To the editor:
As a working-class Lynn homeowner in the R4 district who seeks to add one unit to my owner-occupied single-family home, I am required to pay nearly $12,000 for a two-bedroom unit or about $8,500 for a one-bedroom. This fee forced me to sell personal property just to comply, causing a serious financial hardship and making it cost prohibitive for property owners like me to help create affordable housing.
City officials, including the mayor, principal city planner, and ward councilors are fully aware that people like me — caught in the middle of the original and proposed amended Inclusionary Zoning Fee Ordinance — are suffering unintended consequences. Yet despite this knowledge, no relief or retroactive exemption has been offered to help those of us in the process who have been unjustly burdened.
While the City Council’s proposed amendment scheduled for Public Comments on Dec. 9 seeking to carve out a future exemption is a positive step, it does nothing for owners like me already forced to bear the full fee. This lack of retroactive relief means the city admits the hardship exists but chooses to leave middle-class homeowners behind.
I urge the City Council to go further and enact retroactive relief or a hardship waiver so no homeowner has to sell personal belongings simply to comply with a fee meant for developers with deep pockets who claim to create affordable housing. True fairness demands that the city help those who have already been unfairly harmed.
Sincerely,
Ruth L. Deras
Lynn
