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Sudbury is in the process of developing a Housing Production Plan (HPP). According to the Town website: “An HPP in Massachusetts is a plan that helps municipalities better understand local housing needs and demand, development constraints and opportunities, and their vision for the future preservation of housing and the creation of new housing opportunities.”
In short, the plan defines a vision for what type of housing should be built in town, and where it should be built.
We previously reported that the Sudbury Housing Trust was underwhelmed by the draft they reviewed. This week, the Council on Aging (CoA) added their concerns about the HPP, specifically with regard to how it addresses housing needs for senior citizens. (39:00)
The primary concern, as voiced by CoA member Jeff Levine, was that the plan didn’t contemplate market-rate housing options for senior citizens. He felt senior citizens were lumped in with a focus on affordable housing. Other members voiced a concern that seniors don’t have sufficient options beyond staying in the homes they’ve been in for years.
CoA members talked at length about their belief that senior citizens should be a priority in Sudbury not only because they are a significant portion of the population, but because their tax dollars contribute to the schools. Members cautioned the group not to pit families with children against seniors, and to focus on advocating for meeting the needs of seniors.
The apparent consensus was that housing options that are more appropriate for seniors, such as units that have first-floor bedrooms and wider doorways for mobility aids, don’t necessarily need to be affordable units. They expressed a desire to see the HPP address both affordable and market-rate options for seniors.
However, there were other aspects of the plan that caught interest, including the results of a survey that went out to residents. The top three responses to a question about where residents would like to see housing created included Route 20, Route 117, and Camp Sewataro. Members felt those responses indicated that Sudbury residents voice support for housing development, but never want it near their own homes.
CoA member, and Sudbury’s State Representative, Carmine Gentile noted that there are 243 parcels owned by the Town of Sudbury, and the HPP only contemplates development on three of them. In a prior Sudbury Housing Trust meeting, which Gentile chairs, members questioned why town-owned land like Camp Sewataro wouldn’t be considered for the HPP. There are already multiple housing units on the Camp Sewataro land, but those units are reserved for the use of the camp operator. The contract also states that the houses may be offered as a year-round “benefit of employment” to Camp Sewataro employees to live in, for which the camp operator may not charge any rent. (Page 2, section 1.2.1)
For next steps, the CoA discussed scheduling a joint meeting with the Sudbury Housing Trust to hold further discussions on the HPP.