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Selectmen again reject CPA bid
By Claudia Torrens / Daily News Staff
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
NATICK -- For the second time in a month, selectmen last night voted against recommending to Town Meeting to have the Community Preservation Act go in front of voters.
The board made the same decision two weeks ago but tackled the issue again last night after Selectman Charles Hughes asked some of his fellow board members to reconsider their position.
"Why wouldn't we tell voters that we support their right as to whether they want to decide on this?" said Hughes. "We basically told them they don't have the right to vote on this."
However, selectmen voted 3-2 against the motion to recommend that Town Meeting put the question to Natick residents. Selectman Carol Gloff argued that if the board approved the motion, the perception would be that selectmen support the CPA, when that is not the case.
If Town Meeting votes in favor of Article 21, which proposes the adoption of the CPA, Natick residents will vote on the measure. If Town Meeting rejects it, the question could only appear on the ballot through a citizens petition.
Town Meeting is scheduled to vote on the issue this week.
Communities that pass a ballot measure in favor of the CPA impose an annual property tax surcharge, ranging from 0.5 percent to 3 percent. The money collected must be used to purchase undeveloped land, build affordable housing or preserve historic buildings and land.
The sponsor of Article 21 is the Community Preservation Act Study Committee, which has proposed to impose a 1 percent tax surcharge with CPA.
After hearing Gloff's position, Hughes insisted that voting on bringing the issue in front of the voters and voting on CPA itself were different matters.
Selectman John Connolly proposed to have two motions: one to decide on whether to adopt CPA and another on whether to bring it to the voters.
Selectman John Ciccariello and Hughes said they felt they wanted more information before voting on whether to adopt the CPA because the town is dealing with too many projects, ways to fund them and because the CPA is a tax-increasing measure.
Selectmen Chairman Jay Ball proposed that board vote to not take a position.
Ciccariello, Gloff and Connolly voted on not bringing the issue in front of voters, while Ball and Hughes took the opposite position.
Town Meeting member and CPA advocate Josh Ostroff said the town's top board may have to take a position on the issue because the Finance Committee has voted to refer it to selectmen.
"If it needs further study, it should be decided by whom and where," said Ostroff.
Ostroff said selectmen pushed forward the CPA when in 2001 they established the Open Space Advisory Committee to study the measure among other issues. Now, they are backing away from it because of the many projects the town faces, Ostroff said.
Martin Kessel, chairman of the Open Space Advisory Committee, said last night CPA funds would help purchase unprotected open space in Natick.
The Open Space Fund has $1.2 million in it and soon will receive $4 million from the planned Natick Mall retail expansion. The sum will go up with $1.8 million or $2.1 million more from the mall's residential expansion, depending on whether the mall builds affordable housing at the mall or somewhere else in town.
Kessel said last night that $100,000 will be taken off the fund soon to complete three purchases: 15,000 square feet to add to Morency Woods in West Natick, an easement to provide public access over a portion of the Sudbury Aqueduct and to help the Massachusetts Audubon Society acquire 2 acres next to a trail near the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary.
(Claudia Torrens can be reached at 508-626-3976 or ctorrens@cnc.com)
MetroWest Daily News
Natick FinCom says No to CPA
By Claudia Torrens / Daily News Staff
Thursday, September 29, 2005
NATICK -- Now is not time for the town to adopt the Community Preservation Act.
At least that's the feeling of some who attended the Finance Committee meeting Tuesday night after the board voted 9-5 to refer the CPA warrant article back to the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee.
With many capital projects on the line and the possibility of raising residents' taxes and fees to pay for them, adopting another tax-increasing measure does not seem a good idea, some Finance Committee members said.
"Certainly I am not opposed to the benefits that CPA would provide," said Finance Committee Chairman Frank Foss yesterday. "But we have challenges in our budget. Is this the right action to take while having other needs we need to review?"
The town is studying its capital needs and that's why the subject still needs discussion over the next few months, he said.
Communities that pass a ballot measure in favor of the CPA impose a property tax surcharge, ranging from 0.5 percent to 3 percent. The money collected must be spent to buy undeveloped land, build affordable housing or preserve historic buildings and land.
If Natick residents adopted the CPA, they would pay an additional $30 to $35 per year on their tax bills.
The CPA Study Committee has met regularly over the summer to consider what course of action fall Town Meeting should take on the measure.
Steve Evers, chairman of the CPA Study Committee, said yesterday he was disappointed with the Finance Committee decision.
"The Community Preservation Act is a valuable tool to leverage more money out of the state," said Evers.
The resident said he sympathized with the concern over residents paying more in taxes, but said CPA would benefit the town in many areas.
"I still think residents deserve to vote on this matter. Whether they are in favor or not," Evers said.
The study committee had voted 10-4 in favor of the measure.
Town Meeting member Nanci Farquharson was one of the four people on the study committee to vote against adopting CPA.
"This is the wrong time. There are many issues the town faces right now," she said yesterday.
"I agree with the decision of the Finance Committee. It think it is very wise. It's the best move for our town," said Farquharson.
Town Meeting - scheduled for Oct. 18 - will now vote on whether to refer the CPA article on the warrant to selectmen and the Finance Committee. However, a Town Meeting member could make a motion proposing to vote in favor of the measure.
Evers said he believes a citizens petition could bring the subject back to the voters. The CPA Study Committee still may need to present its report during Town Meeting, said Evers.
"This needs to be debated on Town Meeting," he added.
MetroWest Daily News
Town Meeting OKs CPA study group
By Claudia Torrens / Daily News Staff
Thursday, April 28, 2005
NATICK - Town Meeting voted Tuesday night to establish a study committee that will recommend what action the town should take on a measure that generates money to buy and preserve undeveloped land by imposing a surcharge.
Members created the Community Preservation Committee and passed amendments that would add nominees from the Board of Assessors and Youth Advisory Board to the group, which will be formed by drawing one representative from various town boards and commissions.
Communities that pass a CPA ballot measure create property tax surcharges ranging from 0.5 to 3 percent. The money collected must be spent to buy undeveloped land, build affordable housing or preserve historic buildings and land.
For example, if Natick adopts a CPA with a 1 percent tax surcharge, a homeowner who pays $5,000 a year in property taxes would pay an additional $50 for the CPA. The state would then match the community's contribution.
Josh Ostroff, a member of the Natick Community Preservation Alliance and sponsor of the warrant article, said yesterday he's pleased with Town Meeting's support.
"CPA will only succeed if there is good information and people work together," Ostroff said. "I think the committee will not just make a recommendation but also provide information on this issue."
Ostroff said he hoped the study committee would come back with enough information about the CPA in September so Town Meeting could vote on the measure in October. If Town Meeting approves, Ostroff said, residents could vote on adopting CPA in a March election.
The committee is set to have from 12 to 14 members, with representatives from the Council on Aging, School Committee, Board of Selectmen and Conservation Commission among others.
Town Meeting member Joan Craig said Tuesday night the study committee faces the risk of having too many people in favor of the CPA. "If we want a fair and unbiased study, the committee should have individuals with difference of opinions," Craig said yesterday.
Ostroff said he hopes everyone on the committee comes "with an open mind and willingness to respect different points of view."
Town Meeting member Peggy Broekel asked voters Tuesday to have the motion referred back to selectmen, said Town Moderator Paul Connolly. According to Connolly, Broekel said the town's top board would do a better job appointing the committee than Town Meeting. That request was turned down.
The committee will also recommend how much Natick taxpayers should pay to adopt the measure. Seniors or low-income residents could be exempt from the tax surcharge.
The Natick Community Preservation Alliance, with approximately 50 members, started meeting in November to educate the public and explain how the CPA would benefit the town. Signed into law in 2000, the state act has been adopted by more than 70 communities.
Residents can learn more about the alliance at www.natickcpa.org.
(Claudia Torrens can be reached at 508-626-3976 or ctorrens@cnc.com)
MetroMetroWest Daily News
CPA effort gets backing from committee
By Claudia Torrens / Daily News Staff
Friday, April 8, 2005
NATICK- The Finance Committee unanimously backed a warrant article this week to establish a Community Preservation Act Study Committee that will recommend what action to take on the tax-increasing measure.
Town Meeting will vote Tuesday on the article to create the committee.
Communities that pass a CPA ballot measure create property tax surcharges from 0.5 to 3 percent to pay for open space, affordable housing and historic buildings and land.
For example, if Natick adopts a CPA with a 1 percent tax surcharge, a homeowner who pays $5,000 a year in property taxes would pay an additional $50 for the CPA. The state then matches the community's contribution.
Josh Ostroff, a member of the Natick Community Preservation Alliance, said he hopes Town Meeting will discuss the subject, and hopefully, bring a CPA measure before the voters.
"I would like the committee to look at what projects we want or need to pursue with the CPA," said Ostroff yesterday. "We need more more affordable housing in town. That is one of the most important ways the CPA can benefit Natick."
The committee would have up to 12 residents appointed by the town moderator with terms ending Oct. 31. Members of the group would include people from the Council on Aging, School Committee, Board of Selectmen and Conservation Commission among others.
Ostroff also said the committee would recommend how much Natick taxpayers should pay to adopt the measure. Seniors or low-income residents can be exempted from the tax surcharge.
The Natick Community Preservation Alliance, with approximately 50 members, started meeting in November to educate the public and explain how the CPA would benefit the town. The state act was signed into law in 2000 and adopted by more than 70 communities.
Besides the Finance Committee, the alliance has received support from boards like the Parks and Recreation Commission, Historical Society, Housing Authority and Open Space Committee.
Tim Collins, also an alliance member, said if the town is going to spend money on a project that could be covered by the CPA, it is better to spend less than anticipated and use matching funds from the state.
"We need a new senior center. If the town decides to renovate the current center we could maybe use CPA funds to subsidize the project for open space and historical preservation," said Collins.
Collins said the study committee may or may not recommend to adopt the CPA, however, the intelligent course for Natick is to at least take a look at how it would affect the town.
The alliance has a Web site, www.natickcpa.org, where residents can find more information.
(Claudia Torrens can be reached at 508-626-3976 or ctorrens@cnc.com)
MetroWest Daily News
Supporters: CPA worth fighting for
By Jennifer Kavanaugh / Daily News Staff
Friday, April 1, 2005
FRAMINGHAM -- Though it often faces obstacles at the ballot, the Community Preservation Act is worth fighting for as communities try to shape their destinies, advocates said at a pro-CPA meeting last night.
Officials from Norfolk to Bedford met at Framingham's Memorial Building to discuss the act's successes and challenges.
Under the measure, cities and towns can vote to approve a tax surcharge, up to 3 percent, and get state matching funds to pay for open space, historic preservation and affordable housing.
"These is the best financial program these towns have ever seen -- a one-to-one match," said Sudbury Town Planner Jody Kablack. Each year, Sudbury raises about $1 million with the surcharge, plus another $1 million from the state.
Since the CPA was signed into law almost five years ago, more than a dozen MetroWest communities have voted to participate, and about 75 cities and towns statewide have elected to take part.
Several regional groups sponsored last night's meeting to encourage more cities and towns to embrace the CPA: the MetroWest Growth Management Committee, the Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination, the Southwest Advisory Planning Committee, and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
The act's supporters have decried a proposal by Gov. Mitt Romney to divert $10 million of the estimated $100 million Massachusetts Community Preservation Trust, to go instead to the state's Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund, a zoning reform initiative to slow sprawl in communities.
Opponents of the proposal accuse the governor of reneging on the act's promises, while the Romney administration has said it wants to take some of the community preservation surplus and use it to promote the building of affordable housing in certain areas, such as those near public transit.
"Despite efforts to rob it, stay positive, because there's an awful lot of support to keep it for its intended use," Kablack said.
Though it has also set aside money for affordable housing and historic preservation, as is required by law, Sudbury has focused about 90 percent of its funding so far on open space purchases, Kablack said.
In Ashland, the town is spending money on the Town Hall restoration, the repairing of old wood flooring in a fire station, and the construction of Marathon Park, said Ashland Planning Board Chairman David Foster.
Sudbury needed two attempts to get the CPA passed, and Ashland supporters also had to come back a second time. Foster said the proposal ultimately passed by 48 votes at the ballot, and that proponents still have to fend off attempts to scale it back. But the rewards are worth the effort, he said.
"There are a bunch of things getting funded that would never have gotten funded," Foster said.
( Jennifer Kavanaugh can be reached at 508-626-4416 or jkavanau@cnc.com)
MetroWest Daily News
Local towns see success with CPA
By Jon Brodkin / Daily News Staff
Friday, April 1, 2005
Less than five years after Gov. Paul Cellucci signed the Community Preservation Act, voters in 13 MetroWest communities have adopted the law and received more than $14 million in state matching funds for projects to preserve open space, historic sites and create affordable housing.
From the restoration of Ashland Town Hall, to the preservation of Cutting Farm in Sudbury and the conversion of a Hopkinton house donated by EMC Corp. into affordable housing, the law is making quite an impact locally.
"I think the Community Preservation Act is an incredibly important tool for municipalities," said Brandon Kibbe, land protection specialist for the Sudbury Valley Trustees, a conservation group.
The CPA allows communities that vote to adopt it to create property tax surcharges from 0.5 percent to 3 percent to protect open space, preserve historic buildings and land, and create affordable housing.
"There's a real intense need for all three of those components throughout our area," Kibbe said.
The state provides money, matching a portion of what is spent by the communities. So far, the state has distributed $75.7 million to the 75 municipalities that have adopted the CPA, according to the Community Preservation Coalition, an alliance of affordable housing, open space and preservation groups.
Newton has received more than $5 million in matching funds, leading all MetroWest communities. Sudbury has gotten more than $2 million in state funds, while Ashland, Hopkinton, Medway, Wayland and Wellesley have received about $1 million each.
One project that sticks out in Kibbe's mind is the preservation of more than 50 acres of the Cutting Farm off Rte. 27 in Sudbury, through a conservation restriction held by the town. The town also purchased a portion of the farm to build playing fields, Kibbe said.
While many towns have supported the Community Preservation Act, voters in 47 communities, including Framingham and Hudson, have turned it down at the polls.
Natick officials are preparing a push to implement the law, but recognize that getting voter approval isn't a sure thing.
"What you have to sell this as is as an investment in the town and not as a tax increase," Planning Board member Ken Soderholm said at a meeting in January. "People are going to object to paying any more money."
(Jon Brodkin can be reached at 508-626-4424 or jbrodkin@cnc.com.)
MetroWest Daily News
Bid to tap CPA funds opposed: Area legislators fight Romney plan to transfer $10M to 'smart growth' program
By Emelie Rutherford / Daily News Staff
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
BOSTON -- Legislative opposition is mounting to Gov. Mitt Romney's proposal to tap some of the money set aside for cities and towns that adopt the Community Preservation Act to pay for the new "smart growth" housing program.
State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, and three other senators signed a letter that was sent yesterday to Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Therese Murray opposing the $10 million diversion proposed by Romney.
"It wouldn't be fair for anyone to have access to this trust fund even if it is for smart growth," Fargo said.
Romney's proposed fiscal 2006 budget calls for transferring $10 million of the estimated $100 million in the Massachusetts Community Preservation Trust into the state's Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund.
The Community Preservation Trust is used to match money CPA communities have generated from property tax surcharges to pay for affordable housing, open space and historic preservation. The 75 communities that have passed the CPA include Ashland, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Mendon and Northborough.
Yesterday's letter opposing the diversion, penned by state Sen. Pamela Resor, D-Acton, mirrors letters sent last month by Resor and state Rep. James Eldridge, D-Acton, to Murray and her House counterpart. Ten senators and dozens of representatives from both parties signed those letters.
"It is a real issue of credibility for the Legislature and governor," state Senator Karen Spilka, a Democrat from Ashland and one of the signers, said about keeping the CPA funds intact.
State Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, who has communities in his district that have adopted the CPA, did not sign either Senate letter, saying he has been too busy to formulate a stance on the proposed CPA diversion.
He noted the matter likely will die if it does not make it into the House version of the budget this spring, which comes out before the Senate version.
"From everything I'm hearing, it won't even make it in the House budget," Brown said.
Romney spokeswoman Shawn Feddeman could not be reached for comment on whether the governor is prepared to veto language that keeps the Community Preservation Trust intact in the final budget presented by the Legislature.
Eldrige slammed Romney for trying to tap the CPA monies even as he tries to lower taxes. "He's looking to cut the income tax rate, but he's desperate to find the money to fund these programs," Eldridge said.
Funding for the Community Preservation Trust comes from a $20 fee on the sale of property in the state.
Phil Hailer, spokesman for the state Department of Housing and Community Development, told the Daily News in January the fee has generated more than originally anticipated, while CPA adoption has been slower than expected.
Resor, however, said the CPA funds will diminish, in part, because more communities are passing the CPA. "A lot of problems for many communities is having the faith in state government that this fund will be here to match this commitment," she said.
The Chapter 40R "smart growth" program gives communities cash in exchange for building dense affordable housing in key areas such as near transit lines.
Additional state senators who signed the anti-CPA diversion letters include: Marian Walsh, D-West Roxbury; Richard Moore, D-Uxbridge; and Edward Augustus, D-Worcester. State representatives who signed the letter include Marie Parente, D-Milford; Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham; Tom Sannicandro, D-Ashland; Patricia Walrath, D-Stow; Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley; and James Vallee, D-Franklin.
MetroWest Daily News
CPA backers learn how to sell measure
By Mary Kate Dubuss / News Staff Writer
Friday, March 4, 2005
NATICK -- Local residents last night heard proponents of the Community Preservation Act describe how to sell the measure to the public.
Three Town Meeting members are sponsoring an article to establish a study committee to determine if the CPA is a good fit for Natick.
The group hosted a public forum last night at Morse Institute Library to outline the complexities of the CPA, a state law that enables towns to generate, through a tax surcharge, money that can be used to build affordable housing, buy undeveloped land and maintain historic buildings.
After hearing how the act would help town groups like Natick Recreation and Parks and Natick's community development office, the 40 residents who attended the forum appeared in favor of the CPA.
"The most important thing is to sell this as an investment, not a tax increase," said Ken Soderholm, a Planning Board member. "(We should) really stress the investment part, the things that improve life."
Natick's article is sponsored by the Natick Community Preservation Alliance led by Peter Golden, Joshua Ostroff and Tim Collins.
Money generated from the surcharge, which cannot exceed 3 percent, is matched by the state.
Representatives from Wellesley and Upton, two of several MetroWest towns that have adopted the CPA, offered tips and strategies on how to best get residents to understand the concept's worth.
"Every year there is a budget battle....Very important quality-of-life issues get lost in the shuffle," said Rick Holmes, a member of Upton's Community Preservation Committee. Holmes is also the opinion page editor at the News.
"When you are talking about laying off cops and teachers, it's tough to think about (funding) a park," he said.
Kathy MacDonald, a Wellesley resident who helped organize the town's CPA campaign in 2002, recommended proponents of the act go out of their way to ensure residents understand as many details as possible.
"We made sure low income (people) and the elderly (understood) they could opt out," through exemptions, she said, noting the act passed by 70 percent in Wellesley.
Both also urged the forum to provide as many concrete examples as possible to the wider town audience, so they could have confidence in the program.
Both Dan Keefe of the Recreation Department and Sarkis Sarkisian, the community development director, listed a number of areas of town in need of such a cash injection.
Keefe suggested the gravel pit by Lilja School be remodeled as a large recreation area with fields and trails for active and passive recreation. He also named a Speen Street site that is now a Massachusetts Highway Department dumping ground he thinks could be transformed by the adoption of the CPA.
"At the Recreation Department, we're all for it, we think it's great for the town," he said.
Sarkisian noted that Massachusetts is the only state to lose a number of its young educated people because housing simply costs too much here. He suggested CPA funds be used to maintain the 230 units in Sherwood Village off Mill Street as affordable housing. In 2014, the 40B restriction that keeps those units' costs low expires, he said. A portion of the funding could be used to work with the landlords to maintain the status quo.
"Once (the CPA) is in place, it gives you something you didn't have before," said Holmes. "It gives you a process and brings people to the table."
(Mary Kate Dubuss can be reached at 508-626-4449 or at mdubuss@cnc.com.)
MetroWest Daily News
Preservation, help for seniors on TM agenda
By Emelie Rutherford / News Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
NATICK -- Citizen-sponsored Town Meeting articles about the Community Preservation Act, the senior tax work-off program and a proposed public works commission made it on the Town Meeting warrant that closed last week.
Joshua Ostroff, a member of the 2-month-old Natick Community Preservation Alliance, is primary sponsor of an article to create a committee to study the CPA -- a law that lets towns raise taxes for open space, affordable housing and historical preservation.
The Town Meeting study committee would report to fall Town Meeting about if and how the town should adopt the CPA in time for a possible ballot question next year, Ostroff said.
"We look at it as the beginning of the formal process whereby representative Town Meeting would take up this issue for the first time," said Ostroff, a Town Meeting member.
Selectman John Connolly initiated the three other citizen-sponsored warrant articles for spring Town Meeting, which starts April 12. Connolly said his articles were not sponsored by the Board of Selectmen because of an error in how he filed them.
Two of Connolly's articles would help seniors with their tax bills.
One article would increase the amount participants in the senior tax work-off program are paid annually from $500 to $1,000.
"A lot of the senior citizens are having a tough time," Connolly said. "They don't want pity, they don't want charity. Hopefully this will help."
The other article would increase eligibility for senior tax exemptions by lowering the minimum age from 70 to 65 and adjusting requirements for participants' finances.
Selectmen Chairman John Ciccariello said he would want a review of the impact of expanding the senior exemptions before making such changes.
"Who knows, that may mean $500,000 in taxes," Ciccariello said.
Council on Aging Director Diana Ryder could not be reached for comment.
Connolly also filed an article that would reinstate the public works commission, which Natick did away with years ago.
Connolly said public works should have an oversight board, because other town departments have accompanying boards -- including the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board and Board of Assessors.
"The DPW is a huge budget and I think having the commissioners directly involved is something that would be advantageous," Connolly said. "I think it's a nice check and balance process."
Ciccariello, however, said selectmen are serving as the appropriate overseers of public works.
"Personally, I'm not ready to give up that authority," Ciccariello.
Public works Director Charles Sisitsky could not be reached for comment.
( Emelie Rutherford can be reached at 508-626-3976 or erutherford@cnc.com. )
Natick Bulletin & Tab
Making the case for preservation
By Mary Kate Dubuss
Friday, January 21, 2005
Natick has a varied and bountiful history but it is largely unrecognized, says resident Peter Golden, citing a Historic Commission statistic that named 800 to 1,000 historic properties in Natick. But only about 400 of those are actually catalogued, Golden said.
Meanwhile, in nearby Sudbury, the town is considering the purchase and installation of a floating dock at Willis Pond, an environmental study and evaluation of that pond, the acquisition of the town's Libby property and affordable unit buy downs in pending 40B developments.
One big difference between the two towns is that Sudbury is among the more than 70 communities in Massachusetts to have adopted the Community Preservation Act. Others include Wellesley, Hopkinton and Northborough, Sudbury, Wayland and Needham.
The legislation allows towns to create a property tax surcharge of .5 to 3 percent that is matched by state funds. At least until 2009, the state will be able to match communities' funds 100 percent. Combined, the money will support affordable housing, open space and historic preservation.
"Natick is rich in history but that doesn't [translate] into knowledge," said Josh Ostroff.
"Open space is really a dollars and cents issue," Golden said. He believes the knowledge workers Natick attracts will not stay if green space is further thwarted by development, calling it a "quality of life issue."
Golden, Ostroff, and Tim Collins, all Town Meeting members, have begun to move forward with their quiet campaign to residents to begin thinking about getting the Community Preservation Act passed in Natick. They plan to familiarize residents with the CPA and its potential benefits for the town, with the hope that at the fall 2005 Town Meeting, a CPA warrant article will pass.
The group plans to submit a warrant article to the spring Town Meeting requesting a study committee to created that can weigh the decision and report its findings at fall Town Meeting.
"We want this in front of town meeting [in the spring] so people can talk about this," Ostroff said.
Currently, there is an $100,000 exclusion on residential property - meaning the first $100,000 will be exempt from the tax surcharge. According to Golden, the state legislature will be looking at a similar proposal for a business exclusion
"It is on the docket at the statehouse, it's not passed yet," he said.
Ostroff stressed the importance of considering local businesses in the potential passage of the CPA.
"They may not see the benefits of the CPA immediately. We'll need to work with them, make sure it doesn't [place] an unfair burden on businesses," he said.
According to the Community Preservation Coalition, at 1 percent, the CPA could cost an average residential tax payer $34 annually with the $100,000 exclusion, Golden said.
So far, the group is getting the word out on the CPA informally around town. They have met with town committees including the Planning Board, Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and Department of Parks and Recreation.
"What's great about this it's a citizen's initiative," said Ostroff. All decisions are local, the local legislatures appoint the committee that determines how the funds are allocated and a community can repeal the CPA. A minimum of 10 percent of the annual revenues must be used for affordable housing, historic preservation and open space. The remaining 70 percent can be used for a combination of uses or land for recreational use.
Although the town is faced with major building projects like a new high school and a push for a new senior center, the money derived from CPA taxation has the ability to be used for a variety of projects that are important but are not deemed urgent by many residents.
"We are in support of the community's need to invest in a high school but not to the exclusion of other things we need to do," Ostroff said.
"What I like about the CPA is it creates a pool that can be allocated based on the community's needs," Collins said.
"It's a unique time in Natick," Ostroff said, adding he believes there is a window of opportunity present now in the town. He stressed one cannot expect the state funding to exist forever.
The men have not yet named any potential projects - the want to wait to gather a sense of the community's objectives, historic preservation
"It's a process about what Natick wants to do," Golden said.
"A lot of people are comfortable, but a lot are not comfortable," Golden said, referring to the town's real need for more affordable housing. "It's important a lot of people are comfortable together."
"We do really have an urgent need for affordable housing. Our economically diverse population is one of our strengths." Ostroff said
Collins believes that the town should at least study the potential benefits the CPA could bring to Natick and decide as a community what direction they want to take.
"Why shouldn't Natick at least study it? If the answer is no, we went through the process and decided as a community," he said.
For additional information, visit www.natickcpa.org. A MetroWest CPA meeting will take place on Saturday, February 12 from 8:30AM - 3:00 PM at Wellesley Town Hall, 525 Washington St., Wellesley, MA 02482. RSVP with Christopher Saccardi, 617-367-8998
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The Boston Globe | Globe West
Funds for open space get boost
State follow-through builds local support
By Franco Ordonez, Globe Staff
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Some local communities may soon see a renewed push to buy open space, preserve historic buildings, and build affordable housing, activists say.
The campaigns for local community preservation funds can proceed with fewer doubts about state support, the activists argue, now that the state has been matching local money raised for the funds, dollar for dollar, for three years.
In October, the state paid out $31 million to communities. Since the funds were authorized under state law in 2001, the state has paid out a total of about $76 million.
''Because of the economic downturn, the state budget deficit, and attempts to divert the funds to the general budget to plug gaps, there have been concerns that the state wouldn't be able to match the funds. But it has," said Chris Saccardi, assistant director of the Community Preservation Coalition, which promotes the use of the funds across the state.
Opponents say the Community Preservation Act amounts to little more than an extra tax. The act allows communities to vote to add a surcharge to their property taxes to create the preservation funds. The state provides matching dollars.
The recently formed Natick Community Preservation Alliance, an informal three-member committee of residents, started meeting last month with department heads to discuss setting up a fund.
Committee member Joshua Ostroff said that any type of vote is likely a year away, but that it's an exciting program.
''I can think of about a dozen projects" the fund could be used for, he said. ''Our pitch to voters is that we don't just want to build up a bank account. We want to use the money on some tangible projects that we would like to develop for the benefit of the community."
Sherborn voters are expected to vote on a nonbinding resolution for a fund in the spring. The electorate soundly defeated a proposal to set up a fund in 2002.
Paul DeRensis, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said residents were worried about paying higher taxes, the state's budget deficit, and the state's ability to pay the matching dollars. The state's record in paying since then has been reassuring, he said.
''If we're going to do projects anyway, it would make sense to spend only 50 percent of our money and 50 percent of the state money," he said. ''We've got to leverage our dollars to make them go further."
Community preservation funds also have been discussed recently in Waltham and Medfield.
More than 70 communities around the state have set up the funds. Thirteen have been approved by voters in the Globe West coverage area.
Critics complain that the law has become a backdoor way to raise taxes and plug gaps in the general budget. Towns normally are under strict limits due to the state's Proposition 2 tax-limit law.
''These guys never quit, do they?" said Brian Camenker, a member of the Newton Taxpayers Association, which hopes to place a question on a ballot this year to shut down his community's fund.
''It's another quasi-socialist scheme to tax people for pet projects," Camenker said. ''It's not that we're against parks, but we feel the things that could be done with this money could be done under general revenues. And there is just a great proclivity for abuse."
The state Community Preservation Trust Fund, which provides the matching funds, has grown to more than $100 million, according to the Department of Revenue. Much of the fund is raised through a $20 charge placed on filings at registries of deeds, Saccardi said.
State officials expressed confidence that they would be able to continue the dollar-for-dollar matching in the short term, but pointed out that it might not last forever.
''At least for the next three to five years, it's reasonable to predict that the reimbursement will be at 100 percent," said Joan Grourke, a Department of Revenue spokeswoman.
''But the variable is the number of communities that adopt the act," she said. ''And if the payouts increase, it's a question mark whether it can continue at that rate."
The Metropolitan Mayors Coalition has concerns about the law's fairness. The group has said that lower-income communities have a much tougher time passing tax increases and becoming eligible for the state funds.
The group, made up of mayors and city managers from Boston and nine nearby communities, filed legislation last year that would have allowed communities that don't set up a fund a one-time opportunity to tap the state's matching dollars, as long as they provide a chunk of their own funds to match and as long as the uses are consistent with the Community Preservation Act.
''We're not at odds with the other communities," says Mayor Tom Ambrosino of Revere, chairman of the group. ''We agree it's very successful. We're saying: 'Gee, this is so successful. The goals are outstanding. We just would like to be a part of it as well.' . . .
''But we can't get in the door, because it's virtually impossible for communities of our makeup to pass" tax increases, Ambrosino said.
All 10 communities that considered community preservation funds in the Nov. 2 election passed them. Among them were Northborough and Needham.
Needham voters rejected the program in 2001. John Commando, chairman of the Needham Community Preservation Study Committee, which promoted the program, said residents had too many questions about raising taxes, what the money could be used for, and the ability of the state to match raised funds.
Since then, he said, the town has had the chance to observe other communities that set up the funds and to study their successes.
The town is hoping that some of the money raised could be used to help restore the Needham Town Hall, a project that will cost more than $10 million.
''After some skepticism," Commando said, ''we all came away believers."
Franco Ordonez can be reached at fordonez@globe.com
MetroWest Daily News
Community Preservation Act's supporters get advice, warning
By Emelie Rutherford / News Staff Writer
Thursday, January 13, 2005
NATICK -- Saying the Community Preservation Act would serve the town well, the Planning Board advised a group campaigning for the tax-increasing measure's passage in town to be careful in how they pitch it to residents.
"What you have to sell this as is as an investment in the town and not as a tax increase," Planning Board member Ken Soderholm said. "People are going to object to paying any more money."
The CPA allows communities that vote to adopt it to create property tax surcharges from 0.5 to 3 percent to pay for open space, affordable housing and historic buildings and land. The state matches a community's contributions.
The Natick Community Preservation Alliance is in the early stages of educating residents about the benefits of the state act signed into law in 2000 and adopted by more than 70 communities, alliance member Peter Golden said.
"We really see this as being a longterm process," Golden said about educating residents about the CPA. He started the alliance last month with Tim Collins and Josh Ostroff.
Planning Board Vice Chairman Bob Eisenmenger pointed out the alliance would have the most success by naming example projects the CPA could aid. Yet he said that is tricky because once a chunk of open space is named the land's value might increase.
"You have to have something specific and that gets very complicated," Eisenmenger said.
The CPA addresses priorities of the Planning Board, Chairman Bob Foster said, adding the alliance has an open invitation to return before the board anytime.
The alliance has met with public officials, including the Parks & Recreation Commission, Historical Society and individual selectmen and hopes to meet with as many as possible in town, Golden said.
Ostroff said input is needed because he, for example, is not an expert on affordable housing.
"We're doing this as humbly as we can," Ostroff said.
The alliance hopes to make a presentation on the CPA to the community in a month or so, Golden said. Its Web site is www.natickcpa.org.
Emelie Rutherford can be reached at 508-626-3976 or erutherford@cnc.com.
MetroWest Daily News
Preparing a price for preservation: Better recreation fields, purchase of land considered
By Stacey Hart / News Staff Writer
Sunday, December 19, 2004
SUDBURY -- Community Preservation Act money could be used to create better recreation fields, improve Willis Pond, complete a study of a rail trail and purchase a 30-acre property if approved by voters at Town Meeting in April.
Proponents of these projects met with the preservation committee and residents last week to describe their proposals.
The largest project, purchasing land on Water Row, is also the one without a price tag set in stone. Earlier this year, Ronald Libby told Sudbury officials he would like to sell his property at 77 Water Row to the town.
"The reason this is a unique type of situation is we have never before had someone come to town and say 'I will sell you my property. Make an offer.' It's usually 'match an offer' or 'here's my price,'" said Conservation Coordinator Debbie Dineen.
Before making an offer, the town needs to conduct an appraisal to determine what the property's fair market value. Dineen expects the results this week. For now she did not have a cost to give the Community Preservation Committee.
Once the appraisal is in hand, Town Manager Maureen Valente will begin negotiations with the owner.
From a conservation perspective, the land is valuable, Dineen said, because it is in the middle of other protected land. The Libby property is surrounded by the 68-acre Piper Farm and the 57-acre King Philip Woods, both conservation land.
The Libby property is mostly wooded, with quite a bit of ledge and a steep dropoff behind the house, Dineen said.
The proposal before the CPC is only to purchase the back half of the land immediately.
"The owner of the property would like to sell it to the town in phases," Dineen said.
"He would like to continue to live here for another five, six, seven years while his children are still in the Sudbury schools."
Mark Kablack, chairman of the CPC, said the committee would prefer not to buy in phases, but all at once. The owner could still live there if some type of tenant agreement were included in the purchase.
A rush is on to include that proposal in the list of projects discussed at Town Meeting because of a deadline set by the owner of next October.
"I think the committee has recognized that this is a unique circumstance. We're trying to react as quickly as we can to this homeowner in the hope that this can come to a very positive end result that can serve as a model for future land acquisitions," Kablack said.
With a more finalized proposal, the Park and Recreation Department explained why it wanted to spend $60,250 on the design and permitting aspect of constructing two synthetic turf fields on a Rte. 117 recreation area.
Gale Associates recently completed a field master plan, showing the overuse of the town's fields, including Davis Field.
"With regard to Davis itself...as a result of excess demand, as a result of no irrigation, as a result of no rest period, as a result of poor drainage conditions, the turf is chronically poor. As a result, it is chronically unsafe," said William Seymour of Gale Associates.
Davis Field is used for Pop Warner football and cheerleading, boys and girls lacrosse, as well as various lacrosse and football camps and clinics.
Off-street parking is limited to about 60 cars, causing backups onto Rte. 117, Seymour said. Becuase there are no fences around the site for security, the field has been damaged by cars.
The Park and Recreation Department would like to renovate the area and create two synthetic turf fields, a drainage system and a parking lot with 105 spaces. Seymour said the field would also become handicapped accessible.
"(Synthetic turf fields) are very low maintenance -- no pesticides, no fertilizers, no cutting, no watering -- and they can sustain almost continuous use," Seymour said.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $2.2 million, but the Park and Recreation Department is only asking for money to design and permit the project.
One reasons the CPC asked that the project be limited to design and permitting costs was to allow time for outside donations.
"We wanted the town to be able to buy some time to generate the opportunity for other revenue contributions from user groups so the cost of this would be spread across the broadest base we could spread it," Kablack said.
The Park and Recreation Department also presented two proposals to improve Willis Pond. One proposal requests $6,000 to install an aluminum dock at the pond for fishing and the launching of small boats, canoes or kayaks.
"There is a dock there now, if you could call it a dock. You walk across a beam, hope you won't fall in, then you get to the actual dock. It's in disrepair," said Park and Recreation Director Dennis Mannone.
The proposal includes installing a 40-by-6-foot dock, which can be wheeled in and out of the water. Mannone said the dock would be removed in the winter, with the help of DPW Director Bill Place and likely stored at the DPW building.
"We'd like to replace the dock to have a little bit more utility, to have it be safe for residents of the town and be able to utilize that area better," Mannone said.
Additionally, he said invasive, foreign plants are encroaching on Willis Pond. The Park and Recreation Department proposes spending $20,000 for an environmental study of the pond to find out why weeds are choking the water.
"We'd like to do a study to see why Willis Pond is shrinking, what are the types of things in there, is there anything we can do about this," Mannone said.
Residents fish, boat and canoe on the pond, although no one knows if it is even safe to eat the fish. Mannone said the pond is an asset to the town and the Park and Recreation Department just wants to find out what is going on there.
The last open space or recreation proposal facing the CPC was a request to spend $25,000 on a feasibility study for the Bruce Freeman Memorial Bike Trail.
The study would include field investigation, analysis of existing conditions, a conceptual design and an implementation plan, Dineen said. Each town along the trail has been asked to complete a feasibility study.
"If we want to, in the future, apply for federal or state funding, the town had to agree to do a feasibility study on the project," she said.
The study does not obligate the town to do anything with the trail, but it allows the town to take the first step in the process. If a study is not completed, Dineen said nothing can be done on the trail.
( Stacey Hart can be reached at 508-626-4439 or shart@cnc.com. )
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Natick Bulletin & Tab
CPA: let's hear from the people
By Joshua Ostroff
Friday, October 21, 2005
In the next few days, Natick Town Meeting members will consider the Community Preservation Act and the report by the CPA Study Committee, which was established by Spring Town Meeting and which worked through the summer to consider the CPA. The report (available online at www.natickcpa.org and on the town Web site at www.natickma.org) describes the CPA and its benefits in addressing affordable housing, historic preservation, open space and recreation. It includes both a majority and minority recommendation.
By a vote of 10-4, the CPA Study Committee voted to recommend that Town Meeting submit to the voters a proposal to establish the CPA in Natick, and to exempt (from the recommended 1 percent property tax surcharge) low income homeowners, moderate and low income seniors, and the first $100,000 of property valuation. For the average residential property taxpayer in Natick, the typical annual increase will be about $30.
A positive vote by Town Meeting would send the issue to the voters to be decided at the next scheduled Municipal election - March 28, 2006.
Why the CPA?
The entire purpose behind the CPA rings true for Natick: in a time of increasing development and budget pressure, how can communities help to create affordable housing, maintain their heritage, preserve green space and access to the outdoors? How can we, the public, exert some control over our community and what it will be like in the years to come? These are questions that many in the community have been asking - including members of the Natick Board of Selectmen, who publicly asked citizens to bring the CPA forward in Natick just one year ago.
How it works
The funds raised locally by the 100 communities that have adopted the CPA to date are matched by a state fund that currently totals about $130 million. Currently all communities get a 100 percent match. Should Natick adopt the CPA there is no certainty that we will get a dollar for dollar match forever, but for the next couple of years a full match is likely, which would see roughly $450,000 per year in additional state funding to match that amount raised locally.
No fund on Beacon Hill is immune from raiding parties, but the legislature has successfully fended off multiple attempts to divert CPA funds over the years.
The CPA provides for a local Community Preservation Committee, or CPC, with from 5 to 9 members including a member of the Housing Authority, the Planning Board, Parks and Recreation, Historical Commission, and Conservation Commission. Exactly how the CPC is constituted is something for Town Meeting to decide; there is local flexibility.
There is transparency in the process: an open, public process would decide projects that would be funded by the CPA. The CPC would evaluate and vote on proposals for eligible projects, then submits recommendations to Town Meeting, which has final say. The CPC would also submit a yearly report of its activities.
A versatile tool
In fixing problems large and small in our community, it's good to have a number of tools in our toolkit. The most urgent need in Natick is for a tool to create affordable housing. Disruptive 40B projects threaten to upend our town's resources, budgets and character by establishing hundreds of high-density housing units in neighborhoods that lack the roads, services and classrooms to accommodate them. Natick has worked to give private developers a way to create affordable housing - HOOP zoning, for example - but we are still at the mercy of the private real estate market and the 40B law. The CPA would help us establish or maintain affordable housing for young families, and help ensure that Natick is a place that many generations can call home. It would not protect us from every 40B, but it will move us in the right direction. At present we are quite literally "losing ground."
Given the high cost of housing and land, the CPA can help create affordable housing not by outright purchase, but by leveraging the fund. For instance, we can purchase a restriction on housing when it turns over to keep it affordable for far less than the actual cost of the property. We can also hire expertise to obtain affordable housing grants, multiplying our investment. We might even consider redeveloping Cedar Gardens to create more units while upgrading the property.
There's more: The CPA will give us a tool to establish new recreation facilities, of which we have a serious deficit, and do so with partial state and private funding. It can provide seed money that leverages grants to create the Natick section of the Cochituate Rail Trail after the last CSX train rumbles past in 2006. Likewise, new piers for Dug Pond can be partially funded by CPA.
The CPA will give us a tool to inventory and repair the many historic assets of our town. We should not wait until Natick's 400th anniversary to reclaim the history we celebrated at our 350th in 2001. The Civil War monument on the Common is just one of our local treasures that deserve more respect. Let's make sure that all of Natick's veterans, and all of our rich history, are commemorated with enduring honor.
Many communities use the CPA as a tool to acquire open space. Natick is fortunate in having a pre-existing fund, and a committee to leverage it, which has already paid dividends in the Winter Woods development in North Natick, and the Morency Woods in West Natick. While no suitable property is on the market now, our Open Space fund stands to grow with FAR (Floor/Area Ratio) payments from the Natick Mall expansion, so we are ready when the opportunity comes along. Were this fund not in place, the CPA would be more important to Open Space, and the Study Committee would likely have recommended a larger surcharge, similar to the 3 percent voted by Ashland or the 2 percent voted by Hopkinton.
Whose choice is it?
The Historic Commission, Parks and Recreation, Planning Board, Open Space Committee and Conservation Commission have endorsed sending the CPA to the voters. The Finance Committee and Selectmen have not, stating among other things that now is not the right time to even allow a vote on the CPA, with so many other capital projects in the pipeline, such as the High School, Senior/Community Center and Municipal Garage. Those concerns are valid, and should be discussed.
But the authority to raise taxes, and to affirm that the quality of life in our community deserves to be on the public agenda, ultimately belongs to Natick's voters. Let's give them the facts about the CPA's costs, benefits, risks and rewards, and if they decide that they want it, then the Town will make it work well for Natick. If they don't, we will have to find other ways to address the concerns the CPA helps address in the 100 other towns and cities that have passed it.
When thinking about when to raise taxes, I am reminded of a line from a magazine cartoon: "How about never - is never good for you?" But let's not be scared of the voters or the choices that they make. They are the ultimate authority and they deserve respect.
Of course voters need to know the likely price tag for our other capital projects, and of course they need to see a plan from the Town Administration, FinCom and Selectmen that sets out needs and means while mapping a strategy for the future. Leadership demands that the public have that information - regardless of the CPA. And if the CPA is a catalyst for bringing that information forward more quickly, then it has already paid a dividend.
Think big
Natick Town Meeting members, in debating the CPA, need to think big, at least in terms of time - that is, think about the community as it will look ten, 20, 50 years from now. But they also need to think about the dollars and cents. For example, the draft Capital Plan includes $400,000 to renovate J.J. Lane Park, to be funded entirely from the Tax Levy. With the CPA, we could do it for half price if we act soon. Seventy-thousand dollars for engineering to rehab the Charles River Bridge? Ditto. Sixty-thousand dollars to restore the fields at Johnson School? Take 50 percent off the cost to Natick taxpayers. These and others are worthy projects, and with the CPA we can get the most return on our tax investment while giving scrutiny to how every dollar is spent.
Ultimately, the CPA is the public's vehicle for holding onto the elements of Natick's character that make our town so wonderful to live in: our diversity, our history, our green spaces, our affordability. Is the CPA perfect, right off the rack? No law ever is. But do we have the talent and ingenuity to tailor it to our needs? I think so, and I hope my fellow Town Meeting members agree.
Aside from our other strengths, Natick's greatest asset is its people, to whom we must show leadership and who deserve our confidence. The voters should have a say on the CPA. Town Meeting should support Article 21 and give the citizens of Natick a chance to shape their future.
Joshua Ostroff is a Town Meeting Member and is the chair of the Natick Community Preservation Alliance
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MetroWest Daily News
Kessel: CPA can meet Natick's open space needs
By Martin Kessel / Guest Columnist
Saturday, February 26, 2005
If you are a Natick resident, you probably already know that Natick has some beautiful areas of open space -- forests, fields, farms, wetlands, and riverfront areas.
But what you may not know is that of our 2,808 acres of open space, only 58 percent is permanently protected. The remainder could be developed at any time, causing a significant change in the character of our town.
One of the most promising ways to preserve some of these valuable resources is for Natick to pass the Community Preservation Act.
CPA money can be used for open space, affordable housing, and historic preservation, as well as developing parks and playing fields.
The funds would be obtained locally and through state matching funds. If approved by Town Meeting and by Natick voters, Natick could add a tax surcharge of 1.5 to 3 percent, with a discretionary exemption for low-income and elderly taxpayers and for $100,000 of assessed housing value of all residential taxpayers. Were the town to choose a 1 percent surcharge accompanied by a liberal set of exemptions it would add about $35-$40 to a typical household tax bill.
What's particularly attractive about the CPA is that locally raised funds would be matched up to 100 percent with state funding.
So far 75 communities have adopted the CPA, including our neighbors in Wellesley, Wayland, Weston, Needham, Ashland, Hopkinton, Holliston, Upton and Southborough.
In 2004, CPA communities received over $30 million from the state, representing a 100 percent match of funds raised locally. That 100 percent match is projected through 2009, with a 40-50 percent match estimated thereafter.
Think of the open space in your neighborhood -- forests, pastures, farms, lakeside or riverfront areas. You may drive by or walk through these areas often and think that they will be there forever. But much of those areas are unprotected, and at any moment could become the newest area of luxury homes or high-density condominiums.
Or think of a neighborhood where open space is at a premium. A "pocket park" could add a local gathering place that would relieve dense housing patterns and create attractive, easily accessible space for all. Such an approach might be particularly useful in the downtown "HOOP District," where open space will be scarce.
The Open Space Advisory Committee was appointed by the Selectmen to develop Natick's Open Space and Recreation Plan. According to the 2002 Plan and our more recent updates, Natick still has 345 acres of privately owned developable land, and this land is being developed at a rate of 60 acres per year.
Natick has another 175 acres of "Chapter 61" agricultural or forest properties, which means that the town has a 120-day right-of-first-refusal to purchase these lands should the owners decide to sell. In addition, currently used land owned by CSX Railroad or the National Guard depot might someday become available.
Should any of these categories of land go on the market, the window of opportunity would likely be very short for the town if we wanted to purchase the properties.
For several years Natick has also been trying to obtain funding to develop recreational facilities and much-needed playing fields at the J.J. Lane Park on Speen Street and at the Gravel Pit on Oak Street. Should a new high school be built, additions to the playing fields will be needed there, too.
The CPA could provide funds to meet all of these needs. Not only could Natick preserve its open space and enhance its recreational opportunities, but we could also preserve our unique historical houses and downtown buildings. We could also provide affordable housing that would allow people who grew up in Natick to buy houses here.
It is even possible to fund projects that meet more than one CPA goal, such as preserving an historic farm, or buying a piece of property to use for both affordable housing and parkland.
To get the process moving, Natick Town Meeting this April will consider a warrant article that would form a committee to study the value of the CPA to Natick. Based on the recommendation of that study group and a final vote from Town Meeting, Natick voters could have a chance to vote in March 2006 on whether to adopt the CPA for Natick.
To learn more about how the Community Preservation Act can help Natick, come to CPA 101, a public forum at the Morse Institute Library on Thursday, March 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. or visit the Web site of the Natick CPA Alliance at www.natickcpa.org.
(Martin Kessel is chairman of the Natick Open Space Advisory Committee. He can be reached at martin@thekessels.org.)
NatickBulletin& Tab
Evers: CommunityPreservation Act supports Natick's future
By SteveEvers/ Guest Columnist
Friday, February 18, 2005
Take a look at the Massachusetts towns thathave passed the Community Preservation Act and you'll see that Natick,which has not, is in a vacuum.
Newton and Wellesley to our east, Needham tothe southeast, Sudbury to the north and Northborough to our west - allhave passed the act within the recent past and are benefiting from arenewed local commitment to preservation and the bonanza of statedollars that accompanies this valuable new law.
While we tout our "smart growth" downtownzoning initiatives our whole community is missing out on money andcritically needed local policy reforms that can make a real differencein creating a unique sense of place and a better future for ourchildren.
Natick is a town steeped in history, renownedas an Indian "Praying Village" and as famous for its writers as ourcontributions to national growth and change. From English missionariesto Indian Revolutionary War heroes, to active abolitionists and a vicepresident of the United States who originated the Medal of Honor andhelped lead the Civil War effort while serving in the U.S. Senate, wehave much to recognize, celebrate and learn from.
The Natick post office mural depictinginhumane treatment of the "Praying Indians" recently received attentionin the press, yet no substantive discussion of what really transpiredin dealings between the Native American population and colonialauthorities in the period immediately after King Phillip's War ensued.Nor does any historical marker or interpretive signage focus on thatobscure time. Given the historical record, perhaps there is a need toacknowledge more of our past, if only in the name of a better future.
Despite some recent success in restoringimportant landmarks our loss of connection to local history has beengreat. While approximately 350 properties are listed as historic andare afforded some form of protection, there are likely 700 to 1,000more that need to be inventoried. This irreplaceable legacy ofinestimable value possesses real historical and architecturalsignificance to our hometown, yet remains vulnerable to demolition orinappropriate redevelopment.
There are four settlement-period cemeteries inNatick that are in deplorable condition, with the headstones of townleaders of centuries past strewn about in disarray. Elsewhere in thetown, the final remnant of our historic Felchville neighborhood isthreatened by a phalanx of McMansions. Our Civil War monument on thetown common is degraded and shabby. The Community Preservation Act canprovide funds to deal with some, perhaps even all of these problems forwhich currently no funds exist at all. Yet historic preservation can beas practical in its application as creating new learning environments.
If the Natick Montessori School were to leavethe historic, town-owned Eliot school site in South Natick we wouldneed a plan for its re-use. Only through access to planning funds willwe be able to pro-actively plan for its adaptive reuse and preservation.
Will the beloved Johnson School be demolishedin the name of so-called progress or stabilized and preserved, leavingit intact for future generations to use and enjoy? The CommunityPreservation Act can speak to such issues and give us new means to dealwith them.
Now is the time to adopt a modest butbeneficial version of the Community Preservation Act in Natick.Properly implemented and managed, it should create leverage as we seekaccess to other planning grants and the capital that is critical to thefuture of our remaining historical infrastructure.
A unique forum, "CPA 101," to be held at theMorse Institute on March 3, will feature state and local leaders fromthroughout MetroWest who understand the Community Preservation Act andhow it can benefit Natick. As a tool for historical preservation aswell as such pressing needs as more recreation space and affordablehousing the Act can make a real difference for our community.
I have personally dedicated the past 30 yearsof my life to community preservation. Won't you join me in helping toadopt this new and beneficial law in Natick while our need is at itsgreatest?
For a town so steeped in the past, our futureby necessity depends on preserving our history.
StephenN. Evers, AIA, is chairman of the Natick Historical Commission.
MetroWestDaily News
Gornstein: A housing agenda forthe MetroWestregion
By AaronGornstein /Guest Columnist
Sunday,January 23, 2005
A recent publicopinion poll of MetroWest residentsfound that there is widespread concern about the lack of affordablehousing in the region. Nearly one-half of residents or members of theirimmediate family are considering leaving the state due to high housingcosts. The home@lastcampaign, a partnership between CHAPAand the 495/MetroWestCorridor Partnership, has beenencouraged by the strong interest inexpanding housing choice in the region.
How can we turn thisheightened interest andconcern into real solutions? There is no magic bullet to solvingproblems of housing affordability, but here are three stepsmunicipalities, state government, and individual residents can take.
Three stepsfor municipal action
Municipalities play a centralrole infacilitating the development of affordable housing. Local electedofficials, housing providers, business leaders, and others must jointogether to support housing creation in their town.
Develop andImplement a Local Housing Plan:The starting point should be thedevelopment of a local strategic plan on housing. Local housingpartnerships or committees are often the best vehicles for doingoutreach and reaching consensus among a diversity of interests. Theplan should identify key housing needs, develop specific programs toimplement, and determine what resources are needed. A cornerstone ofthis plan should be to identify potential sites and assess town-ownedland and buildings that may be feasible for use as affordable housing.For example, the towns of Acton and Holliston are reusing former schoolbuildings for affordable housing.
Pass theCommunity Preservation Act (CPA):Through a property taxsurcharge approved by voters, the CPA provides much-needed funding foraffordable housing, open space, historic preservation, and recreation.To date, 75 communities have passed the CPA, including a dozen inMetroWest, such as Acton, Ashland, Harvard, Holliston, Hopkinton,Needham, Northborough, Southborough, and Stow. With a 100 percent statematch, these towns are using CPA funds to help first-time homebuyers orto acquire appropriate sites for affordable housing-often incombination with open space protection.
Examine andChange Zoning Bylaws: Zoningbylaws in many towns prevent thedevelopment of affordable housing by prohibiting multifamily housing,mixed-use development (residential and commercial), or housing atgreater densities. Town officials and residents should adoptinclusionary zoning. This policy requires that a certain percentage ofaffordable units (usually 10 to 15 percent) be included in market-rateresidential developments. In addition, towns should consider theadoption of overlay zoning districts that would allow affordablehousing to be built at greater densities and in certain locations thanwhat might be ordinarily allowed.
Three stepsfor state government action
Municipalities certainly can'tdo it alone.They need the strong support of state government to help providefunding and technical assistance.
Supporthousing production and preservation:A high priority should beto expand the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which has helped to create2,600 housing units over four years. This $20 million program hasprovided flexible funds for the preservation and production of housingserving households with a range of incomes. And recently passedlegislation enables cities and towns to establish their own municipalhousing trust funds, which could serve as a good source to supplementstate funds.
Some MetroWest communitieslack the necessaryinfrastructure to support new housing production. In these cases, thestate agencies should closely coordinate housing and infrastructure toprovide for adequate water, sewer, roads, and other improvements thatmay be necessary.
Protect andreform Chapter 40B: Althoughcontroversial, the state'saffordable housing zoning law has led to the creation of high-quality,mixed income housing for first-time homebuyers, the elderly, andrenters. Several MetroWest communities are making significant progressby negotiating and approving 40B proposals.
Forexample, Framingham, Hudson,Marlborough, and Westborough have recently passed the 10 percentthreshold. And communities such as Franklin and Westwood are close toreaching this milestone. In our recent housing poll, 79 percent ofMetroWest residents said they support the requirement that everycommunity should set aside at least 10 percent of its housing for lowand moderate income residents. The Legislature should ensure theprotection of this important law while addressing the legitimateconcerns raised by some communities.
Expandhomeownership opportunities: Toensure a balanced housingpolicy, we also need to enable more families to become homeowners. Thehigh cost of housing means that low and moderate income families need aboost from the state. Since 1990, the Soft Second Program has helped7,700 low and moderate income families buy their first home. Statefunding of $5 million will help to ensure that this proven programhelps even more people this year.
Three steps you can take
Finally, every member of thecommunity canplay a part in expanding housing choice.
- Join a localhousing committee or organization thatis working on affordable housing issues. By getting involved, you canhelp with real projects in your town.
- Call your stateand local officials to let them knowyou support affordable housing in your town. When there is a publichearing on a housing proposal, make sure to attend to voice yoursupport.
- Write a letterto the editor of your local newspapersupporting housing proposals in your town. You may be surprised by howmany of your neighbors agree with your position.
MetroWestDaily News
Golden: CPA alegacy for the ages
By Peter Golden /Local Columnist
Sunday,October 24, 2004
Most of us will never have a chance, never mind the financialresources, to fund a substantial legacy. There is a way, however, thateven the most modestly endowed among us can create a timeless resourcefor our communities, and if not achieve singular honor, at least enjoythe lasting appreciation of our friends and neighbors. Byunderstanding, building support for, and ultimately passing theCommunity Preservation Act in our MetroWest towns and cities we canenrich the life of our children and numberless generations to come.
The CPA, as it is known, was signed into state law in 2000 through theleadership of a visionary MetroWest legislator named Bob Durand, muchof whose career has been devoted to environmental and historicpreservation.
Intentionally, the CPA promotes both those concerns, plus theadditional goal of more affordable housing. For a steadily increasingnumber of municipalities throughout the state, it is paying dividendsin open space, playing fields, affordable housing and more -- thejewels in the crown of civic life.
These are the things that endure, the articles of faith and heritagethat create a sense of permanence, peace and belonging in the lives ofour elders, peers and children. These are the elements of posteritythat ensure our names and memories will be held dear in a 100 years ormore when the greenspace and shelter we endow through the CPA confirmour dream of something better.
Sixty-five of Massachusetts's 352 towns and cities have already securedtheir posterity through passage of the CPA, with a dozen more --including Northborough -- set to consider passage on fall ballots. Butwhat should compel action from people like you and me, plain town andcity folk busy with work and family?
First, there is the rich horde of money that supports the CPA, a hugeaccumulation spilling from the registries of deeds around the state.Every time a home changes hands or is refinanced a $20 filing fee goesinto a special, dedicated account. When an office building, parking lotor restaurant is sold, the same fee accrues.
Home refinancings driven by low interest rates have created a bonanzasufficient to solidly fund the dollar-for-dollar matching grants thestate allows those municipalities with the foresight and perspicacityto pass the CPA. Thus, wise MetroWest communities like Stow, Sudbury,Ashland and Upton, plus half-a-dozen more receive hundreds of thousandsof dollars annually in support of programs and initiatives.
From this comes play space and walking paths, preservation of localarchitectural treasures and affordable housing for those who otherwisewould be pushed out of the community, or never enter it.
Yet there are cautions to consider here. The Community Preservation Actrequires investment on the part of those who adopt it; by law that canbe as little as one-half of one percent or as much as three percent asan add-on to local property taxes. For those towns with schools tobuild or home-owning elderly to sustain, the impact of such additionaltaxes must be weighed against the extraordinary long-term benefits ofthe CPA.
For every dollar contributed locally a matching dollar comes from thestate. A legacy is gained, so we need not trade a teacher for a tree.And think of the leveraging opportunities: In combination with smartgrowth initiatives or compensatory funds paid by developers, thecommunity benefits become that much more substantial.
MetroWest communities are already using the CPA to leave lastinglegacies. The 54-acre Cutting farm in Sudbury will survive as athleticfields and protected open space, thanks to $4.7 million in CPA funds.An older house, relocated to town-owned land and renovated with CPAmoney, is providing two Hopkinton families with affordable housing.Wayland is repairing damaged and endangered headstones in the town'scemeteries.
A hundred years ago, some lifted up their eyes and saw the bestfeatures of our countryside were rapidly disappearing. In the waningyears of the 19th century, giants like Olmsted and Eliot give us avision of "the country in the city" and with their supporters actedwith dispatch to ensure their dream of domestic life would include openspace and parklands, which they viewed as "democracy's common ground."
Our historic properties, rapidly dwindling supply of undeveloped landand precious shelter, all are at stake. Yet the engines of growth, therich benefits they provide notwithstanding, are relentless. Think ofyour legacy to posterity, and give thought to the CommunityPreservation Act.
Work for it, vote for it, and untold generations yet to come will thankyou, if only with the better life they enjoy as a result. The time toact is now.
MetroWestDaily News
Editorial: Towns aremaking the CPA work
Sunday,November 7, 2004
By a huge margin,Northborough voters on Tuesdaymade theirs the latest MetroWest town to adopt the CommunityPreservation Act. Northborough was part of a trend: The CPA was adoptedlast week in every one of the 10 Massachusetts towns where it was onthe ballot.
That means 75 Bay State cities and towns have agreed to raise theirproperty taxes to create a permanent fund to protect open space,preserve historic resources and provide affordable housing.Northborough now can begin a systematic process of preserving a legacyfor generations to come.
A few weeks ago, the state sent checks to CPA towns, matching dollarfor dollar the funds raised locally. For Hopkinton, that meant $513,429to be spent, among other things, on acquiring a large parcel on Fruitstreet for athletic fields and protected forest. Wayland got $447,456for, among other things, building affordable housing on the former Nikemissile site. Ashland received almost $500,000 from the state,Southborough more than $188,000, Upton more than $177,000.
In each of these communities, committees drawn from various town boardsare weighing proposals carefully. One of the CPA's strengths is how itencourages towns to identify needs and set priorities for open space,recreation, historic preservation and affordable housing, areas thatotherwise are often squeezed out by the more pressing needs of schoolsand public safety.
Thanks to the CPA, those neglected areas are getting the kind ofinvestments that will pay off for decades to come. In its first threeyears, CPA communities have invested more than $47 million in housing,$47 million in open space, $24 million in historic preservation and$6.8 million in recreational facilities.
That translates to 625 units of much-needed affordable housing and4,144 acres of open space protected from development.
The Community Preservation Act is working exactly as intended,providing a tool towns in MetroWest and elsewhere are using to enhanceand protect the quality of community life. It's time more localcommunities got in on the action.
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