Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Minutes of Meeting
Monday, February 11, 2008
A regular meeting of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund was held on Monday, February 11, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. in Room 313 at 120 Washington Street.
Members present were Councillor Jean Pelletier, Jennifer Raitt, Michael Northcutt, Kathleen Burke, Mary Dennesen, Mary Lauby, and Leonette Strout. Also present were Lynn Goonin Duncan, Director of the Department of Planning and Community Development, serving as the Mayor’s designee, and Jennifer Kolodziej, Housing Coordinator.
Members absent were Mayor Driscoll, Councillor Matthew A. Veno, and Chad Colarusso.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board meeting held on November 19, 2007 were presented for approval. Councillor Pelletier moved to approve the draft minutes with no amendments, seconded by Mickey Northcutt and approved, (6-0).
Approval of 2008 Meeting Schedule
The draft 2008 Meeting Schedule was reviewed by the Board. Members discussed possible alternate dates for the October meeting listed on the draft Schedule, because the regular meeting day - the second Monday of the month - falls on the observance of Columbus Day when City offices are closed. All members in attendance agreed with Jenny Raitt’s suggestion to hold off on the decision and note the October meeting date as “To Be Announced”. Kathleen Burke moved to approve the Schedule with the noted change, seconded by Councillor Pelletier and approved, (6-0). Jennifer Kolodziej will make this change and post the 2008 Meeting Schedule at City Hall before the next meeting.
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
Jennifer Kolodziej presented key findings regarding Salem from the HOME Consortiums Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice including: Salem’s second highest rate of poverty among the 30 North Shore towns, Salem’s extremely low ownership rate and high incidence of housing cost burdened renters. Lynn Goonin-Duncan and Leonette Strout inquired about the source of this data. Jennifer replied that some of the data was taken from the 2000 Census, while other findings came from the HOME Consortiums research. Jennifer explained some of the discussion at the HOME Consortium’s last meeting surrounding the findings of this report, including the recommendation of a “secret shopper” program in some communities. The Fair Housing Center could perform “secret shopper” testing to gather hard data to present to city and town officials and highlight gaps in resources. Mary Dennesen and Kathleen Burke relayed the types of housing discrimination they have witnessed in Salem. Mary Lauby and
others inquired about resources for those who have experienced discrimination. Jennifer informed the group that cities and towns should refer all persons with complaints to the Fair Housing Center in Boston for assistance. She noted that a link to the Fair Housing Center and other resources for those with fair housing complaints is posted on the Salem’s website.
Several members suggested that a lawyer or someone with fair housing expertise come to speak to the board on this topic. Jennifer Kolodziej informed the group that over the next 12 to 15 months Kevin Hurley from the North Shore HOME Consortium will be arranging a training on fair housing practices targeted toward local officials. Jennifer agreed to post a link to the forum on the City’s webpage as soon as a date and time are scheduled. In addition, Jennifer stated that she will contact the Fair Housing Center to schedule a presentation to the board at a future meeting. Councillor Pelletier motioned to table further discussion on Fair Housing until our April meeting, seconded by Mary Lauby, and approved (7-0).
Tracking List of Recent Salem Housing Projects
The Board members reviewed and discussed the housing projects tracking list that notes for each planned development the type of units, total number of units, number of affordable units, project status, and language used in Planning Board and/or Zoning Board of Appeal decisions. Mickey Northcutt, who suggested creation of the list, pointed out that it can be used to track not only the creation of affordable units, but also the amount of funds developers contribute to the City for affordable housing activities. For example, the Fort Avenue/Szetela Lane housing project includes only market rate units, but the developer has proposed to contribute funds to be used for affordable housing. The amount is to be determined. In the future, the AHTF can request to use some of these funds for a specific
activity. Members also discussed the Old Salem Jail Complex redevelopment project. Mickey Northcutt and others expressed desire for the City to request money from the developer for affordable housing because the project plan includes only one affordable unit. Lynn Goonin-Duncan clarified that the redevelopment of the Jail Complex is a historic preservation project led by a public-private partnership. She further explained that the Jail redevelopment is a financially tight project and that it would not be possible to request a monetary allocation out of the project. She encouraged the board members to attend the SRA meeting on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 6pm to hear more about the project.
Housing Trust Fund Guide Review
In the interest of time, Jenny Raitt suggested that board members review the brief guide outside of the meeting.
Discussion and Approval of Scope of Work for Consultant
Jennifer Kolodziej informed the Board members about the idea of developing a business plan for the trust that would tell potential partners and funding sources the actions the trust will pursue over the next few years. Jennifer volunteered to write a draft plan for the board. Mary Lauby commented that she would like to see an example of a business plan that other trust funds have done in order to get a better sense of its components. Others agreed. Jennifer said that she would bring an example business plan to next months meeting to aid in our discussion of the scope of work.
Accessory Dwelling Ordinance – PowerPoint Presentation
Due to time constraints, the presentation was deferred to the next meeting.
Members agreed to extend the next meeting on March 10, 2008 to 11:00am if necessary in order to cover both the presentation and discussion of the Accessory Dwelling Ordinance and the Business Plan scope of work.
Adjournment
There being no further business a motion was made by Jenny Raitt to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mary Lauby.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted by:
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Jennifer Kolodziej, Housing Coordinator
Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund
AHTF 3.10.2008
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