Members of Marion’s Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, and Affordable Housing Trust all met on Thursday, January 30, to discuss the future of the town’s affordable housing strategy.

Resident Sherman Briggs had previously raised a concern with the Planning Board, noting that the town would be missing out on valuable income if the town continues to enforce the bylaw after reaching the 10-percent affordable-housing requirement mandated by the state.

            A multi-unit development currently planned for Wareham Road would push Marion beyond the 10-percent affordable-housing requirement when and if it is completed. However, affordable housing generally has a limited date; it becomes “regular” housing after a set number of years (generally 15 to 20), which could trigger Marion to fall back below the minimum affordable-housing requirement in the future. 

            Marion’s current affordable housing bylaw requires that any development of six or more units must ensure that 10 percent of the units are affordable — or developers will pay a fine of $200,000. While the bylaw is on the books, it was pointed out at the meeting that the bylaw has ended up being highly ineffectual and has never actually been enforced.

            “The financial requirements are punitive,” noted Selectman John Waterman, “and they aren’t in proportion with a developer’s potential profits. There’s no regard to the risk a developer takes on to sell a project and make a profit. A developer would need to sink any initial profit he or she made into that penalty if they chose that route.”

            Waterman suggested a short-term fix, what he called a “stopgap” that would allow town officials more time to deliberate a thoughtful and effective long-term plan. He proposed lowering the affordable housing requirements for a development of six or more units to five percent affordable housing, or requiring a $75,000 in lieu of the affordable housing. 

“Those are more affordable to developers, and they’re more likely to comply with them,” he explained. In the meantime, he added that the town should form a task force to investigate, develop and recommend a new inclusionary zoning bylaw — one that he said will actually result in some new affordable housing being built every year or two. 

            Representatives of the Affordable Housing Trust agreed with this plan, noting that the idea of a task force was appealing. They did point out, however, that they would prefer to wait on amending the bylaw until the 10-percent requirement has actually been met. 

            Planning Board member Eileen Marum said that she had done research on cases where the state had been asked to extend the leases on affordable housing — in effect, keeping the classes as “affordable” for a longer period of time. 

“I think it’s certainly something to think about here,” she added. 

            The selectmen and members of the Planning Board agreed to continue discussing ideas into the future, including at the next meetings of both boards.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Andrea Ray

Marion’s affordable housing bylaw will be getting a facelift, announced members of the Marion Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, February 4. That is at least, if the voters agree to it.

            “We discussed the affordable housing bylaw last Thursday,” said Marion Town Planner Jay McGrail, “and after further discussion, we’ve decided to move forward with amending the bylaw to more reasonable numbers that might be easier on developers.”

            The current bylaw, as it stands, requires that 10 percent of a development of six or more units in Marion be classed as affordable housing. Otherwise, the developer can choose to pay $200,000 to the town to avoid the requirement.

            At a meeting regarding inclusionary housing in Marion, Selectman John Waterman had pointed out that the bylaw had not been enforced, as the numbers were extremely prohibitive to developers. 

            The bylaw change, which will need to be ratified by voters at Town Meeting, would amend the bylaw to require that only 5 percent of a development featuring six or more units be classified as affordable. Otherwise, the developer can choose to pay a $75,000 fee instead of including the affordable units. Waterman said he thought this was a much more reasonable number for developers to handle. 

            Marion Finance Director Judy Mooney brought the town’s annual budget for the 2021 fiscal year to the selectmen’s attention. “The town’s budget requirements have only risen by 3.15 percent,” she said, “which is one of the smallest rises in years, and I’m quite happy with that.”

            Amongst the town departments featuring an increased budget is the Assessor’s Office (upgraded software) and the Police Department (new vehicle). Mooney also pointed out that the Town Clerk budget will look higher than it did in the previous year. Current Town Clerk Elizabeth Magauran was appointed in September of 2019, and therefore last year’s budget only included a half-year of expenses. This year, the entire year will be accounted for.

            Marion Fire Chief Brian Jackvony is requesting an additional full-time firefighter, Mooney reported, which accounts for an increase to the Fire Department budget. “He’s really looking for an additional person to cover those weekday incidents, where they have the most calls,” she reported.

            “I’m a little concerned about this one because, when we hire a new full-time person, the real cost is benefits,” Waterman said. 

            “I can’t really speak to that. Chief Jackvony will have his reasons I’m sure, and we’ll let him speak to them,” said McGrail. Jackvony will be meeting with the Selectmen in the future to address any concerns, as had been previously planned.

            Marion resident Dr. Edward Hoffer, a member of the Friends of the Marion Council on Aging, presented the findings of a recent survey of Marion residents over 55. 

            “We were granted funds by AARP recently to fund this study,” he explained, noting that the grants were awarded because Marion was recognized by AARP as an “age-friendly community. 

“In 2018, 36 percent of Marion’s population was over 60. By 2030, over 40 percent of residents will be over 60. The question is: Are we ready?”

            The survey was sent to 2,200 Marion residents over the age of 55, and 564 of the surveys were returned. Based on the survey, Hoffer said, the biggest problems for older residents in Marion were infrastructure (sidewalks in poor condition, danger crossing Route 6, and availability of public bathrooms) as well as housing. 

            Ninety percent of people who responded stated that housing was the biggest problem for older residents in town. Fifty-six percent of residents wanted more availability of smaller homes, 52 percent sought more assisted living, 42 percent were interested in an over-55 complex, 34 percent were seeking rental apartments. Many answers indicated more than one choice.

            “A lot of these issues are things we’re tackling, things that are in the pipeline,” said Waterman. “The thing is that they take money, and a lot of it. So we’re trying to prioritize as best we can to not put extra burden on the taxpayers. And Route 6 in particular is tricky because we’ve gone to the state time and time again to fix it, and they aren’t as concerned as we are. So we’re going to keep going to them, but if you want to write to your local representatives with your concerns, that definitely helps as well.”

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Andrea Ray

            On February 3, Marion’s Planning Board dedicated the majority of the meeting to continue a discussion that began on January 30, when an assembly of boards and town departments gathered to discuss the future of affordable housing in the community.

            The January 30 meeting opened the door to creative ideas meant to find ways in which the town could comply with the state’s mandate of 10-percent affordable housing units on subdivisions and other housing plans. Currently, the town’s data shows about seven percent of housing falls into the affordable category. During that meeting, the Board of Selectmen, along with members of the Planning Board, Finance Committee, Accessors, and the Affordable Housing Trust, debated bylaw changes that might assist in bringing new solutions to an old problem – how to meet the 10-percent mark.

            The Planning Board agreed that the January 30 meeting was a good stepping-off point, but that they could not craft permanent zoning modifications without more study and expert assistance. 

            Member Eileen Marum suggested retaining an economic development consultant, “…to help new policies and ensure they are sound.” She said that Marion would be taking the lead with an inclusionary bylaw.

            Joining the discussion via telephone was member Chris Collings, who voiced concerns that the Building Department might end up having to police developments. “When we reach the (10-percent) threshold we need to confirm by counting doors,” he said. “We can’t presume permits will get us over the 10-percent goal.” Collings said that zoning changes would change the landscape.

            Rising to speak was Selectman John Waterman who said, “Current zoning isn’t viable for developers.” He said as things stand today the numbers don’t work for developers and in fact, “…are punitive.” 

            Current zoning regulations mandate that a subdivision development must have at least six units of affordable housing or the developer must pay $200,000 per unit to the Affordable Housing Trust. “We want a bylaw that will work for the developer, too,” Waterman said.

            Collings commented that he’d rather see the town reach the 10-percent mark before passing any new bylaws. “Let’s reach the goals before we change the rules.”

            Waterman countered, “But it hasn’t worked.”

            Chairman Will Saltonstall said that current bylaws, “…don’t incentivize affordable housing.”

            Resident Sherman Briggs wanted to ensure that a project he has been planning for some years, one that includes affordable units would not be adversely impacted. He was assured it would not but that his specific project could not be discussed in any depth without a public hearing notice.

            Saltonstall said that member Norman Hills had applied for a grant to secure technical guidance from Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District.

            The Planning Board agreed that at least a year of study was needed before comprehensive zoning bylaw changes that aided affordable housing could be drafted. In the meantime, they hope to have a “stopgap” in the form of modifications to the current inclusionary zoning bylaw presented at the spring town meeting. The stopgap proposal by Waterman aired at the January 30 meeting included lowering the fee paid by developers from $200,000 per unit to $70,000 per unit, along with a decrease in the number of affordable units from 10-percent to 5-percent.

            In other business, the members voted unanimously to send a letter of support to the Historical Commission as they launch a project to document all historical structures in the community. Saltonstall said such a project was in line with the town’s Master Plan.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for February 18 at 5:00 pm in the Town House conference room.

Marion Planning Board

By Marilou Newell