Questions with State Representative Candidates

Patch recently contacted candidates Cory Atkins, and KC Winslow for state represenative of the fourteenth Middlesex district, including Carlisle, Concord, and parts of Acton, and Chelmsford. We asked them to take a stance on the repeal effort of chapter 40B, and present a possible solution.

Patch: Is the law right for the people of Concord?

Winslow: It is very important to note that for every 40B affordable unit that is created, there are 3 non-affordable units created. Therefore, in order to reach the 10% threshold of affordability by using 40B, Concord would be forced to grow by 40%. In addition, when all is said and done, many of the "affordable" units that have been created through 40B are only affordable to a small percentage of the population. Because the developments in our region tend to be on the higher end, the median income and qualifying salary requirements make the affordable units available to a very small percentage of the populace.

As a realtor, it is clear that we no longer need to be adding to our existing housing stock. Our inventories are already bloated and the rate of absorption continues to increase. 40B encourages developers to maximize their profits by building high priced developments in the suburbs. I recommend we replace 40B with incentives for redevelopment, preserving our housing stock and passing inclusionary zoning laws to include a certain percentage of affordable housing units with every development over a certain number of units. No more over development, no more skirting local zoning laws.

Atkins: I believe that changes in local zoning laws - like those in Newton - could work in Concord. Large old houses have been re-zoned and made into condos in areas with access to transportation.It is a solution that does not tax the infrastructure or change the nature of communities and can easily be done to follow a smart growth model. Finally, dividing the property tax burden for a large old home amongst several condominium owners will lower the tax burden for the inhabitants.

Patch: You support the law, or the repeal effort, and what would you do related to this issue, if elected?

Winslow: I support the repeal of the 40B law. Although I am completely in favor of the creation of affordable housing, and I acknowledge that 40B has contributed to our affordable housing stock since its inception in 1969, the flaws, the abuses and the downsides of the law, unfortunately outweigh the benefits.

With developable land in Concord, Acton, Carlisle and Chelmsford becoming more and more scarce, the incentive that 40B creates to develop land, 75+% of which is non-affordable is not practical nor sustainable. It is not the affordable housing that I object to, it is the market rate/unaffordable housing and pro-development incentives that puts the preservation of our towns at risk. I would much prefer to see the funding and emphasis be put on renovation and preserving the existing housing stock for affordable purposes. The 2/3 bedroom ranch/cape indeed has a historical place in our communities and certainly serves a purpose, especially with an aging demographic.

Atkins: I would vote to repeal Chapter 40B. It is my understanding that we do not have a housing problem, we have a demographics problem. The Commonwealth has fewer inhabitants yet we seem to require more housing. This dilemma is caused by a house originally designed to house five or six people but now housing one or two. The problem with 40B is that no one likes it, but we would have no affordable housing without it.

For more information on the fourteenth Middlesex district, and your other representatives, visit the Massachusetts legislature directory. More information on how to contact candidate Winslow, or representative Atkins is available on their web sites.