Quick Recap:
- Presentation by Planning Director Bryan Taberner provides an overview of the Housing Production Plan as drafted for review and comment
- Some clarification questions were asked by the small audience. Who sets the affordable housing rate? The State does and each community uses the same calculation. What is calculated as affordable isn't really affordable for some.
- Before the meeting closed an overview of process from this point was provided: more meetings/public hearings coming, the public comment period closes 6/25/21, then a redraft is made to incorporate the public comments. Another schedule of hearings by the Planning Board and Town Council before they approve the HPP and it is submitted to the State for approval
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As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #hpp0602
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23hpp0602&src=typeahead_click
Agenda doc for this meeting -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/municipal_affordable_housing_trust_june_2_2021_01.pdf
Meeting recording to be available soon
- Live reporting underway for the Municipal Housing Trust public hearing on the housing production plan #hpp0602
- Copy of the plan can be found https://franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/franklin_housing_production_plan_-_may_2021_public_draft.pdf #hpp0602
- Slides from presentation being shared by planning director Bryan Taberner #hpp0602
- (I obtained a copy of the presentation so that is available - see link below - Several tweets shared 3 photos of the slides as Bryan moved through the updates. He read much of the content. When finished, there was more discussion and that is picked up in my notes)
- Affordable rent currently in Franklin is about $1600-1800/month which in most cases is not really affordable. #hpp0602
- How do we increase density? In some zoning districts multi family is via a special permit, or we could change the current zoning bylaws to allow for more than we have #hpp0602
- Zoning changes take time but the process for housing adjustments starts now. There is a study of our overall zoning regs specifically looking at affordable and housing #hpp0602 the study will help outline some possible changes
- At one point we were comfortably over the affordable percent. Every time we build a house and add it to the inventory our percent drops if it is not affordable. So if we add a development of x units with none affordable, it makes a bigger change. #hpp0602
- #hpp0602 if a project comes on with a portion of affordable, the whole total, assuming the portion goes thru the state affordable process, can count in the inventory of affordable.
- #hpp0602 there have been projects that were good for the Town that didn't work out. We really should go for a friendly 40b where we still get a say and the affordable units.
- There are developers who are very anxious to work on affordable units, we (the Town) should have an appropriate set of an incentives available #hpp0602
- Four developments and the senior housing account for 90% of our affordable units #hpp0602 attachment D in the plan as linked before contains the details of our current inventory
- Some Q&A, overview of process from here, more meetings coming, public comment closes 6/25 and then a redraft is presented for approval by Planning Board and Town Council before submitting to state #hpp0602
- Motion to adjourn, passes 3-0. Catch you next time. #hpp0602
Membership of the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust
- Present: Chris Vericker (chair), Maxine Kinheart, Judy Pfeffer
- Absent: Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, Mary Anne Bertone, Chris Feeley, Robert Keras
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| Planning Director Bryan Taberner |
Link to presentation doc
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