Affordable housing units are a scarce and valuable resource.  All reasonable efforts must be made to preserve them whenever possible.

Monitoring affordable housing deed restrictions is necessary to ensure that affordable housing is made available to households who meet eligibility criteria and that the units are rented or sold at an affordable price and marketed fairly.  Currently, multiple entities monitor affordable housing including municipal community development and planning offices, local housing authorities, property owners, and private nonprofits.  The added administrative burden of monitoring can be daunting to municipalities; the terms and conditions vary and are contingent upon the regulatory agreement and related restrictions.  

Maintaining the overall affordable housing stock is also critical.  Policies must offset the incentives that encourage private owners of multifamily housing to opt-out of Section 8 contract agreements.  Legislative, regulatory, and funding actions are possible to discourage owners from selling, to allow them to retain their subsidies, or to encourage transfer to a non-profit owner who will maintain affordability.

24.a    MAPC and allied organization should develop a proposal for regional monitoring of affordability agreements

24.b    MAPC with the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation and other allied organizations should develop an inter-municipal expiring use task force

24.c    The Legislature should pass legislation stalled at the end of the last session to protect expiring use units, and should provide funding for preservation of expiring use properties

Add Comment