Affordable Housing Update

Our Affordable Housing Commission met yesterday. The main item on the agenda was Tom Gentz's proposal to change state law to eliminate the need for more affordable housing in the state.

by Tom Ferrio

Much time was spent wasted attempting to persuade Gentz that a) his proposal faced a snowball's chance in hell of making any progress at the state level and b) that there are many things the town could do to improve housing availability for individuals and families who have ties to Charlestown and really, really want to live here.

Gentz steadfastly avoided having any productive discussion by repeating the phrase "this is a good discussion" and little else.

The high point for me was hearing AHC member Connie Baker's opinion that people should not expect to be able to live in Charlestown if they don't have enough money to afford the housing that's available. They should live elsewhere while they build their savings and home equity and move here when they have enough money. (I'm not good at recording exact quotes and I don't have ClerkBase to fall back on for this meeting but I am confident that is the essence of her comment.)

Evelyn Smith produced a report from a meeting with Town Planner Ashley Hahn Morris. It contained suggestions for changes at the town level to reform how Low and Moderate Income Housing is created. Tom Gentz would not permit it to be distributed because Ashley had not reviewed the completed document.

That is my short report. I was going to skip it for lack of progress but a comment this morning asked when it would be published.

Much more needs to be done. The AHC has scheduled their next meeting for Tuesday, November 15, at 6 pm in the Annex Conference Room.

The Planning Commission will have their next meeting to consider this topic on Wednesday, November 16, at 7 pm.

Disclosures: the author's wife, Suzanne Ferrio, is a member of the Affordable Housing Commission but she makes him attend the meetings if he wants any information before the meeting minutes are released. Even offering to prepare dinner while she's at the meeting doesn't change her mind. The author feels that the current Affordable Housing law can be improved and is an advocate for providing opportunities for young families and single people in Charlestown. He believes there are ways to do that without developing 2,000 new homes and he has cynical thoughts about the true motivations behind this proposal.