9/11/2018 AFFORDABLE HOUSING Minutes

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Mashpee Affordable Housing Committee Meeting Minutes September 11, 2014 at 6:30 pm Mashpee Town Hall Present: Chairman Allan Isbitz, Walter Abbott,Berkeley Johnson, Bruce Willard Absent: Marie Stone CALL TO ORDER Chairman Isbitz opened the meeting at 6:37 p.m, with a quorum, and the roll was called. APPROVAL OF MINUTES August 2, 2014 &August 16,2014 MOTION: Mr. Abbott made a motion to accept the minutes of August 2nd. Mr. Johnson seconded the emotion. All voted unanimously. MOTION: Mr. Abbott made a motion to accept the minutes for August 16th. Mr. Willard seconded the motion. All voted unanimously. FEATURED TOPIC 'Creating Workforce Housing with Accessory Dwelling Unit(ADU)Bylaw- Stefanie Coxe attended tonight's meeting on behalf of Smarter Cape Partners, to discuss a proposed Bylaw drafted by the Cape Cod Commission, copied and distributed to members of the Committee. Ms. Coxe discussed the housing shortage, traditionally among low wage workers but now also seen in higher wage employees. Employers have been struggling with attracting new workers due the challenges of locating long term housing for their employees, particularly young professionals who may no longer wish to have roommates. The problem has been identified not only as a year round rental shortage but also a lack of housing choice. Ms. Coxe stated that 80%of the housing available on Cape Cod was single family dwellings, whereas other communities offered multi-family housing options. The Cape Cool Commission has taken a closer look at the ways in which they might be able to address problems in the marketplace by using accessory dwellings. Ms. Coxe pointed out that young professionals were competing against many for limited housing, including potentially low income and other workforce candidates. Due to the lack of supply and appropriate housing, costs have been increasing. The Cape Cod Commission's report highlighted the number of new units needed over the next 10 years, which would require creative solutions to address the housing shortage. Additionally, it was necessary that the housing market be increased not just in the form of affordable housing, middle income or seasonal housing but also an increase in market rate rentals, which would help to overall reduce the costs in the housing market. ADU was a creative way to develop more market rate housing. The Cape Cod Commission reviewed each of the Cape Cod towns' ADU bylaws, finding consistently that they had a very low rate of success due to requirements that only family members would be allowed to live on site or legalized through an amnesty program. The Bylaws have not been successful in creating units, no more than single digits, over many years.