Housing Task Force - Inaugural Meeting
Reposted via the Manchester Journal
MANCHESTER — The newest iteration of Manchester’s Housing Task Force hosted their inaugural meeting on Thursday, Aug. 15 where they elected officers, identified initial steps in service of their mission, and reviewed existing housing projects as well as properties with potential.
Meet the HTF and Their Officers
Selectman Jonathan West has been elected as chair of the revived HTF, an effort he has spearheaded since being elected to the Selectboard in March.
“Personally, I am extremely passionate about bringing our community together around housing, [and] how we can solve all things more efficiently and work collaboratively to bring some solutions to some complex problems,” West said. “I'm really excited to get to work with all of you.”
To enhance the efficiency of the task force’s work, as well as communication with other municipal bodies, the new seven-member body includes representatives from the Selectboard (West), Planning Commission (Vice Chair Leon Ward), and Development Review Board (Chair Tim Waker).
Waker, who has served on the DRB since 2003, was elected as vice chair. He owns and operates Mountain Plumbing & Heating, and cited “probably forty years” of experience with the construction industry.
Joanne O’Connor, a sustainability advocate with experience in grant-writing, will serve as secretary. She expressed interest in exploring the connections between climate resilience and housing development.
John Burnham, Executive Director of the Manchester Business Association (MBA), is the sole representative from the task force’s previous iteration. Cindy Luce, Executive Director of Bennington County Habitat for Humanity, will represent the non-profit perspective.
“It's not just one organization that's going to be able to fix this,” Luce acknowledged.
Rounding out the task force is John Watanabe, a real estate manager at Okemo Mountain who also serves on Manchester’s Development Review Board. Watanabe manages “about 300 units” of housing and has also been involved in development, he explained.
Gordon Black, economic development coordinator for the Town of Manchester, will provide administrative support as he did for the previous housing task force. The group will report back to the Selectboard on a quarterly basis, West said, and terms for elected officers are “ongoing” and “at the pleasure of the Selectboard.
Mission and First Steps
West proceeded to introduce the HTF’s mission, which he described as a “starting point.”
“The mission of the Housing Task Force is to foster collaborative solutions which address the housing needs in Manchester, including the development of affordable and accessible housing,” West read. “The Housing Task Force will work collaboratively with residents, local organizations as well as municipal state and federal agencies to identify needs, proposed solutions and support initiatives which promote sustainable housing in the community.”
He clarified that the HTF does not have the authority to create or change policies or ordinances, nor directly manage housing projects.
“Our collective efforts can lay the groundwork for decision making and more effective resource allocation,” West said, highlighting a recent project from rkMiles owner Joe Miles which plans for three detached, single-family units to be constructed on a 0.79 acre parcel at 787 Depot Street.
In terms of the task force’s initial focus, members agreed to continue the work of their predecessors to publish and maintain a repository of housing-related resources – intended to serve everyone from renters and homebuyers to builders and landlords – on the town’s website. This resource will include links and documents from town and state government, organizations, and more, they said.
The HTF also debated the definition of affordability, but agreed that what Manchester is really missing are housing opportunities for the middle class.
“There's a misconception that affordable housing is really for low income people,” Luce said. “That's not what affordability is. Affordability is that you are not paying more than 30% of your income for housing.”
West added that rental units would also need to be considered, as there is a distinct lack of “affordable” opportunities for tenants in the area.
Members also floated initiatives to find and propose new sources of revenue that could support housing initiatives including grants, and to develop incentives that could free up larger homes occupied by single residents.
“You have a lot of places that are one person, not in a 2,000 square-foot house, but in a 10,000 square-foot house,” Black said, “and more than 50 percent of the houses on the main road owned by second homeowners.”
Waker advised prioritizing housing that already exists due to the high cost of building, though he did acknowledge that prefabricated units could be a more viable avenue.
“Once you build something new, I think you're out of the affordable range,” he said. “That’s just my opinion, but I don't think you can build anything new that can be affordable… At least not on a small scale.”
Black added that Manchester Village would need to play a role in the effort, and that downtown housing – which could more easily be hooked up to town sewer and water, cutting costs – should also be prioritized.
“This is going to take a lot of small, incremental changes, small incremental opportunities, to collectively bring us all together,” West said.
Waker also pointed to recent workforce housing projects undertaken by Stratton Mountain Resort, which have left more full-time residences available.
“They bought three hotels in town, and they're using that,” he explained. “I think if larger businesses with multiple employees follow something like that, I think it helps out.”
Ultimately, the HTF agreed to look into analyzing Manchester’s current housing market and potentially surveying residents.
What opportunities exist now?
Before closing out their meeting, HTF members explored known development opportunities including town owned properties on Depot St. and Airport Rd. The former remains on the market after initial attempts to develop the property for housing fell through, as did a potential sale early this year. Funds from the sale may be used to purchase new property for housing or other projects, Black said.
On Airport Rd, the town owns approximately 65 acres of land, but water and sewer lines would have to be extended to serve the area if any construction were to happen, he said.
Black also noted two properties owned by Vanderbilt Equities, including land on Cone Rd. and the “crystal palace” at 72 Depot St. The latter would be almost prohibitively expensive to convert into housing, he said, but should remain on the task force’s radar.
Other properties could be suitable for housing, Black acknowledged, but are not currently for sale.
“There are places available for housing construction, but it’s a question of getting it or persuading a developer to buy it,” he said. Shires Housing, a non-profit that worked closely with the previous iteration of the Housing Task Force, could be a suitable developer for one of those properties, he noted, especially with the help of federal subsidies and other cost-reducing opportunities available to such organizations.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to convene every three weeks, and members resolving to begin spreading the word about their work in order to promote public education and engagement.
As always, I can be reached directly at (802) 768-7900 or at west.j@manchester-vt.gov
