MARBLEHEAD — In an effort to fast-track affordable housing projects, Select Board Chair Moses Grader proposed a reconfiguration of the Fair Housing Committee at the committee’s regular meeting Monday.
In order to bolster the committee, Grader proposed adding members with decision-making power in town. He suggested Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer, Town Planner Becky Cutting, and a Select Board member join the committee, with Kezer as Chair.
“This is a heartfelt effort to elevate the strategic and operational capacity of the Fair Housing Committee to really make it the head of all things fair housing,” Grader said. “It’s important for Thatcher, or any town administrator, to have a firmer hand on the direction of the agenda and to put it within an operating context for the purposes of efficiency.”
The committee’s current mission is to support fair and affordable housing through education and advocacy while acting as a resource to public officials and improving the affordable housing stock in Marblehead. Under Grader’s proposed reconfiguration, the committee would also be responsible for things such as setting ADU recommendations and providing strategic direction.
The committee currently has nine members. Grader said, ideally, that number would stay the same under the new configuration meaning at least three of the nine current members would no longer officially serve on the committee.
Grader suggested two of the other six members under the new configuration represent the Marblehead Housing Authority and Marblehead Public Schools. He added that he would like to see other members of the committee be those familiar with the town’s transportation needs and disability community.
However, he and Select Board member Erin Noonan told current members they will have a significant say in who the other six members will be under the new proposal.
“We are committed to you all and to giving you the resources so that you’re in a better position to take action as you see fit,” Noonan said.
Grader also applauded current members, saying he is “fully cognizant that the Fair Housing Committee has done amazing work” bringing the town’s Housing Production Plan, or HPP, to fruition. The HPP assesses Marblehead’s housing needs and demand while analyzing development constraints. It also identifies potential affordable housing development sites around town.
Current committee members voiced some concerns about the reconfiguration including the preservation of the group’s history, the proposed new members’ busy schedules, and the amount of time they will need to devote to the committee.
However, current committee members appeared to overall be receptive to Grader’s suggestions.
“As far as fair housing goes, I’m all for the greater good,” committee member Katie Farrell said. “We’re a committee but we often don’t have the power to move forward. We want to be active. I think that we want more people with power to be on the committee.”
