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opposition to St Cantius church CPA funding 8 8 22.docx8/8/22 Dear members of the CPC and the Historic Commission: I can’t quite believe that I am writing this letter as I am a diehard supporter of every historic structure and streetscape in Northampton, but I find myself deeply opposed to the provision of CPA funds to preserve the exterior of a historic structure, St. John Cantius Church. This speaks to how deeply concerned I am by the precedence and implications of this request. The support of this proposal terrifies me and is part of an ongoing sale of this city to large-scale, for profit developers who are uninterested in their impacts on the built and natural environment of Northampton. I think that the passage of the CPA was incredibly important and I was involved in the effort. I contribute a reasonably significant amount of funds annually through my property taxes. The intention of these funds was to assist the public good. Over the years, there has been a lot of discussion about the use of these funds by private property owners. There has been concern voiced about a slippery slope, and I believe that this proposal is at the bottom of a landslide. And what is next? The intention of this funding was not ever described as an opportunity for private developers to subsidize the construction costs of market rate housing units. I want to see this church preserved. But in my opinion, this request could be construed by some as blackmail or extortion--We are going to tear the building down, we won’t sell it to you. But if you give us $800,000, we won’t demolish it. And we will make a whole lot of money in the process. If you don’t give it to us, we will demolish the building. Where exactly is the give and take? The give and take doesn’t appear to be in any affordable units. The response to the question “What are the anticipated rent levels? Is there any possibility of a 2 unit affordable housing set-aside?” leaves many questions. The response was “Even with a partial offset provided by CPA funding, the current cost of construction requires the entire project to be market-rate, with no possibility of a 2 unit affordable set-aside. Early market research suggests that average rents are likely to fall between $1,800 and $1,900 per month.” There is no such requirement. It is only a question of the desired profit margin for the project. In my opinion, affortable unit set asides should be an absolute requirement of the project, which I still don’t support. The financing for the church is part and parcel of the entire townhouse development. It is disingenuous to only focus on the church costs because they are offset by the profits on the other units, and to only provide the costs and not the profit margin. I believe strongly that if there is a request for public funds of this magnitude that could fund so many other projects to benefit the community, that there be a requirement for full financial transparency of the profit projections for this entire project for at least a 20 year period. Meaning since the construction of the first townhouses began, what are the anticipated expenses and revenue, not only now but out 20 years? Then people can really weigh in on the appropriateness of the request. Furthermore, a stipulation could be added that if a certain profit threshold is surpassed, that the city is reimbursed the funds. For a project generating what is likely millions in profit, why are the pressed taxpayers of Northampton contributing to its bottom line? This entire development is of questionable benefit to the neighborhood, and has had a very negative impact on the property value and the livability of the abutters. Yes, it brings more housing to the downtown core, at tremendous profit for the developer and the realtor, and to the detriment of existing residents. This has not been a collaborative project with the neighborhood. Just the opposite. I want to see what the numbers for this overall project are, such that $800,000 of public money is necessary. Is there only $800,000 of profit to be made? Of course not. When is enough profit enough? If the developers and the realtor really have concerns about community desires or historic preservation, they could make a decision to lessen their profit by $800,000. They will still be just fine financially. Debra Bercuvitz .