Danvers Affordable Housing Trust Formed

The Danvers Herald recently reported that the Town Meeting on May 16th, passed a warrant article that established an affordable housing trust. The trust will be put in place so the city can “acquire property to further the town’s affordable housing goals.” The warrant article passed with a 76 to 35 vote.

The largest concerns among town meeting attendees about the affordable housing trust were that the city would start acting like a real estate agent and landlord to the acquired homes.

“We’re not trying to create anything new,” said Selectman Gardner Trask, a member of the Affordable Housing Committee. “The intent of the trust to facilitate the purchase and sale of property to meet our affordable housing goals to private developers and private owners who can’t own property on their own,” said Trask. “One of the tools to meet local control and meet a social need. This trust is not intended to be a real estate agent or a landlord. The trust is completely independent of the town.”

Read the entire Danvers Herald article.