MINUTES OF THE PLANNING BOARD JOINT MEETING
WITH THE HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
SEPTEMBER 8, 2010
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Vincent Vignaly, Karen Paré, Patrick McKeon, Lawrence Salate
MEMBERS ABSENT: Patricia Halpin
OTHERS PRESENT: Martin Israel, Trish Settles, Michelle Harris, Sue Meola
All documents referenced in these Minutes are stored and available for public inspection in the Planning Board office, 127 Hartwell Street.
Reference Document: West Boylston HPP Discussion Paper, September 8th
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mr. Vignaly. Ms. Settles, who is preparing the 2010 Housing Production Plan (“HPP”) for the town, submitted discussion papers to the Boards in response to questions they had raised on the draft copy of the HPP.
The first sheet contained “Table 14 – West Boylston Subsidized Housing Inventory, July 26, 2010”. Lancaster Commons was listed as having eight SHI Units. After discussion, it was decided that it actually has no more than six, although the town has been credited by the DHCD with eight. Ms. Paré stated that there are many deed restrictions on the lots at Lancaster Commons, but she found only five recorded at the Registry. The affordable houses should remain for 50 years as subsidized housing. Ms. Settles stated that this issue should come up as its own “action item”.
Orchard Knoll rental units are not now identified on the chart. Of a total of 54 units, 16 are family; two are family/ handicapped; 34 are elderly; and two are elderly/handicapped. Ms. Harris suggested that letters be written to the commissioners of all applicable state agencies asking them to report the number of people in town living in subsidized housing, in shared living. She will email Mr. Gaumond and request that he send these letters of
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September 8, 2010 – Housing Partnership
inquiry. Mr. Vignaly queried whether the town will be penalized if the number decreases further below 10% and Ms. Settles stated that it would.
The “DMR” Group Homes should be listed as “DBS” with only eight units. Four of the units listed here are actually 14-16 Foster Street, which is a “689” Ms. Harris reported. There are two four-bedroom homes at 14-16 Foster Street, under the auspices of the DDS.
Franklin Street is not yet complete, however, there should be a total of 26 units when finished. Ms. Paré stated that Afra Terrace has three affordable units sold and will be adding more for a total of 13. She asked who puts these units on inventory and Ms. Harris stated that paperwork comes from Afra Terrace and is signed by Mr. Gaumond. Mr. Vignaly stated that he still has questions about the amount in the Housing Trust Fund. The Village at Oakdale is not yet under construction but the units could be rental or home ownership. These 96 units are still a question.
Table 27 is entitled “Current Development Pipeline” and lists housing developments in town since the year 2000. The table should be corrected to read that only one unit ended up being built at Merrymount and the Kenneway Subdivision received Preliminary Subdivision Approval. There are only two subsidized units at Angell Brook.
Table 29 “Publicly-owned properties with potential for affordable housing” was reviewed next. The 35 acres on Shrewsbury Street in the Industrial Zone has potential, but also has deed restrictions. Ms. Settles will follow-up on the details of that site with Mr. Gaumond. Mr. Vignaly stated that there is a possibility for 54 more units at Orchard Knoll. The landfill and the acre at the corner of Evans and Prospect Street were added as potential areas for development, beyond those already listed in the table. The surplus county land near the former state hospital is an area which needs to be further explored. Camp Woodhaven will not be included in the HPP but it is an area with potential which bears further investigation. Mr. Vignaly stated that the site of the Mixter Building could potentially be
developed with ball fields, single-family homes and a “tot lot”. Ms. Settles will provide a narrative following the chart providing descriptions of the sites and their potential.
The table on “Housing Goals” (Table 30) is something that DHCD wants to see, Ms. Settles reported, however, it may not be realistic. The figure of 189 is probably too high. It is difficult to obtain the number of housing units from the Assessor’s figures because of the way the figures are collected, Ms. Paré reported. The number of housing parcels are reported. Mr. Vignaly stated that the town should show a minimum of ½% growth per year for five years.
Table 31 WBHPP will be reformatted to add columns for very low, low and moderate housing that will reflect need. Mr. Vignaly suggested that 10 should be very low; 30 low and 60 moderate. Ms. Harris stated that there is nothing below 80% of Fair Market Value. Ms. Paré stated that 50% below FMV should be considered very low and less than 80% of
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September 8, 2010 – Housing Partnership
FMV be considered low and moderate. Rentals and home-ownership should be separated, Ms. Harris stated. The table should reflect what we need, Mr. Vignaly stated, such as
rental, home-ownership or group homes. We need to know targets, Ms. Harris stated, for what we have and what we need.
Table 32 – “Summary of Housing Strategies” lists “Secure professional support” as an aim. Mr. Vignaly noted that this goal appears a lot but may not be realistic. There is simply not that much CPC money to go around. Ms. Harris noted that Mr. Gaumond has been meeting with Sterling and Boylston personnel to discuss the possibility of a regional or shared position
In summation, Ms. Settles asked how important it is to generate a brief document. It is now almost 120 pages. Ms. Paré stated that she wants a document with real substance and Mr. Vignaly stated that he would prefer a 30 – 40 page document with details in appendices. Ms. Settles will contact the Water, Sewer and Light Departments to get updated information. For the next meeting, Mr. Vignaly again stated that he would like to encourage members of the Housing Authority and the ZBA to attend.
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Date Accepted:___________ By:____________________________
Karen Paré, Clerk
Submitted By:_______________________
Susan Abramson
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