Calling it a test of town priorities, the executive director of the Island Affordable Housing Fund this week asked the Oak Bluffs Community Preservation Committee to commit another $400,000 to the financially troubled Bradley Square project, in the name of historic preservation.
“What is critical right now is for the Island Affordable Housing Fund to get a mandate for your priorities for this project. When we attempt fund-raising for this project we want to make sure our final design is consistent with the voice of the people, and it starts with this decision by this committee,” Mr. Hopkins said at a Monday night meeting of the committee.
Last year Oak Bluffs voters agreed to commit $400,000 in Community Preservation Act money to Bradley Square, a $5.3 million project that calls for renovating the old Denniston house on Masonic avenue and adding two new buildings for affordable housing and commercial space for artists. The ambitious project hit the skids with the falling economy and the abrupt departure of fund executive director Patrick Manning late this summer.
But Mr. Hopkins, who took the helm at the fund six weeks ago and is charged with straightening out a financial mess at the fund that includes empty coffers for the county rental assistance program, was not the only person to request CPA money on Monday night in the name of affordable housing.
David Vigneault, executive director of the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority, was there to ask for $132,000 to cover the town’s portion of the county rental assistance program, which the housing fund can no longer cover.
And so was selectman Ronald DiOrio, also chairman of the town affordable housing committee, who is asking for $400,000 to set up a new town affordable housing trust, modeled after a similar fund set up in Edgartown last year.
And all this in a year when the Community Preservation Committee has been told by town finance director Paul Manzi to limit its total grants to about $428,000, based on the fact that the state reduced its matching levels from 87 per cent last year to 48 per cent this year.
“We cannot predict what the state will reimburse in the future, so it would be better to wait until a special town meeting next year to allocate additional state funds,” wrote Mr. Manzi in a memorandum to committee chairman Stephen Durkee last month.
The committee currently has about $659,000 in reserve funds, nearly all of it earmarked for other projects. And in addition to the three affordable housing requests totaling just over $912,000 the committee is considering another $600,000 in requests from other community groups.
On Monday Mr. Hopkins suggested that the $400,000 in CPA funding may be the last resort to preserve the house on Masonic avenue which was the home of the late Oscar Denniston and the rectory for the Bradley Church, one of the earliest African American churches on the Vineyard.
If the fund does not receive the money, Mr. Hopkins said he would strongly consider eliminating the historic preservation component of the Bradley Square project.
The meeting was only to hear proposals; the committee will begin deliberations toward its recommendations next week. Any recommendations must be approved by voters at the annual town meeting in April.
Although the various Island affordable housing groups have traditionally prided themselves on unity, tension was evident on Monday.
During his presentation, Mr. Vigneault said the housing authority actually needs $150,000 from Oak Bluffs to fully fund the town’s share of the rental assistance program, but recognizing that funds are tight, he said he decided to ask for a smaller amount. “We understand the confluence of reduced state matches and heightened demand is putting a strain on this committee,” he said.
And he said the housing authority is no longer counting on support from the housing fund.
“We are not waiting to see what happens — we’re just asking for full participation [from the towns],” Mr. Vigneault said.
Mr. DiOrio made a strong pitch for money to put in a trust fund that he called a self-sustaining solution to affordable housing. He said the trust would allow the town to buy and develop property and generate revenue from rentals or sales.
“The rental [assistance] addressed a need, but it’s not a solution moving forward . . . this effort will chip away at the solution while also generating a positive cash flow for the town,” Mr. DiOrio said.
Mr. Durkee questioned the concept. “My concern is we’re sort of taking the taxpayers voice out of the allocation of the pool of funds . . . wouldn’t you say the CPA was created to engage the community and taxpayers and allow them to have a say in how the money is spent?” he said.
Mr. DiOrio said a board of trustees for the trust would hold public meetings, and he said selectmen would also serve as members.
The trust must be approved by Oak Bluffs voters in order to become reality.
But the toughest questions of the night centered on the Bradley Square request.
Mr. Hopkins began with a brief summary of the fund-raising efforts for Bradley Square. Only about $700,000 of the $5.3 million needed for the project has been raised so far, he said, and that includes $400,000 approved by voters last year.
“So is it reasonable to assume the gap between what you have, and what you need is between $5.3 million and $700,000?” committee member Charles Rock asked.
“That’s reasonable,” Mr. Hopkins answered.
“Well that’s a pretty big gap,” Mr. Rock replied.
Mr. Hopkins said the fund plans to launch an aggressive fund-raising campaign for Bradley Square in the coming months, but he said the Community Preservation Committee’s decision will play a big role in whether the preservation of the historic home stays in the plans.
“If the town of Oak Bluffs came back and said the priority is not to do the historical component of this project, then we would not go in that direction . . . if you were to fund this request I think it would make a strong statement . . . the money will drive what this project is at the end of the day,” he said.
“I think the $400,000 the town allocated last year is making a significant statement,” returned Mr. Durkee.
Other committee members expressed reservations about giving so much money to a project mired in so much uncertainty, especially when the full request would effectively wash out all the committee’s funds.
“I think our problem is this request alone would consume 90 per cent of our funds this year,” Mr. Rock said. “That is something we have struggled with, at least I have.”
In a brief public comment period, Donald Muckerheide urged the committee to invest in the rental assistance program. “You need to take care of the people right now, and you get the most bang for your buck with [rental assistance],” he said.
This article appears in December 11, 2009.
I think it is very sad that the towns feel obligated to pick up the tab of a failed charity. Will you act the same way if Community Services needs funds or the Y?
I would probably vote for temporary assistance but I would let it be known that there is a definitive limit.
Maybe now town planning boards will start actual planning. Plan zoning regulations beneficial to the local community.
Think about it. We do not have a housing crisis, we have a zoning crisis.
Again the parasites, and non productive are expecting the productive to support the GREATER GOOD. The time come the productive QUIT support the non productive.That time is NOW. Affordable housing,just because some one thinks they have a right to live on the Vineyard does not mean we should support that desire. Everyone should live with in your means of paying for that living style.
Quoting the financial genius Mr. Hopkins
“So is it reasonable to assume the gap between what you have, and what you need is between $5.3 million and $700,000?” committee member Charles Rock asked.
“That’s reasonable,” Mr. Hopkins answered.
“Well that’s a pretty big gap,” Mr. Rock replied.
This quote say it all.
John Gault
If you do a simple internet search for “Housing Assistance, Massachusetts” you’ll find the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website, and you’ll notice that nearly EVERY SINGLE COUNTY in the entire state has an local housing office…..except for our little Island. It’s because we don’t get THAT kind of help out here.
And if you call and do a bit of research, you’ll find road-blocks all over the place with housing assistance IN GENERAL. There is currently a waiting line for State rental assistance vouchers as long as the line to get a mooring in Edgartown Harbor for your boat. But not if you live on Martha’s Vineyard. The line is so long, they’re not eve taking new applicants.
Section 8 housing around the Commonwealth is being purchased and people are being displaced because the new owners are raising rents literally within dollars of the limits of the Section 8 guidelines. What does all this mean? It means that people who need affordable housing are in trouble.
And that leads me to my next thought.
I’m having a hard time grasping why an entity (non-profit or not) would call themselves “Island Affordable Housing”, when they come up with an idea to refurbish 1 house and build studios for artists?
HEY – Hopkins and friends – there is an association you guys can join… its called the “Alliance of Artist Communities.” Check it out, and get off your soapbox of helping out the people of Martha’s Vineyard, because in the big picture this idea of turning an old house into a few apartments, you’re not really helping people out here at all, and shouldn’t carry a brand name that denotes that you do. You’ve helped some folks with your lottery idea, and that was nice of you. But don’t flatter yourselves. You’re not helping me or any of my poor friends AT ALL!
The newspapers out here are inundated with winter rentals and year round rentals, and the prices keep coming down, but still, no one can afford the high cost of living.
People are leaving because of the very essence of community development and planning that this plan at “Bradley Square” reeks of….I think its called “gentrification”….??
Gentrification displaces poor people and attracts rich people, people are displaced, and the American dream becomes increasingly less accessible to those without a ton of support and/or money.
Is the answer REALLY refurbishing a worn-down old house with hundreds of thousands of dollars? ARE YOU KIDDING?? I think that Hopkins and friends are going down the wrong road here. Why don’t they ask for that money, and divide it up equally among the hundreds of struggling families in the form of rental assistance… in turn, lowering the existing burden of an extremely high cost of living on the people who already live here.
To Mr. Hopkins:
Martha’s Vineyard does not need a couple more apartments and studios for artists. I think that money could go towards something much more valuable, like taking care of our own. Look around, the Island is getting lighter every day. People are leaving and moving away because of the excessive cost of living here, and projects like this DO NOT help.
Can you not think of better ways to spend millions of dollars??? And if you can’t, can I please buy you a one way ferry ticket from Vineyard Haven? I can afford THAT.
YOURS VERY TRULY,
-POOR, OUTRAGED, and DISMAYED in Edgartown.
So called affordable housing may make us feel all warm and fuzzy yet what good does it really do? What are the criteria? Do they do background checks to make sure we’re not encouraging criminals and drug addicts to stay on the island? Are we sure their reported income is accurate and they’re not working under the table? Are the income guidelines based on full time work or can you bartend two days a week and go surfing the other days and still qualify? Are they legal? If they’re not competent enough to find a way to make a living here then in what way are they contributing to our community?
What if they’re just plain jerks and we’d all be happy to see them go? How long should they have lived on the island before we offer assistance, 5, 10 years or a month? The answer to these questions should be answered by the Free Market and not by government intervention.
Renovation is much more expensive than new construction. First you have to tear down and then build. New homes are being put up in Europe esp. in Germany that are made to be affordable AND so efficient energy-wise that they use little or no energy.
Here on the island of Martha’s Vineyard energy costs are huge. With so large a part of the cost of living being energy it would make enormous sense to follow the lead of Europe – for example – the passive house institute in Damstadt Germany have over 16,000 such homes built.
Size matters. Smaller homes can be very comfortable, and affordable. Also, with a small size even body heat in a well insulated plan contributes to the heating. With town owned or subsidized land costs and some good engineering a serviceable house can be easily constructed for under $200,000 that will be energy neutral. That way energy costs which can amount to $500 a month can be eliminated.
The amount of community contribution towards the costs of such dwellings need not be much if the homes are smaller and energy efficient. New Englanders traditionally used to build this way. A traditional older New England home was small and added on to as income allowed. Also, look at the older neighborhoods and you will see houses canted towards the south – Main Street VH would be a place to start. Common sense ruled before sub-divisions reliant on cheap fuel changed our perception of how to site a home.
Zoning is the issue. Planning boards should change zoning so that people can do what needs to be done in these changing times.
More houses??? Considering the vast majority of the houses on the island sit empty for most of the year the last thing we need is more houses. We don’t have a housing problem we have an affordable housing problem. That problem is resolved when people work hard to earn the income needed to live here. If you can’t afford to live here then you must move on to a place where you’re abilities allow you to earn enough to survive.
The Denniston building was a residence. It was never a Church. The Bradley Church, which was not the oldest Afro American Church on the Vineyard, was located on Circuit Ave and then Pequot Avenue, never Masonic. There is a very clear article from the Dukes County Historical Society documenting this and the non profits have been aware of it for years now. All IAHF and IHT had to do was ask any of the aging neighbors in the neighborhood. They know. Remember the neighbors who were ignored during the permitting process.
So here we go with IAHF and the Island Housing Trust again. They fund raise off false historic information and then compound it by not disclosing the nature of the history of the building when asking for ANOTHER $400,000 from the CPA funds for the project. CPA funds are given to historic buildings when the history is known, documented and ideally registered on the National register. Also, only for historic buildings that have public use and access. The Denniston building will not be so utilized. Also, by being on the National register the historic renovations have oversight. The Denniston building has no historic oversight or regulations related to the renovations. The public already has $400,000 of CPA fund tied up for the BS project, and my understanding is that some of that has been released to pay the expenses of the failing project!!!, but I am sure that the CPA, with all the other projects and the lack of funds will not throw good money after bad.