Minutes
North Stonington Affordable Housing Committee
May 23, 2013
In Attendance: Mary Ann Ricker, Tim Pelland, Kristen Comstock, Michelle Brophy and Jim Scaramozza
Absent: Tina DuBosque
Guests: None
Location: Wheeler High School Media Center
The meeting was called to order by Co-Chairman Tim Pelland at 6:06 PM. By motion, minutes from the April 25, 2013 meeting were reviewed and ratified.
Mary Ann Ricker discussed her having spoken with Christine Devine and Leslie Higgins Biddle of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) about our Town’s potentially establishing a program affording resident certain tax relief in the form of tax abatement in exchange for one’s restricting his or her home for affordable housing purposes (and pursuant to State affordability housing guidelines). The Committee discussed who might qualify; the nature and type of agreement a homeowner might enter into with the Town; its enforcement; and perhaps the Town’s recouping any taxes should the house be sold to a third party who would not qualify, etc. LISC offered to speak with representatives at the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), in order to see if someone from DECD might be
able to meet with the Committee and LISC to explore this further. LISC was going to report back to the Committee as to this in the next few weeks.
Discussion also took place about the possible rehab housing loan fund and funding same through a “STEAP” grant. Michelle Brophy offered to speak with certain Town officials in early June about this possibility.
No updates or news on either the Wintechog grant or the Meadowcourt project were given or presently available.
Lastly, Mary Ann discussed the Committee’s using the recently budgeted $1,000 (or a portion of it) for the implementation of a portable display that would be transported to different buildings and facilities in our Town (with, of course, the consent of the owner(s)) that would encompass information about affordable housing, pictures, videos, etc. This would be a continuation of the Committee’s ongoing efforts to both educate and inform the Town and its citizens of affordable housing issues, events, opportunities, programs, etc. Further research was going to be done in regards to this, and our possibly tapping into local schools and colleges to secure the assistance of those more savvy in “IT” and video streaming, and in setting it up.
The next meeting is scheduled for June 27, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. at Wheeler High School Media Center.
With no further action items in which to discuss, a motion for the meeting’s adjournment was made and seconded and thereafter approved. Accordingly, the meeting was adjourned by our co-chair Tim Pelland at approximately 7:10 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
James Scaramozza
Recording Secretary
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