×
×
homepage logo
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE

Affordable housing

By Sarah Jane Knoy, Aron DiBacco, Bob Keating - | Nov 14, 2020

With a vacancy rate of less than 1% in Nashua, there is a dire need for all housing, but especially for people who earn less than 50% of the median income for the area. This is not new. City studies and proposals as far back as 1987 and as recently as last month have affirmed this need. It is in this context that the city is planning to sell the downtown School Street parking lot to a developer who will build 150 market-rate apartments. We are puzzled by the city’s eagerness to invest city resources, including the School Street Lot and funds through a $2.5M bond, to support a 150-unit development which will not support affordable housing in Nashua.

Additionally, the Nashua Housing and Redevelopment Authority (NHRA) is planning to demolish and replace the 48 units of the Bronstein public housing complex with 216 apartments, most of which will remain affordable for low-income families. The new housing is needed, but the two-year moving-out-and-back process will be stressful for the people who currently live there, including the 88-year-old woman with serious health issues and the children who may not be able to stay in their schools.

GSOP has made two proposals to Mayor Donchess, the Board of Aldermen, and the NHRA Board related to these two projects on how to increase affordable housing in Nashua and reduce the burden on current Bronstein residents.

One idea which has had support over the years is creating an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. A 1987 study said that “The City should contribute annually to the housing trust fund a percentage of the increased property taxes generated by the additional housing units gained through increased densities”, and a recent report recommends an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. There has long been support for the idea of a Nashua Housing Trust Fund, and the best use of such a vehicle is to develop more housing for low-income families. Seeding such a fund from the sale and development of the School Street lot would be a fitting first step in implementing a thirty-year-old recommendation. If we do not take this opportunity to make real the vison of an affordable Housing Trust Fund, when will we ever begin?

The other idea is to give Bronstein families financial compensation for the disruptive moves they will have to make. The proposed demolition and redevelopment of Bronstein is a multimillion-dollar project, and some of the subsequent increased revenues from the 168 additional units could be used to help these families through this transition and toward greater economic security. It would send a powerful message from our community acknowledging and appreciating the sacrifices the Bronstein families are being asked to make to increase affordable housing for other families of moderate means.

Sarah Jane Knoy

Executive Director, GSOP

Aron DiBacco

Nashua Coordinator, GSOP

Bob Keating

member Nashua Chapter, GSOP

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

Interests
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *