Stoneham Seeks Affordable Housing Trustees

STONEHAM, MA — The town of Stoneham is seeking volunteers interested in serving on its new Municipal Affordable Housing Trust.

Approved via a vote at Town Meeting earlier this year, the trust is tasked with both preserving and creating affordable housing in Stoneham. It will consist of between five and seven trustees, including one Select Board member.

All trustees need to be appointed by a vote of the Select Board. The trust will meet at least once per-quarter.

Comments attached to the then proposed Affordable Housing Trust Bylaw at Town Meeting said a “yes” vote would “create a vehicle for Stoneham to continue addressing its affordable housing stock.”

“This article provides a structure to begin experimenting with new ideas to increase affordable housing stock,” comments said.

Both the Select Board and the Finance and Advisory Board unanimously recommended passage of this article earlier this year, with comments saying that the Finance and Advisory Board was “cautiously optimistic the formation will have a positive effect on the town’s future housing plans."

Stoneham has grappled with its level of affordable housing in recent years, notably filing a series of appeals in a back-and-forth with developers looking to build a large-scale residential project at the Weiss Farm property in town.

Under state law, known as 40B, developers of projects with sufficient affordable housing are able to skirt some local zoning laws in communities that don't meet a minimum threshold of 10% of their total housing units being affordable.

Stoneham, which falls well below that mark, has tried to win "safe harbor" status under 40B, arguing that it should qualify under a separate provision of the law that preserves local zoning for communities where more than 1.5% of developable land is used for projects that include affordable housing. Those efforts have been unsuccessful to date.

Anyone interested in a seat on the new Stoneham Affordable Housing Trust should send a letter of interest to Select Board member Dava Kilbride by email at dkilbride@stoneham-ma.gov by Sept. 9.