Arlington and Medford are both densely populated communities.  Despite tough budget times Arlington has done fairly well in securing state support for maintaining and increasing its affordable units, some with handicapped accessibility.  For example, a large grant was awarded by the state for maintenance and expansion of its brick family housing units in East Arlington.  Essentially the difficulty for Arlington in its endeavors to increase its affordable housing inventory lies in the fact that the Town is already the most dense in the area – probably the most dense town in the Commonwealth and can ill afford to lose any remaining open space.  With the exception of a new building which is being planned to house clients of the Department of Mental Retardation most new additions to Arlington’s inventory, public and private, have been through inclusionary zoning , buy-downs of existing condominiums, and purchase of apartments and their renovation for rentals as affordable units. Renovations should enable handicapped accessibility which is becoming increasingly important.  Tax abatements are important to enable seniors to afford to remain in their own homes as they age. These are initiatives which I enthusiastically support and hope to encourage where possible by legislative action.

 

   There is little activity among developers to supply affordable “starter homes.”  The loss of small affordable homes to tear-downs and construction of McMansions decreases supply of reasonably priced homes.   This wasteful process should be subject to disincentives.  In a recent case, the Supreme Judicial Court has upheld local zoning which attempts to resolve this problem.

 

   Unfortunately the huge amount of funding being channeled into support of the state’s increasingly  ubiquitous 40B project promotion (see section on “Fixing 40B”) has made it difficult to obtain funds for renovation of older buildings some of which are constructed of vastly better materials than those of the projects built today.  40B home ownership projects are of no help whatsoever to those earning less than 70% or more than 80% of median income.  Thus young families on a single income such as starting police officers, or firefighters, or teachers are not eligible and cannot obtain 40B affordable home ownership units since they earn less than 70% of median income.  40B has also distracted from programs to house the homeless (so that homeless numbers have increased by 57% in the past 15 years) and removed focus from the services that this population requires in order to be housed with stability.  A further casualty to some extent is the state’s Rental Voucher Program which now offers us a minuscule number of vouchers.  Fortunately the federal Section 8 voucher program which enables us to have scattered site affordable units is still a wonderful resource.  The demand for affordable units may increase significantly soon because many 40B projects will no longer have affordability protection when expiring use allowed by the statute sets in.  As a legislator I will work to have the state address the needs of the vulnerable in our communities that cannot afford current housing costs.

  “You have placed your trust in me for 19 years, and I have kept that trust in all that I have done.  Should you elect me as your Representative, I will do the same.  I will work for you and for Arlington & West Medford, and Massachusetts to be the best that they can be.”