Critics are questioning Mayor Setti Warren?s record on developing affordable housing in the wake of his decision to block a development for the chronically homeless in Waban.
Warren has repeatedly called himself an advocate for housing for low- to moderate-income families, but critics claim his administration has discouraged developers from coming forward with new plans.
Jennifer Van Campen, executive director of Metro West Collaborative Development, said affordable housing is difficult to develop, regardless of the community it?s in. Metro West is behind the Engine 6 proposal, and she said Warren?s recent actions underscore the need for political will and leadership.
"It?s unclear to me that this mayor has any political will to make things happen," said Van Campen.
Since Warren took office in 2009, only seven units of affordable housing have been approved for city-controlled federal funding ? a figure that would have more than doubled if the Engine 6 proposal of 10 studio apartments had been approved.
Warren defended his record in a prepared statement.
"I have always been a strong supporter of affordable housing and believe it is part of the ladder of opportunity for people in our community," Warren said.
Warren went on to say his administration has taken a proactive approach, and noted the new affordable units expected to be included in developments at the Austin Street parking lot and the Riverside MBTA station. He also said his administration has docketed items and helped to make changes to zoning laws to create further opportunities.
But some say the mayor?s actions have actual stifled chances to accommodate residents being pushed out by high property values. They point to changes by his administration that require any developer seeking city allocated federal funds for affordable housing to go through the same public bidding process the city has to -- a hurdle not required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides the funds.
Washington Street-based CAN-DO is the only affordable-housing developer to receive federal fund from the city since Warren took office. Executive Director Josephine McNeil said the nonprofit has a hard enough time building affordable units in Newton without the extra burdens put in place by the Warren administration.
"They are of the opinion that what they?re doing is increasing transparency and theoretically opening up the process for more people to be involved," said McNeil, "but the downside is that this new process is just adding time and making it a lengthier and more expensive process."
Affordable housing developers in Newton realistically have two options for adding to the existing stock. They can either rely on local, state and federal subsidies largely controlled by the city, or they can use the 40B state statute that essentially allows local zoning and density regulations to be circumvented.
The 40B projects are generally larger projects where 25 percent of the units are affordable and the rest are market-rate, though the entire property is included in the city?s total affordable housing-stock count under state law.
Of the city?s current housing stock, 7.5 percent is deemed affordable under state statutes. That number falls short of the state?s goal of 10 percent. A recent survey of the largest affordable housing units in the city found a waiting list of 1,766 applicants for existing properties.
According to the Newton Housing Authority website, the group's family housing program has a wait list of seven to 10 years for standard applicants and two to five years for emergency cases.
Alderman Ted Hess-Mahan, a mayoral candidate and former board member at CAN-DO, said the city should be doing more.
Hess-Mahan accused the Warren administration of discouraging developers from coming forward with affordable housing projects by not simply following the HUD guidelines.
"This mayor has really ignored that and gone for much more restrictive practices in order to look good rather than to do good," said Hess-Mahan.
Going through the public bidding process requires submitted documents to be airtight and come with the added cost of lawyer and architectural fees, Hess-Mahan said. Because of the extra costs expended there, developers often have having to make up the difference by selecting a low bidder that can?t perform the contract and either walks away or does a poor job.
"It?s part and parcel of policies that Mayor Warren has followed, which really discourage the creation of affordable housing in the city and only encourages getting around the process solely through going through 40B," said Hess-Mahan.
But the number of affordable units that are developed is a direct reflection of the market, according to Planning Director Candace Havens.
The city relies on developers to approach them, according to Havens, and that requires properties becoming available in the right price range. That?s easier said than done in a city with high property values and limited space left that hasn?t already been built on.
"In a community like Newton where we are over 90 percent built out, opportunity for development is scarce," said Havens.
Every five years the city submits a consolidated plan to HUD in order to receive federal funds for housing and community needs. This fall city officials will begin to prepare a new submittal for the project by soliciting public input in conjunction with its annual action plan, according to Havens.
Warren tabled discussion on the Engine 6 proposal weeks before a looming funding deadline for the project, in the wake of residents? concerns over safety and impact on the character of their neighborhood. At the time he said community meetings would be held on a yet-to-be determined date in the fall to have a broader discussion about affordable housing and how the city administers its programs.
"It makes a lot of sense to bring those things together at that time," said Havens. "That?s a point of time where we?re looking at what we plan to do over the next five years of time, and explore if there?s a way if we can do it better."
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