Mary Byrne
In an impassioned plea Wednesday night, state Sen. William Brownsberger called upon Belmont to take the state’s housing crisis seriously and, in particular, called for the support of the MBTA Communities zoning proposal when it appears before Town Meeting later this year.
“I understand the vision of a town of homes,” said Brownsberger, who charted his path to the State House and changing attitude toward the issue of housing— particularly, affordable housing. “Housing is a solved problem for those of us who are lucky to be here.”
Brownsberger’s remarks set the stage for the lengthy discussion that would follow. For nearly an hour, members debated the merits of appropriating $275,000 to support affordable housing. The funding would support the Housing Trust, which works with developers to create new affordable housing in town.
In advance of Wednesday’s Town Meeting session, the Select Board unanimously recommended unfavorable action on the motion at Town Meeting; the Warrant Committee also voted 11-4 to recommend unfavorable action. The Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee, meanwhile, unanimously recommended favorable action.
Previous Coverage
While many spoke in favor of the appropriation, arguing the need for funds to support housing development down the road, others argued the request required more formal documentation for how the money would be used or that the money would be better spent to benefit the improvement of existing properties such as Sherman Gardens and Belmont Village.
“More funds mean we can have more of an impact on more developments,” said Housing Trust member Rachel Heller. “As new opportunities arise, through the [Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority] Communities Act implementation of the multi-family zoning, the Housing Trust will have funds available to ensure we are expanding affordable housing as we add overall housing at different price points.”
One of Five
The motion, which ultimately passed 185-48, was one of five Town Meeting votes this week to appropriate money from the Community Preservation Fund.
Following a brief discussion, $1.3 million was appropriated to fund the Chenery Park rehabilitation project; $99,000 was appropriated to fund the exterior paint restoration of the Homer House, and $160,000 was appropriated to support the right-of-way acquisition necessary for Phase I of the Community Path project.
According to Select Board Vice Chair Elizabeth Dionne, the Community Preservation Act, which imposes a 1.5% surcharge on total property tax bills, was adopted by Town Meeting in 2010. To date, it has raised $15.8 million locally and received just over $4.1 million in state matching funds.
According to Dionne, an estimated $3.3 million remains in the Community Preservation Fund following Wednesday night’s votes.
Debate Over Housing Money
Though other projects generated a fair amount of discussion—funding for the right-of-way acquisition, for example, prompted several questions, largely from those who expressed support for the Community Path project in general—none stirred quite as much debate as the $275,000 request for the Belmont Housing Trust.
Some questioned why the Housing Trust was returning to Town Meeting for funds when $500,000 previously appropriated had not yet been spent. Housing Trust Co-Chair Judith Feins explained that the original $500,000 had not been spent in part due to the administrative steps needed before accessing it. She said those issues have since been resolved.
“Right now, there’s been $500,000 allocated, and nothing’s been done with it,” said Warrant Committee Chair Geoffrey Lubien. “I look at it as a crawl, walk, run concept: take the $500,000, start putting it to work, and let’s see how it goes, and then we can do more from there.”
Precinct 2 Town Meeting member Bill Anderson, also a member of the Warrant Committee, questioned the Housing Trust’s track record and whether it had a comprehensive document listing its program priorities.
“What I’ve heard from the Housing Trust is a very nice, meaningful concept,” he said. “But it’s a long way from concept to reality.”
Heller said the Trust would work with a consultant to ensure proper vetting for future development projects.
“This is a standard practice across the state,” she said. “Well more than 30 communities regularly put their CPA funds for housing into the Housing Trust, and they do that for the Housing Trust to advance their housing production plans, their housing goals; there aren’t strings attached.”
In response to several other remarks of this nature, Heller said that in addition to the miscommunication around accessing the funds, there have been few development opportunities for the existing funds up until now.
“That will soon change, as Sen. Brownsberger spoke about the MBTA Communities multifamily zoning that Belmont will soon be adopting,” Heller said. “You can’t build if it’s not allowed.”
According to Heller, more than 30% of current residents are eligible for affordable housing, yet there is only one affordable home for every four households that need it.
“I cannot stress how expensive it is to create affordable housing,” she said.
While some Town Meeting members echoed the same apprehension, many expressed support for the allocation.
“I think this is the most important use of CPA funds right now,” said Precinct 7 Town Meeting member Heather Brenhouse. “Massachusetts is in an emergency in terms of the housing crisis. We need to put our money where our mouths are.”
Precinct 6 Town Meeting member Karen Bauerle said affordable housing is her “top priority.”
“I feel like we have a historical lack of investment in our resources for people who are living more complicated lives as a result of disability, discrimination, redlining, any number of aspects that impact the ability of people to live in this town,” said Bauerle.
Precinct 8 Town Meeting member Lynn Read was among the Warrant Committees to vote for favorable action on the motion.
“With the passage of [Proposition 2 ½ override], the town has come to an inflection point where we need to serve all our citizens that have been so affected by the rising costs in Belmont,” Read said. “I think it’s very important we support public housing for that reason while, of course, being careful stewards of our money. I entrust the Housing Trust to provide that oversight.”
Town Meeting will continue Monday, June 3, at the Belmont Middle School and High School auditorium.
