1] may attend. The site visit for The Rosebay at Medfield has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 10:00 am. Please meet at the project location (at or near 30 Pound Street).

 

A municipality has an opportunity to submit comments to the agency within 30 days.  The public may also wish to submit comments.  The deadline for comments is no later than TBD.

 

Please inform us of any issues that have been raised or are anticipated in the review of this application within 7 days of the site visit so that comments may be incorporated in to the Board of Selectmen’s municipal comment letter.

 

[1] Local Board – means any local board or official, including, but not limited to any board of survey; board of health; planning board; conservation commission; historical commission; water, sewer, or other commission or district; fire, police, traffic, or other department; building inspector or similar official or board; city council or board of selectmen.  All boards, regardless of their geographical jurisdiction or their source of authority (that is, including boards created by special acts of the legislature or by other legislative action) shall be deemed Local Boards if they perform functions usually performed by locally created boards.

 

 

Sarah Raposa, AICP

Town Planner

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Seniors

Know the Signs of Elder Abuse

Posted on September 11, 2018 | Leave a comment
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here to view newsletter online. + SUBSCRIBE

PETERSON | Law

Osler “Pete” Peterson

617-969-1500 – Newton

September 2018
Attorney Photo

Perfect Storm Jeopardizes Safety of Older Adults

The prevalence of elder abuse in both institutional and in-home care settings appears to be rising due to a perfect storm of circumstances. First, the number of Americans 65-plus is exploding as Baby Boomers age and require more care. Second, for-profit companies, which now own more than 70 percent of the nation’s nursing homes, often cut staff and other resources to meet investor expectations. And third, government oversight and support are disappearing as budget cuts increasingly target these services. That leaves it up to all of us to be more vigilant than ever for the signs of elder abuse.
Elder Care

Protect Loved Ones from Nursing Home Abuse

Choosing nursing home, assisted living or in-home medical care is complicated, difficult and often an emotional process. The last thing on your mind is the possibility that those responsible for the care of some of our most vulnerable citizens would abuse or neglect their patients. But it does happen all too often, which is why you should know the signs of elder abuse and how to find quality care for the older loved ones in your life.

BY THE NUMBERS

13%

Adults 65-plus make up 13 percent of the population, numbering more than 40 million.

VIDEO BOOKMARK

A Culture of Denial,
a Failure to Act

CNN investigation uncovers rampant sexual assault in elder care facilities – and little accountability.

THE DOCKET

ONLINE ABUSE

Social media abuse of nursing home residents often goes unchecked, reports NPR.
You Should Know is a copyrighted publication of Voice2News, LLC, and is made possible by the attorney shown above. This newsletter is intended for the interest of past and present clients and other friends of this lawyer. It is not intended as a substitute for specific legal advice. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter, and your request will be honored immediately. You may also submit your request in writing to: Steven L. Miller, Editor, 4907 Woodland Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312. Be sure to include your email address.

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Posted in Legal, Seniors

The Rosebay at Medfield

Posted on August 18, 2018 | Leave a comment

Today I got this email follow up, below, from the developer that the Medfield Housing Authority selected for the proposed project on Medfield Housing Authority land next to Tilden Village.  I also met with the Legion and its developers this week about their plans, and the issue of how their timing fits in to the town’s safe harbor needs, so I asked Brain McMillin about the timing of his plan, and he reported  “it’s not out of the question that it could take until 2022 or 2023 until these units are ready to be leased up.”  –

 

Rosebay

 

I should probably point out that The Rosebay at Medfield is not public housing, so it is technically not an expansion of Tilden Village.  It will be a privately-owned development located on land leased from the Medfield Housing Authority under a long-term ground lease.

Although it will not be public housing like Tilden Village, all of the units in the proposed development would still be affordable and age-restricted (62+) to meet the Housing Authority’s requirements.  For the Town of Medfield, all 45 of the proposed units would count toward its Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing Inventory and further goals stated under its Housing Production Plan.

The basic structure we have proposed is fairly common and has been used around the country for privately-owned developments built on housing authority land.  We are aware, however, that that it may require some explanation and we plan to provide that detail during our Comprehensive Permit hearing before the Zoning Board.

 

Regards,

 

Brian J. McMillin | NewGate Housing LLC

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Buildings, Development, Downtown, Seniors

Tilden expansion filed at DHCD

Posted on August 16, 2018 | 1 comment

Rosebay

Tilden Village expansion – The Rosebay at Medfield

This email yesterday from Sarah Raposa about the Medfield Housing Authority’s planned expansion adjacent to its Tilden Village site having taken its first step by means of a filing with the Department of Housing and Community Development –

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

We haven’t received the hard copy from DHCD but Mike was cc’d on the submission to DHCD.

Here is the link to the application on the Town’s website:

http://ma-medfield.civicplus.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=59

Best,  Sarah

Sarah Raposa, AICP

Town Planner

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

The developer, Brian McMillin of NewGate Housing LLC, Westwood, MA stated to me that while the plans are “available on the Town’s website. . . they are a required step in preparing to file for a Comprehensive Permit for The Rosebay at Medfield, and they contain only basic preliminary information.  More detailed information regarding the proposed development will be provided in the Comprehensive Permit application.”

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Development, Downtown, Seniors

Select Board minutes from 12/7/17 special meeting with seniors on housing issues

Posted on May 30, 2018 | Leave a comment

The Select Board held a special meeting at The Center on December 7, 2017, specifically for seniors to discuss senior housing issues in town and options going forward.  Below are the draft minutes of that meeting:

•.. Board of Selectmen The Center Thursday, December 7, 2017 4:00PM Minutes Present: Selectmen Michael Marcucci, Selectmen Gustave Murby, Selectmen Osler Peterson, Kristine Trierweiler, Mark Cerel Meeting was called to order at 4:00. Chairman Peterson read the meeting objectives and agenda into the record. He disclosed that he is not ethically allowed to discuss matter relating to Lot 3 and Hinkley but can discuss the State Hospital property. Selectman Murby shared his impressions from the Senior Housing forum from earlier this fall and wanted people to know what is proposed for senior housing in the MSH plan. Mr. Centore expressed concern that there has been no representation from MSHMPC at the Senior Housing Study Committee's meetings. Mr. Nolan reviewed the status of the draft MSH master plan and uses for Lot 3, Hinkley, Core Campus and cottages, Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC). He noted unit counts and timing concerns. An audience member asked about CCRCs and the ability to amend the draft plan at this stage in the planning process. Mr. Nolan responded that the plan spells out the range of units and locations. There are 16-20 units proposed at Hinkley and 42 on Lot 3. There are a number of dedicated senior units at the Core Campus of the over 200 units proposed at the Core Campus. He was unsure of the number of units for the CCRC. Another audience member asked about the MSHMPC surveys. Mr. Nolan described the mix of uses and types of residential units that are proposed. Chairman Peterson noted that the decision will be up to the residents of the Town at a town meeting, hopefully in March 2018. The audience member is concerned that surrounding towns are building senior units but not Medfield even though they have been paying the same taxes. Not enough work has been done for seniors. Jerry K requests that a special town meeting be scheduled immediately. Chairman Peterson responded that there are a number of complicated steps to do before a meeting may be confirmed. Selectman Marcucci indicated that he would like to see Hinkley go to A TM but there are disposition and legal issues that need to be settled. He believes it is possible to make Hinkley work for at least 16 units of senior housing but the process is heavily regulated. He updated the group on the expansion of Tilden Village. He summarized the work that the Affordable Housing Trust is doing to produce Local Initiative Program units. The 40B process and local preferences were discussed. Mr. Centore stated that the Senior Housing Study Committee (SHSC) survey indicates that the MSHMPC's plan does not include as are needed. He prefers that the Town donate, not sell the land, in order to keep the prices low. Selectman Murby believes that Lot 3 should be commercial and asked how do we drive down the cost of living in Medfield? He discussed topics such as: the diversification of the tax base; the SHSC report says that seniors want to be downtown; affordable housing versus community housing; 40B subsidy versus market rate; equity; and buying versus renting at older ages. Selectman Marcucci asked the seniors to not discount 40B even if they feel like they don't qualify for. We are trying to course direct the market for other types of housing in Medfield. There are differences between developing Town-owned land and private properties. Lee Treadway said that taxes have gone up 30% in the last 5 years. He described the situation where a senior would sell their house but there is no place for them to go because everything in Medfield is so expensive. Chairman Peterson described the town meeting process and the predominance of single-family homes in Medfield and agreed that there aren't many other options for housing types. He would like to see more choices but the Town can't be the developer. Mr. Wolfe asked if there was a better way to validate the need for housing types. Chairman Peterson said that 400 seniors would provide a statistically significant survey for Medfield. Mr. Wolfe thought it could be done for about $20,000. Selectman Murby agreed that the Board needs a survey to more accurately define senior housing needs. He stated that they are in the process of defining goals and overarching priorities for the town and would welcome feedback on them. Mr. Centore spoke about removing Lot 3 from the MSHMPC charge and the need for a new 40S provision. Chairman Peterson clarified that he's not referring to the existing state statute for school children but creating a new "s" for seniors. He further spoke about density being able to reduce costs. He agreed that rentals might be a good option for seniors. Selectmen Marcucci indicated that Lot 3 and Hinkley will be handled sooner than the Campus. Authorization for disposition will need to be secured for Hinkley but it already exists for Lot 3. Mr. Centore asked about funding. Selectman Murby and expressed concern about selling Town land, the price, and having control in the product. Attorney Cerel discussed the submitted petitioned articles and the disposition and legal issues associated with them. Mr. Kazanjian is glad that Lot 3 and Hinkley are being focused on but thinks that we need to get started on the Campus and that the SHSC should issue an RFP for 120 units of senior housing next year. Chairman Peterson said that the process is extremely long. Selectmen Marcucci said that they can petition for what they want but disagrees with the statement that the MSHMPC doesn't have their act together. He says the process is complicated and they are trying their best to come up with a plan for the 12,000 residents of Medfield. There are a lot of people with a lot of different interests in the process. Today's meeting on senior housing is just for one of those interests. Selectman Murby has been to at least % of the MSHMPC meetings and the complexity is not to be disregarded. It is a $500 million real estate project being worked on by dedicated citizens. The infrastructure costs to the Town are in the tens of million dollar range. He recommends that Jerry go to the preferred concept and figure out a way to put definition to the concept and add momentum. Chairman Peterson also appreciates the Committee's work. Lou Fellini believes that the Town is chasing tails on housing. Seniors are asking for recognition. Seniors only get 27 cents on each dollar as 73% goes to the schools. They built this town. Lou asked the Board to stop the tax increases for seniors so seniors can live in this Town for the rest of their lives. Chairman Peterson mentioned the movement in Sudbury to provide relief for seniors but the state constitution requires everyone pay the same taxes. Patricia Treadway applauds the effort to figure out the complicated issue. She agrees that seniors should consider rentals. 67 North Street turned out very nice. She supports more apartments, condos, and assisted living options. Selectmen Marcucci discussed the town budget and the reliance on residential taxes. Chairman Peterson stated that housing can be profitable but it would not be affordable. Mr. Kazanjian stated that the Hospital plan can include commercial to diversity of tax base to offset residential taxes. Chairman Peterson noted that the plan includes too much commercial for the market. Mr. Nolan continued to say that commercial space is Mr. Nolan reviewed the streamlined process of 40R zoning for the campus and Lot 3 and Hinkley to dispose of and develop quickly. Lot 3 and Hinkley can be started before the campus. Same is true of the Cottage Area as it requires less infrastructure and can be developed more swiftly. Mr. Centore would like to see examples of floor plans, price points, and features of the homes to get more seniors excited about it. Selectman Murby responded that the MSHMPC is a planning committee but the one that comes after the MSHMPC next year is a development committee. Brandie Erb described the master plan, zoning, and design guidelines. She discussed the timing and complexity of the plan. Patty Foscaldo asked about building demolition. Brandie Erb discussed the MOU regarding the. She stated that we are nowhere because we don't know which buildings are coming down. She asked when that will be determined despite the length of time the committee has been working on the project. She also asked about nursing homes. Mr. Nolan described the CCRC model which includes the spectrum of independent, assisted, and nursing. He clarified the process that has the committee putting out the preferences and the responses from the development community. The process is slow but there are many disparate objectives (nothing, senior housing, arts, housing for millennials) needs to be distilled into a 2/3 votes at town meeting. There is frustration on all sides. They are trying to finalize the plan and financials. Mr. Wolfe stated that he would like to see the SHSC work with the MSHMPC rather than beat them up in order to create actions. He commends the quality of the work, not the timeframe but he believes they are getting close. He noted that the plan is not only about seniors, it is a balanced view. He also is supporting of an updated survey and action on Lot 3. In closing, Chairman Peterson asked for a show of hands to gauge preferences: • Rental consideration • Detached • Townhomes • Multi-story building with elevator (over 3 stories) • Downtown versus Hospital Rich Ryder asked about the survey that Selectman Murby spoke about. The Board will work on what that survey solicitation will look like for review at their 12/19/17 meeting.20171207_Page_220171207_Page_320171207_Page_4

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Selectmen matters, Seniors