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Home My WebLink About2000-04-28-FHHR-min.pdf Minutes Fair Housing and Human Relations Committee ( I 4/28/00 Present: Tom Montanari, Co-Chair, Margaret Coles, Co-Chair, Beverly Goodridge; Jean Hibino; Jed Snyder; Cathy Abbott, Selectmen Liaison; Marshall Derby Chair, LexHAB, Steve Baran, Fair Housing Director Absent: Florence Baturin; Michelle Ekanem; Keng Nan Hsu; Minutes of 3/15/00 Accepted. January minutes. To be approved at next meeting. Pat Taylor as candidate. It had been suggested that Pat Taylor be approached to see if she would like to become a member of the Fair Housing Committee. Steve Baran reported that he had written to Pat inviting her to consider becoming a member, but she failed to reply Chairmanship of Fair Housing Committee for discussion in the May meeting. Affordable housing conferences. Peg Cole reported on the large turnout at a recent meeting of W.A.T.C.H. of Waltham on affordable housing. It was suggested that the Lexington Fair Housing Committee plan for an October conference that would bring together the Fair Housing committees of Lexington, Bedford and Lincoln to talk about the need for affordable housing. A planning subcommittee was also suggested. No Place for Hate• It was proposed that this campaign become a priority for the cominittee. Brochure distribution The Fair Housing Diversity brochure has been completed. Jed Snyder said he would bring copies to the library Other destinations needing copies include the schools, LexFest!, AAUW CORE and real estate offices. Marshall Derby, Chairman, LexHab Current Priority• Marshall stated that the LexHab process had been to acquire one new affordable dwelling each year. The present emphasis was on Katandin Woods where there are 46 units which will be available in 2003 to convert to moderate rate housing, or remain affordable, out of a total of 125 units. History of creating affordable housing in Lexington. Hancock Church. 151 conversion by lottery low price. Muzzy. 5% limit on equity; a buyer could make 100K and still qualify 2 Franklin: 25% affordable open process. The developer, Community Builders, allowed 25% affordable. The Town wanted 25%to be "moderate income Countryside Manor 50%market rate and 50%affordable. Future opportunities Katandin Woods: awaiting 2002 (see above). If the income of Katandin Woods residents holding Section 8s' increases more than 50%, they can then apply to LexHab. Katandin Woods is owned by CIGNA Life Insurance Company which has a legal right to convert subsidized apartments to condos in 2003 LexHab can buy 26 low-income units @$25,000 each. It has been building up a cash position to buy these units. Avalon (Lexington Ridge): 25% should remain forever affordable. Metropolitan State Hospital Lexington, Belmont and Waltham have each had different plans for developing the property Waltham had been interested in using land for a golf course. The new Mayor is not thought to be in opposition to Lexington's plan to develop affordable housing. Middlesex State Hospital Definition "Moderate"= 80% of median income. Units owned by LexHab and other stats. 47 units owned by LexHab. There are 10,000 units in Lexington, and 200 affordable housing units. It is estimated that there are between 2% and 5% affordable housing units (depending on definition of affordable.) Demand for affordable housing In the 80s demand came often from people who had undergone bankruptcy In the 90s, there were a tot of single parents. Not many people who work in Lexington can afford to live in Lexington, and many choose not to live here. Many salaries are too high to meet LexHab standards or too low to live here. LexHab has never rented to a policeman, fireman or schoolteacher. 3 Five-year limit: A renter may live in a LexHab unit for no more than five years unless: • there are children in school; • there are health issues; • the renter is unable to find another place to live; • the renter encounters discrimination; • income is more than 200% of median income. No renter has ever been asked to leave after five years. The board is trying to create diversity There is no counseling. The five-year rule assumed at one time that after five years the renter would be able to continue living in Lexington. This is no longer true. The goal now is for LexHab housing to serve as a way station on the way to living in another community Turnover results from renters getting married, finding employment, or other reasons. LexHab has not been interested in helping people to become homeowners, but the Lexington Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Committee did have a training program to certify people to buy homes outside of Lexington. LesHab applications. those on the waiting list are filed in folders according to the number of bedrooms they require. There is no rule as to who has priority once an opening occurs. When units become available there are notices inserted with school and town paychecks and in letters sent to METCO parents. In addition, units are advertised in such papers as the Minuteman, El Mundo and the Bay State Banner. Criteria include: • having a Lexington connection; • being a Town of Lexington employee. Three employees of the Town have received rentals; • having children enrolled in Metco. LexHab solicits applications. Interested persons should request applications. If the applicant is not over income when a unit becomes available, a two-member subcommittee interviews him or her. Two years of tax returns are requested and a credit check is conducted. Section 8 certificates ( Marshall Derby was asked whether he knew how many Section 8 certificate holders there were in Lexington. He said he did not and advised calling upon the Lexington Housing 4 Authority for this information. Another question had to do with the receptivity of landlords to signing leases with Section 8 certificate holders. Marshall answered that through Section 8 a 1 landlord would be able to rent a three or four bedroom apartment for$1,100 while a rental for the same unit at market rate would fetch$16,000 to $17,000. Laugh or Cry Marshall at the outset of his remarks had commented that he did not know whether to laugh or to cry When asked to expand upon this, he commented that many people deny being "NIMBY" "not in my back yard."But recent voicing of attitudes expressed about building the Council on Aging on a new site reflects how people feel about the value of affordable housing as opposed to "keeping the property green next door:" • People want to know where their children will go to school. • Housing prices are too high to permit very much affordable housing. In five years, the Town can be expected to be less diverse • There is a whole generation of people for whom their homes are their retirement nest eggs. Community interest Marshall Derby and Cathy Abbott alluded to his having been in touch with a number of Lexington groups about affordable housing. Also, he was aware that the LexHab mechanism ( might soon be adopted in Belmont. L