GA Blog: Chapter 40B

10.25.10 Vote No on Ballot Question 2!

The state’s Affordable Housing Law -- Chapter 40B -- helps make homes affordable to seniors and working families in Massachusetts. It is the primary tool for the creation of affordable housing across the state.

This is what we know about Chapter 40B:

1. It has enabled builders to create 58,000 new homes in cities, suburbs, and small towns;
2. Of these, 29,000 homes are reserved for households earning less than 80% of the area median income, or about $66,000 for a family of four in Greater Boston;
3. The affordable housing law is our most important tool for keeping families in the Commonwealth, as home prices and rents remain out of reach for many families struggling to get by.
4. In the last 10 years, Chapter 40B has generated approximately $9.25 Billion in construction-related spending.

According to There are over 1,500 Endorsers of No on 2, including :

• All Four Candidates for Governor (Baker, Cahill, Patrick and Stein)
• Habitat for Humanity Chapters in the Pioneer Valley, Cape Cod, Greater Boston, Greater Lowell, the North Shore, Greater Springfield, MetroWest and Greater Worcester
• AARP
• Arc of MA
• Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association
• Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
• League of Women Voters of MA
• Environmental League of MA
• MA Affordable Housing Alliance
• MA AFL-CIO
• MA Association of Older Americans
• MA Council of Churches
• MA Council of Human Service Providers
• Progressive Business Leaders Network of MA
• Soldier On/United Veterans of America
• YMCA of Central MA and the North Shore

When you are at the voting booths, NSAR asks you to please vote NO on Question 2, which would abolish Chapter 40B with no alternative to build affordable housing. For additional information, click here and see the Massachusetts Association of Reatlors®' page .

9.3.10 Affordable Housing Lottery in Wenham

According to the Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle, the town of Wenham is having its first affordable housing lottery, engineered by the Wenham’s Affordable Housing Trust (WAHT).  There are two properties available:

• 105 Pleasant Street - 3-bedroom single-family dwelling on an 8,200 sf lot with 1,260 sf of living space.
• 11 Friend Court #2 - 2-bedroom condominium unit with 1,080 sf of living space on the second floor.

The application process opened on June 16th and closes on Thursday, Sept. 16th at 3:30pm.  Eligibility is determined by income, family size and assets. Only first-time homebuyers are eligible and they must meet the eligibility requirements by providing documentation on income, bank accounts, taxes and mortgage pre-approval; they should also be able to make a down payment and have their financial matters in order.

WHAT chairwoman Molly Martins said that Wenham got into the affordable housing arena to reach the state-mandated percentage of 10% affordable homes to prevent Chapter 40B [affordable housing] developments.  Wenham is at 8.9% affordable housing and requires approximately 13 more units to reach 10%.

The two homes come with perpetual deed restrictions that keep the units affordable. As with most municipal housing programs, Wenham gives preference for first-time home buyers with local ties: current Wenham residents; families with children in the school system; and employees of the town, school district, Housing Authority, and local businesses.

The lottery for Wenham is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 18.  People with questions should contact Wenham’s Housing Consultant Jennifer Goldson at 617-990-4971 or jennifer@jmgoldson.com.

Read the entire Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle.

6.15.10 Potential New Affordable Housing in Danvers on Rand Circle

According to the Danvers Herald, a local developer is working with the Danvers Housing Authority on creating 200 or more new affordable housing units in on Rand Circle.  DHA Director Cindy Dunn said current residents of Rand Circle, which is an existing affordable complex of thirty-six 2-4 bedroom units built in 1981, would be moved into the new units as they are built.

The project is still pending local Zoning and Planning Board approval, but according to the article, at the very least, there will be 54 new units, and more likely there will be 200 or more.  If given the green light, the project would satisfy the state’s requirement to provide 10% affordable housing.

Read the entire Danvers Herald article.

5.14.10 Ipswich Powderhouse Development Helps Close in on Chapter 40B

According to the Ipswich Chronicle, Powderhouse Village, the 48-unit affordable housing complex to be built on County Road by the YMCA, will raise Ipswich’s affordable housing units to 492 – making 9.1% of Ipswich’s housing stock affordable as defined by Chapter 40B.

Chapter 40B requires that all cities/towns have at least 10% of its housing stock to qualify as affordable for the town to become exempt from the state’s 40B affordable housing bylaw which allows for developers to bypass a community’s zoning laws as long as the project contains a sufficient amount of affordable housing, which is determined by a formula based on the community’s median income.

Tom Bentley, the housing coordinator in the Planning Department, says that to be counted as affordable, a rental housing unit must have a deed restriction that says the rent cannot be raised above a certain limit.

For more on the Powerhouse Village development, click here.

4.29.10 Ipswich Affordable Housing Development

According to the Ipswich Chronicle, construction on Powderhouse Village, a new 48-unit affordable housing development in Ipswich, could begin as early as May 2010.  The Chapter 40B housing project will be made up of two buildings, each three-stories high. One building with 30 units will be constructed on the Millstone property at 108 County Road across the street from Agawam Village. The other, to be built at 112 County Road where the yellow building (above) presently sits, will have 18 units plus a YMCA day-care facility. In all, there will be 10, one-bedroom apartments, 24, two-bedroom apartments and 14, three-bedroom apartments.

Chapter 40B, the state’s affordable housing law states that 10% of a town’s housing stock must be affordable — defined by combination of housing prices and a community’s median income. If not, a developer can propose project containing affordable housing that is not bound by the town’s local zoning requirements.

Read the entire Ipswich Chronicle article.

4.10.10 Route 114 Chapter 40B Housing in Danvers on Hold

The Danvers Herald reports that the Danvers Zoning Board of Appeals continued a proposed Chapter 40B condominium development to development the site at the former Rio Grande on Route 114 in Danvers which would provide 71 condominiums – 17 affordable housing units (25% of the total).

Chapter 40B requires a municipality to have 10% of its property affordable for low- and moderate-income people. If not, a developer is allowed to bypass most local zoning requirements in return for making 25% of the units affordable.

Read the entire Danvers Herald article.