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Town staff to prepare comments after DCAM flags 0 Lyman Street as surplus under Affordable Homes Act
Summary
The Commonwealth’s DCAM designated the Department of Mental Health property at 0 Lyman Street surplus for disposition under the Affordable Homes Act; staff will prepare comments and legal review because the act may limit application of local zoning and affordability requirements.
Town staff told the Select Board that the Commonwealth, through the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), has designated the property at 0 Lyman Street (owned by the Department of Mental Health) as surplus under the Affordable Homes Act and will dispose of it for housing. The act creates a state‑led disposition process; staff noted preliminary comments from DCAM suggest local zoning requirements may not apply in the same way and that the town’s 20% local affordability requirement could be affected.
Town staff and the Affordable Housing Trust plan to draft comments to DCAM ahead of the June 27 deadline and will discuss potential town actions, including whether the town should consider bidding at auction to control the property’s disposition. Staff recommended further legal review to clarify which local requirements apply and said the matter will appear on a future Select Board agenda for detailed consideration.
Board members asked whether the town could rezone the parcel quickly and whether rezoning would affect the state process; staff said DCAM representatives indicated local zoning could be superseded under the act and that more legal research is required.
