Town of Dracut Affordable Housing Production Plan 2014-2018 Images Clockwise from Top Right: Joseph Avenue, Allard's Grove, Senior Apartment Homes and Hypine Road April 2014 Prepared by Northern Middlesex Council of Governments 40 Church Street, Suite 200 Lowell, MA 01852 Northern Middlesex Council of Governments April 30, 2014 Aaron Gornstein, Undersecretary A Multi-Disciplinary Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development Regional Planning 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 300 Agency Serving: Boston, MA 02114 Billerica Re: Dracut Affordable Housing Production Plan Chelm ford Dracut Dear Undersecretary Gornstein, Dunstable Lowell The Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG) worked closely with the Dracut Affordable Housing Partnership Committee and the Pepperell Assistant Town Manager/Town Planner to develop the enclosed Town of Tewksbuly Dracut Affordable Housing Production Plan for 2014-2018 (AHPP), which Tyngsborough summarizes the current housing market in the community and outlines a Westford five-year plan for increasing the number of affordable residential units in order to exceed Dracut's Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) goal. The document was approved unanimously by the Dracut Planning Board on Matthew 1. Hanson February 26,2014 and by the Board of Selectmen on March 25, 2014, as Chair documented in the attached letters. We have also enclosed a letter from the Executive Director of the Dracut Housing Authority, who also participated on Beverly A. Woods Executive Director the Affordable Housing Partnership Committee. This broad support reflects the Town's willingness to work in partnership with your office and the private sector to increase the availability of affordable housing in Dracut. 40 Church Street Suite 200 Lowell, MA The AHPP addresses the requirements outlined under Chapter 40B of 01852-2686 the Massachusetts General Law, as well as the 2008 program regulations TEL: (978) 454-8021 developed by your office. This document is consistent with the Commonwealth's Sustainable Development Principles and establishes goals FAX : (978) 454-8023 and strategies that reflect Dracut's specific community characteristics, as www.nmcog.org reflected in their approved planning documents. Once approved by DHCD, this AHPP will serve as a guide for the Town's affordable housing program for the next five years. Since the Dracut Affordable Housing Productivity Plan was submitted in October 2003, the private housing market has experienced significant changes, including the bursting of the housing bubble in 2008. Shortly after the previous plan was submitted to DHCD, the Town was credited with 290 subsidized units or 2.6% in March 2004. As of January 2014, Dracut was credited with 719 subsidized units or 6.4%, which represented an increase of 147.9%. As outlined in this document, the Dracut Affordable Housing Partnership Committee has been able to identify 296 additional subsidized housing units currently in the housing "pipeline". Once the "pipeline" units are confirmed by DHCD, the Town of Dracut will be at 1,015 subsidized units or 8.97%. The Town is committed to working collaboratively to implement the AHPP by working with the private development community and funding agencies on the identified potential housing sites to exceed the 10% affordability goal by 2018. If you have any questions or require any additional information, do not hesitate to contact Jay Donovan, the NMCOG Assistant Director, directly at (978) 454-8021 ext. 116 or at [email protected]. Sincerely, (3o~/J!JJ4iU~ Beverly #oods Executive Director cc: Ann Vandal, Acting Town Manager Dracut Board of Selectmen Dracut Planning Board NMCOG Councilors and Alternate Philip DeMartino, DHCD 2 \l[;oltln of ilBracut TOWN HALL 62 ARLINGTON STREET DRACUT, MASSACHUSETTS 01826 Board of Selectmen TEL: (978) 452-1908 License Commissioners FAX: (978) 452-7924 email: [email protected] Cathy Richardson-Brown, Chairperson Joseph DiRocco, Jr., Vice-Chairman Robert O. Cox, Clerk John 1. Ziminj Tony Archillski March 25, 2014 Aaron Gornstein Undersecretary Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 300 Boston, MA 02114 Dear Mr. Undersecretary Gornstein: At its meeting on March 25, 2014, the Dracut Board of Selectmen adopted the Town of Dracut's Affordable Housing Production Plan, 2014-2018 by a vote of 5-0. The Housing Production Plan was developed through a collaborative effort between the Board of Selectmen and the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments. If you have any questions about the Housing Production Plan, or the vote ofapproval taken at the March 25,2014 Board of Selectmen's meeting, please contact our office. Sincerely, ( , " . o v)L eh . ·~i;J(/ U Cathy Richardson Chairperson Cc: Beverly Woods, NMCOG Phil DeMartino, DHCD (inwunf Irarm DRACUT, MASSACHUSETTS 01826 PLANNING BOARD February 28, 2014 Aaron Gornstein, Undersecretary Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 300 Boston, MA 02114 Dear Undersecretary Gornstein, The Dracut Planning Board formally adopted the "Dracut Affordable Housing Production Plan for 2014­ 2018" at its February 26th meeting by a vote of 5-0. The Town of Dracut, through its Affordable Housing Partnership Committee, has worked with the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG) for the past year in completing this document. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in this process and look forward to addressing our overall housing needs over the next five yea rs. The development of this document would not have been possible without the availability of District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) funds, which playa vital role in the production of housing units and the creation of jobs. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to contact the Planning Board at (978)454-2594. Sincerely, , / /;~ J~/l1he~v0 Jesse Forcier Chairman cc: Dracut Board of Selectmen Beverly Woods, NMCOG Phil DeMartino, DHCD The Town of Dracut is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Table of Contents Transmittal letter from NMCOG Approval letter from Dracut Board of Selectmen Approval letter from Dracut Planning Board Support letter from Executive Director, Dracut Housing Authority Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………………………………..….i Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... v Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 A. Overview of Housing Production Plan ........................................................................................... 1 B. Defining Affordable Housing ......................................................................................................... 2 C. Data Sources and Definitions ......................................................................................................... 3 I. Comprehensive Needs Assessment ................................................................................... 5 A. Demographic Analysis .................................................................................................................... 5 1. Population .............................................................................................................................. 5 2. Households and Household Types ........................................................................................ 6 3. Age Cohorts ............................................................................................................................ 9 4. School Enrollment and Projections...................................................................................... 11 5. Race and Ethnicity ................................................................................................................ 13 6. Residents with Disabilities ................................................................................................... 13 7. Household and Family Income ............................................................................................ 15 8. Residents Living In Poverty ................................................................................................. 20 B. Existing Housing Stock Analysis ................................................................................................... 21 1. Housing Unit Types .............................................................................................................. 21 2. Housing Tenure ................................................................................................................... 22 3. New Residential Development ............................................................................................ 23 4. Housing Market Conditions ................................................................................................ 25 5. Housing Affordability Analysis............................................................................................ 28 6. Gaps between Existing Housing Needs and Current Supply ............................................. 35 7. Affordable Housing Efforts in Dracut ................................................................................. 37 II. Affordable Housing Goals and Strategies ....................................................................... 47 A. Housing Goals ..............................................................................................................................