Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Mass Innovations, From The Beacon, Summer 2016
Concord won a Housing Hero Award last month from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership for its innovative work to create more affordable housing while preserving open space by pursuing dense development where appropriate.
MHP Executive Director Clark Ziegler listed a number of Concord’s housing accomplishments over the past decade in presenting the award at the partnership’s 10th annual Housing Institute on June 15 at Devens Common Center.
The accomplishments include approval of four Chapter 40B comprehensive permits for a total of 521 homes, creation and preservation of 100 units through the town’s housing authority or nonprofit development corporation, and a home rehabilitation grant program for residents who earn less than the area median income.
Perhaps the most innovative program is the town’s residential cluster development, or “planned residential option” bylaw, which began as an attempt to protect open space by clustering housing but added an affordable housing requirement in 1987.
When checking online for “planned residential development,” Ziegler said, Concord’s law came up first among the search results.
“That’s impressive for a town with a population of around 18,000, and it is one indication why MHP has selected Concord as a Housing Hero for 2016,” he said.
Unlike inclusionary zoning bylaws, where affordable housing requirements kick in based solely on the overall number of units in a development, Concord’s bylaw requires affordable units based on the development’s density, Planning Director Maria Rasmussen explained. For instance, if the zoning for a plot of land allows one house per acre, but a developer wanted to build 15 houses, that would trigger the affordable housing requirement.
Neither Rasmussen nor Susan Connelly, MHP’s director of community assistance, were aware of other Massachusetts communities that have a density-based affordable housing bylaw. Rasmussen said Concord tweaks and adjusts the bylaw based on proposals that may fit the needs of the community.
“For example, the cottage housing style that is big on the west coast in the Portland, Oregon, area, a developer actually brought the design of one of those villages to talk to the community – the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and residents,” she said. “There’s been a lot of give and take and interest in exploring new types of housing.”
Funding is critical to keeping production moving, Rasmussen said, which in Concord includes inclusionary subdivision bylaws that require developers to pay the town to be released from requirements; adoption of the Community Preservation Act; and use of federal HOME funds to help the Housing Authority build and renovate affordable units.
Connelly said the town’s proactive approach to building more housing and the overall tenor around development – both in Town Hall and throughout the community – is why the nonprofit bestowed its award.
“They see development as part of their land use, but they want to control it in a way that respects the flavor and the feeling and what Concord is,” Connelly said. “They’ve figured out a way to balance that. Their processes and staff are incredibly transparent and predictable. They’re never in a reactionary anti-stance.”
In accepting the award, Concord Town Manager Chris Whelan credited the community for making housing a priority.
“One example is the year Town Meeting voted in a requirement that whenever the town acquires land, someone from housing has to have a say on whether the land can be used for housing,” he said in his remarks. “In Concord, housing always has a seat at the table.”
Rasmussen said the town’s proactive approach starts with having an advocate at the Select Board level that publicly sets housing as a priority for the community. She cited Concord Selectman Steven Ng as someone who has worked with various groups, from residents to developers, to find common ground while pushing housing as a priority.
Officials have also found residents who advocate for housing role, she said.
“I have been truly blessed with people who are dedicated to providing affordable housing and supporting the work that needs to be done,” Rasmussen said.
For more information, contact Concord Planning Director Marcia Rasmussen at (978) 318-3290 or mrasmussen@concordma.gov.