Affordable Homes Act: Highlights/August 4
Patrick White for State Representative
If you find these notes helpful, consider forwarding this email to five or ten friends and ask them to subscribe at my website. Please also consider liking my posts on Facebook and Instagram. It helps build traffic with the algorithm!
So honored to have the active support of Tim Gray. He's been fighting to hold GE accountable for its PCB pollution for over 30 years. He has 50 signs to give out. Stop by and grab one if you'd like to join in this campaign.
In This Issue:
What Didn't Get Done: Climate and Economic Development Legislation
Photos from the Kamala Harris Event
Save the Date: The State's Forestry Conference in Stockbridge October 19
Letter of Endorsement: Bob Jones, Lee Select Board
Affordable Homes Act: Highlights
Affordable Homes Act: Encouraging Regional Trusts
Affordable Homes Act: Seasonal Communities
Affordable Homes Act: Accessory Dwelling Units By Right
Affordable Homes Act: Disincentives for Filing Nuisance Lawsuits
Affordable Homes Act: Support for Veterans
Affordable Homes Act: Repairs for Existing Housing Stock
Affordable Homes Act: Local Earmarks
What Didn't Get Done:
Climate and Economic Development Legislation
As great as the Affordable Homes Act is, it is just one of three landmark bills that were under consideration. For an in-depth analysis of the Affordable Homes Act, see below. The other two, climate legislation and economic development legislation, did not pass. I am hoping my strong portfolio of accomplishments in both environmental and climate issues, and my strong record as an entrepreneur and jobs creator, can help improve these bills in the next session and get them across the finish line for the Governor's signature.
Inspecting the lead paint remediation efforts at Stockbridge's Old Town Hall. No worries, once complete, the primer will quickly be applied to the wood. As the CFO of the nonprofit that bought this building, I work with the construction manager weekly on this project. As the CEO of multiple tech start-ups, I know how to create the types of jobs we need in the Berkshires.
Photos from the Kamala Harris Event
The view of Democratic Nominee Kamala Harris from my seat on the balcony at the Colonial Theatre
Waiting in line to get in with Pittsfield's Mayor Peter Marchetti and City Council President Pete White.
Now that's a VIP box: Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Rep. Bouvier, Historian and Columnist Carole Owens, and Sen. Paul Mark at the Harris event.
Steve, Isabelle, and Niti outside the Kamala Harris event.
Save the Date:
The State's Forestry Conference in Stockbridge October 19
Stockbridge has been given the honor of hosting the State's annual forestry conference, to be held October 19 at Town Hall. It will feature a number of speakers in the morning and field trips in the afternoon.
Watch and Decide for Yourself
I attended both the Sheffield Candidates' Forum and the League of Women Voters' Forum in Lee last month. This link is to the Sheffield Forum, where the questions weren't supplied in advance. Watch and decide for yourself.
Bob Jones Endorsement Letter
To the editor:
I am writing in full support of Patrick White’s candidacy for our state representative for the 3rd Berkshire District. I have known Patrick for many years, long before this endeavor, and before he sat on the Stockbridge Select Board. He is a consummate professional with a background in finance. He is willing to take on challenges that face us as individual communities and those that will impact us as a region. While sitting on the Stockbridge Select Board, he has reached across town lines to address shared problems, offered suggestions and solutions, and encouraged dialogue between towns. Patrick White is a man who will take on an issue, spark essential dialogue, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it may be.
His list of accomplishments is lengthy and impressive: working to redistribute tax burdens for local residents; creatively managing and minimizing budget increases while still implementing infrastructure improvements; procuring grant monies and other funding through his diligence and in-depth research; residential-housing initiatives; work-force housing; environmental initiatives including conservation measures, land grants (Patrick is one of three Berkshire individuals to sit on the state’s climate advisory board.) The list goes on, too lengthy to detail in a brief Letter to the Editor. For details, visit Patrick’s campaign website.
For those of us who are concerned about the deeply flawed Rest of River agreement, Patrick again stepped up when no one else would. The Town of Lee endeavored to open a dialogue with Sheffield, Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and Lenox to address the open-ended agreement that will impact residents in all these towns and beyond. Patrick White was the only select board member in all four of those towns who advocated for an open-meeting discussion to address the ongoing problems with the plan. He was, and is, an advocate for residents of Lee, and all of those towns. After all, it is the residents in the river corridor that will be most impacted this agreement. Patrick stood alone in his quest to bring the facts to them.
I hope my friends and neighbors in the 3rd Berkshire District will join me in voting to send Patrick White to represent us in Boston. He is tireless in his endeavors to make small-town government effective, productive, and to best serve the interests of the citizens it represents. Let’s give him the opportunity to go east and bring that message to Boston. Patrick White has our backs.
Bob Jones
Lee
NOTE: Bob Jones is a member of the Lee Select Board; however, he writes the above on his own behalf and not on behalf of the Select Board.
Still Doing the Job I Already Have
I’ve been working hard to do the job I already have as a Select Board member, even while I run. I filed both written and oral testimony as a DPU intervenor on behalf of residents who are on the Housatonic Water Works system. I launched a major initiative, with sign offs from both the Stockbridge and Lenox Select Boards, to make the neighborhoods in the Tanglewood area more pedestrian friendly. I’ve been working with our awesome Agricultural and Forestry Commission to plan the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Annual Forestry Conference, which will take place in Stockbridge on October 19.
* * * * *
Affordable Homes Act: Highlights
With overwhelming and bipartisan support, the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate passed the Affordable Homes Act and sent this landmark bill to Governor Healey. I took the time to read the 181-page final bill this weekend. I've excerpted some noteworthy sections and added my commentary. The smaller serif text is directly from the bill; the larger sans-serif text is my commentary.
Encouraging Regional Trusts
My Commentary. The Legislature is encouraging communities such as ours to regionalize our trusts. This is a great idea. I would suggest we go one step further: amend our regional agreements as they related to school districts to create regional incentives to build housing and remove the disincentives. An example of a disincentive is basing the apportionment of school funding per town that is based on foundation enrollment. This in effect penalizes towns that embrace housing solutions in the annual appropriations necessary to fund schools. We have available seats in our classrooms that can be filled at almost no marginal cost per student. How about we align our housing goals with how we apportion school funding to the taxpayers in the individual towns that are in a regional school district?
379 a resource for public housing eligible residents; (ii) encourage proposals that demonstrate regional collaborations among housing authorities;
Seasonal Communities
My Commentary. This is a big deal. For the first time, the Legislature has recognized the challenges specific to the Cape and the Berkshires related to tourism and seasonal communities. Nearly half of the communities in South County will meet this designation by definition; the others can petition the secretary.
1315 (b) The secretary may designate a municipality as a seasonal community; provided, however, that all municipalities in the counties of Dukes and Nantucket and all municipalities with over 35 per cent seasonal housing units in the county of Barnstable, as determined by the executive office in consultation with the Cape Cod commission established in chapter 716 of the acts of 1989 and all municipalities with more than 40 per cent seasonal housing units in the county of Berkshire, as determined by the executive office in consultation with the Berkshire regional planning commission, shall receive such designation. The executive office may...
My Commentary. Planning and Select Boards will be really busy over the next few years digesting all of their new options, including:
- Evaluating year-round housing restrictions
- Creating housing options for public employees
- Permit tiny homes on undersized lots
- Evaluate the residential exemption, which has been expanded from 35% of averaged assessed value to 50%
The last point echoes something I've been saying for five years: Sure, we need more affordable housing, but the much greater opportunity for our communities is if we focus on all areas of affordability. This new option gives us a powerful expansion of the tool, already in our toolkit, to improve affordability for working families and seniors alike. I am the only candidate in this race who has supported this option to lower residential property taxes. The Legislature, through this expansion, has just provided every Berkshire County Select Board so designated with an even more powerful option to lower your property taxes. It's quite a validation of my position, IMHO.
1363 (d) A seasonal community may: (i) acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions for rental or other housing; provided, however, that any such year-round housing occupancy restriction held by a city or town shall be construed as a restriction held by a governmental body with the benefit of section 26 of chapter 184; (ii) acquire and develop housing units with preference for housing seasonal community public employees that are necessary to the health and safety of maintaining a year-round community, including teachers, public works employees, public safety employees, first responders, town administrators and other employees essential for municipal operations as described under section 42(g)(9)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code; (iii) expend funds to develop, on a biannual basis, a comprehensive housing needs assessment; (iv) establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund, individually or with other seasonal communities, to provide for the creation and preservation of affordable and attainable housing in seasonal communities for the benefit of year-round residents; provided, however, that the executive office of housing and livable communities, in consultation with the seasonal communities advisory council established in subsection (c), shall promulgate regulations pertaining to the membership, powers and duties of the trust; and (v) expend funds designated for the creation and preservation of year-round affordable and attainable housing for individuals who, by vocation, produce or support artistic and literary activities. (e) For the purposes of this section, “tiny house” shall mean a detached structure containing a dwelling unit containing 400 square feet or less in floor area, excluding lofts. A seasonal community shall: (i) adopt by-laws or zoning ordinances to permit undersized lots to be used for the creation of attainable year-round housing; provided, however, that the lot, at the time of recording or endorsement, shall be located in a zoning district that allows for single-family residential use; provided further, that any single-family residential structure constructed on said lot shall adhere to the municipality’s floor area ratio by-laws and shall comply with all laws governing wastewater and sewer systems; and provided further, that any residential housing built upon undersized lots shall not be used as a seasonal home or short-term rental of less than 6 months and shall be used as year-round housing; and (ii) adopt by-laws to permit the construction of tiny houses provided that such tiny houses are designated for use as year-round housing units and meet all requirements of the state building code and local building code. A movable tiny house shall be registered with the registry of motor vehicles, as applicable. (f) A seasonal community may increase the exemption established in section 5C of chapter 59, at the option of the board of selectmen in a town or the mayor, with the approval of the city council, in a city 50 per cent of the average assessed value of all Class One, residential parcels within such city or town; provided, however, that the exemption shall be applied only to the principal residence of the taxpayer as used by the taxpayer for income tax purposes.
Accessory Dwelling Units By Right
My Commentary. This legislation allows Accessory Dwelling Units by right. It also prohibits municipalities from limiting them to full-time residents.
1684 SECTION 8. Section 3 of said chapter 40A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-
1686 No zoning ordinance or by-law shall prohibit, unreasonably restrict or require a special permit or other discretionary zoning approval for the use of land or structures for a single accessory dwelling unit, or the rental thereof, in a single-family residential zoning district;
Disincentives for Filing Nuisance Lawsuits
My Commentary. This is in response to meritless lawsuits that are designed to use the courts to thwart housing production. Bad faith lawsuits are now subject to attorney's fees.
1733 SECTION 13. Said section 17 of said chapter 40A, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the sixth paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-
1736 Costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, in an amount to be fixed by the court may be allowed against the party appealing from the decision of the board or special permit granting authority if the court finds that the appellant or appellants acted in bad faith or with malice in making the appeal to court.
Support for Veterans
My Commentary. I am proud to say I wrote and got passed Stockbridge's Residential Inclusionary Bylaw. Veterans are absolutely welcome in Stockbridge, and I applaud the Legislature's recognition of their service by preferencing them in housing lotteries. Veterans make great town employees and coupled with the above provisions, this will help us strengthen local communities.
1742 Section 18. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town that permits or adopts inclusionary zoning, incentive zoning, a density bonus ordinance or by- law pursuant to this chapter or a housing production plan submitted to the executive office of housing and livable communities may enter into an agreement with a housing developer or residential development owner to provide a preference for affordable housing to low- or moderate-income veterans, as defined in clause Forty-third of section 7 of chapter 4. The
Repairs for Existing Housing Stock
My Commentary. Stockbridge and Williamstown are the only two communities in the Berkshires who have met the state's 10% affordable housing requirement in Berkshire County. Even having met its state obligation, the voters of Stockbridge embraced the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust two years ago. With our aging stock of affordable housing units, this gives us, and other Berkshire communities, new funding to maintain existing affordable housing built decades ago. Thank you, State House!
2376 SECTION 38. Section 2 of chapter 121F of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
2378 (a) There shall be within the department a separate fund to be known as the Housing Stabilization and Investment Trust Fund. The department shall administer the fund and shall ensure that funds are distributed among urban, suburban and rural areas with a particular emphasis on the development of alternative forms of housing and local and regional needs.
Local Earmarks
My Commentary. The following earmarks made it into the final legislation that is awaiting the Governor's signature. Thanks to Sen. Mark and Rep. Pignatelli for funding these projects in the Berkshire 3rd District and in Pittsfield.
546 sites to be used for affordable, senior, or mixed-use housing in the town of Orange; provided further, that not less than $1,000,000 shall be expended for the renovation of Cassilas Farm for affordable housing units in New Marlborough; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for a feasibility study of St. Martin Hall on the property of Shakespeare and Company located in the town of Lenox; provided further, that not less than $5,000,000 shall be expended for seasonal supportive housing for the non-profit creative economy in Berkshire county;
801 improvement projects and upgrades; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for a site identification feasibility study for artist housing for the Barrington Stage Company, Inc. and Berkshire Theatre Group, Inc. in the city of Pittsfield;
861 provided further, that not less than $1,000,000 shall be expended to Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Inc. for the construction of new workforce housing and conservation of land and natural resources in the town of Egremont on the 225-acre former Egremont Golf Club property; provided further, that not less than $1,000,000 shall be expended to the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire, Inc. for the redevelopment and remediation costs of new housing projects at the former Thornewood Inn and 100 Bridge street in the town of Great Barrington; provided further, that not less than $500,000 shall be expended to Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, Inc. for the creation of affordable housing projects in Berkshire county in collaboration with local communities; provided further, that not less than $1,000,000 shall be expended to Hilltown Community Development Corporation for the creation of new housing and redevelopment of vacant properties in the rural hill towns of Berkshire, Hampden and Hampshire counties; provided further, that not less than $500,000 shall be expended to the North Adams Housing Authority; provided further, that not less than $500,000 shall be expended to Westside Legends, Inc. in the city of Pittsfield for the construction of new affordable homeownership units in 5 multifamily residential buildings constructed on a currently vacant lot;
949 Housing Authority; provided further, that not less than $500,000 shall be expended to the Dalton Housing Authority;
So very proud to have the national endorsement of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.
Want to Learn More?
Please consider supporting my candidacy to represent you in the State House. To learn more, visit https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com
You can donate by clicking here:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/patrick-3rd
Or you can mail a check to:
Patrick Thomas White Committee
81 Hawthorne Street
Lenox, MA 01240
We had a solid fundraising week and have now reached nearly 90% of my primary goal. Thanks for any help you can provide. I am in it to win it and am running to effect real change. I'd love to have your support.
Warmly,
Patrick White
PS: You can find detailed positions on my campaign website:
https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com
Previous Notes
You can now read every article I've written, organized by topic, on my campaign homepage. https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com
Week ending 7/21/2024
Cell Service Woes. read more
Week ending 7/14/2024
The Creative Economy. read more
Week ending 7/7/2024
Seeing Some Bears and Saving Some Bees. read more
Week ending 6/30/2024
A Thoroughly American Story. read more
Week ending 6/23/2024
Meet Ben Soloway. read more
Week ending 6/8/2024
Climate Cred. read more
Week ending 6/1/2024
Solving the EMS Crisis. read more
Week ending 5/24/2024
Lessons from Wyoming. read more
Week ending 5/17/2024
The Politics of Water. read more
Week ending 5/10/2024
Paul Revere and Smitty Pignatelli. read more
Week ending 5/3/2024
Fixing Assessments, Aging in Place, EMS. read more
Week ending 4/26/2024
Swinging for the Fences. read more
Week ending 4/19/2024
Housing - Trails - Internet - Healthcare - Singing Praise. read more
Week ending 4/12/2024
Dog Day Afternoons. read more
Week ending 4/5/2024
Remembering Searles Middle School. read more
Week ending 3/29/2024
It's all about the jobs. read more
Week ending 3/22/2024
Snow - Taxes - Childcare - Grants - School Play read more
Week ending 3/15/2024
Economic development, family farms, why just water? read more
Week ending 3/8/2024
Affordable housing, Climate Advisory Board, Multicultural Bridge, economic development, ROR filing. read more
Week ending 3/1/2024
West Stockbridge rent control brief, PCB radio interview, cancer and the river, reducing property taxes. read more
|