Housing Committee
Comprehensive Plan
February 25, 2003
10 members present: Jack Shipley, Paige Farmer, Lee Shipley, Al Roberge, Ellen Breed, Sue Roberge, Dick Dionne, John Sterling, Ray Guerin, Skip Clough
Jack S. – future meeting dates were given, March 11 & 25, April 8 & 22. 6:30 PM in the Planning Office. Meetings to end between 8 – 8:30 PM. Video on sprawl has been purchased, 2 copies.
Ellen B. – offered to record the meeting notes and send to R. Orsini at Town Hall for posting to the web site, www.southberwickmaine.org
Jack S.- FYI, upcoming information presentations at town hall, Mt.Agamenticus Conservation update by Jean Demetracopoulus on March 12, 2003 and on March 19, 2003 Maine Audubon Society’s Barbara Charry, “Beginning With Habitat”.
Is there land the town has taken for back taxes? Is this land that can be designated and considered for work force housing?
Affordable Housing was the term most chosed by those attending the 1st Comphrensive Plan meeting for the Housing catagory. Work Force Housing seems to be the language of choice for this idea. Lisa Henderson of the Seacoast Work Force Housing Coalition is being contacted and asked to attend the Housing Cmmttee.’s next meeting to give us some information.
Paige F. – is familiar with Ms Henderson and also mentioned Maryanne Gleason of a Maine organization that works with the work force housing issue. Thought it would be valuable to have both come to our meeting as they have different info. based on the populations they serve.
Handed out some statistical info. on the work force housing issue specific for S.Berwick. Data is from 2000 census numbers. Highlighted, family with 2 working parents, 2 children need $26.00/hour to cover basic needs to live in S.Berwick. 40% of the families from this data are below this ceiling.
Discussion and review of the data sheet presented
Discussion - What is our role? Is it to project where we want to be?
What is the impact that housing has on other committees?
How do we define affordable?
Keeping municipal employees in town is important, response time for fire fighters, police etc. impacted if cannot live here.
Teachers, children who grow up here, seniors who have fixed incomes, if they choose to live in town can they?
Paige F. – affordable is defined as, 30% of one’s monthly income needed for housing. There are strategies to create work force housing that may not include building new structures.
Discussion – We would like to generate a list of questions for our guests for next meeting. There are models out there in the world of towns, communities that have been successful and devised ways to incorporate various kinds of needed housing in communities. It would be valuable to find some info about this.
Questions – Who lives here?
Where do they work?
What is the income range?
Funding sources for any of the strategies
What is a target goal for composition of various work force housing supply?
To what degree are other CP committees effected by the housing component?
What is a model that would be appropriate for us?
Given current trends where are we headed? What will S.Berwick look like?
Discussion – Are we unique with the major employers being school district and municipality?
Loss of manufacturing jobs, the community is in transition. Navy yard and manufacturing void changes landscape of possibilies for jobs. People moving in are travelling 30-45 min. south for employment. Perhaps 600 people employeed by various businesses in S.Berwick. Smaller house lots. Sewer plant is at about 50% capacity, at 80% EPA regulations will mandate and upgrade.
Jack S. - Smart Growth handout. We need to familarize ourselves with options regarding growth. Need to find out what others have done.
Discussion – Limiting building permits? The limit is 60/year historically never get close to it.
Summary – Look at strategies from old CP plan, see if they correspond to any of what the summary sheet identified as important. Then we need to see if there are any that we can update for 2003.
Hopefully have Ms Henderson & Gleason at next meeting to give us some info. and answer questions.
Jack S. to look into impact fees.
Ellen B to inquire about how Crocketts Crossing has affected Somersworth
Paige & Ellen to search for some links for models that might give us some ideas. We will email any that look good.
Need to have the zoning map with area designations for us to see in the room.
We need to figure out our direction, set goal(s) for this committee then strategies & recommendations.
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