In the end, while Whitman residents were voting to confirm the potential of offering more affordable housing in the future through the state’s MBTA Communities bylaw amendment, the majority of Hanson residents attending Town Meeting Monday, May 6 made quite another thing clear.
They were there to say no – loudly and emphatically. Hanson’s vote, in fact could put a $300,000 state grant for the Senior Center through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs at risk of clawback of a state grant already awarded.
The grant is specifically to reinstate a supportive day program that was unfortunately unable to restart after Covid-19.
Director of Elder Affairs Mary Collins wrote it to allow a small addition of roughly 800-square feet in which the center could bring the supportive day program back five days per week. It will pay for the first-year salary of a supervisor of the program and if the past is any indication, can be self-sufficient after that year.
“We did it for over 26 years successfully prior to Covid – a one-of-a-kind program not widely available in the area,” Collins said Tuesday, May 7. “They are programs specifically designed to meet the needs of mentally frailer seniors as well as those experiencing social isolation.”
It is just one example of state grants tied to participation in the program.
Planning Board Chair Joseph Campbell introduced the amended article by proposing an amendment requesting a letter of action be sent to Hanson’s legislative delegation on Beacon Hill to immediately take action toward repealing the Baker-Polito administration’s proposed amendment of MGL Sec 3A C40A-Zoning. Multifamily zoning as of right – the MBTA Communities Act. In addition, his amendment would have referred the matter to an MBTA Communities Act Committee to be appointed by the town moderator to study and provide a comprehensive report at the October special Town Meeting on all “aspects, impacts, and assessments regarding a recommended action on the adoption or denial of MBTA Communities law” and zoning amendments.
A member of each of the Planning Board, ZBA, Select Board, two residents of Precinct 3 (which stands to be most impacted by the change), one from Precinct 2 and one member from Precinct 1 would serve on the committee and would meet no fewer than two times a month, submitting a preliminary report to the moderator, town Planner and Town Administrator no later than July 31.
While the law only requires towns to establish a district defined as “a zone of reasonable size in which an allowance for as of right multi-family housing is permitted” within a half-mile of public transportation, must comply with all Hanson building codes or be denied, and has been discussed at multiple public hearings by the Planning Board and the Select Board, which were sparsely attended and “when asked for input, the Planning Board received input from one office,” according to Campbell.
Although applicable to the Affordable Housing Act, and not the federal Section 8 program – housing is considered affordable in Hanson if one makes $92,000 a year.
“Indeed, as already seen it is having an effect on Mass. State grants applications, seen by our town of Hanson grant writers,” Campbell said. “The Planning Board has heard on numerous occasions, and agrees, this was legislation rushed through the state government machine in an attempt of quick resolution to a larger issue without thinking it through or respecting all the commonwealth’s citizens’ rights protected by our constitution.”
Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said that board, meeting just before Town Meeting, unanimously voted to support Campbell’s amendment. By October, she said it would be more apparent which other towns had voted no and what kind of repercussions have they seen from the state.
Bob Windell of High Street said the amendment sounded like town officials thought they were going to be voted down.
“I say, let’s knock this thing out of the park and get rid of it now,” he said to applause.
“I believe the intention put before you was deceptive,” said Daniel Strautman of Monponsett Street, who agreed with Windell.
Moderator Sean Kealy would not permit questions of people’s motivations. Strautman countered that they push back and vote it down now.
“The Town Meeting will ultimately have to decide, maybe not even at one meeting, but at several meetings, whether the grant money is worth changing the zoning, or if we’re going to hold fast,” Kealy said.
Campbell said that his amendment would enable Hanson to push back on legislation as no other town in the state had been able to do.
“It also sends a very strong message to the government that we’re going to hold our legislators accountable,” he said, while cautioning that, saying no to the State House is no small matter. “We will warn everybody that we don’t know the ramifications to their full extent for the towns that have said no.” There have been four, so far, only one of which is an MBTA community.
Town Administrator Lisa Green said the Attorney General has required towns to comply with the law or risk lawsuits and classification as ineligible for forms of state funding, including grants.
“We don’t even have an estimate of what it would cost to fight this,” she said. “They are very serious with this. We’re trying to preserve the grants we’ve received in the last couple of years totaling $2 million.”
Selectman Joe Weeks also urged approval of the amendment.
But that was not enough to satisfy the most vocal opponents of the MBTA law, who voted it down 196 to 155.
Debate then continued on the original article, which was also rejected by a voice vote.
“We’re not done,” Kealy said as residents attending because of the MBTA law begain to leave. “We have stuff to do here. Oh, come on, you can look up the score of the Bruins game on your phone. Good, lord!”
They left anyway.
Whitman, meanwhile, approved the zoning bylaw change by a simple voice vote.
Whitman Select Board member Justin Evans noted the state mandate for the zone reqiring multi-family housing by right. Not having a town planner, Whitman sought and received to grants totaling $40,000 to hire a planning group and “turned this requirement into an opportunity for Whitman.”
“We put this zone in underutilized industrial land within walking distance of the Commuter Rail – a number of old shoe factories that had seen better days, a property that had received an EPA grant to cleanup and existing multifamily housing,” Evans said.
When Whitman fell briefly out of compliance in 2022, the state threatened to take away 10 percent of the town Housing Authority’s capital funding. Evans worked with former interim Town Administrator Frank Lynam to get the town back in compliance, and he cautioned the town has applied for $600,000 in grants that could go away if it happens again.
Planning Board Chair John Goldrosen also spoke in favor of the law, noting it protected the single-family housing areas near the zone.
“This is an opportunity for the town,” he said, echoing Evans’ remarks. “This is an area where, if it grows, will help revitalize that section of town. … Voting against this will not take out the risk of multi-family housing in town because there is always 40B.”
He also noted that most people attending Town Meeting probably know someone who moved out of state because of the cost of housing.