Community Development

Concord Housing Authority

Housing Authority Members from left: Jack Finigan, Mary Johnson, Chair; Connie Levine, Michael Regan, Fred Macdonald

The Concord Housing Authority hired a new Executive Director, Judith Lincicum in November of 2006. Judith has 18 years of housing experience with the Danvers Housing Authority as their Management Assistant/Assistant Director.

The role of the Concord Housing Authority is to provide housing for families of low and moderate income and individuals who are elderly or disabled. The Concord Housing Authority owns and manages one hundred and forty three units in the Town of Concord and also administers eighty-five vouchers, which provide subsidies for people to rent in the private market.

The Housing Authority operates twenty-eight State aided Chapter 705 family residences: eight on Bedford Street, six on Strawberry Hill Road, three barrier-free residences on Thoreau Street, one condominium in Emerson Annex, one condominium at Westvale Meadows, two condominiums on Bartkus Farm Road and one barrier-free residence on Grove Street.

The cha's elderly/disabled program consists of thirty-six units of independent/shared living located at Peter Bulkley Terrace. With donations from the Belkap House, the cha hopes to modernize the building to one bedroom apartments.

Through the Federal government, the cha administers eighty-five Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and manages eighteen scattered site family units located in Concord.

Through a State program the cha also administers eight units on Thoreau Street managed by Toward Independent Living. The cha also owns and manages a condominium at 78 Forest Ridge Road and 365 Commonwealth Avenue.

The cha partnered with Minuteman arc in developing 5 spaces in Peter Bulkeley Terrace for arc clients in need of housing.

The Elderly Support Services Program at Peter Bulkeley Terrace and Everett Gardens continues to provide high quality services to residents. Services provided by Nursing Services Home Care and Minuteman Home Care, which includes Managed Care Programs and its federal counterpart, the Adult Foster Care Program, can be credited with enhancing the quality of life for the cha's elderly residents, as well as continuing their ability to live independently.

Affordable Housing Committee

Affordable Housing Committee Standing from left: George Xenakis, Donald Lashley, Michael Malouf, Chair; Michael Jeans; Seated from left: Robert Waldeck, Elizabeth Parise, Jerome Gentile

The Affordable Housing Committee (ahc) continued work on its mission to improve housing diversity and to increase the number of low and moderate income housing units in the Town, as affordable housing remains a serious social need in Concord and the Greater Boston area.

Highlights of the Committee's work this year:

• Continued to collaborate with other housing groups in order to prioritize Concord's affordable housing needs.

• Applied, and was approved for an allocation of the cpc funds. These funds, if approved by Town Meeting, may be used for feasibility studies, options on land parcels, and "buy-down" opportunities. These join land acquisitions as identified needs in moving affordable housing forward.

The biggest accomplishment of the ahc was, in fact, to dissolve and re-form into the Concord Housing Development Corporation (chdc). The chdc is a non-profit entity whose existence was established by special legislation enacted on August 22, 2006. Concord joins such towns as Acton, Cambridge, and Wellesley in the existence of such a non-profit housing development corporation. The ahc wrote a charge for the chdc which the Board of Selectmen approved. The Board of Selectmen appointed ahc Members to become the Board of Directors of the chdc with the intention to dissolve the ahc soon. chdc will continue with the mission of the ahc while continuing to develop as a non-profit. The chdc will have increased ability to facilitate affordable housing options in Concord and will work in partnership with the Board of Selectmen.

Concord Housing Trust

Peter B. Farrow
Carrie Flood
Holly Darzen
Edith Fruscione
Nancy Conway

Concord Housing Trust, Inc. (cht) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit housing development corporation founded in 1987 and run by a volunteer Board of Directors, each of whom also donates certain professional services in the work of the Trust. cht's central mission is to help the Town create and preserve affordable housing for those who could not otherwise compete in Concord's private housing market. By doing so, Concord can preserve the historic range of resident incomes while simultaneously increasing its ethnic diversity.

cht is closely affiliated with the Concord Housing Foundation (chf). While cht's mission is to create and preserve affordable housing, chf's purpose is to engage in community outreach, education, and fundraising in support of affordable housing in Concord.

During the Town's negotiations with the Burke family in 2005 for purchase of approximately 14 acres of former farm land on Old Bedford Road, cht became aware of an opportunity to acquire an adjacent parcel of land and entered into an independent agreement for this property. cht applied for and ultimately received approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals in the spring subdivide this one-acre parcel into two nominal half-acre lots.

The original plan included resale of the existing ranch style home at fair market value and construction of four units of condominium-style housing on the newly created rear parcel. After lengthy discussion with affected neighbors, cht reworked its proposal to include only three new homes in a single structure fashioned after a rambling farmhouse. In the approved design, parking and a common storage shed will be located behind the homes to minimize visibility from the Old Bedford. Access to the recently installed sewer line in this area was granted by the Public Works Commission, for which cht paid the standard connection and improvement fees.

The Town Meeting Warrant contained two articles critical to the success of this project. The first of these involved granting of an easement for a driveway and utilities along the edge of the open land that had been acquired by the Town. This was laid out in such a way as to offer a potential connection to the Ripley School site, currently used as administration offices, should some future use of that facility warrant dual access. (The building is now served only by Meriam Road).

The second article involved public contribution to construction costs. cht's ability to sell at below-market rates (and also well below actual cost) is entirely dependent upon external funding. In addition to the Trust's usual contribution of in-kind services and private fundraising undertaken by chf, warrant article 28 included an appropriation of $222,000 from Community Preservation funds for this purpose.

With the passage of both articles, plans were quickly translated into action. cht signed a Purchase and Sale agreement with a buyer for the existing house and ground had been broken for construction of the new homes. Each of which will be sold by lottery to qualified families with incomes at or below 80% of the area median income. The Concord Housing Trust is grateful to the Burke family for their offer, and most especially for their cooperation and patience in bringing it to fruition.

Concord Housing Foundation

Terry Rothermel, President
Nancy McJennett, Treasurer
Al Armenti
Tom Conway
Jim Craig
Charles Phillips
Gordon Shaw

The Concord Housing Foundation, Inc., (Foundation) is a 501c(3) non-profit charitable corporation. Founded in 2001 and run by a volunteer Board of Directors, the Foundation's purpose is to engage in fundraising, community outreach, education, and policy initiatives in support of affordable housing development in Concord. Although legally separate and distinct from the Concord Housing Trust, the Foundation provides financial fundraising support to that group and other housing organizations in Concord as they implement their missions to create and preserve affordable housing in Concord.

To date, the Foundation has undertaken three fundraising campaigns. In 2006-07, its goal is to raise $200,000 to support two developments: 1) the Concord Housing Authority's plan to build four units of housing on the Ammendolia land for seniors with low incomes; and 2) the Concord Housing Trust's plan to build a triplex of affordable family units on the Burke land. In 2004, it raised $95,000 from over one hundred donors for Baker Homes, a development of five affordable family units built by the Concord Housing Trust. In an earlier 2001-2002 fundraising for twelve Elm Brook Homes built by that group, a similar number of donors contributed $235,000.

The Concord Housing News is published by the Foundation on a semi-annual basis. The newsletter covers topics related to affordable housing in Concord, including the activities of the Foundation, the Concord Housing Trust, the Concord Housing Authority, and the Town's Affordable Housing Committee (which has become the new Concord Housing Development Corporation). The newsletter also provides a preview and summary of housing-related articles that come before Concord's annual Town Meeting.

The Directors and its Board of Advisors decided in 2004 that the Foundation should become more proactive in supporting initiatives on behalf of affordable housing issues in Concord. Initially, this new objective was visible in a series of editorial pieces in the Concord Journal. Then, in Town Meeting 2005, the Foundation introduced amendments to three articles in favor of more affordable housing. These amendments were approved by Town Meeting.

Smaller donations received annually from the Friends of Housing help cover the Foundation's costs for the newsletters, fundraising, other mailings, and for the annual audits required of charitable organizations.

The Foundation's Advisors now meet semiannually with the Directors and provide valuable inputs. The nineteen members of the Advisory Board are: Nancy Beecher, Nancy Beeuwkes, Nan Conway, Nancy Cronin, George Dallas, Art Fulman, Phill Gross, Jay Keyes, Pat Lauzon, Constance Putnam, Nancy Roberts, Sally Schnitzer, Norma Shapiro, Steve Steinberg, Eric Van Loon, Kate Villers, Phil Villers, Alec Walker, Elliott Wilbur, and Win Wilbur.