The Affordable Housing Toolbox -- Public Land

Building on Town/ County/ School Land

The use of land or buildings for affordable housing development through long-term ground leases for below market value, helps reduce the cost and is one of the most valuable contributions a community can make. If a municipality owns property, it can make it available at no cost, or low cost for deed-restricted low or moderate income housing. M.G.L. Chapter 30B (Section 16) spells out the process to be used in finding a suitable developer, in what is essentially a reserves of the usual procurement process required for a long-term ground lease (more than 30 years).

Demolition Delay

Demolition delay ordinances or by-laws impose a waiting period before a permit can be granted to demolish a residential structure. The waiting period creates an incentive for reuse and gives interested parties an opportunity to acquire reusable residential structures.

For more information contact the Edgartown, West Tisbury or Nantucket planning boards for copies of ordinances or by-laws or the Citizens Planning Training Collaborative website at www.umass.edu/masscptc.

Reuse of Public Buildings

The reuse of vacant or underutilized, or functionally obsolete properties can enable communities to accomplish growth in established locations instead of undeveloped areas, and at the same time preserving or restoring the architectural fabric of the community.

For more information see the National Trust for Historic Preservation's About the National Trust and the Boston Regional Office at www.nthp.org.

Tax Title Properties

Tax title properties are land and/or buildings that are in the process of being taken by the municipality because the owner has failed to pay property taxes. Municipalities may abate up to 75% of taxes and 100% of interest and penalties owed on a property that will be turned into affordable housing; expedite the foreclosure process in case where the redemption amount exceeds the value of the property; and accept a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure proceeding.

For more information see the Department of Revenue's Information Guide Release #02-206 at www.dls.state.ma.us and click on EO418 and go to Best Practices or purchase Back on the Roll: A Report on Strategies to Return Tax Title Properties to Productive Use from the Citizens Housing and Planning Association at www.chapa.org.

Housing Trust (Community Land Trust)

A non-profit organization that acquires land and provides long-term ground leases (99-year and renewable) to income eligible households who in turn owns the house or improvement located on the land. By removing the land costs from the housing equation, the ground lease model reduces the cost of ownership.

For more information contact the Island Housing Trust at 508-696-0943.

Land Bank Partnership/ Discounted Sale

The Land Bank has worked with land owners to identify appropriate parcels of land in collaboration with towns and housing organizations. Land is then subdivided with a portion sold to the Land Bank and a portion being sold at a discounted rate to non-profit housing organizations, which affords certain tax benefits to the seller.

For more information contact the MV Land Bank, Aquinnah Resident Homesite Committee or the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority.

You can contact the Vineyard Housing Office: 346 State Road, P.O. Box 4538, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or phone 508 693 4419.

You can also go to the VHO's website at http://www.vineyardhousing.org for more information.

The Regional Housing Authority has created an Affordable Housing Toolbox to assist towns in planning and creating local inventive housing solutions. The toolbox includes various affordable housing strategies from inclusionary zoning to how to secure land to types of funding sources that island towns and communities across the commonwealth are using. Much of the information was taken from a publication prepared by CHAPA and MHP entitled "Taking the Initiative - A Guidebook on Creating Affordable Housing Strategies."