ITEM FILE PHOTO
Saugus Town Hall.
BY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — Residents are working to fulfill the town’s housing needs.
The town is developing a housing production plan to meet the need for affordable and market rate housing, and reach the state’s mandatory 10 percent affordable housing goal.
“There are not many rental options,” said Karina Milchman, regional planner and housing specialist for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). “Three out of four housing units are owner-occupied.”
Donna Gay, a sales associate at Realty World Forest Realtors, said there’s a need for more housing all over the North Shore, including in Saugus, where there’s a lack of apartments that families or singles can afford.
“It has been a nightmare trying to find something affordable for them,” she said. “You can’t even find a studio for $1,000 anymore.”
The initiative kicked off in February. Residents and officials are working with the MAPC to draft a plan that will require Planning Board and Board of Selectmen approval. Once adopted, it will be submitted to the Department of Housing and Community Development.
Saugus received a $20,000 state grant to design the plan.
Milchman said providing 10 percent affordable housing is important to serve the needs of the town’s residents. Of the 10,754 housing units in Saugus, 749 or 7 percent are considered affordable by the state.
Saugus households are spending more than a third of their income on housing and “a big chunk” of residents spend more than 50 percent on housing, she said.
“There’s a need for greater housing affordability,” Milchman said.
One third of all Saugus households are low-income, she said. The median apartment cost $2,208 per month while the median sale prices for a single-family home is $338,000, up from $233,264 last year.
“People are really strapped financially in a house they raised a family in,” said Town Manager Scott Crabtree. “The real issue is that their options and ability to move out and downsize are not there.”
Meeting the 10 percent affordable housing threshold gives officials more control when developers propose construction of multi-family housing in town, Milchman said. If not, developers are allowed to override local zoning and build denser developments.
“If you’re at or above 10 percent, you can work with them,” Milchman said.
Participants in Tuesday’s visioning forum broke into groups to brainstorm what they think Saugus’ housing goal should be over the next five years, and what barriers they might face to achieve it.
Residents said it is important to provide housing options for people as they age and for young professionals. They suggested looking into existing illegal apartments and making the adjustments for them to be considered legal, and reusing vacant buildings in town.
Route 1 properties, including the former Weylu’s and Hilltop SteakHouse sites, were considered opportunities for development. But participants also listed traffic congestion as a concern.
“I think that the town has really come together to look at housing and bring it to the forefront,” said Debra Panetta, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen.
Milchman said the MAPC will review the feedback from the forum, work on mapping where land is available, and consider other constraints. In the fall, a second forum will be held to discuss goals and strategies. In the meantime, residents can complete a survey on the town’s website.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte
