Rep. Stanley Testifies on Lincoln Affordable Housing Bill

Rep. Stanley testified at the Joint Committee on Revenue hearing in support of a Lincoln Affordable Accessory Dwelling Home Rule Petition. This legislation (H.2645), sponsored by Rep. Stanley, seeks to increase the town’s affordable housing stock by incentivizing owners of accessory apartments to rent their apartments as affordable units. The bill represents an innovative effort made by the Town of Lincoln to diversify their housing stock and increase the number of high-quality, affordable housing units in the community.

Accessory units, also known as accessory apartments, guest apartments, in-law apartments, family apartments or secondary units, provide supplementary housing that can be integrated into existing single family neighborhoods to provide a lower-priced housing alternative with practically zero negative impact on the character of the neighborhood. They effectively improve the affordability of housing for both homeowners and renters at all stages of their lives while also helping to maximize use of existing public infrastructure and services, while reducing the pressure on open space and farmlands from development. Maintaining or increasing the number of people per household unit as well as the number of households per lot in existing residential areas reduces the costs for municipalities to extend utilities and services. Municipalities also gain additional tax revenue from accessory apartments as a result of improvements to the existing stock in addition to saving money through the enhancements to moderately priced housing stock that don’t requiring local funding.

The Town of Lincoln maintains a diverse housing program, providing rental and ownership opportunities in a variety of settings and locations throughout the community. Even though Lincoln currently exceeds the 10% threshold under Chapter 40B, local officials are actively working to ensure that the Town exceeds this position when the 2020 census is confirmed. Moreover, Lincoln possesses most, if not all, of the conditions needed to create high-quality, successful accessory units: available housing stock, preservation goals, aging demographics, entry-level job growth, supportive neighborhoods and supportive local public policies. The Town’s Housing Commission recognized these factors and proposed the affordable accessory apartment zoning bylaw which was overwhelmingly approved by the Lincoln voters at the March 25th, 2017 Town Meeting. Coupled with Lincoln’s property tax exemption, the accessory apartment zoning bylaw is intended to incentivize owners of accessory apartments to rent their apartments in a manner that would satisfy the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) criteria for including of these units within the Town’s subsidized housing inventory.

Last session, the Joint Committee on Revenue amended this legislation by adding a sunset clause. The Lincoln Housing Commission opposed this amendment and would like for the House and Senate to pass H.2645 without substantive changes this session.