NAHANT — The Housing Plan Advisory Subcommittee answered residents’ questions about the town’s recently-published Housing Production Plan draft, which maps out a plan for the town to zone and build affordable and multi-family housing in compliance with state laws, at a public hearing Thursday night.
Nahant published its five-year Housing Production Plan this week in an effort to comply with Section 40B, a state law requiring cities and towns to reserve roughly 10% of their housing stock for affordable housing, and Section 3A, which requires each municipality located within 1.5 miles of an MBTA station to zone a portion of its land for multifamily housing.
Subcommittee Chair Michelle Capano opened the dialogue by explaining that the town aims to diversify its affordable-housing stock with the creation of different types of housing, including age-restricted housing, subsidized housing, and veterans’ affordable housing.
“As long as we demonstrate over the next five years how we’re doing that, that will ultimately help alleviate residents’ concerns over an unfriendly 40B development, should something like that ever happen,” Capano said.
The updated plan outlines potential sites for affordable-housing development at the Housing Authority North building at 194 Nahant Road, a lot at 50 Greystone Road, the church rectory at 248 Nahant Road, and the Nahant Country Club at 280 Nahant Road. It also includes plans to potentially develop housing at Bass Point, the Coast Guard Housing site, the Knights of Columbus site at 17 Relay Yard, sites on Fox Hill Road, and lots near the Housing Authority on Emerald and Spring roads.
Before opening the meeting to questions from the public, Board of Selectmen Chairman and Subcommittee member Mark Cullinan pointed out that the Housing Production Plan also includes the required zoning necessary for Section 3A compliance.
Subcommittee member Josephine Reis clarified that since the different proposed housing sites are spread across town, it is unlikely that the town would develop one large subsidized housing complex.
“Trying to find the right combination of locations does not mean that there’s going to be one large high-rise project in one particular location. The more sites that we identify, the more opportunities there are to be able to divide up the units so that there will not be one large 84-unit rental subsidized housing in one location,” Reis said.
Many of the residents’ questions centered around use of town resources and the potential taxpayer costs associated with affordable-housing development or subsidized housing.
When resident Jeffrey Lewis asked about the plan’s potential cost for Nahant residents, Capano responded that while the 3A zoning ordinance would not necessarily cost anything, the town hopes to attract developers that will assume costs of 40B development.
“There can’t be a financial piece in this plan until the development side is actually agreed to and there’s a developer agreement. As we’ve stated, whatever is decided will ultimately go to Town Meeting and at Town Meeting, our hope is that we put together what those plans might look like so the town can look at it and decide how we want to move forward. Certainly we don’t want to present a burden to the taxpayer,” Capano said.
Resident George Mihovan asked the subcommittee how the Housing Production Plan will impact the town’s infrastructure and public resources. Capano responded that as with any housing-development project, the town can expect a strain on resources and infrastructure.
“Any development when we increase the total number of units, number of households, more people there will be an effect on infrastructure at some point. What that incremental is, we haven’t done that analysis… It would be something that we would consider and help the town guide them on understanding what those impacts would be,” Capano said.
Subcommittee Vice Chair Michael Rauworth added that since Nahant’s population decreased by 12% in the last 30 years, and the town’s student population saw a similar drop, the town should take steps to ensure that the housing changes guarantee Nahant’s student population remains large enough to maintain the Johnson School.
Cullinan also responded to Mihovan’s question, adding that although the additional housing will impact the town’s public resources, it will also create housing options for those who work in Nahant but cannot afford to live in the town.
“Ironically, in terms of the people who are taking care of our infrastructure — our streets, water, sewer, public safety — affordable housing is directed at those types of employees. It’s the police, firefighters, teachers, and DPW workers who are being forced out of this town and can’t afford to live here anymore. Those are the same people who are caring for our infrastructure,” Cullinan said.
Other questions emerged regarding the town’s ability to provide Nahant residents with first priority for affordable-housing tenancy. Cullinan clarified that in a 40B development, the town is allowed to make a deal with developers requiring that up to 70% of the complex’s affordable units are prioritized for local residents.
In the case of subsidized or government-funded housing, Subcommittee member Dana Sheehan said, the Housing Authority is limited to the Commonwealth’s tenant priority categories, which are determined by factors such as veteran status, disability, and homelessness.
“I have no say in who’s on that list,” Sheehan said. “It’s not easy for Nahant people to get into the public housing in town.”
There will be joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board Wednesday, Nov. 8. There, both boards will review the plan, ask questions of the Housing Committee and the MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Council), and vote to adopt the plan to send to the Commonwealth for its review and approval. There will be an opportunity before the Boards votes to adopt the Housing Production Plan for the public to provide additional comments or questions.
The Housing Plan is not required to go before voters at Town Meeting for its approval or adoption.
