FTPA Calls for Broad Review and Impact Analysis of Draft Housing Action Plan

FTPA Calls for Broad Review and Impact Analysis of Draft Housing Action Plan

News from:
FRAMINGHAM TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION
Contact: Steve Kruger
(508) 788-1777

For immediate Release
FTPA Calls for Broad Review and Impact Analysis of Draft Housing Action Plan
FRAMINGHAM, MA, July 29, 2004 - The Framingham Taxpayers Association (FTPA) is calling upon the Board of Selectmen to delay any action on the recently proposed Housing Action Plan (the Plan) until the Plan has been subjected to broader scrutiny and a credible impact analysis has been performed.
The Plan is based upon data generated from public meetings and other analyses. The Plan states that "local residents identified and ranked housing goals and themes," conveying the impression that the planning process obtained broad and representative input from the community. A number of FTPA members attended several of these sessions and note that the sessions were often sparsely attended, by whomever wanted to participate. In no way should the input from this small, haphazard group be judged to fairly or accurately represent the wishes of the community at large. While some of the data for this plan were collected in public forums, the Framingham Planning and Economic Development Department, a paid consultant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and the Framingham Housing Partnership, created the actual conclusions and goals of the plans. Arguably this group represents an affordable housing advocacy point of view. The development of the conclusions was not a public process and may not fully represent the will of the residents of Framingham.
The Plan contains ambitious and far-reaching goals that may very well have a profound impact on the character of the Town of Framingham and the quality of our life. For example, the Plan suggests that rather than a goal of 10% affordable housing, the current standard, "a goal of 30-40% affordable housing, although extremely ambitious, is more in line with needs." This statement raises all sorts of questions, not the least of which is what impact the attainment of such a goal would have on the cost of providing town services, the ability of the town to pay for those services, and the town's bond rating (to name just a few). We believe it is imperative that a careful impact analysis be conducted before the Board of Selectmen takes any action on the Plan.
Perhaps there is an unstated assumption behind the 30-40% goal that all we would be doing is better serving the needs of the people who already reside in the town. Such an assumption would be highly speculative. There is certainly the possibility that making the town a far more attractive place to live for lower income citizens would lead to an influx of even more people at the lower portion of the income scale. There is evidence in the Plan itself and elsewhere that such an outcome may already have been occurring over the last decade or so. The Plan points out that: "The proportion of low-moderate income people (in Framingham) has grown from 28% in 1990 to 39% in 2000". At the same time the town has an extensive array of social service and support agencies compared to most surrounding communities. Is this all just coincidence? The Plan is silent on the question of why the proportion of low-moderate income people in Framingham increased so much from 1990 to 2000. This question begs to be addressed before we adopt the Plan.
Now that the Plan has been made public, the FTPA believes it is incumbent upon the Board of Selectmen to seek the advice of supporting knowledgeable boards and committees such as the Finance Committee, Planning Board, and Standing Committee on Planning and Zoning as well as holding a full public hearing. These boards and committees contain specialized knowledge that will be invaluable to the Board of Selectmen as they consider their support of this plan. In addition, the Plan is of such import and potential impact that the public should be able to hear the opinions of these boards and committees and to make its opinions known in a public hearing.
Additionally, the FTPA believes that before a final vote on the Plan, the Board of Selectmen should seek the concurrence of Town Meeting. Town Meeting will be called upon to support the many zoning changes called for in this plan as well as work with any financial or other effects resulting from it.
There may be some short-term financial gain in proceeding quickly to adopt this plan. However, the FTPA believes that because the long-term impacts could potentially dwarf any short-term gain, the Board of Selectmen should adopt a measured approach to acceptance. Without community and official support from the entire town, this plan cannot possibly succeed. We urge the Board of Selectmen to gain that support for the Plan before adopting it.
###

FTPA Calls for Broad Review and Impact Analysis of Draft Housing Action Plan
News from: FRAMINGHAM TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION Contact: Steve Kruger (508) 788-1777 *For immediate Release* FTPA Calls for Broad Review and Impact Analysis of Draft Housing Action Plan FRAMINGHAM, MA, July 29, 2004 - The Framingham Taxpayers Association (FTPA) is calling upon the Board of Selectmen to delay any action on the recently proposed Housing Action Plan (the Plan) until the Plan has been subjected to broader scrutiny and a credible impact analysis has been performed. The Plan is based upon data generated from public meetings and other analyses. The Plan states that "local residents identified and ranked housing goals and themes," conveying the impression that the planning process obtained broad and representative input from the community. A number of FTPA members attended several of these sessions and note that the sessions were often sparsely attended, by whomever wanted to participate. In no way should the input from this small, haphazard group be judged to fairly or accurately represent the wishes of the community at large. While some of the data for this plan were collected in public forums, the Framingham Planning and Economic Development Department, a paid consultant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and the Framingham Housing Partnership, created the actual conclusions and goals of the plans. Arguably this group represents an affordable housing advocacy point of view. The development of the conclusions was not a public process and may not fully represent the will of the residents of Framingham. The Plan contains ambitious and far-reaching goals that may very well have a profound impact on the character of the Town of Framingham and the quality of our life. For example, the Plan suggests that rather than a goal of 10% affordable housing, the current standard, "a goal of 30-40% affordable housing, although extremely ambitious, is more in line with needs." This statement raises all sorts of questions, not the least of which is what impact the attainment of such a goal would have on the cost of providing town services, the ability of the town to pay for those services, and the town's bond rating (to name just a few). We believe it is imperative that a careful impact analysis be conducted before the Board of Selectmen takes any action on the Plan. Perhaps there is an unstated assumption behind the 30-40% goal that all we would be doing is better serving the needs of the people who already reside in the town. Such an assumption would be highly speculative. There is certainly the possibility that making the town a far more attractive place to live for lower income citizens would lead to an influx of even more people at the lower portion of the income scale. There is evidence in the Plan itself and elsewhere that such an outcome may already have been occurring over the last decade or so. The Plan points out that: "The proportion of low-moderate income people (in Framingham) has grown from 28% in 1990 to 39% in 2000". At the same time the town has an extensive array of social service and support agencies compared to most surrounding communities. Is this all just coincidence? The Plan is silent on the question of why the proportion of low-moderate income people in Framingham increased so much from 1990 to 2000. This question begs to be addressed before we adopt the Plan. Now that the Plan has been made public, the FTPA believes it is incumbent upon the Board of Selectmen to seek the advice of supporting knowledgeable boards and committees such as the Finance Committee, Planning Board, and Standing Committee on Planning and Zoning as well as holding a full public hearing. These boards and committees contain specialized knowledge that will be invaluable to the Board of Selectmen as they consider their support of this plan. In addition, the Plan is of such import and potential impact that the public should be able to hear the opinions of these boards and committees and to make its opinions known in a public hearing. Additionally, the FTPA believes that before a final vote on the Plan, the Board of Selectmen should seek the concurrence of Town Meeting. Town Meeting will be called upon to support the many zoning changes called for in this plan as well as work with any financial or other effects resulting from it. There may be some short-term financial gain in proceeding quickly to adopt this plan. However, the FTPA believes that because the long-term impacts could potentially dwarf any short-term gain, the Board of Selectmen should adopt a measured approach to acceptance. Without community and official support from the entire town, this plan cannot possibly succeed. We urge the Board of Selectmen to gain that support for the Plan before adopting it. ###

Send comments to: webmaster@framinghamtpa.org

Every tax is a pay cut. Every tax cut is a pay raise.
Citizens for Limited Taxation