The Town of Washington, Connecticut
Minutes: Housing Commission, 2007
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www.WashingtonCT.org The Town of Washington, Connecticut Minutes: Housing Commission, 2007 |
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Disclaimer: While we have attempted to reproduce them accurately, the electronic documents you see here are not the official public documents. Official copies may be obtained on paper from theTown Clerk . Also note that minutes of recent meetings are often not yet approved by the Commission, and are subject to correction.
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December 10 •October 15 •September 10 •July 9 •June 11 •May 14 •April 9 •March 12 •February 12 •January 8 •Meetings in 2006
Posted: January 11, 2008 December 10, 2007
Present: Liddy Adams, Don Brigham, Wayne Hileman, Jean Suddaby, Sue Werkhoven
Guests: Stephen Kiss, Joe Gitterman
Visitors: Valerie Friedman, Frank Adams, Rod Wyant, Chris Charles
Call to Order
Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Minutes of October 15
Sue Werkhoven moved to accept the minutes as submitted. Jean Suddaby seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Myfield, LLC
Joe Gitterman presented a large rendering of the Myfield Project's redesign, seeking feedback from the Housing Commission. Joe took the considerable input from neighbors and others into account when doing this redesign. After thanking Chris Charles for his assistance with the redesign, Joe reiterated his goals for this project, namely: remaining loyal to the Town Plan of Conservation and Development and broadening the housing options available to the townspeople, while breaking even financially.
Joe described how the two houses facing the road are now further apart to create a 'street sense' and a more aesthetic entrance way, thus breaking up the former row-like monotony of the structures. There are still thirteen structures but three of the houses will each have two one-bedroom apartments (condos). Of the six 900 square foot condos, two are affordable. Of the ten two-bedroom houses, three are affordable.
The Washington Housing Trust will screen and choose applicants for the affordable units. The affordable units will increase Washington's affordable housing unit equivalent point total by approximately 10 points.
WVD - Stephen Kiss
Stephen Kiss described the establishment of his new non-profit organization, The Washington Low and Moderate Income Volunteer Housing Committee (WVC). Its purpose is to create and facilitate ongoing fund raising activities to assist low and moderate income families with down payments for purchasing homes in Washington, CT. Stephen hopes to work closely with the WHT (Washington Housing Trust) and the Housing Commission.
Don Brigham felt that, with land values so high in Washington, middle class families were falling between the cracks in their ability to purchase houses here at their market value. Sue Werkhoven asked Stephen Kiss where his idea had come from. Stephen said it originated at the Lion's Club. Valerie Friedman felt that Stephen should consider donating funds raised to the WHT, an organization already in place. Wayne Hileman thought it might be helpful if Stephen explored the idea of a 501C3 status. Wayne will email Stephen information about this.
For further information on the WVC, email: WVC.Housing@yahoo.com.
Updates
A. Senior Housing Visit to Woodbury
Jean Suddaby said it was always informative to get a variety of ideas about housing types and floor plans. Sue Werkhoven said there were more out-of-towners in the housing they visited compared to our Senior Survey. In the latter, seniors already living in Washington want to find stay in town. Liddy Adams thought older people wanted to find comfortable, safe housing with ways to get to work if they weren't retired.
B. Zoning Commission/Accessory Apartments
Wayne Hileman attended the last Zoning Commission's meeting, where he spoke for himself, not on the Housing Commission's behalf. He felt restricting accessory apartments to either an attached or an unattached unit instead of allowing one of each type reduced the town's variety of housing options. Many of these accessory units provide dwellings that are affordable, even if not counted as such. Don Brigham said the Council of Small Towns is working on the idea of allowing market rate accessory housing to be included in the affordable housing count. Chris Charles felt this would be a stop-gap measure, since it still didn't help families become home owners. Wayne Hileman felt that the availability of accessory apartments didn't preclude the need for family-owned, affordable homes. Rather, accessory apartments enhanced the spectrum of housing options for those who did not want to own a home.
Wayne Hileman thought all the Commissions could draft letters regarding their positions of this issue, and then they could meet to share their ideas.
C. Re-appointment of Commission Members
Wayne Hileman thanked Liddy Adams and Don Brigham for their service to the Housing Commission and for being willing to be re-appointed for another term. Wayne has written to the Selectmen, who make these appointments.
D. Meeting Dates for 2008
Liddy Adams moved to accept the 2008 meeting dates and Sue Werkhoven seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
For 2008, October 13 is Columbus Day, so the meeting date has been changed to October 6.
E. LISC - Housing Connections of CT
Wayne Hileman met with Lesley Higgins-Biddle, the Senior Program Officer of Connecticut's Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Wayne was gratified to find that LISC's focus is on housing solutions for small communities. Wayne felt that this organization could be a good future resource for the Housing Commission. It offers technical expertise to local organizations to help them develop affordable housing solutions that will enhance their communities. The LISC includes resources in the areas of finance and investment, regulatory requirements, and facilitation of a unified housing vision for communities.
LISC can be contacted at: housingconnect@lisc.org
Liddy Adams informed members that the Housing Commission has been invited for a field trip by a retired friend of hers who is interested in Kent's limited equity housing. The Housing Commission would be able to visit various units and ask tenants questions. Liddy will set up a convenient date and time.
Long Range Housing Plan
Wayne Hileman distributed a rough outline of the Housing Commission's long range plan which includes the gathering of data in order to examine demographics on housing configurations from the past and present so as to evaluate implications for the future.
Adjournment
Wayne Hileman moved to adjourn the meeting. Sue Werkhoven seconded the motion which was carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned a 7:00 p.m.
The next scheduled meeting is Monday, January 14, at 5:00 p.m. in the Land Use Room, Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Posted: November 6, 2007 October 15, 2007
Present: Liddy Adams, Don Brigham, Wayne Hileman, Jean Suddaby, Sue Werkhoven
Guests: None
Visitors: Chris Charles
Call to Order
Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
Minutes of September 10
Sue Werkhoven moved to accept the minutes as submitted. Wayne Hileman seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Updates
Housing Commission Visits In November, members will be touring some Woodbury senior housing facilities, one of which was developed through private funding, another through public funding.
As far as the visit to Cornwall, Wayne Hileman hasn't heard from its selectman yet.
Newsletter Wayne Hileman has submitted an article for the next Town newsletter on the Senior Survey Report's recommendations.
Senior Survey Wayne Hileman has spoken to a couple of newspaper reporters who, after the elections are over, would be interested in interviewing him about the Washington Senior Survey Report.
Discussion of Long Range Plan
Members discussed Don Brigham's handout of recommendations for the Housing Commission to consider when developing long range plans and guidelines. Suggestions included a "review of affordable housing alternatives including limited equity housing, purchase of existing homes under $400000, further consideration of Valerie Anderson's proposal, the concept of scattered versus cluster housing, and financing alternatives, such as state grants in conjunction with farmland development and preservation".
In addition, Don thought that an attempt should be made at forecasting Washington's ability to meet the 10 percent affordability requirement in order to preclude developers overriding town zoning regulations.
To gather data, Don recommended the Housing Commission meet with other Commissions as well as with various organizations, such as the Farmland Preservation Committee.
Members felt strongly that the their focus should be on what Washington's citizens felt were current and future housing needs, including affordable housing. The Housing Commission could provide relevant data and research to make this process more practical. For example, the data from the Senior Survey indicated that many seniors wanted more downsizing choices. Now debates among the commissions and townspeople could proceed to what and where these choices should be.
In collecting data, the Housing Commission members brainstormed some categories to use in tracing past, current, and projected figures, such as population and build out numbers. Other categories included school enrollment, fire department membership, number of people who work in town and the percentage who also live there, and property values. Members tentatively agreed that the starting point for this data collection could be right after the 1955 flood.
Adjournment
Sue Werkhoven moved to adjourn the meeting. Wayne Hileman seconded the motion which was carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6:20 p.m.
The November 19, 2007 regularly scheduled meeting of The Washington Housing Commission has been cancelled due to the absence of a quorum. In its place, The Housing Commission will be conducting an out-of-town investigation of Senior Housing options on November 7, 2007.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Housing Commission will take place on Monday, December 10, 2007 at 5p.m in the Land Use Room of Bryan Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Posted: October 9, 2007 September 10, 2007
Present: Liddy Adams, Wayne Hileman, Sue Werkhoven
Guests: None
Visitors: Dick Sears
Call to Order
Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Minutes of July 9
Wayne Hileman moved to accept the minutes as submitted. Sue Werkhoven seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Inclusion of Items Not on Agenda
Dick Sears asked the Housing Commission what it proposed as it went forward. Wayne Hileman said that there seemed to be a disconnect between the Plan of Conservation and Development's recommendations for the town's future and what is being done as reflected in our zoning regulations. The Housing Commission might offer some ways to reconcile this discrepancy. Also, the Housing Commission's next focus will be to explore single family limited equity housing.
Presentations on Senior Housing Survey Report
Wayne Hileman has presented the Senior Housing Survey Report to the Board of Selectmen, the Zoning Commission, and the Planning Commission. The Board of Selectmen was interested in the input from this segment of the town's citizens. The Zoning Commission voiced a variety of concerns and questions. The Planning Commission offered several relevant points about details implied in the survey report. Wayne Hileman emphasized at each presentation that a key issue uncovered by the survey is that Washington's senior citizens need a choice of housing types. Wayne will offer to be a guest speaker at the Rotary Club on the topic of the Senior Survey Report. He will also explore giving interviews with reporters from local papers.
River Front Loop
Sue Werkhoven said there was nothing new to report since the May 29th meeting.
Affordable Housing Appeals List Update
The technical glitch has been resolved regarding the Ellsworth Apartments' deed restrictions.
Myfield Visit
The Housing Commission went to see a model unit designated as affordable at the Myfield project.
Communications
Having found visits to other small towns' Housing Trusts to be very informative, the Housing Commission will continue to visit and explore how towns are addressing affordable housing. In this regard, Wayne Hileman received a call from a Woodbury gentleman who had read the Senior Survey report online. He had been involved in Woodbury's Senior Housing and has invited the Washington's Housing Commission for a tour.
Dick Sears will contact Cornwall's first selectman to arrange for an opportunity for Cornwall's Housing Trust and Washington's Housing Commission to discuss how Cornwall has approached affordable housing.
Discussion of Long Range Plan: Don Brigham
This item has been tabled.
Adjournment
Wayne Hileman moved to adjourn the meeting. Liddy Adams seconded the motion which was carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
The next scheduled meeting is Monday, October 15, at 5:00 p.m. in the Land Use Room, Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Posted: July 30, 2007 July 9, 2007
Present: Liddy Adams, Don Brigham, Wayne Hileman, Jean Suddaby
Guests: None
Visitors: Chris Charles, Dick Sears, 1st Selectman
Call to Order
Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
Minutes of June 11
Jean Suddaby moved to accept the minutes as submitted. Liddy Adams seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Inclusion of Items Not on Agenda
Chris Charles extended an invitation to the Housing Commission from Joe Gitterman to see the first of the completed affordable units at Myfield.
Updates
A. Deed Restrictions - Ellsworth & Starberry
The Declaration of Restricted Covenant for the Ellsworth Apartments is finished and will probably be signed within the week. The 4 apartments will increase Washington's affordable housing unit equivalent point total by 6 points. The Starberry Farm cottage's Covenant still needs some minor alterations.
B. Commission Chair Meeting - Liddy Adams substituted for Wayne Hileman at a meeting of Commission Chairs, where they had an opportunity to exchange ideas.
C. River Front Loop - Sue Werkhoven reported on the progress of this project. Approval has been granted to begin the clean up. Sue will report back when this is completed.
Senior Housing Survey
The Housing Commission members scrutinized the final draft of the 2006 Senior Housing Survey Report, making some minor changes in wording. The members then approved the report. Wayne Hileman will refer it to Planning and Zoning for printing referrals.
Other Business
A. Proposed Housing Plan Discussion - Don Brigham raised some questions about the different approaches to creating single family affordable homes, such as purchasing a parcel of land and having qualified people borrow the money and build their own units.
B. Plan visit to Cornwall Housing Trust -
Wayne Hileman said that Don Brigham's idea of meeting with the Litchfield Housing Trust was so informative and successful that the Housing Commission has decided to make a similar field trip with the Cornwall Housing Trust. The members decided to do this in lieu of the August 15th meeting.
Adjournment
Wayne Hileman moved to adjourn the meeting. Jean Suddaby seconded the motion which was carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m.
The next scheduled meeting for August 13th is canceled. In its place, the Housing Commission members will be going on a field trip with the Cornwall Housing Trust.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Posted: July 9, 2007 June 11, 2007
Present: Liddy Adams, Wayne Hileman, Jean Suddaby, Sue Werkhoven
Guests: None
Visitors: Dick Sears, 1st Selectman
Call to Order
Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
Minutes of April 9
Jean Suddaby moved to accept the minutes as submitted. Liddy Adams seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Inclusion of Items Not on Agenda
A. Deed Restrictions
Wayne Hileman now has the Declaration of Restricted Covenant for the Ellsworth Apartments. This document includes the ability for the landlord to reassign yearly which four of the seven units will be designated as affordable. Wayne will make copies to present to the Washington Congregational Church at its general meeting on July 1st for approval.
A Declaration of Restricted Covenant will be drafted shortly pertaining to the Starberry Farm cottage.
Senior Housing Survey
Wayne Hileman has incorporated more of the written comments from the survey into the final report. He will email this latest draft to the commission members for their perusal.
The members discussed recommendations to be made based on the survey data. This data revealed that the majority of seniors who responded have the means to downsize. Thus the issue is not one of affordability but rather the lack of housing options. One of the Housing Commission's recommendations would be for the town to look at its zoning regulations in regard to providing housing options for senior citizens. Dick Sears said he learned at a seminar he attended in Cornwall that commission volunteers have taken the initiative over the years to change those zoning regulations in order to help meet citizen's housing needs.
The Housing Commission can raise awareness about housing options and wordsmith what zoning changes would be needed to provide these. About 125 survey respondents felt they would likely need something to downsize to in five years.
Other Business
A. Proposed Housing Plan Discussion: Don Brigham
This item was tabled until a later date.
B. Discussion of Visit to Litchfield Housing Trust
Housing Commission members went on a field trip with Joyce Briggs, Chairperson of he Litchfield Housing Trust. Joyce showed them the Tannery Brook cooperatives and houses built in the 1990's as well as more recently built houses. The Litchfield Housing Trust tried out the idea of renovating already existing houses but found it was too costly. So they went with acquiring the land and putting it into limited equity parcels. Then they built the houses. They have had success with small city grants as well as with private donations. Local control has been maintained by including in the grant language a point system that gives preference to local residents. Kent's Housing Trust differs from Litchfield's in that the qualifying families build the houses instead of the Housing Trust. More housing density has been possible in Litchfield and Kent's town centers since they have town sewer and water systems. However, towns such as Washington can consider offsite, combined, or community septic systems. So varied housing within a village center can be considered feasible.
Executive Session
Sue Werkhoven made a motion to go into executive session to discuss a potential property transaction. Liddy Adams seconded the motion which was carried unanimously.
Wayne Hileman moved to come out of executive session and Jean Suddaby seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously.
Adjournment
Wayne Hileman moved to adjourn the meeting. Liddy Adams seconded the motion which was carried unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m.
The next scheduled meeting is Monday, July 9, at 5:00 p.m. in the Land Use Room, Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Posted: May 15, 2007 May 14, 2007
Meeting cancelled.
Posted: May 16, 2007 April 9, 2007
Present: Don Brigham, Wayne Hileman, Jean Suddaby, Sue Werkhoven
Guests: None
Visitors: None
Call to Order
Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Minutes of March 12
Sue Werkhoven moved to accept the minutes as submitted. Jean Suddaby seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Updates
A. In the 2007/08 Budget request, Wayne Hileman included the cost of secretarial payments.
B. Wayne Hileman has spoken with the town attorney and there should be drafts ready soon on the wording of the deed restrictions regarding some of the Ellsworth apartments and the Starberry Farm rental cottage.
Wayne Hileman also has discussed with Dan Scherr, who is on the Open Space committee, the concept of a local tax abatement for residents who voluntarily deed restrict an accessory unit or donate a conservation easement. However, there is no enabling legislation from Hartford that allows a town to craft such an ordinance.
C. Wayne Hileman has the Housing Commission's article ready for the Town's spring newsletter.
Senior Housing Survey
Discussion occurred on how to best incorporate the written comments from the Senior Survey into the final report. Wayne Hileman said the report needed to make clear which comments were completely positive or completely negative and which ones were qualified. Comments could also be woven into the summaries of the key findings gleaned from the survey. One of these key findings was a need for senior housing choices. Senior citizens emphasized choice more than affordability, with options such as availability of rentals, condos, and congregate living. This finding suggests that zoning requirements need to be analyzed, such as lifting the moratorium on condominiums or being open to evaluating these options as they come along. Such decisions also entail discussion of where such options would be located. The Housing Commission members expressed their support that the three housing options above are given high priority for the town and that these be put near or within village center(s). Wayne Hileman said he would work on the wording of the report's findings and recommendations for the members.
Other Business
Each Town Commission has been asked to comment on the Depot Study from its particular perspective. Don Brigham would like to meet with the other commissions to discuss approaches to implementing various parts of the Depot Study. He personally would like to see the less complex ideas be addressed first, such as diagonal parking, traffic patterns, and the river loop walk. He also felt that more flexibility in zoning regulations for the village centers would allow developers to address the housing options that the Senior Survey showed were wanted. Under appropriate guidelines, the private sector could do this on a market rate basis. He also recommended that the Housing Commission gather more data on housing, including a review of affordable housing alternatives and a forecast of the ability of Washington to eventually meet the requirement of 10% affordable housing stock. Members then discussed how the Housing Commission funds could be most judiciously used. If a group or individual approached the Housing Commission with a worthwhile project, the Commission could contribute some of its funds contingent on approvals from zoning, and so forth, as well as on a vote at a town meeting. Therefore, no money is ever actually allocated until the proposal has met all the various commission requirements and approval has been given at a town meeting.
Andersen Proposal
Wayne Hileman has given his written reactions to Valerie Andersen's suggestions for an additional approach to addressing Washington's affordable housing needs. He has shared these reactions with both Valerie Andersen and the Housing Commission members. He felt that the pros and cons of her proposal could be more fully examined. Don Brigham suggested that Valerie Andersen might be willing to refine her proposal with more specifics and data.
Meeting Time
This item has been tabled for a future meeting.
Adjournment
Wayne Hileman moved to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Jean Suddaby. The meeting adjourned at 6:50.
The next scheduled meeting is Monday, May 14, at 5:00 p.m. in the Land Use Room, Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Posted: March 31, 2007 March 12, 2007
Present: Liddy Adams, Don Brigham, Wayne Hileman, Jean Suddaby
Guests: Washington Community Housing Trust (WCHT): Bill Fairbairn, Joan Gauthey, Marty Meyers, John Millington, Walter Whitney
Visitors: Chris Charles, Dick Sears
Call to Order
Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. He distributed an article to members entitled "2 for the price of 1: Combining conservation land and affordable housing."
Minutes of February 12, 2007
Jean Suddaby moved to accept the minutes as submitted. Liddy Adams seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
WCHT
Wayne Hileman welcomed members of the Washington Community Housing Trust, complimenting them on the fine work they have been doing. He asked to hear their viewpoints. WCHT members described their efforts, opportunities that have slipped away, and how limited equity housing works. They looked forward to working with the Housing Commission to provide affordable housing. Wayne Hileman thought the Housing Commission could support joint projects as long as these fit into the definition of affordable as defined by state statute. Also, the Housing Commission must be attentive to the various opinions and interests of the all the town's citizens. Don Brigham said the Housing Commission wasn't ruling out its support for the idea of buying an existing property as another way to increase the affordable housing inventory. However, the pros and cons of the limited equity approach, as well as other approaches, should be clearly delineated. Also, regarding the respective roles of the Housing Commission and the WCHT, he sees the former as doing the facilitating and the latter as doing the implementing. Bill Fairbairn wondered if the Conservation Commission's goal of preserving 30% of the town as open space can be met through conservation easements, then perhaps the budget monies now assigned to open space could be transferred to that of housing. How funding had been put together on past projects such as Dodge Farm and Meeker Swamp was discussed. Chris Charles and Bill Fairbairn had questions about the feasibility of using existing housing stock because of the money needed to renovate these houses to bring them up to code. Wayne Hileman said they would be working to clarify the different approaches to accomplishing housing goals.
2008 Town Budget
Wayne Hileman distributed a letter that served as the official request by the Housing Commission for funding for the 2007/2008 Budget Year. Starting at the establishment of the commission in 2005, an annual allocation over 5 years from the Capital Non-Recurring portion of the Town's Annual Budget was provided. The coming year's request is for $50000 from the Capital Non-Recurring portion of the budget and $1000 from the General Fund to cover incidental Housing Commission expenses (postage, printing, etc.). The members unanimously consented to submit this letter.
Senior Housing Survey
Members worked on the draft of the article about the senior survey they were submitting to the town newsletter. They also continued work on the official report of the survey results. A handout of finalized tally results was distributed.
Other Business
These items were tabled until the next meeting. Also, time would be set aside to go over Don Brigham's memo which sets out some procedures for the Housing Commission to consider.
Adjournment
Wayne Hileman moved to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Jean Suddaby. The meeting adjourned at 6:45.
The next scheduled meeting is Monday, April 9, at 5:00 p.m. in the Land Use Room, Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Posted: March 8, 2007 February 12, 2007
Present: Liddy Adams, Wayne Hileman, Jean Suddaby, Sue Werkhoven
Guests: None
Visitors: Chris Charles, Valerie Andersen, Dick Sears, Bill Fairbairn
Call to Order
Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Minutes of January 8, 2007
Sue Werkhoven moved to accept the minutes as submitted. Liddy Adams seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Items Added to Agenda
Wayne Hileman asked for a budget item to be added to the end of the meeting agenda. This item was added by unanimous consent of the commission.
Public Comment
Valerie Andersen asked the Housing Commission whether they would consider using some of their exploratory funds to research what could be done with the Washington Primary School, should a consolidated school be built. She wondered if this old school building could be converted to senior housing, leaving the central office and the gym as is.
Sue Werkhoven said that, until the school building issues are resolved, it would be out of place for the Housing Commission to initiate a study on this topic. Jean Suddaby said she agreed with this.
Valerie Andersen said that, if the time were appropriate, she would like to see some of the $5,000 allotted to the Housing Commission for research used for estimating the costs of converting the primary school.
Jean Suddaby said that considering such research right now could give people the impression that something is in the works that really isn't and that certainly hasn't been aired publicly.
Chris Charles said he had read Valerie Andersen's letter describing her proposal to consider buying some houses in the lower price ranges for affordable housing. Chris Charles felt that this model had some serious flaws in it. Most of the houses in the lower price ranges need dramatic repair work. Given escalating energy costs, the retro fitting with proper insulation reduces the money available for mortgages.
Wayne Hileman said the Housing Commission needed time to fully consider Valerie Andersen's affordable housing proposal.
Bill Fairbairn said the Washington Community Housing Trust would meet with the Housing Commission in March. Wayne Hileman asked the Housing Commission members to have ready a list of items and questions that they would like to put before the WCHT and invited the WCHT to do the same in return.
Updates
Affordable Housing Appeals List: The town has lost two points from its affordable housing inventory. Two mortgages were removed by CHFA (CT Housing Finance Authority). The town gets a point for each house that has a CHFA mortgage. This places the current total at 45.5 points.
Area Median Income: Wayne Hileman informed members that HUD and DECD have reassigned the Town of Washington from the "Danbury Metro Area" to the "Litchfield County Non-Metro Area" for purposes of determining our Area Median Income. This means that our AMI has been adjusted downwards from $96,500 to $82,000. Thus a family of four with an income of $75,000 can no longer qualify for affordable housing. Now, in Washington, "affordable" housing would require a maximum annual family income of $65,600 and "very affordable" $49,200 ("affordable" is 80 percent of the area median income and "very affordable" is 60 percent of the area median income). New houses built under C.G.S. 8-30g must use the lower State median income ($81,000) as a base line, while existing houses may use the higher of the two median incomes.
Meeting with WCHT: (see above)
Deed Restrictions: Wayne Hileman said the deed restriction paperwork for Ellsworth hasn't been completed. The Selectmen will email the appropriate party to check on its status.
Senior Housing Survey
Wayne Hileman said the draft has suggestions for the purpose and rationale section of the Survey report as well as for the method used in its development. Assisted living facilities were omitted from the survey because this topic was thought to be too complex and has been left for future study. Wayne Hileman asked members to email suggestions on the draft to him.
Jean Suddaby said she was surprised by the survey's strong support for rental apartments. Liddy Adams felt an explanation could be that rentals are more cost effective for older people who are downsizing from home ownership. She also suggested that the Housing Commission make a recommendation to the Planning Commission that the survey data be incorporated into the next Plan of Development. Also, the Planning Commission might come up with a process for addressing the needs expressed in this survey.
Dick Sears felt the return of 284 survey responses was quite good. Jean Suddaby said some survey comments referred to the use of village centers as being advantageous for higher density housing. She also said that there were two pages of non-supportive comments and eight pages of supportive and qualified supportive comments. Liddy Adams felt that representative comments could be interspersed throughout the report.
The Board of Selectmen has suggested featuring a summary of the survey results in the March town newsletter. Eventually, the full report could be placed on the town web site and copies made available at the Senior Center and the Town Clerk's office.
The members discussed an article in an AARP publication that described a new form of congregate living where there were 8 to 10 people in a house. This would be a model that would be on a scale and aesthetically appropriate for a small rural town.
Other Business
Members of the commission discussed having an informal workshop to work on writing the survey report.
After the March meeting, there would be consideration for a change of time and day for the Housing Commission's monthly meetings.
Wayne Hileman has been working on clarifying terms such as "affordable" for a glossary sheet. He felt it was important to stick to the definitions given by the state. Liddy Adams felt that the proliferation of terms used to describe affordable housing (moderate, workforce) only serve to confuse people and obscure the issue.
Wayne Hileman will write a formal request to the Board of Selectmen regarding the Housing Commission's operating and capital expenditures for the 2008 budget and submit it to the commission for approval at the next regular meeting.
The commission held a brief discussion regarding granting a tax abatement for the portion of a property upon which an owner has enabled an affordable housing deed restriction. Currently the only means of approving this is through a town meeting. The commission feels that there needs to be a procedure for protecting the privacy of such owners by holding their names from public discussion. Liddy Adams said there might be ways to accomplish the above by doing something along the lines of a payment in lieu of taxes. Wayne Hileman agreed to consult Mike Santoro of the DECD regarding any options.
Adjournment
Wayne Hileman moved to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Jean Suddaby. The meeting adjourned at 6:45.
The next scheduled meeting is Monday, March 12, at 5:00 p.m. in the Land Use Room, Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Posted: February 6, 2007 January 8, 2007
Present: Liddy Adams, Don Brigham, Wayne Hileman, Jean Suddaby, Sue Werkhoven
Guests: None
Visitors: Joe Mustich, Ken Cornet, Geri Sager, Diane Dupuis, Valerie Andersen, Janet Buonaiuto
Call to Order: Chairman Wayne Hileman called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Minutes of December 11
The December minutes were amended as follows: Under the heading Visitors, paragraph six, line four "namely, the state (DECD - Department of Economic and Community Development) defines affordable housing the following way: 'moderate income is defined as being at or below 80 percent of the state or area median income and low income as being at or below 60 percent of the area or state median income'"
Liddy Adams moved to accept the minutes as amended. Sue Werkhoven seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Visitors
Valerie Andersen presented a proposal for affordable housing that could be added to approaches already being used or considered by the town's Housing Commission and/or the Washington Community Housing Trust (WCHT). Entitled "Washington Homes for Washington Citizens", Mrs. Andersen's proposal involves support for qualified families enabling them to purchase houses currently for sale. In her handout, she included a list of houses currently on the market for under $400000, which is the price range on which she predicates her calculations for financial assistance. Examples of such assistance could include down payment or renovation loans and interest only or longer-term mortgages. The WCHT would have the role of housing authority while the town's Housing Commission would act as a facilitator.
The Housing Commission unanimously accepted copies of Mrs. Andersen's handout detailing her proposal. (A copy of this handout "Affordable Home Ownership: Washington Homes for Washington Citizens" is on file at the Town Clerk's office.) Wayne Hileman asked for clarification of various points during the course of Mrs. Andersen's presentation. Liddy Adams said the Housing Commission spent a couple of months determining its purpose and goals. While the Housing Commission could contribute monies from its budget to projects that helped meet these purposes and goals, the Housing Commission was not set up to provide ongoing financial oversight of projects. She also thought that the Board of Finance would react to such oversight as an accounting nightmare. However, the WCHT might be interested in this approach since this is more in line with what they do.
Various comments and concerns were voiced by visitors. Diane Dupuis was worried about whether the wetlands on the five Potter Farm lots designated for affordable housing had been sufficiently analyzed. Ken Cornet said he was shocked that the Housing Commission had given most of the monies from their current budget for this one project. Wayne Hileman said that, as the Housing Commission's fund is replenished yearly, there will be opportunities to support other projects as they arise. Wayne Hileman said that since there is a rigorous process for approving the use of funds, there were many steps still to go beyond the Housing Commission's initial approval of the partial funding of this proposal.
Ken Cornet asked what the purpose of the Housing Commission was. Liddy Adams responded that its purpose was to ask the people in Washington what they wanted regarding housing and then try to address this. Wayne Hileman referred Mr. Cornet to the ordinance that created the Housing Commission, which clearly spells out its purpose and duties. Janet Buonaiuto said she had walked around the Potter Farm and was concerned about some lots requiring engineered septic systems. Wayne Hileman said the Housing Commission is not a land use commission, but an advisory body. More specific analysis, if needed, would come from the Planning, Zoning and Inland Wetlands Commissions. Jean Suddaby said many valid questions had been raised and felt these should be brought up at the next Selectmen's meeting.
Senior Housing Survey
The Housing Commission continued its discussion of the Senior Housing Survey. Don Brigham said he thought the congregate living data jumped out at him. Wayne Hileman gave members a proposed format to follow for their report. He also gave out drafts of ways to clarify the state requirements for qualifying for affordable home ownership in Washington. Evidently, there was confusion regarding such definitions for terms such as "moderate", "affordable", and "workforce". He asked the members to comment on these drafts.
Don Brigham handed out a suggested outline for how the Housing Commission could go about investigating affordable housing opportunities. Also, now that data had been collected describing senior citizen housing needs, additional assessments were needed so that other groups could express their opinions.
Adjournment
Wayne Hileman asked for a motion to table the rest of the agenda items. Sue Werkhoven so moved with Wayne Hileman seconding the motion, which was passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 6:55.
The next scheduled meeting is Monday, February 12, at 5:00 p.m. in the Land Use Room, Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Patte Doran
Meetings in 2006