C H I L M A R K H O U S I N G C O M M I T T E E
Minutes
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Chilmark Town Hall,
3:30pm
Present: Jim Feiner, Ann Wallace, Andrew Goldman, Jessica Roddy, Roland Kluver
Also Present: Candy and Stephanie DaRosa
Absent: William Randol, Bill Rossi
The Committee held a discussion with Candy and Stephanie DaRosa regarding a proposed Homesite Housing lot in planning. The lot is being offered by a non-family abutter. The lot recipient, Stephanie DaRosa, ages out of the Youth Lot program. The proposed homesite lot is just under 1 acre in size, and will thus require a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. While there is a recent precedent for a sub-1acre homesite lot, the DaRosas seeking to ensure that building homesite housing on the lot will be possible prior to committing to the purchase of the land.
Stephanie DaRosa also plans to pay down the loan for the purchase of the land prior to engaging in a building project on the site: qualification eligibility requirements often seen with a lottery for a town-owned parcel call for initiation or completion of home-building within a specified, relatively short timeframe, which would not be the case in this private transaction between the owner of the lot and a specific recipient. The Committee noted that the timeline requirements apply when the designated recipient is not privately specified for the transaction, but is chosen from a pool of eligible applicants.
Because the Homesite designation attaches to the lot in perpetuity, it is only appropriate to designate the lot when housing can in fact be created. The Committee felt that the Homesite lot can be designated as such by the Town at land purchase, subject to demonstration of financial ability to build, prior to securing a bank loan agreement for the building project.
A further question revolved around the question of terms of the cost vs. value of the proposed homesite. Stephanie DaRosa plans to do as much as possible through friends and barter, resulting in a higher value for lower cost.
These questions can be addressed in the Deed Rider. The Deed Rider will be needed at the latest when the mortgage is finalized. Andy Goldman offered to produce a draft Deed Rider, building on recent comparable deed riders on recent Chilmark homesite lots.
The Committee confirmed that the $40,000 purchase price includes a functioning well, and a septic plan demonstrating that the lot can support a Title 5-compliant septic system.
The Committee then discussed existing town mechanisms for more affordability in homeownership in Chilmark.
The Youth Lot program, created in the 1980s, was conceived as a private initiative between the landowner and an eligible person. In return for a 10-year commitment to the property, the recipient can obtain a non-conforming lot at a reasonable price. The Committee noted that a list of past youth lot recipients shows that a large number of them remain on their Youth Lot to this day, and are people who have rendered major service to the Town.
Homesite lots, by contrast, must remain in the homesite program in perpetuity, and are capped at a price that people who earn less than the richest quartile of the Island population can afford to pay.
The Committee reviewed the draft minutes of its November 7th meeting. Andy Goldman elaborated on the discussion held regarding the possibility of allowing rents at Middle Line Road to adjust downward in response to reductions in tenant income. He noted that David Vignault of the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority is working on a proposal to address these concerns. Andy will draft a paragraph to amend the draft minutes.
The Committee then heard from Ann Wallace, Jessica Roddy and Andy Goldman on the recent meeting of the Planning Board Subcommittee to review and update Chilmark Zoning Bylaws. The discussion in the subcommittee included the idea of creating affordable housing by allowing a kitchen to be installed in a detached bedroom for a caregiver, elder needing care or family of elder needing care. The next meeting of the Subcommittee will be held on December 9th.
The Committee noted that its next scheduled meeting falls on Christmas Eve. Unless pressing business arises, the Committee will next meet on Tuesday, January 28th 2014 at 3:30pm.
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