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Select Board says housing production plan will be folded into strategic plan; goals debated
Summary
Board members debated affordable housing goals at the Aug. 24 workshop and directed staff to fold the town's Housing Production Plan objectives into the strategic plan; speakers discussed a higher target (80 units/year) and preserving negotiation leverage tied to the 10% SHI threshold.
The Select Board used its Aug. 24 strategic planning workshop to align the town's strategic goals with the Housing Production Plan and to revisit unit targets for affordable housing. Staff said they will incorporate the housing production plan's goals and objectives into the strategic plan and present a revised draft for inclusion at fall meetings.
Board members raised sharply different views on production targets. Unidentified Speaker 6 said the plan's proposal to produce 40 units over five years is too low and urged an annual target of 60 to 70 units to meet long-term demand. Unidentified Speaker 4 noted the housing production plan contains an option—"Goal number 1 there is a significantly higher unit, number, right, of at least 80 units affordable housing annually"—and urged alignment rather than duplicating work.
Members also discussed the state's Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI). Several board members noted the state currently reports the town has met the 10% threshold used for some developer negotiation ("40B"/chapter 40B) considerations, but they emphasized that meeting the SHI is a moving target dependent on project timing. Unidentified Speaker 3 summarized: "But in this moment, the state has said... We have met it." Several members said the town should preserve negotiation leverage by continuing to prioritize housing production and by encouraging redevelopment and use of existing infrastructure.
Next steps: staff will bring an updated strategic-plan housing section that draws verbatim on the housing production plan, along with measurable objectives, to the October draft for board review and planned formal incorporation in October.
