HomeMy Public PortalAboutAffordable Housing Trust -- 2018-12-06 Minutes Brewster Housing Trust
December 6, 2018 5930pm Room C, Brewster Town Hall RREYS i ER Ti7(1IN CLERK
Present ; Ben deRuyter, Donna Kalinick, Maggie Spade-Aguilar, Tim Hackert, Sarah Robinson , Jill Scalise
Absent : Madalyn Hillis - Dineen , Paul Ruchinskas
Call to Order : Chair deRuyter called the meeting to order at 5 : 30pm .
Citizens Forum : None
1 . Update : Town Meeting housing items ; The ADU bylaw passed . it will go the Attorney General
for approval . The grant the town received will pay for work on an application and a brochure
and promotion of the new bylaw . There have already been 4 inquiries . Jill and Donna will work
with Harwich/Chatham on their May town meeting ADU revisions . Sarah Robinson said she was
a little disappointed with the amendment to split the 20 cap between residential and
commercial . Chair deRuyter had a number of conversations with folks about revisions to the
bylaw, but that one did not come up ahead of town meeting . The Trust request of $ 100K from
CPC was also approved . Ms . Scalise said the Habitat $ 200K funding was also approved for Phase
II . They will be advertising the lottery in January for 8 single family homes at 60% or below of the
AMI . Ms . Spade -Aguilar noted that 60% is a low number .
2 . Mission statement and goal setting : This discussion is a continuation from the last meeting . Ms .
Scalise had provided a dozen mission statement examples . Ms . Spade -Aguilar liked both
Amherst & Hingham , particularly as it pertained to diversity . Ms . Kalinick liked Hingham &
Manchester and the stress on diversity, character, education and advocacy . Ms . Robinson noted
that workforce housing is as important as low income housing . Ms . Scalise pointed out that a
trust can work on low and medium income , up to 100% as that is what the statute allows ,
workforce fits into that category . Provincetown has a non -traditional trust which addresses the
above the 120% AMI . Ms . Spade -Aguilar said it is important to make the connection that
workforce housing is not separate from affordable housing . Mr . Hackert wanted to return to the
Vision Plan Housing goal and tweak it . Everyone will email Ben their thoughts and he will come
back with a draft mission for next meeting to approve . Ms . Kalinick prepared a goals document,
based on their discussions and other housing items that are going on in the town . Programs
were slated under the HPP goals where they made sense . Ms . Scalise worked on this document
as well . Chair deRuyter will take feedback on draft goals to bring back a final copy for
consideration in January . Ms . Robinson asked if we can put an estimated unit number under
each project for the ones that we know . Mr . Hackert said this is a target list that we can refine as
we go on . Ms . Scalise said that in the Westport and Amherst plans, they have goals and priority
initiatives for the next several years . She found the executive summary helpful as the priority
initiatives connect to the goals . She will send those documents back out . Ms . Kalinick said we
can have goals and priority documents .
3 . Community Housing Forum Task group update & discussion - Mr . Hackert said that he , Chair
deRuyter and Ms . Scalise had a productive meeting . They want to engage the community and
other housing organizations in the planning process so they understand what we are doing and
everyone is working together as a team ; BHP, CPC, BHA and COA . A planning meeting with a
representative from each would happen in January with a goal of having the housing forum in
April . Ms . Scalise will reach out to CPC and BHA . Ms . Robinson will ask at her next BHP meeting .
4 . Discussion of Website content : Chair deRuyter, Ms . Kalinick and Ms . Scalise spoke with Kathy
Lambert, the IT Director . She only needs content from us and if it Is from another party, there
needs to be release , except you tube . Chair deRuyter would like members to submit ideas for
the website . The current set of with housing is challenging because housing is spread across so
many pages and it may be better to consolidate it all . Ms . Lambert stressed the importance of
putting thing on the front page . When the goals are finished we could put an announcement
about that as well as the housing forum to come . In other towns, the Housing coordinator is
sometimes on the trust page . Chair deRuyter suggested it might be best to have one housing
page with sub menus, consolidate all housing then dig down . Ms . Kalinick said that she and Ms .
Scalise will be taping a short video segment for Ch . 18 and the website . Mr . Hackert suggested
that a little blurb in the Cape Codder .
5 , Millstone Road Parcel : MHP Grant & Discussion of Trust' s potential request for project
oversight : The Town received $ 10, 000 from Mass Housing Partnership in technical assistance
for predevelopment; pre -feasibility and land capacity . The Select Board will sign the grant
acceptance on 12/17 . Ms . Kalinick and Mr , deRuyter would request the Board vote to put the
Trust in charge of the Millstone project at the same time . Ms . Robinson asked how other trust
members felt about this and what it would look like . Mr . Hackert said that we will run the
process and then go to Select Board for approvals . Ms . Scalise said we would be entity working
with MHP and also doing the community engagement . Chair deRuyter will reach out to
Provincetown about their engagement model . Mr . Hackert said that after prefeasibility, you
should do community engagement before the next steps . It was agreed that community
engagement involves reaching out early and often and seeking involvement .
6 . Housing Assistance Corporation report : Housing on Cape Cod ; The High Cost of doing nothing :
Ms . Scalise said that the Housing Partnership talked about inviting HAC to come to a future
meeting to go over the report and for the Trust be a part of that . It will be the second Thursday
in January at 6pm . Ms . Spade -Aguilar explained there is a rent 360 initiative incentive program
of $ 1000 to convert from short term to year round rental and support for conversion ;
information is at capehousing . org . Ms . Kalinick said a real estate tax credit program for year
round rentals has been floated around and might be good to consider in the future .
7 . Brewster Housing update : Certification of Brewster' s Housing Production Plan , The
Department of Housing & Community Development certified Brewster' s HPP because over 24
units were permitted in the past year due to the Brewster woods project . The Town of Brewster
is now in Safe Harbor which means that the ZBA has the ability to deny a 40B permit and use
local bylaws for oversight . Ms . Kalinick said it is important to be certified ; it shows the public
that we are making progress . Also , decisions of the ZBA are not appealable to state . Since the
HPP was accepted , they town has moved from 5 . 22 % to 6 . 08 % on the Subsidized Housing
Inventory , Ms . Scalise noted that it does not include the next 8 Habitat homes . Ms . Scalise has
another buy down application in process . She also wanted to highlight the importance of the
lower Cape town ' s collaboration around the ADU , the Cape institute and the Lower Cape Peer
Group meetings . On 1/8 from 5 : 30-8 at the Library, there will be a meeting for all attendees of
the Cape Housing Institute from last year and this year to discuss Brewster' s plans moving
forward as well as lessons learned . Ms . Robinson noted that CDP and HAC have helped with
growing housing on the Cape and the collaborative environment . Ms . Kalinick noted that CDP
has signed a contract with Harwich and perhaps Chatham and Orleans to be their housing
consulting . Brewster has been in these discussions from the beginning and will continue to
actively participate .
8 . Any other Business not anticipated : None
9 . Approval of Minutes from November 1, 2018 meeting : Mr . Hackert moved to approve the
minutes of the November 1 , 2018 meeting, Ms . Robinson second . The Trust voted 4-Yes, 0- No .
10 . Next Meeting Date : The next meeting is Thursday January 3 , 2019 at 5 : 30pm .
Selectman deRuyter moved to adjourn at 6 : 40pm , Mr. Hackert second . The vote was unanimous in
favor .
Respectfully Submitted ,
Donna J . Kalinick
Assistant Town Administrator
Approved January 3 , 2019