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BELMONT HOUSING TRUST
Creation of the Belmont Housing Trust, Inc. was authorized by Town Meeting in 1999. The Trust was then created by special legislation enacted by the Massachusetts state legislature (Chapter 126 of the Acts of 1999). The purposes of the Trust include, amongst other things: (1) to investigate and implement alternatives for the provision of and providing affordable housing for persons of low, moderate and middle income; (2) to enhance the Town of Belmont, Massachusetts and lives of its residents, and so lessen the burdens of government, by promoting and undertaking the development and maintenance of affordable housing for the benefit of persons of low and moderate income within Belmont and adjacent communities; and (3) to foster and promote community-wide interest and -involvement in the problems associated with the
under-development of affordable housing, and toward that goal, to sponsor and participate in public symposia and discussions involving governmental officials, real property developers, and community organizations and institutions; and (4) to assist parties in obtaining financial support for affordable housing projects from state and federal agencies, foundations and other sources; and by any other means, to cooperate with, encourage and contribute to the efforts of parties in the accomplishment of affordable housing purposes.
In 2005, the Belmont Housing Trust, working in collaboration with the Town’s Office of Community Development, and the Waltham Alliance to Create Housing (WATCH), a local Community Development Corporation (CDC), completed construction of four units of homeownership housing on B Street. Three of these four units were affordable under state regulatory definitions and were sold in the summer of 2005 to various first time homebuyers. The B Street development was supported by use of the Town’s federal HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) funds, as well as by financing from the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development, the Boston Community Loan Fund, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
The Housing Trust also continued working with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Boston to organize the construction of a Habitat home on Brighton Street. The process of soliciting cash and in-kind contributions continued, along with the solicitation of the volunteer labor for which Habitat is famous. While construction of the Habitat home was delayed in 2005, construction is now expected to begin in the spring of 2006.
In February 2005, the Belmont Housing Trust hosted its annual affordable housing forum for Town Meeting Members and other interested members of the public. The forum explored what factors developers consider in making key decisions about affordable housing developments (e.g., rental or homeownership? how many units? what percentage of units to be affordable? what design considerations should be provided?). The faculty for the forum included: Paula Herrington, development consultant for the West Metropolitan HOME Consortium; Cliff Boehmer, architect for Mostue and Associates, a well-known design firm for affordable housing communities; and Don Bianchi, senior policy advocate for the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, the industry association of nonprofit affordable housing developers. The purpose of the forum,
the Housing Trust told Town Meeting Members, was to provide as unbiased and authoritative information as possible, separating what’s true from what’s false, and distinguishing what’s fact from what’s spin.
In December 2005, the Belmont Housing Trust approached the Town Planner for the Town of Lexington to ensure that the assignment to Belmont of 25% of all affordable housing units developed at the Metropolitan State Hospital site would be enforced. In correspondence with Lexington, the Trust indicated that it sought to ensure that low and moderate-income Belmont residents (as defined in Belmont’s Inclusionary Housing zoning bylaw) have their appropriate access to Belmont's 1/3 share of the affordable units. The Trust is interested in making sure that the affirmative marketing plan for Belmont's share of affordable units is comprehensive. The Trust also expressed its interested in ensuring that an effective monitoring process is in place to ensure that the affordable units are appropriately retained as affordable units over time and that these affordable units are made available to Belmont residents over time (not merely at the time of the initial rent-up). The Lexington Town Planner
has initiated a tri-community (Lexington, Waltham, Belmont) collaboration to ensure the issues raised by the Trust are addressed. That collaboration will continue in 2006.
In 2005, the Belmont Housing Trust continued its oversight on the affordable housing aspects of the O’Neill Chapter 40B proposal for the Belmont Uplands. The Housing Trust raised the issue that that the 40B proposal submitted by O’Neill would produce fewer affordable housing units than would be required pursuant to Belmont’s inclusionary zoning bylaw. The Housing Trust further noted that the O’Neill proposal would keep the housing units affordable for a shorter period of time than would housing developed under the inclusionary zoning bylaw and would abrogate a number of affordability protections contained in Belmont’s inclusionary zoning bylaw (e.g., protections against increasing energy costs, protections against unreasonable non-rent fees). The Trust will continue its activities on the affordable housing
aspects of the O’Neill proposal throughout the hearings before the Zoning Board of Appeals.
In the spring of 2005, the Belmont Housing Trust began the process of developing a re-use proposal for the property previously used for Our Lady of Mercy, the local parish closed by the Boston Arch Diocese. The Housing Trust proposal would produce affordable housing for Belmont, while maintaining the character of the adjacent neighborhood. The Trust hosted four meetings with residents of the Oakley neighborhood, giving rise to the organization of the Oakley Neighborhood Association (ONA). Conversations with the ONA and other Town officials about the most appropriate use of the Our Lady property continue.
In July of 2005, the Town of Belmont took title to 1.34 acres of land formerly owned by McLean Hospital for purposes of constructing affordable housing and providing additional parking for the Waverley Oaks Belmont Housing Authority (BHA) development. Using federal affordable housing funds that the Town receives each year, the Trust retained a development consultant to begin preparation of a Request for Proposals (RFP) through which the Town will solicit proposals for affordable housing development (along with the BHA parking). An article authorizing the disposition of the property for affordable housing purposes will be presented to the Regular Town Meeting in the spring of 2006.
Throughout 2005, the Housing Trust hosted a series of meetings between the residents of the neighborhood adjoining the Sandler Skate property (on Concord Ave.) and the person seeking to place a high density housing development on that property. The purpose of the meetings was to mediate an agreement between the neighbors and the developer to allow development to proceed that would be in character with the surrounding neighborhood. Through a series of get-togethers between the Trust, the neighbors and the developer, the differences have been narrowed considerably. These conversations will continue into 2006 with the hopes of presenting a housing proposal by the end of the year.
In December 2005, the Belmont Housing Trust collaborated with the Belmont Council on Aging, Belmont Housing Authority (BHA) and Belmont Electric Light Department to prepare and distribute outreach materials to BHA tenants regarding free tax preparation services that could be accessed for use in claiming Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC). Free tax preparation in Belmont is provided through volunteer service of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The EITC outreach was sought by the Housing Trust as one response to the spike in natural gas prices facing residential consumers during the winter heating season of 2005/2006. The Trust feared this spike would threaten the ability of BHA tenants to remain in housing by making home heating unaffordable.
Throughout 2005, the Trust promoted its participation in the American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI) Program. The West Metro HOME Consortium pooled its allocation of ADDI funds for FY 2005 and anticipates receiving subsequent allocations in future fiscal years. Belmont was the first Consortium member to access thee funds. The funding is used to provide down payment assistance to enable low income households to purchase housing units in any of the Consortium Member communities at an affordable price. Recipients of ADDI assistance are eligible for up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for down payment assistance, which is provided in the form of a non-interest bearing loan and must be repaid to the ADDI fund pool at the time of resale of the property by the homebuyer.
Throughout the year, the Belmont Housing Trust continued its work with the Belmont faith-based community to raise funds for, and disburse funds from, the Belmont Affordable Shelter Fund, a fund providing financial assistance to Town residents who face crisis situations threatening their ability to stay in their homes. Working in collaboration with Belmont’s outreach worker in the Town’s Department of Health, throughout calendar year 2005, the BASF distributed roughly $6,800 through 30 grants to more than 20 Belmont families. Most grants went to pay home heating costs, with a fewer number used to pay past-due rent and electric light bills.
Respectfully submitted,
Roger Colton, Chairman
Gloria Leipzig, Jonathan Jacoby, Nancy Marsh, Sallye Bleiberg, Arthur Heron, Judith Feins, Ann Silverman, Geoffrey Tillotson (ex-officio, Warrant Committee), Andrew McClurg (ex-officio, Planning Board)
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