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Mayor updates Board of Aldermen on multi‑site housing projects; residents urge ‘Housing First’ and raise HUD concerns
Summary
Mayor Jim Doncic briefed the board on several redevelopment projects expected to add hundreds of affordable units. During public comment residents and speakers urged Housing First approaches and raised concerns about HUD grants and a whistleblower complaint in community development.
Mayor Jim Doncic told the Nashua Board of Aldermen on May 12 that the city is advancing several housing projects intended to expand affordable housing supply. "The most significant project that's going forward is being done by the housing authority," he said, citing the Monahan Manor redevelopment and a two‑phase effort to expand Maynard Homes from about 100 units to roughly 270.
The mayor said a housing trust fund loan of $1,500,000 and payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑tax (PILOT) agreements have been used to enable redevelopment while accepting reduced tax receipts in exchange for increased affordable supply. He also described the Mohawk Tannery remediation, funded in part by EPA dollars, as the first step toward a 500‑unit mixed market and affordable project in which 20% of units would be targeted to households at 80% of area median income.
Why it matters: Nashua officials said the projects will increase affordable units at a time of rising rents and housing costs. The mayor framed PILOT arrangements and trust‑fund loans as tools to attract private and public investment without full property tax parity.
During the period for general public comment, speakers urged that the city prioritize permanent housing and integrated support services. Bob Keating, a Nashua resident who identified property opportunities to convert, urged the board to follow the Housing First model, saying it focuses on getting people into permanent housing quickly and building supports around them. "The thrust is continue about, permanent housing," he said in his prepared remarks.
Other commenters raised concerns about federal funding and oversight in the city's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Laurie Ortolano said she had spoken with HUD and that an investigation had been opened; she described an apparent breakdown in award disbursements to a local grantee and called for closer scrutiny. "I think HUD's CDBG has to get in and do an investigation," she said.
Board response and next steps: Several aldermen said detailed planning and staffing are necessary before committing to new shelter or resource‑center sites. Alderman Tebow cautioned that very large properties may be difficult to staff and sustain, and Alderman Kelly said she is developing legislation to form a multi‑stakeholder committee to assess needs, bed counts and transitional housing capacity.
The board did not adopt new direction on any single site at the meeting and several related grants and development agreements were referred to committees for review.
