"The Pembroke Affordable Housing Committee was established by the Select Board on March 2, 1987 at the request of the Housing Authority. This allowed Pembroke to enter into the Mass Housing Partnership Program, thereby creating the forerunner to the Affordable Housing Committee, or the Pembroke Housing Partnership Committee." (taken from the Town of Pembroke website)
The Affordable Housing Committee (AHC) is an advisory committee that assesses and makes recommendations to proponents of housing developments that require a Comprehensive Permit under MGL Chapter 40B. The AHC does not issue permits or approvals, but reviews plans and concepts and adherence to the requirements for Chapter 40B for affordable housing development in the Town. They then make recommendations to the Town Manager, the Select Board and the Zoning Board which grants permits. The AHC and the Planning Board must work together to make any by-law changes and implement recommendations of the Master Plan and the soon to be published Housing Production Plan which is prepared by Old Colony Planning Council.
Affordable housing is an issue, not only in Pembroke, but across the Commonwealth and the country. It is growing more difficult for first time home buyers to come up with a down payment or even find an affordable property. Judy Parks, chair of the Affordable Housing Committee, is one Pembroke resident working to change this situation. She served on the Zoning Board from 1987 until 2007 and as chair from 1996 through 2007. She has been on the Affordable Housing Committee since 2020 and has worked in affordable housing for most of her professional career.
The economic changes in Pembroke over the past 40 years have affected the housing opportunities in the town. "It has put a real crunch on those families who have been here and want to stay, and their kids who want to stay." Housing that is affordable is not available for the average wage-earner, but there are programs within the Commonwealth that promote and encourage affordable housing development. "Affordable housing is a spectrum, from housing for very low income families and elderly and disabled, offered through public housing, Federal or State voucher programs, through housing for working families that do not earn enough, often earning 80% or less of Area Median Income (under $137,000 for a family of 4). With average price of a single-family home in Pembroke nearly $700,000, and the average apartment rent at $2700 for a two-bedroom unit, it is difficult to live in Pembroke if you do not have some financial assistance. "
Chapter 40B mandates that cities and towns that achieve a minimum housing inventory of 10% of the housing stock meet the requirements of affordable housing through income eligibility and deed restrictions. Once a community has reached this mandate, the community may reject 40B comprehensive permit applications without facing an appeal from the developer, giving such cities and towns great discretion over 40B proposals. Pembroke has been nearly at the 10% for a number of years, and we have provided affordable housing opportunities that without 40B we would not have. Per Judy, "We want to get past the 10%, if only for the reason that it gives the Town more control. We want to get to at least 15% because the Town needs it, and it would give us a little cushion". If you would like to read more about the 40B program, you will find a link here. The projects developed under Chapter 40B are privately owned and managed. The Town does manage the inventory of affordable units within the developments and oversees the sales of any affordable home ownership units within a 40B development. There are several 40B developments in the pipeline including Mattakeesett Village at the site of the old Shepherd’s Funeral Home on Mattakeesett Street.
Other issues, beside affordability, complicate the building of new residential housing in Pembroke. One is the current zoning rule that requires a 40,000 square foot lot for new single family home construction. Lot size requirements can change the complexion of a community because on a larger lot larger houses can be built, making smaller home construction less prevalent. If single family house lot sizes were changed to a smaller minimum, it could make it more affordable to build smaller single-family homes on an individual lot. Another issue is the fact that Pembroke does not have sewers. This further complicates the ability to build on some of the open properties in town. Not everyone can afford to purchase their own home, so how to meet the needs of renters must be addressed as well.
The AHC works with the Pembroke Housing Authority (PHA) which is the legal entity that owns and manages the public and senior housing in the Town. The Housing Authority also manages the voucher programs and waitlists. The AHC and the PHA are investigating ways to leverage the land and buildings owned by the PHA to increase the number of units on those sites. Our public developments are over 25 years old and well managed and maintained.
Another tool that is available to the AHC is the Affordable Housing Trust. This is a way for the Committee to raise funds to purchase property, provide a subsidy for building affordable units, fund studies, etc. This would allow the AHC to request funds for the Affordable Housing Trust from the Community Preservation Fund, as well as other sources, such as private grants. This was approved at Town meeting in May, 2024, but as of Wednesday evening, there had not been an appointment from the Select Board, as required by the article. When asked about this on Wednesday evening, Select Board Chair John Brown said he was not aware of this issue, and that he would discuss with the Town Manager. Subsequently, the Chair of the AHC was notified that Mr. Brown was going to fulfill the Select Board seat on the Affordable Housing Trust, allowing it to move forward.
The Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) is another partner working with the AHC and the Planning Board to create an overview of how to implement housing plans over the long term. OCPC recently completed a Housing Production Plan for Pembroke will highlight a "proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing by: creating a strategy to enable it to meet its affordable housing needs in a manner consistent with the Chapter 40B statute and regulation." They have created plans for other Old Colony towns such as Hanover and Kingston, and the Pembroke plan should be available to the public soon. Learn more about the OCPC here.
The AHC currently has one opening on the committee. If you are interested, you can come to the next meeting of the Affordable Housing Committee and get a sense of whether it is something you might want to join. The Committee meets in the Community Center, once a month, at 6pm on Wednesday evenings. You can contact Judy Parks if you are interested at parksjuditha@gmail.com.
