May 16, 2019 by Carol Britton Meyer
Even though the Town of Hingham has exceeded the state's 10 percent affordable housing threshold by 121 units, there's still work to be done to help meet the housing needs of its less-affluent citizens, town officials say.
Working with housing consultant Karen Sunnarborg, the town is in the process of developing a Hingham Housing Needs Assessment to proactively address local housing issues and to sponsor initiatives to meet the most pressing of these needs.
The Hingham Affordable Housing Trust hosted a well-attended Community Housing Forum last night to present the initial findings. The Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Hingham Housing Authority, and the Department of Community Development are working together to find solutions to this escalating problem.
The issue is complicated, but the message is clear: "Some people are struggling financially," Sunnarborg said, as home prices and rents continue to increase while incomes aren't keeping up in some cases and some homeowners and renters are spending more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing costs. This is beyond what the Department of Housing and Urban Development says is acceptable. "If you're spending more than 30 percent, your housing is unaffordable," she said.
Increasing housing costs
Most compelling is the shift in demographic and housing trends and needs in Hingham. These include a combination of "demographic and economic forces that have the potential to affect community character -- including increasing housing costs, [the continuing demand for upscale, larger homes], a limited range of housing options, and an aging population that includes residents on limited or fixed incomes trying to remain in town" -- town officials say.
In addition, noted Sunnarborg, "Hingham has seen an uptick in the luxury market related to single-family home prices and condos," she said. The median price for a single-family home is $813,750, and $450,000 is the median price for a condo.
In 2017, market-rate rents were in the $2,190 a month range, requiring a $95,600 income to achieve the 30 percent standard. Rents for new market-rate units were about $3,000 a month.
Housing Authority Director Sharon Napier confirmed that there is a serious lack of affordable housing in Hingham, noting that while Thaxter Park on Thaxter Street provides affordable housing for the elderly, disabled, and families, "There are 500 on our waiting list now, or about a five- to 10-year wait. We field about five to 10 calls a day," she said.
Newly-elected Selectman Joe Fisher said he would like to see more possibilities for shared family housing, such as parents living with their children and vs. versa "so they can support each other. I'd like to see a focus on that."
Roadmap
The purpose of the assessment is to obtain updated information on demographic, economic, and housing characteristics and trends, "to better understand the current housing market dynamic, to create a roadmap for a proactive housing agenda, and to identify specific strategies in response to identified needs and also goals based on what has worked in Hingham as well as in other comparable communities," Sunnarborg said.
As evidence of Hingham's efforts to create more affordable housing despite the challenges, Selectman Mary Power shared the good news that the town was one of only 10 municipalities in the state to be designated recently as a Housing Choice community.
The Housing Choice Initiative rewards municipalities that have produced certain rates or amounts of new housing units in the last five years and that adopted best practices related to housing production that will sustain a 21st century workforce and increase access to opportunity for Massachusetts residents. Such communities are eligible to pursue various grants.
"Our work is not done by receiving this designation, but it does provide us with more opportunities," Power said. "We hear from a lot of people who say that" despite the various housing options in town, "they don't see their next house out there.
Preserving affordable housing
Last night's forum included roundtable brainstorming among the attendees to share their thoughts about challenges related to preserving and producing housing affordability and diversity and suggestions for long- and short-term strategies the town could implement to address priority housing needs.
The Trust has created or preserved a number of affordable housing units, which is a step in the right direction, "but the challenges are still great," Chairman Tim White said.
The Trust's most recent purchase was a two-family Rhodes Circle house. "It needs work, but we hope to add it to the town's affordable housing inventory, perhaps as two condos," White said.
Sunnarborg's presentation explained what the town has learned so far regarding the shifts in demograpic and housing trends and needs. Statistics show that of the town's 8,841 year-round housing units, 1,005 are considered to be affordable by the state.
The assessment so far indicates that there will be major increases in older residents due to the high number of Baby Boomers living in town along with the hundreds of Linden Pond Retirement Community residents.
Other statistics in the report related to the time period from 2000 to 2017 point to:
* growing income disparities among Hingham residents and an increase in households with annual incomes below $15,000 from 412 to 611;
* the poverty level is low but increasing;
* an increase in household earnings above $200,000 from 882 to 2,681;
* a 69 percent increase in the median income of home/condo owners to $152,674 while the median income of renters decreased by three percent to $48,284;
* 918 new units built between 2010 and 2018;
* substantial demolition/replacement of existing small- or moderate-cost single-family houses at about 40 percent of new single-family home development between that same time period;
* very little affordability remains in the private housing market;
* increasing cost burdens as 30 percent, or 2,493, households were spending too much for their housing, including 17 percent, or 1,415, with severe cost burdens.
Sunnarborg said the Housing Needs Assessment suggests that the town focus primarily on rental unit development "to target the needs of the most vulnerable residents, to continue to promote greater housing diversity, to offer opportunities for seniors to downsize in less-isolated settings," and to enhance the ability to qualify occupants for housing subsidies as state requirements regarding assets make it very difficult for long-term owners to be eligible for assistance.
At the same time, Sunnarborg said there's still a need for more affordable homeownership units, including starter homes and options for downsizing.
Housing priorities
Those attending broke into groups to talk about what they thought were the priorities related to this important issue. These included completing the assessment, identifying properties best suited for major development that would include affordable housing, expanding the town-owned Lincoln School Apartments for seniors and the disabled, deciding on an affordable housing plan for the Selectmen's Beal Street parcel and nearby Housing Authority-owned land, exploring the feasibility of rent control, and reviewing the development impacts of current zoning.
Among concerns expressed by participants were the high cost of housing in Hingham -- including both home ownership and rental units -- the high number of teardowns leading to a lack of smaller homes, and the overall lack of diversity among its residents, particularly as it relates to income.
Challenges included a lack of flexibility within the current zoning by-laws, unfavorable market conditions, negative perceptions that are sometimes voiced about affordable housing, and a lack of understanding about affordable housing issues -- including a "not in my backyard" attitude among some residents even though the town overall supports the creation of more affordable housing.
Next steps include obtaining comments and input for the next sections of the Housing Plan, finalizing the draft Housing Needs Assessment, preparing the housing challenges and strategies of the plan, conducting another public forum to obtain feedback, and finalizing the plan.
Another forum will be held in the near future. Citizen involvement is encouraged.