Westport News

 

Final Minutes

Westport Affordable Housing Trust

Westport Housing Partnership

August 26, 2010 Joint Meeting

Attendance:

Dianne Baron, Liz Collins, Craig Dutra, Warren Messier, Elaine Ostroff, Catherine Williams

Brian Corey, Jr. entered at 1:30 just previous to adjournment.

Ms. Shirin Everett, attorney, Kopelman and Paige, as of 12:30

Michael Coughlin, Town Administrator

Dianne Baron, Chair, called the meeting to order at 12:03 pm.

Minutes. Warren Messier (WM) moved, Liz Collins (LC)seconded, and it was approved unanimously to approve the draft minutes as written of July 29, 2010.

Update on RFP for Housing Consultant. Dianne Baron (DB) said she had requested feedback from experts including Jennifer Goldson, and upon completion of the revised RFP she posted it on several relevant sites and will post it on CHAPA (Citizens Housing and Planning Committee.) She also was going to put another ad in the newspaper in which she will ask the applicants to contact her directly and she will then give them the RFP in order to keep better track. LC asked DB to send around to all the members a copy of the RFP as newly written and to send the list of places where she has posted it. DB agreed. Elaine Ostroff (EO) suggested she post it at the Central Register for Goods and Services. DB set up a sub-committee to review the applications which include Craig Dutra (CD), EO and Brian Corey, Jr. (BC). She said if BC could not do it (as he was absent), she said she would be the back-up.

Two agenda items, update on foreclosed properties and the School Street "green" development, were postponed until Mr. Corey arrived. (They were never discussed.)

It was decided to have a School Street onsite on September 23, 2010 at 12:00. Efforts will be made to pool rides. WM and CD will go there on their own.

A bill for payment for the printing of the Action Plan will be submitted to CPC (Community Preservation Committee) for payment. CD moved, WM seconded and it was approved unanimously to approve payment. Betty Slade (BS ) will do the paperwork to submit this bill for payment out of the CPC trust initiative project funds.

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) update plan. EO spoke about the Town contract with a consultative team (from the Institute for Human-Centered Design) to do a survey of town buildings and the schools on adherence to ADA standards, on ADA communications within the town, and the way policies are set up. At the end the team will give a status report. A committee has been set up, the ADA Transition Plan Committee (which consists of 2 members of the Board of Selectmen, 2 members of FinCom, 2 representatives of the schools, 2 members of the Committee on Disability and 1 at large-member). They will meet 4 times and decide what actions get priority. There will be training given on policies and procedures. There is a need for such updated plans in order to get DHCD grants which are an important source of funds.

LC suggested that Greenwood Terrace should be included and EO took note. EO said the criteria are being town-owned facilities and those that used town services. EO suggested that the Westport Historical Society (WHS) Bell School property would be included, but it was clarified that the Bell School is owned by the WHS which is a private entity on private property.

DB set up a committee consisting of Catherine Williams (CW)and LC to set up the office at Town Hall. It was noted that the filing cabinet in the assigned room belongs to the CPC and agreement needs to be reached between the CPC and the Trust on its use. BS will follow through on that.

DB set up a committee, EO and DB, to work on the press release.

A meeting with the Planning Board will take place in the future. EO will send around possible dates to meet with the Planning Board.

Consolidation of Officers. There was no time left to discuss this and will be taken up at a future meeting.

Draft RFP for Noquochoke Village development site - a community housing project. An item on the Westport Housing Partnership Committee agenda was taken up with a lawyer, Ms. Shirin Everett, from Kopelman and Paige, present to answer questions and make suggestions concerning the long-standing draft RFP.

Handouts were: Appendices A,C,D, and F to the draft RFP, an email from Mark R. Reich (attorney, Kopelman and Paige) dated February 18, 2010 on Westport FRP related and an email of July 30, 2007 from Rita Farrell, Director of Community Housing Initiatives (Mass Housing Partnership) on Noquochoke Village RFP and an email from Campbell Environmental Inc on draft status report = Quinn site. These documents are Attachments 1-7, respectively, of these minutes.

Discussion proceeded on the questions and comments in the February 18, 2010 memo from Mark Reich, Attachment 5.

1. Issue: whether the town wants to sell or lease the property. Shirin Everett (SE) said the main pro argument of selling is that the Town is not responsible and is not acting as a landlord, a role to which it is not suited. The affordability and conservation restrictions will be in place which must be adhered to by the developer. It was suggested that the property should be sold to a developer with a minimum of 30% of the 54 units be affordable at the 80% level of area median income. WM suggested the market will not support a higher percentage. Developers could do both rental and sales, but it would mean the developer will have to remain involved in the property. It may be possible that the developer could pay into the inclusionary bylaw fund for each affordable unit the developer would not wish to build. The goal of the Town would be to find a developer that would meet the 30% minimum and special consideration would be given to those developers who might be willing to reach even higher levels. EO suggested the town needs to get the RFP out there. It retains the right to refuse a bid.

2. Purchase price. The developer does not have to reimburse the town for the purchase of the property with CPA funds ($750,000). However at a minimum the developer will be asked to pay $58,000 on a 10 year schedule (2nd mortgage) to meet upfront expenses incurred by the town for clean up, to give a binder of 10% of those expenses, and to assume the repayment of the loan from the Mass Development Loan of about $200,000. EO noted that the town has a zoning bylaw of an overlay district for Noquochoke which she will send to the members. EO reminded the members that they had considered

to convene a group of developers as a focus group. SE asked for the information on the deeds of the property. BS agreed to supply map and lot numbers and deed source at the New Bedford Registry of Deeds.

3. The minimum number of affordable units would be 30% of the 54 units allowed on the property, or 16 units.

4. The town would not require any lower threshhold than 80% of the area median income. DB noted that she felt that a lower threshhold would discourage people with higher incomes to buy or rent in this development.

5. The town wants a 70% local preference requirement for buyers or renters.

6. There will be a conservation restriction which is held by the town which allows passive recreation. It was not clear what the decision was concerning how this would be monitored and how liability would be handled. Suggestions were to ask the Trustees of Reservation to hold the restriction (at a cost of $20,000 - $50,000) or the homeowners association to take responsibility.

7. It is expected that the clean-up would be complete before sale of the property. The clean-up is ongoing.

8 - 14, 16. All of these will be included in the RFP. The attorney said that she would prepare the proper documentation. No discussion was held on these point.

15. The point system for selection will be eliminated.

WM moved, CW seconded and it was voted unanimously to adjourn at 1:33.

The next meeting is on September 23, 2010 beginning with an onsite at the School Street property.

Respectfully submitted,

Betty Slade

Acting Clerk

Approved on September 23, 2010