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Essex Housing Commission votes to fund RFP study of ADUs, home repairs and funding options
Summary
The Essex Housing Commission voted 3–1 on June 2 to authorize an RFP that will hire a contractor to study incentives for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), home‑quality improvements (health, safety, accessibility) and external funding or partnership strategies to support local housing development using roughly $30,000 in pilot funds.
The Essex Housing Commission voted 3–1 on June 2, 2026, to ask town staff to draft a request for proposals for a contractor to study three priorities for a housing trust fund pilot: incentives for accessory dwelling units, existing‑home quality improvements related to health and safety, and outside funding and partnership options to support housing development.
The commission’s chair described the vote as a step to “gather more information, data, resources” from an expert the commission does not have in‑house. The contractor will research short‑term, implementable incentives (including pathways for ADUs), programs for accessibility and safety retrofits, and opportunities to leverage grants or partnerships beyond the town’s initial allocation.
Commission members emphasized the pilot’s limited budget and scope. One member noted the initial investment is approximately $30,000. Commissioner John urged starting with concrete, achievable work: “Get started with actionable things that we can do with $30,000,” he said, arguing the contractor work will take time and help the commission make practical recommendations to the Select Board.
Other members pushed for evaluation criteria that favor projects where town dollars recirculate locally and for contractor alignment with the town plan. The group also discussed whether resilience‑focused grant streams should be considered as part of the contractor’s search for funding avenues.
After discussion the commission moved and seconded the motion to approve the RFP priorities. The motion passed with three members voting yes and one voting no. Staff (Britney and the chair) were directed to work with town staff (Karen and others) to draft the RFP and return with an update at the next meeting.
Next steps: staff will prepare RFP language reflecting the three priorities and coordinate with the town to issue the RFP; the commission expects an update at a future meeting on proposals received and recommended next steps.
Vote summary: Motion to approve RFP priorities—passed, 3 yes, 1 no.
