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West Newbury chair urges slow, public process to set up affordable housing trust
Summary
West Newbury Affordable Housing Trust chair Wendy Reid told Groveland officials the town’s trust has focused on small grants, public education and partnerships since forming after the town accepted state enabling law in October 2021; the trust now holds nearly $800,000 but lacks enough to build housing alone.
Wendy Reid, chair of the West Newbury Affordable Housing Trust, told the Groveland Select Board that West Newbury adopted the statutory enabling law in October 2021 and moved quickly to create a trust and a three‑year action plan with a housing consultant.
"We started off with almost 200,000 there and then every year, for the Community Preservation Act, we have the entire amount for community housing transferred into the trust. So we now have close to $800,000 in the trust," Reid said during the board’s August 3 meeting.
Reid said the trust’s early priorities were education and small, targeted homeowner aid rather than large developments. The trust runs a small grants program for owners who meet eligibility (under 80% AMI and less than 80% of median home price), offering up to $7,000 for emergency home repairs such as tree removal, ramp installation or plumbing work. Reid said that approach and outreach work helped build local support while avoiding the controversy that large projects can generate.
She told Groveland members the trust hires consultants and drafts bylaws through public meetings and legal review, and recommended Groveland allow approximately a year for the bylaw and community engagement process rather than a compressed six months. Reid also encouraged regional collaboration: West Newbury is pursuing an ADU outreach program and a MassHousing Partnership feasibility study of a 30‑acre, town‑owned Mullen property.
Why it matters: Reid’s presentation highlighted that towns with limited housing stock can still use trusts to preserve affordability through grants, technical assistance and partnerships rather than relying on trust funds alone to build new units. Groveland officials asked follow‑up questions about membership, staffing and how to balance public education with development ambitions.
