The Marion Affordable Housing Trust has seen recent turnover in membership, and longtime resident and developer Sherman Briggs took the opportunity to address the trust’s newer faces during the September 14 public meeting.
Citing his long-standing opposition to the town’s inclusionary-zoning bylaw that he says has never been utilized, Briggs said it has taken him 10 years to get through the vetting process.
“I would hope the Housing Trust would start to get more active in the bylaws and what we go through and the time it takes,” he said. “We need to streamline the bylaws. Once we get through that, we can create more of these projects that aren’t subsidized and ones that meet the seniors of Marion’s needs.”
When Briggs began seeking approval for his 28-unit, multi-family residential project at Spring and Mill Streets, he said the bylaw was asking him to choose between building an affordable housing complex and paying a $639,000 fee to mitigate the choice not to. That fee is now $150,000, a check Briggs is much happier to write if he can have a say on what happens to the money.
Leveraging developers toward affordable housing projects, he says, is counterproductive for the town for two major reasons: 1. Marion is at 11.5 percent, a favorable number in affordable housing when taking into consideration existing and planned projects; 2. Tax revenue is the biggie for Briggs, who asserts that, in an affordable-housing scenario, a 42-unit development would generate only $28,000 per year. His proposed, 28-unit, market-rate development could generate 10 times the tax revenue. He insists that is his prime motivation as a longtime resident.
Briggs is concerned that the current set of requirements will continue to leverage developments toward 40B classification (affordable housing) that do not generate enough tax revenue and end up failing economically.
As for the $150,000 fee due the Affordable Housing Trust on a project like the one he is proposing, Briggs said, “That money should be used to help seniors rather than be put into a fund that will take years to get where this needs to go.” He believes the funds would be best spent to help more seniors stay in their houses with a series of smaller projects such as “a new roof on a house, a septic system, maybe a paint job.”
Briggs has plenty more to say, drawing questions from AHT members seeking clarification on town bylaws and procedures.
He said he is concerned about the potential senior housing development on the location where Lockheed Martin had been until last year. “If that ever fell off the tax rolls, we’d be in more dire straits as far as tax revenue. That’s more my view as a taxpayer than my project.”
Briggs is hoping his proposed, 28-unit development off Spring and Mill streets will sell for $650,000 and $700,000 per unit.
“Five years ago, if this was built, the town would have a million dollars in its coffer. … It’s been one hell of a battle, I won’t deny that,” he said.
Terri Santos, the new chair of the AHT, called Briggs’ preferred scenario “a win-win for the trust because we will also get $150,000 to go to programs.”
Santos said funding the programs that the AHT looks at doing is complicated because they cannot use CPC money due to deed restrictions, etcetera.
“There’s nothing better than to keep someone who lives in Marion their whole life in their home,” said Briggs. “If I can support and earmark the money that I have to pay to go in a direction, that’s what I believe.”
Santos said the Planning Board’s Codification Committee is putting forth a bylaw change regarding conservation subdivision.
In other matters, Santos and fellow AHT members Norm Hills and Nancy McFadden walked the Lockheed Martin site three weeks ago. Santos said she will keep the AHT informed. “A lot of possibilities, I personally think,” said McFadden.
The next meeting of the Marion Affordable Housing Trust is scheduled for Tuesday, October 12, at 6:00 pm.
Marion Affordable Housing Trust
By Mick Colageo