Creating Charlestown's Future

As a recently appointed member of the Affordable Housing Commission, I’ve been taking a crash course in affordable housing.  With some of recent issues the commission has been tackling, I have been researching a lot of data including the 2010 Census.  This data points to a disturbing trend in our town that we have absolutely no legal method to control.

Total Population

2000 – 7,859

2010 – 7,827 (-32)

Under 18 Population

2000 – 1,712

2010 – 1,506 (-206)

Median Age

2000 – 40.8

2010 – 47.0 (+6.2)

Charlestown has actually lost population over the last 10 years.  The largest age group loss is in the under-18 population.  At the same time our median age has increased.  Is Charlestown losing its families?

Total Housing Units

2000 – 4,797

2010 – 5,142 (+354)

Occupied Housing Units

2000 – 3,178

2010 – 3,247 (+69)

These figures show that while adding 354 housing units over the last 10 years we increased our full-time residency by only 69.

What is the vision for Charlestown in 10, 20 or 30 years?  If the trend shown in the census figures continues, it appears that Charlestown of the future will be a town with less families and more summer residents.  In the summer it will be bursting at the seams with non-resident home owners, but a ghost town in the winters.  What does this mean for all our small businesses that stay open all year?  There will come a tipping point at which time they will not be able to justify staying open during the winter for a small resident population.

Obviously we can’t stop individuals who wish to purchase homes here from doing so.  We cannot deny anyone the right to purchase based on where they currently live or whether or not they intend to live here as a full-time resident. 

If your vision for Charlestown in the future is a summer playground for non-residents and no community for residents in the winter then we are on our way to achieving your dream.

If your vision for Charlestown is as a vibrant year-round community with residents from all age groups enjoying our town’s beauty, then what steps can the town take to reverse this trend?

                               

Well, we can figure out a way for individuals and families who want to live full time in Charlestown to be able to rent apartments or purchase homes that they can afford.  Then we would need to figure out a way to make sure that these rentals or homes continue to be rented or owned by people who intend to make Charlestown their home.

I wonder how this could be accomplished?  Hmmmmm.

That’s the objective the State had in mind with the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act. While that Act gave us an opportunity to enrich our town, it has only resulted into battles over development.

Certainly something needs to be done so that Affordable Housing doesn’t mean a meaningless sprinkling of Low and Moderate Income homes in large new developments. It turns out that many possible changes are in the control of our town, through regulations and the Comprehensive Plan.

Advocating changes to the State law to declare our Low and Moderate Income Housing goals accomplished satisfies those opposed to development, but at the cost of continuing to reduce the vibrancy of our community. Other changes are possible which can minimize overall development while creating housing for the families and individuals who want to make Charlestown their home.

(Disclaimer:  The opinions I have expressed do not necessarily reflect those of my fellow Affordable Housing Commission members.)