affordable housing fund applicationAffordable Housing Fund 1
COMMUNITY PRESERVATION PROJECT APPLICATION COVER SHEET
I: Project Information
Project Title: Affordable Housing Fund
Project Summary: CPA Funding is sought for soft costs and purchase costs for the
purposes of creating new affordable housing.
Estimated start date: Immediately upon receipt of funds
CPA Program Area (check all that apply):
� Open Space � Historic Preservation
Community Housing � Recreation
II: Applicant/Developer Information
Contact Person and or/primary applicant: Wayne Feiden
Property Owner (if applicable): Parcels owned by the City of Northampton
Organization (if applicable): Northampton Office of Planning and Sustainability
Mailing Address: 210 Main Street, Room 11
Daytime phone #: 413-587-1265 Fax #: 413-587-1264
E-mail address: wfeiden@northamptonma.gov
III: Budget Summary
Total budget for project: $50,000
CPA funding request: $50,000
CPA request as percentage of total budget: 100%
Applicant’s Signature:
Date Submitted: September 18, 2020_______________________
Affordable Housing Fund 2
Narrative:
In the last month, the city has sold or donated six parcels for affordable housing. The
city is looking to advance this work and seeks funding for due diligence and soft costs
for new affordable housing opportunities that the City creates. We have identified the
first three sites, and will bring in additional sites as opportunities arise:
• Laurel Street, former Northampton State Hospital--estimate 20 rental affordable
housing units, acquired from 2020 Acts of the legislature.
• 278 Burts Pit Road, former Northampton State Hospital- estimate two
homeownership affordable housing units, acquired from 2020 Acts of the legislature.
• Woodland Drive, former tax title parcel donated to the city in 2020- estimate one
market rate and one or two homeownership affordable housing units.
The City will surplus all parcels to add to the City’s affordable housing stock, and will
place permanent affordable housing restrictions to make sure they remain affordable
moving forward, but will need to complete the pre-development due diligence and soft
costs. This could include Environmental Site Assessments, surveys, lead paint
assessments, legal work, and permitting to make the sites available to affordable
housing developers.
The Massachusetts Housing Partnership recognizes the importance of predevelopment
activities and the use of CPA funds for predevelopment work:
CPA funding is an important resource to help jump start a development project. A
board, committee of the municipality, or the project sponsor may apply for CPA funds
to finance predevelopment activities. These activities may be needed to determine
project feasibility, plan for the number of housing units to be built or preserved, and/or
create preliminary site plans for the best use of a parcel. These preliminary
investigations can set up realistic expectations regarding a wide range of site
development issues and enable the community to assess what housing can be
accommodated on a particular parcel. Predevelopment analysis promotes better project
planning and helps municipalities set realistic expectations regarding the number of
units it can develop and the financial feasibility.
Predevelopment analysis can also provide valuable supportive documentation for RFPs.
Having experienced professionals undertake the analysis adds credibility and can help
the developer gain additional local approvals and funding necessary for the
development to proceed.
Preliminary environmental or financial feasibility studies
CPA funds can pay for tests to ensure that the site is suitable for housing development
and to determine where the development should be placed. Environmental tests can
include: Phase I environmental reports, test borings, and wetlands delineations
Site planning
Affordable Housing Fund 3
CPA funds can be appropriated to pay consultants to prepare conceptual site plans that
can be used to inform the public. This information may be included in an RFP to solicit
interest from developers for affordable housing developments on public property.
The project meets several Community Preservation general criteria:
Contributes to the preservation of Northampton’s unique character, boosts the vitality of
the community, and enhances the quality of life for its residents
Providing a wide variety of quality affordable housing types to meet the
community’s needs is critical to the character and vitality of Northampton.
Addresses recommendations contained in the Sustainable Northampton comprehensive
plan and/or the Open Space, Recreation, and Mixed Use Trail Plan 2011-2017 or is
consistent with other city-wide planning efforts that have received broad-based scrutiny
and input and can demonstrate wide community support
This project will result in new affordable housing opportunities in Northampton,
meets the goals of the Housing Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan, and will
help to address impediments to fair housing identified in the Fair Housing
Assessment. It also meets the Sustainable Northampton goal of supporting a
wide variety of housing types that increase rental and homeownership units to
create and preserve a range of affordability and choice in housing options
Receives endorsement by community groups, municipal boards and/or departments
The application is presented by the Office of Planning and Sustainability in its
capacity as the lead office in promoting and planning for affordable housing
opportunities in Northampton, and is supported by the Housing Partnership.
Leverages additional public and/or private funds, or demonstrates that other funding
sources are not readily available or sufficient
Funding opportunities for the predevelopment work necessary to develop
affordable housing are extremely limited; there are no other funding sources
readily available for this type of work. CPA funding for predevelopment will allow
additional funds to be leveraged for the housing development itself from other
sources.
Can be implemented expeditiously and within budget
We will begin predevelopment work as soon as funding is available.
The Project Meets Many of the Community Housing Criteria
Create or preserve community housing – both rental and home ownership, with a focus
that matches community needs for households
Promote and encourage use by diverse populations
Provide housing that is harmonious in design and scale with the surrounding community
Intermingle affordable and market rate housing
Affordable Housing Fund 4
Provide the City credit for units under M.G.L. Chapter 40B
Provide housing in locations that promote walking, biking, and use of public
transportation, and discourage single-occupancy vehicle trips
Provide housing for households with incomes below 80% of area median, and based on
community need give special consideration for funding to projects which restrict at least
some units to even lower income households including households with incomes below
50% or 30% of area median.
Project Budget:
100% of the grant will go to soft-costs and due diligence, and with the city donating
staff time, legal time, in-direct, and overhead. Costs per project can vary dramatically,
but typically costs and budgets might include environmental site assessment for $5,000,
lead paint assessment if there is a building for $4,000, survey costs for $4,000, and
permitting for $10,000. The costs are higher for large projects and projects requiring
comprehensive permits (where architectural elevations are required) and less for
desirable lots where the affordable housing developer can pick-up some of these costs.
ATTACHMENTS:
Support Letter from Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity
Laurel Street and Burts Pit Road City Council Order
City of Northampton
MASSACHUSETTS
_________
In City Council, April 2, 2020
Upon the recommendation of Mayor David J. Narkewicz and Planning & Sustainability
20.111 An Order to Accept Land and Surplus it for Affordable Housing at Laurel Street and Burts Pit Road
WHEREAS, Successive legislation (Chapter 86 of the Acts of 1994, Chapter 241 of the Acts of
2016, and House 4123, 2020, awaiting the Governor’s signature Chapter 169 of the
Acts of 2020) has set aside lots on Laurel Street and Burts Pit Road for affordable
housing, to transfer the land to the City of Northampton, and to waive consideration
(respectively);
WHEREAS, Consistent with the City’s Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan, Housing
Needs Assessment, and Fair Housing plans, the city has planned since 1994 for this
land to be used for affordable housing;
WHEREAS, City Council has consistently endorsed this use of the land, petitioning the state
legislature for these pieces of legislation and most recently zoning Laurel Street
parcels as part of the Smart Growth overlay on April 2, 2020.
Ordered, that
The Mayor is authorized to accept said deed to the above referenced land, approximately 3.4 acres
in aggregate, at 23 Laurel Street and 278 Burts Pit Road;
Further that City Council declares the parcels surplus to City needs;
Further that the Mayor is authorized to transfer deeds for the land subject to the city retaining
affordable housing restriction;
Further, to the extent consistent with the authorizing legislation, the Mayor is authorized to adjust
parcel boundaries with neighboring properties such that the final land dedicated to affordable
housing is no less than the current lot configurations.
Building strength,
stability and self-
reliance through
affordable
homeownership in
Franklin and
Hampshire Counties
Board of Directors
Stacy Metzger,
President
Benjamin Barnes,
Vice President
Christine Speek,
Treasurer
Jane Andresen,
Clerk
Keith Woodruff,
Assistant Clerk
Christine Aubrey
Samantha Brazeau
Anna Cook
Steve Harrington
Tom Jones
Clara Lopez
Matthew Ramon
Matthew Sherwood
Rob Steinberg
Executive Director
Megan McDonough
140 Pine Street, Rooms 3 & 4
PO Box 60642
Florence, MA 01062-0642
(413) 586-5430
info@pvhabitat.org
www.pvhabitat.org
September 7, 2020
Community Preservation Act Committee
City of Northampton
210 Main St, City Hall,
Northampton, MA 01060
Re: City fund request for soft costs and due diligence
Dear Committee,
The city of Northampton is a place of opportunity with great schools, jobs and
quality of life. These very things that make it a desirable place to live also make it
an expensive place to live and many can not afford housing in the city without
support. We are humbled to have been able to make the dream of homeownership
a possibility for 22 families (and we are in the process of building a home with the
23rd family) in the city over the last 30+ years.
But Habitat didn’t do it alone. One common theme throughout all our projects in
the city was the support of the city itself – from land acquisition to construction
funding – the city has supported an inclusive vision for its future where people of
many backgrounds and incomes can live here. Good planning has resulted in land
conservation and affordable housing side by side, mixed income neighborhoods,
just big enough lots, and more – but it becomes more difficult to do this as time
goes on and all the easy land is built on.
We support the planning department’s request for funding for softs costs and due
diligence so that the best parcels can be identified and ear marked for development
and/or conservation. This will lay the groundwork for future collaborations and set
us up for success.
In gratitude,
Megan McDonough, Executive Director
Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity