AHTF 2008 Meeting Minutes Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Minutes of Meeting
Monday, February 11, 2008
A regular meeting of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund was held on Monday, February 11, 2008
at 9:00 a.m. in Room 313 at 120 Washington Street.
Members present were Councillor Jean Pelletier, Jennifer Raitt, Michael Northcutt, Kathleen Burke,
Mary Dennesen, Mary Lauby, and Leonette Strout. Also present were Lynn Goonin Duncan, Director of
the Department of Planning and Community Development, serving as the Mayor's designee, and
Jennifer Kolodziej, Housing Coordinator.
Members absent were Mayor Driscoll, Councillor Matthew A. Veno, and Chad Colarusso.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board meeting held on November 19, 2007
were presented for approval. Councillor Pelletier moved to approve the draft minutes with no
amendments, seconded by Mickey Northcutt and approved, (6-0).
Approval of 2008 Meetine Schedule
The draft 2008 Meeting Schedule was reviewed by the Board. Members discussed possible alternate
dates for the October meeting listed on the draft Schedule,because the regular meeting day- the second
Monday of the month - falls on the observance of Columbus Day when City offices are closed. All
members in attendance agreed with Jenny Raitt's suggestion to hold off on the decision and note the
October meeting date as "To Be Announced". Kathleen Burke moved to approve the Schedule with the
noted change, seconded by Councillor Pelletier and approved, (6-0). Jennifer Kolodziej will make this
change and post the 2008 Meeting Schedule at City Hall before the next meeting.
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housin
Jennifer Kolodziej presented key findings regarding Salem from the HOME Consortiums Analysis of
Impediments to Fair Housing Choice including: Salem's second highest rate of poverty among the 30
North Shore towns, Salem's extremely low ownership rate and high incidence of housing cost burdened
renters. Lynn Goonin-Duncan and Leonette Strout inquired about the source of this data. Jennifer
replied that some of the data was taken from the 2000 Census, while other findings came from the
HOME Consortiums research. Jennifer explained some of the discussion at the HOME Consortium's
last meeting surrounding the findings of this report, including the recommendation of a"secret shopper"
program in some communities. The Fair Housing Center could perform"secret shopper"testing to
gather hard data to present to city and town officials and highlight gaps in resources. Mary Dennesen
and Kathleen Burke relayed the types of housing discrimination they have witnessed in Salem. Mary
Lauby and others inquired about resources for those who have experienced discrimination. Jennifer
'informed the group that cities and towns should refer all persons with complaints to the Fair Housing
Center in Boston for assistance. She noted that a link to the Fair Housing Center and other resources for
those with fair housing complaints is posted on the Salem's website.
Several members suggested that a lawyer or someone with fair housing expertise come to speak to the
board on this topic. Jennifer Kolodziej informed the group that over the next 12 to 15 months Kevin
Hurley from the North Shore HOME Consortium will be arranging a training on fair housing practices
Approved March 10, 2008 Pagel of 3
targeted toward local officials. Jennifer agreed to post a link to the forum on the City's webpage as soon
as a date and time are scheduled. In addition, Jennifer stated that she will contact the Fair Housing
Center to schedule a presentation to the board at a future meeting. Councillor Pelletier motioned to table
further discussion on Fair Housing until our April meeting, seconded by Mary Lauby, and approved (7-
0).
Trackinp_List of Recent Salem Housing Projects
The Board members reviewed and discussed the housing projects tracking list that notes for each
planned development the type of units, total number of units, number of affordable units,project status,
and language used in Planning Board and/or Zoning Board of Appeal decisions. Mickey Northcutt, who
suggested creation of the list, pointed out that it can be used to track not only the creation of affordable
units, but also the amount of funds developers contribute to the City for affordable housing activities.
For example, the Fort Avenue/Szetela Lane housing project includes only market rate units, but the
developer has proposed to contribute funds to be used for affordable housing. The amount is to be
determined. In the future, the AHTF can request to use some of these funds for a specific activity.
Members also discussed the Old Salem Jail Complex redevelopment project. Mickey Northcutt and
others expressed desire for the City to request money from the developer for affordable housing because
the project plan includes only one affordable unit. Lynn Goonin-Duncan clarified that the
redevelopment of the Jail Complex is a historic preservation project led by a public-private partnership.
She further explained that the Jail redevelopment is a financially tight project and that it would not be
possible to request a monetary allocation out of the project. She encouraged the board members to
attend the SRA meeting on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 6pm to hear more about the project.
Housing Trust Fund Guide Review
In the interest of time, Jenny Raitt suggested that board members review the brief guide outside of the
meeting.
Discussion and Approval of Scope of Work for Consultant
Jennifer Kolodziej informed the Board members about the idea of developing a business plan for the
trust that would tell potential partners and funding sources the actions the trust will pursue over the next
few years. Jennifer volunteered to write a draft plan for the board. Mary Lauby commented that she
would like to see an example of a business plan that other trust funds have done in order to get a better
sense of its components. Others agreed. Jennifer said that she would bring an example business plan to
next months meeting to aid in our discussion of the scope of work.
Accessory Dwelling Ordinance—PowerPoint Presentation
Due to time constraints, the presentation was deferred to the next meeting.
Members agreed to extend the next meeting on March 10, 2008 to 11:00am if necessary in order to cover
both the presentation and discussion of the Accessory Dwelling Ordinance and the Business Plan scope
of work.
Adjournment
There being no further business a motion was made by Jenny Raitt to adjourn the meeting, seconded by
Mary Lauby.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
Approved March 10, 2008 Page2 of 3
Respectfully submitted by:
Jennifer Kolodziej, Housing Coordinator
Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund
AHTF 3.10.2008
Approved March 10,2008 Pagc3 of 3
Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Minutes of Meeting
Monday, March 10, 2008
A regular meeting of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund was held on Monday, March 10, 2008 at
9:00 a.m. in Room 313 at 120 Washington Street.
Members present were Mayor Driscoll, Councillor Jean Pelletier, Jennifer Raitt, Michael Northcutt,
Kathleen Burke, Mary Dennesen, Mary Lauby, and Leonette Strout. Also present were Lynn Goonin
Duncan, Director of the Department of Planning and Community Development and Jennifer Kolodziej,
Housing Coordinator.
Members absent were Councillor Matthew A. Veno, and Chad Colarusso.
Also Salem Gazette reporter, Kristin D'Agostino, and photographer, Ian Hurley, who were shadowing
the Mayor for the day, attended the meeting.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board meeting held on February 11, 2008
were presented for approval. Councillor Pelletier moved to approve the draft minutes with no
amendments, seconded by Mickey Northcutt and approved, (8-0).
Business Plan
Jennifer Kolodziej requested to proceed out of order from the Agenda to tackle discussion of the
business plan before getting into the Accessory Dwelling Ordinance PowerPoint presentation. Chair,
Jenny Raitt and rest of the Board agreed that the change in order would fine. In response to Mary Lauby
request from the last meeting, Jennifer circulated a example business plan from the North Shore Housing
Trust Fund. She highlighted elements of the plan and explained that she selected their 2003 plan
because it was done at the time when the Trust was in its early stages of development and would be most
relevant to where the Salem Trust Fund is now. Jennifer informed the Board that the plan would outline
the following items: the Trust's priorities, target populations, proposed activities with timelines, market
conditions, trends in housing needs and development, challenges, as well as potential partners and steps
to undertake fundraising efforts. In addition, it would identify critical success factors and measures to
help ensure the projects will move forward. The plan would serve as a tool to help attract financing
from local banks and other potential investors such as Salem Hospital and Salem State College by
informing them of the actions the Trust will pursue with the funds.
Jenny added that the plan will be a synthesis of what we have already done and target what projects we
are going to fund. She said that the original idea of an initial fundraising plan has been expanded to a
business plan. Lynne Goonin-Duncan stated that the Trust has been a little stuck in regards to getting
the plan moving and urged the Board to move forward with the plan to show that if you were able to get
X amount of money, this is how you would use it. The Mayor added that at this point the Trust has
established the organizational structure to be able to carry this forward. Jenny interjected that the
primary activity of the Trust is to manage money to fund projects and that the Trust is at a turning point
in which it needs to find out where we can get money to fund what we want to do.
Approved May 12, 2008 1
Jennifer distributed a handout that charted the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a consultant to
complete the plan versus having the plan done "in house". At the last meeting, Jennifer volunteered to
lend her formal training and experience in developing business plans for non-profits to do the business
plan for the Trust so that the funds could be saved for a future project. Mickey Northcutt stated that the
plan would provide the Trust with types of funding sources that are available and inform us of what
other Trusts have done. He felt that this information would be best to come from a third-party
consultant, who could give the Trust advice better than any person on the Trust. Mary Lauby expressed
that she did not agree that leaning on a consultant is best for the Board. She said that a number of the
Board members and City staff have been able to inform the Board on many issues so far. Jenny said that
the consultants would do stakeholder interviews and that hiring a consultant for a plan is what we have
been talking about all along. Mickey stated that he did not know enough about what the affordable
housing trust funds statewide are doing and that we need advise from a consultant. Councillor Pelletier
motioned for Jennifer to draft a Request for Proposals for the business plan and present a scope of work
to the Board at a future meeting, seconded by Mary Dennesen, and approved(8-0).
Accessory Dwellincj Ordinance
Jennifer gave a PowerPoint presentation on Accessory Dwelling Ordinances (ADO) that reviewed what
an Accessory Dwelling Unit is (a secondary unit on the same property as a main residence). An ADO is
a vehicle to provide safe affordable housing that can be integrated into the community with a minimum
impact on the character of a neighborhood. The presentation outlined the conditions under which a
community should consider an ADO and the benefits it can bring. Jennifer pointed out that with
approximately 80 foreclosures in the last six months in Salem, an increase in the demand/need for
affordable rental housing will increase and that an ADO is a way for the City to be proactive in
preparing for the aftermath of the current "mortgage crisis". Jennifer also covered the regulatory issues
involved with an ADO and the pros and cons of making an affordable housing restriction part of the
ADO.
Mickey wondered if an ADO was appropriate for the Trust to take on and if the Trust has the capacity
and ability to generate enough political will to get this potentially controversial ordinance to be
approved. Mary Lauby stated that she was compelled by the presentation and felt the ordinance was
sold to her as part of a portfolio of one way to create affordable housing. Mickey said that if another
organization was promoting an ADO that he would certainly support it, but does not think the Trust .
should necessarily undertake this activity. Lynn added that she does not know what other entity would
take this on besides the Trust. He said that he realized that the Trust is the only realistic body to do this,
but is concerned that if the ADO is not passed by City Council that this would affect the chances of
getting inclusionary zoning passed in the future.
Members began discussing components of the Ordinance as well as its benefits. Mary Lauby felt that
there were two different discussions going on at the same time - a philosophical one about whether this
endeavor fits with our mission and goals and a pragmatic one concerning the zoning and code
requirements of an ADO. She added that there seems to be three silos of those who benefit: family
members that might live with someone, homeowners trying to meet housing costs, and renters. Jenny
stated that at the next meeting we can have a more strategic approach to the discussion. Jennifer will
write up a list of the decisions that need to be made when drafting an ADO for the next meeting to help
facilitate the discussion.
Approved May 12, 2008 2
Adjournment
There being no further business a motion was made by Councillor Pelletier to adjourn the meeting,
seconded by Kathleen Burke, approved (7-0). (The Mayor needed to leave towards the end of the ADU
discussion.)
The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
Respectfully submitted by:
7enni er Kofodzie
Jennifer Kolodziej
Housing Coordinator
Department of Planning & Community Development
City of Salem
Approved May 12, 2008 3
Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Minutes of Meeting
Monday, May 12, 2008
A regular meeting of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund was held on Monday, May 12, 2008 at
9:00 a.m. in Room 313 at 120 Washington Street.
Members present were Jennifer Raitt, Michael Northcutt, Kathleen Burke, Lucy Corchado, Mary Lauby,
and Leonette Strout. Also present was Jennifer Kolodziej, City of Salem Housing Coordinator.
Members absent were Mayor Driscoll, Councillor Jean Pelletier, Councillor Matthew A. Veno, Chad
Colarusso, and Mary Dennesen. Lynn Goonin Duncan, Director of the Department of Planning and
Community Development, was absent as well.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board meeting held on March 10, 2008 were
presented for approval. Mickey Northcutt moved to approve the draft minutes with no amendments,
seconded by Leonette Strout and approved (6-0).
Update on Fair Housing Presentation
Jennifer Kolodziej shared information she obtained from a presentation by the Fair Housing Center of
Boston at the North Shore HOME Consortium meeting held on April 30, 2008 at the George Peabody
House Museum. The Fair Housing Center conducts research and policy work in addition to dealing with
housing discrimination complaints and community education. According to research conducted by the
center, in the greater Boston area, African-Americans and Latinos are discriminated against 50% of the
time when trying to rent or buy a home. The center also found that families with subsidies were
discriminated against nearly two-thirds of the time. Sometimes landlords do not want to rent to families
because owners are required by state lead laws to delead any unit in which a child under the age of six
resides. The town of Newton has inserted educational materials for landlords in its water bills. In
addition, renters and homebuyers need to be educated so that they know if they are being discriminated
against and where to go with a complaint. Mary Lauby asked if the Fair Housing Center's educational
materials included information on the benefits of following fair housing practices for developers,banks,
and economic development or downtown revitalization. Jennifer stated that she was not aware of any
materials that specifically address the benefits of fair housing in regards to economic development other
than that fair housing creates a more diversified workforce and neighborhood.
Also, Jennifer relayed that the North Shore HOME Consortium will be issuing a Request for Proposals
for a consultant group to conduct educational sessions on fair housing. Some of these sessions will be
geared toward municipal officials and volunteer members of planning, zoning, and affordable housing
trust fund boards. Other sessions will be held for real estate agents and renters/homebuyers. The
sessions will be held in various locations in Peabody and Salem. Lucy Corchado asked if educational
materials will be available at these sessions. Jennifer answered that they would. Leonette Strout
requested that Jennifer bring back to the board any available educational materials and links to resources
from these sessions.
Business Plan
Jennifer presented an outline of the scope of work for the business plan as requested at the last meeting.
Mickey Northcutt moved to release a Request for Proposals (RFPs) for the business plan with the scope
of work as presented in Jennifer's outline, seconded by Kathleen Burke, and approved (6-0). In
addition, Mickey moved to form a three to four person subcommittee to review the proposals and bring
Minutes Approved November 3,2008 Page 1 of 2
one recommendation to the full board. Lucy added her support for forming a small working group.
Mary Lauby asked if this was allowed under the open meeting rule. Jenny Raitt explained that this is
- permissible because the members would be allowing a subset of the board to review the proposals and
then give the full board an opportunity for input. Mickey's motion to form a subcommittee for review
of the RFPs was seconded by Mary Lauby and approved (6-0).
Accessory Dwelling Ordinance Components
At the conclusion of the Trust's April meeting, board members requested that Jennifer write up a list of
the decisions that need to be made when drafting an ADO to help facilitate discussion. At this month's
meeting, Jennifer presented a chart of the ordinance's components with the pros and cons of each
decision point and recommendations. Mary Lauby requested that before moving into a discussion of the
components, that the board members arrive at a consensus of whether or not they want to go forward
with this type of ordinance. Leonette Strout said that she is still on the fence about pursuing an ADO
because she sees a gap between the purpose of the ordinance and what she thinks of as affordable
housing. Jennifer pointed out that the ordinance would help homeowners who are trying to meet their
housing costs and renters looking for affordable apartments. Kathleen Burke expressed concern that the
rental units would not remain affordable once the home and its accessory apartment are sold if an
affordability restriction was not incorporated into the ordinance. Jennifer replied that her reasoning for
not recommending that an affordability restriction be placed on the units was two fold. First, the
restriction may discourage people from taking advantage of the ordinance. Also, since accessory
apartments are often restricted to sizes that are smaller than the average apartments on the market, they
are usually rented at below market rates. Kathleen said that she does not give people the benefit of the
doubt that they would rent the units at below market rate even though the units are small. Leonette
stated that in her experience as a realtor, she has seen that apartments that are grossly overpriced for
their size tend to remain empty or unrented.
Mary Lauby added that she would still like to get a sense of whether the political environment is more
favorable for an ADO or for Inclusionary Zoning. Leonette agreed. In addition, Mary expressed desire
to meet with the Building Inspector to find out why he is opposed to having an ADO in Salem. Jenny
Raitt concluded that it sounded like the group would like more information. Mickey Northcutt motioned
that the group table the discussion until the next meeting. Lconette moved to amend the motion to
include having Councillor Pelletier inform the board of the level of support for an ADO among City
Council members at the next meeting. Mickey moved to amend the motion further to include input from
the Mayor and Lynn Duncan regarding support for an ADO, seconded by Mary Lauby and approved
(6-0). Also, Mickey requested that Jennifer compile an outline and give a presentation at the next
meeting on what an Inclusionary Zoning bylaw would look like.
AdEournment
There being no further business a motion was made by Mickey Northcutt to adjourn the meeting,
seconded by Leonette Strout and approved (6-0).
The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 a.m.
Respectfully submitted by:
J nn fer Kp(odzief
Jennifer Kolodziej
Housing Coordinator
City of Salem
Department of Planning & Community Development
Minutes Approved November 3,2008 Page 2 of 2
Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Minutes of Meeting
Monday,November 3, 2008
A regular meeting of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund was held on Monday, November 3,
2008 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 313 at 120 Washington Street.
Members present were Lynn Goonin Duncan, Councillor Jean Pelletier, Aaron Allen, Mary Lauby,
Andrew Meegan, Jennifer Raitt, and Leonette Strout. Also present was Jennifer Kolodziej, City of
Salem Housing Coordinator.
Members absent were Mayor Driscoll, Kathleen Burke, Chad Colarusso, Lucy Corchado, Mary
Dennesen, and Councillor Matthew A. Veno.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board meeting held on May 12, 2008 were
presented for approval. Aaron Allen moved to approve the draft minutes with no amendments,
seconded by Leonette Strout and approved(7-0).
Approval of Annual Report for FY08
Members reviewed the report. Councillor Pelletier motioned to approve the report and submit it to City
Council, seconded by Mary Lauby and approved (7-0). The report documented that no funds were
expended in fiscal year 2008. Twenty-five thousand dollars of the Trust's fifty thousand dollars was
committed to the redevelopment of the St. Joseph's Church site into affordable housing. These dollars
have yet to be drawn down.
Also, Lynn asked Jennifer to look in whether or not the audit of the Trust Fund was covered under the
City's general audit or if the Board would need to hire it own auditor for the annual audit of the fund.
Jennifer will report back to the Board on the audit at the next meeting.
Membership & Officer Elections
Jennifer Kolodziej announced that it was time again to elect officers for the Board. Mary Lauby
nominated Jenny Raitt for the office of President. Aaron Allen put forth his name for Vice-Chair and
Mary Lauby, after review of the duties of the Treasurer, said she would be willing to serve in that role.
Councillor Pelletier motioned to elect all three nominees in one vote, seconded by Lynn Goonin-Duncan
and approved(7-0).
Board's Future Undertakings
Lynn Goonin-Duncan explained to the two new members components of an Accessory Dwelling
Ordinance, which had been the topic of many of the Board's meetings over the past few months. Also,
she updated the group on the status of the St. Joseph's redevelopment project. The project will be
having a commercial component. It needs to come to the planning board with a new site plan. The total
units will be 67 with 43 affordable units.
Andrew commented that he would like to get more money into the fund. Mary Lauby asked about the
Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and what projects the local banks are funding. Jennifer will do
research to find out what the local banks are doing to meet their CRA requirements in order to find out if
this would be a possible source of funds for the Trust. Leonette questioned if we would need to have an
identified project. Jenny replied that she thought we would need to a specific project that met the
objectives of the fund's focus.
Approved January 12,2009 Page 1 of 2
The group reviewed its original goals and objectives from last year. Jenny suggested that the group may
want to narrow its focus or cut down on its goals. The group expressed that its greatest priority at this
time was education.
The group discussed holding a forum or awareness summit on the affordable housing and the current
housing market. The group agreed that talking about the housing crisis is a hot topic and a great draw to
entice people who are concerned about housing to attend. In addition, the forum would be an
opportunity to boost the visibility of the Board and help to forge relationships with other local groups
dealing with affordable housing.
The first segment of the summit would cover general information on who the Affordable Housing Trust
Fund is, efforts the City is currently undertaking regarding affordable housing. The second segment
would cover the impact of the current housing crisis on Salem compared to other cities in the North
Shore and the current affordable housing challenges in a down market as well as current state and
federal responses to the problem. The final part would be an opportunity for the audience to comment
on what they see as the pressing issues and barriers. Among the target audience could be non-profits,
government officials, and local developers.
Jenny Raitt, Leonette Strout, and Aaron Allen volunteered to meet as a subcommittee to plan for a future
housing summit to be held sometime in late January/early February.
Lynn commented that if the board wanted to retreat into a traditional role of just monitoring funds, then
you could move to quarterly meetings. However, she said that it sounded like the board has more
energy and other activities the members want to move forward with, so she recommended that the Board
continue to meet on a monthly basis. The other members present agreed. At a future meeting the Board
will discuss forming a work plan.
Chance in Meetine Schedule
The Board members discussed a change in the meeting time of the Board. The members decided that
8:30am instead of 9:00 am would be a more convenient time to meet.
Adiournment
There being no further business a motion was made by Leonette Strout to adjourn the meeting, seconded
by Aaron Allen and approved (6-0). Only six members were in attendance at the close of the meeting as
Councillor Pelletier needed to exit the meeting after the officer elections.
The meeting was adj oumed at 10:15 a.m.
Respectfully submitted by:
,enni{er Kpfodziei
Jennifer Kolodziej
Housing Coordinator
City of Salem
Department of Planning & Community Development
Approved January 12,2009 Page 2 of 2