After climbing a steep stairway and squeezing through narrow doorways and a galley kitchen of an empty Sherman Gardens apartment on Friday, officials saw firsthand some of the problems facing elderly residents and those with mobility challenges.
The 80-unit state public housing property is one of more than 280 across Massachusetts that Housing Secretary Ed Augustus is in the process of visiting.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” said Augustus, who noted that housing is often unaffordable, especially for seniors on fixed incomes. It is also difficult for people to “age in place” in older buildings that are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is an issue at Sherman Gardens.
“We have a really challenging situation across the state,” said state Sen. Will Brownsberger, who represents Belmont.
Select Board member Matt Taylor, who accompanied the tour, agreed, adding there is a housing accessibility and affordability crisis in Belmont.
According to the Belmont Housing Trust Production Plan, about 30% of all households in Belmont, including 28% of owners and 36% of renters, are cost-burdened. The U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development defines a household as cost-burdened if 30% or more of total monthly income contributes to housing costs (including utilities).
“We have an extraordinarily long waiting list,” Gloria Leipzig, chairwoman of the Belmont Housing Authority board, said in an interview following the event. “The Housing Authority is trying to do our part to provide additional housing for [future] residents as well as improved housing for our current residents.”
The Housing Authority uses the state’s system, CHAMP (Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Programs, to address housing needs. Leipzig said there are currently more than a thousand people on the waiting list.
Built in 1971, Sherman Gardens, one of three properties owned and operated by the Belmont Housing Authority (BHA), is spread across six two-story walk-up buildings.
According to BHA literature handed out at the Friday meeting, current problems that make it difficult for residents to age in place include:
- Walk-up buildings that are “outdated and inconvenient for the elderly and disabled populations that it serves.”
- All units have at least one step up to their entrances.
- 50 percent of units are accessed via steep, narrow stairs.
- Unit layouts are undersized, with small door frames and rooms that prevent the use of walkers and wheelchairs.
“Who knows why, in 1971, the development was built that way, but it was,” Leipzig said. “Obviously as folks age in place, it becomes more and more difficult for them to live on the second floor. It is not suitable for residents who are older or have disabilities.”
She noted there hasn’t been comprehensive redevelopment at the site since it was originally built, but “we’ve done our best to … maintain the apartments,” she said.
The BHA proposes redeveloping the 1.85-acre site by doing the following (among other measures):
- Demolishing five of the six outdated buildings.
- Constructing a 125-unit mid-rise building with elevators for seniors/persons with families.
- There would be a net increase of 55 affordable units as well as the creation of community spaces.
- Providing 80 elderly/disabled units.
- Including larger units.
- Increasing unit storage.
- Creating outdoor spaces, including a courtyard.
- Adding elevators.
- Make sure the design includes the visual characteristics of neighboring homes to look homier.
- Situating the tallest part of the building where the ground elevation is lowest.
- Streamlining traffic and providing resident parking.
Funding for the project includes Community Preservation Act funding and state grants, according to Leipzig. Additional funds to the tune of $500,000 and $1 million have been earmarked in the housing bond bill by Rep. David Rogers and Brownsberger, respectively. Those sources, however, “come with an asterisk,” as the governor has to authorize their use.
“We hope it gets through the conference committee,” she said. “The fact that both our local representatives have supported us speaks a lot. They both see the importance of the work we’re doing.”
The Belmont Housing Authority hopes to hire an architect this fall, Leipzig said, with a goal of having shovels in the ground by 2026.
Information about the Belmont Housing Authority and Sherman Gardens can be found at belmontha.org/redevelopment.aspx
