Casco Bay Affordable Housing Minutes March 06, 2008

Attendees:

Ellen Mahoney, Homestart, Peaks Island
Thea Youngs, Chebeague Island Fellow
Alden Robinson, Long Island Fellow
Mabel Doughty, Chebeague Island
Mark Greene, Long Island Year-Round Housing Corporation
Lynne Richard, Peaks Island Council
Barbara Hoppin, Homestart, Peaks Island
Joanne Whitehead, Islesboro Affordable Property
Terry Kelley, Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island Housing Authorities
Brooke Brewer, Casco Bay Affordable Housing Fellow
Sandra Scheurman, Long Island Year-Round Housing Corporation
Liza Fleming-Ives, Genesis Community Loan Fund
Rob Tiffany, Peaks Island Council
Lisa Lynch, Peaks Island
Peggy Peuth, Peaks Island
Joyce Doane, Peaks Island
Bob Howard, Cliff Island
Kay Taylor, Homestart, Peaks Island
Alyson Mayo, Island Institute
Roger Berle, Cliff Island
Bob Earnest, Chebeague Island
Beth Howe, Chebeague Island
Kevin Donoughue, Portland City Council
Cyrus Moulton, Island Institute

Several people arrived late and did not sign the attendance roster. If anyone knows who these people are, please let Chris Wolff know so they can be added to the attendance list.

Panelists:

Terry Kelley, Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island Housing Authorities
Joanne Whitehead, Islesboro Affordable Property
Brooke Brewer, Casco Bay Affordable Housing Fellow, Island Institute

Terry Kelley

Terry Kelley spoke about affordable housing work initiated by the Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island Housing Authorities (EMDIHA). EMDHA purchased a 200-acre lot in Bar Harbor, which was then subdivided, with some property sold to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust for conservation. They also decided to cluster the new-construction homes in such a way as to create as much open space as possible, while developing the land, sewer and water for as many homes as possible to reduce the cost/home.

The EMDIHA decided that they needed to build at least 31 homes to recoup development costs and in order to be able to see the homes at an affordable price. In order to create this cluster development, they needed to set aside X# of acres to offset the density. Of the 31 homes, X# were sold at cost to subsidize the other homes. The actual costs for the construction of these homes ranged from $104,000- 119,000/home, depending on add-ons. By building the homes close together, they were able to roll back the costs of construction to 1990 costs, which came in under $100/square foot. They were able to place utilities close together and share septic systems and wells. Please click here to see Terry's PowerPoint presentation with construction pictures.

The EMDIHA decided to create very efficient, green designs for these new homes. The homes have a very small footprint (22x22, or 24x26), but have a surprising amount of square footage (some as high as 2,500 square feet) because the basements are finished, and they are 2-story homes. All rooms are designed to have a passive solar gain. They are heated with very efficient Rinnai heaters. There is no baseboard heating, and the walls are R30 with R50 ceilings. The homes are designed with a pay as you grow component, where families can do add-ons as their families grow.

Some drawbacks: The EMDIHA acted as their own General Contractor, which has many risks. It took 4 years to construct the homes, and this can be a problem if you have families lined up that are ready now. So, they went through a few series of qualified candidates before they were finally ready to place families. They purchased the property for $2 million, and then Bar Harbor went into a growth moratorium. So, they were stuck with the mortgage and had their hands tied with moving forward. They had originally planned to start building in the spring, but there were always setbacks. Some planning required permits by the Department of Environmental Protection, and there was a 6-month back-up.

Terry stressed that you should know who you are collaborating with before moving forward. If you are considering partnering with a conservation group, make sure you know what the missions are- some conservation groups are better/more interested in conserving land than developing the land.

The EMDIHA was successful in raising money for this initiative through a variety of sources: private donations, other organization.

Advice: Be aware that some pots of money come with very stringent strings. Terry said that his group did not fit the mold for some funding sources. Construction costs can be very expensive. Think through the whole project. If you don't have the expertise, go get them.

Terry said that they had to build 31 homes to get at the construction cost of $104,000- 119,000/homes. He said that they should have looked harder at the site development costs. There wasn't a lot of soil on the property, so foundation development and septic field costs were higher than expected. Some of the rules changed mid-way through. Make sure you go in with your eyes open!

Terry commented that affordability is built into the covenants. As a developer, it is important to protect the investment. If the home comes back on the market, EMDIHA has first right of refusal. The home owner never owns the land- EMDIHA holds the land in perpetuity. Since the value of the land is held, the home owners don't need a down payment because there is already equity in the land. The value of the land is realized equity for EMDIHA. The equity of the home is realized by the home owner. If the home goes into foreclosure, the land and infrastructure goes with the home- this is why EMDIHA preserves the first right of refusal if the home goes on the market. Banks would not provide mortgages if the land was not part of the package. Taxes are assessed on the total value of whole structure without the land.

The homes ended up being sold for $160,000- $180,000, while some homes were sold at market to bring down the costs of infrastructure for other homes.

Terry stressed that a strong public relations push needs to be brought forward by the affordable housing boards.

Joanne Whitehead
Islesboro Affordable Property

Joanne provided an in-depth overview of the work IAP has done since 1988. Please click here to see Joanne's PowerPoint presentation.

IAP originally formed in 1988 with a focus on workforce housing- providing affordable homes for people who live and work on the island. The original development involved the construction of 8 single family homes on 14 acres. The land is leased. Since 1988, IAP has also been able to bring modular homes to the island, and is renting a home for $500/month.

IAP recently purchased 5 acres for $65,000 (Mazza property), which will provide 3 lots. The costs of infrastructure are very high. The soil is not appropriate for a septic field, and gravel must be brought in from the mainland, increasing the costs for septic systems to between $15,000- $17,000. Funding has been available through a variety of sources: Camden National Bank, Genesis Community Loan Fund, and, the Island Institute's Affordable Coast Fund.

IAP owns the land, and paid for the infrastructure (septic, water, etc.), and the owner pays for the house. The owner gets 2% of difference between the appraised value at the time of purchase, and the appraised value at the time of sale. At the time of the sale, IAP gets first right of refusal. Using modular homes has allowed IAP to stay within budget.

There have been some complications with the 22 acres the Town gave IAP. IAP was given another 5 acres of land by the Burgard family, which was improved by a road and well, but there are right of way challenges to the property.

Brooke Brewer
Casco Bay Affordable Housing Fellow

Brooke attended the Lincoln Institute's Land Trust Conference in Irvine, California. She spoke about the Community Land Trust Model. Please click here to see Brooke's PowerPoint presentation. Brooke is serving as an Island Fellow with the Homestart group on Peaks Island. Homestart is looking at the Community Land Trust model as a way to preserve affordability on Peaks Island.

The Community Land Trust Model was created by the Institute for Community Economics and there are approximately 200 land trusts across the US that use this model. It is similar to conservation land trusts, with the mission of conserving and preserving open space. The Community Land Trust Model looks at preserving for affordable housing, farming, etc.

Brooke said that Burlington Associates has a great resale formula tool, which is available on their website: http://www.burlingtonassociates.com

Community Legal Resources has some great Community Land Trust educational pieces for assessors, banks and government officials, located on their website: http://www.clronline.org/resources/clt

Brooke also said that Fanny Mae has approved the standard ground lease model where the loan is sellable on the mortgage market.

Questions from audience:

Was there a negative impact on the value of adjoining properties? The affordable housing units did not seem to have an affect on the pricing, it didn't inflate taxes. Affordable housing can be looked at and assessed differently. It did not deflate the prices of adjoining properties- the value has held.

Terry Kelley said that 86% of MDI residents couldn't afford to buy their houses today. EMDIHA hired someone to do a housing study and they found that within the next 20 years 1,300 new affordable units would be needed on MDI to sustain the community.

Lot sizes can vary from community to community based on ordinances. On Islesboro, the minimum lot size is 1- 1 � acres. This is not conducive to density/cluster development.

On MDI, EMDIHA purchased 200 acres, but sold 135 on the day of closing. The now own 24 acres, but only 6 acres is being developed. Terry warned to be careful when signing over land to make sure you're fulfilling density requirements. A buildable lot is � acre building lot, but cluster zoning is different. They needed extra acreage to build the number of units to make the development affordable. They also wanted the rest of the land to be held in common.

Was there resistance to the density/cluster development? Terry couldn't stress strongly enough that education is important. Those first planning conversations are very important. On MDI, EMDIHA had conversations with Acadia National Park, the College of the Atlantic, and Maine Coast Heritage Trust. It is also important to get locals involved in the design. Terry said that affordable housing is not always popular and he has experienced a lot of resistance over the years. But, the bottom line is, is your community worth doing what you're doing? Bar Harbor is a dying town, so he feels that it is well worth the efforts. Both on MDI and Islesboro, the lot sizes are big. In order to do a cluster subdivision, it may be worth partnering a community and conservation model together and try to choose the best conservation space. Some communities may need to tweak the minimum lot size- this is state controlled.

There is a perception by some that they have worked hard to �get theirs� and why should they subsidize others. But, the reality is that home prices are soaring through the roof and there is no longer such a thing as a �starter home.� Most homes are out of the reach of young families and people who are at or below middle income.

Peaks Island conducted a 10 year sales analysis. Ellen Mahoney can provide this information for anyone who is interested.

How much hand-holding is required by the affordable housing groups to get people into homes and manage the properties (if rentals)?

Joanne Whitehead said that she has experienced a high level of hand-holding needed, especially with the rental properties. Terry Kelley said that he has experienced very little on behalf of EMDIHA. But, he said his wife works for Habitat for Humanity and probably spends 90% of her time chasing down mortgage payments- one family hasn't paid their mortgage since September.

Terry found that then housing candidates turned over 3 times before the homes were finally built due to timing issues. He stressed the need to make sure that those first housing candidates are the �cream of the crop� since they will serve as an example of who this housing is for and what it represents. It serves as an example of things to come. EMDIHA does police checks, an application process, which requires applicants to explain their value in the community, where they've volunteered, and applicants are required to work in the community.

On Long Island, the Year-Round Housing Committee is proposing a ground lease model, where the town owns the land and leases the land to the home owners. The home owners obtain their own mortgage and build on the land. He is afraid that people may not be able to obtain a mortgage or pay the mortgage, and they may need rental housing on-island.

Community sharing:

Mark Greene
Long Island Year-Round Housing Corporation (YRHC)

Mark provided a summary of YRHC's current situation. They have been at it for a year and still don't have house built. It has been frustrating, and there have been concerns by a neighbor about the project. The original survey given to the community revealed that people weren't interested in affordable housing. But, the YRHC thought this had a lot to do with the wording of the survey. They then used Chebeague's survey and sent it out with a few tweaks and public relations notes and were able to turn this perception around. Now there is a lot of support and the next step is to build a rental house on town-owned land. They had couples lined up, but asking people to wait 2-3 years doesn't work. The town-owned land has posed some challenges, with setback issues and neighbor concerns. Two of the four pieces of town land are not usable. The YRHC will be going back to the town to ask for additional parcels, which will be voted on in the next meeting in May, 2008. At this time, they do not have people lined up for the properties. They are in the process of creating application and selection materials, which are almost completed. They have created a land lease document, which is a work in progress and has not been reviewed by legal counsel. They are looking at buy-back provisions and have adopted some language from North Haven, specifically handicap provisions.

Mark said that the original survey you set forth to the community is very important, and the YRHC was very appreciative of Chebeague's survey. Both the Chebeague survey and YRCH survey showed that the communities were most interested in serving their own citizens first. It's important to work behind the scenes to anticipate opposition and get these people involved in the early stages.

Beth Howe
Chebeague Island Community Association (CICA)

CICA just purchased their first home this past year. They have seen that a disproportionate amount of resources have gone into this one property. They originally purchased this property as a pilot project with the idea of renting it for a year and seeing how that worked. They have been developing criteria, applications, forming committees, and have found that the biggest need is for year-round rentals. They have borrowed materials from Islesboro, Monhegan and North Haven. The group meets twice/month and is slowly gaining trust from the community and is identifying potential tenants.

Barbara Hoppin
Peaks Island Homestart

Homestart has been in existence since 2003, under the leadership of Marjorie Phyfe. Affordable housing was identified in the Neighborhood Plan through a survey. With the help of the Genesis Community Loan Fund, they developed their non-profit status. Last year, Island Fellow, Sarah Curran, helped to organize a community meeting called Peaks Today and Tomorrow, as a way for people to come together to talk about what they envision for their Peaks Island community. It was a very positive meeting, and helped to enliven the Homestart group and extend its board membership.

The community outreach component of Homestart's work is vitally important. Knowledge of funding sources is important. It is a challenge to have a volunteer-only driven board. Abutter resistance has been strong, and several meetings have been held to provide opportunities for abutters to voice their concerns. A March 29th meeting (changed to April 5th) is scheduled to address their concerns. Sometimes quick decisions need to be made in order to purchase affordable property. There isn't a lot of open space and affordable property left and when it comes up for sale, the moment must be seized.

Homestart is in a conceptual stage. They are exploring all opportunities on the island. The City of Portland gave Homestart a piece of land, but it doesn't have infrastructure (water, sewer, etc). It's important to think about having homes on the existing infrastructure to keep construction costs down. Right now, Peaks is operating at 25% capacity for the existing infrastructure. 130 acres of the Island's 720 acres are in land preserve. One and a half miles of coastline are open access. Homes are already clustered on Peaks Island. There is a need for rental housing and first-time home purchasing options. Homestart is researching the Community Land Trust Model. Affordable housing will keep the community diverse. There are 800 year-round residents on Peaks Island.

There are some on Peaks Island that would prefer that no new housing is built and would prefer to leave open space, but they aren't necessarily opposed to affordable housing.

Mark Greene stated that land is valuable, and unless you as an abutter buy it, something is going to happen to it somewhere down the line.

Other:

Most affordable housing groups are volunteer driven and do not have paid staff. Joanne Whitehead is one of the only paid staff. Volunteer energy can only go so far at times. There was talk of having the Casco Bay Islands affordable housing groups work together to have one paid staff person who would handle administrative functions, similar to the Portland North model where Jess Burton serves in an administrative role with 3 small land trusts.

USDA funding through Genesis Community Loan Fund will be drying up after one more year. These funds have provided a stipend for Mark Greene and Joanne Whitehead's work with their groups.

The City of Portland is pursuing a community land trust model. It is currently in the formative stages, but there may be staff and funding resources available for at least Cliff and Peaks Islands.

Alyson Mayo suggested checking out the Schumacher Society: www.smallisbeautiful.org

Affordable Housing Symposium ideas:

Lincoln Institute
Schumacher Institute
Burlington Associates- Champlain Housing
Holding the symposium in January
Legislative strategy
It was suggested that we may want to consider partnering with the Governor's Affordable housing Conference and working with them to create workshops with presenters from the group listed above. Since most of the island groups attend this conference, it may be an economically feasible way to structure a symposium of sorts.

The group also suggested gathering on a quarterly basis and visiting each other's islands. They were thankful for this opportunity to share and to learn from each other.

Meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM.