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From the Housing Partnership Committee Charge:

• Oversee the development and up-to-date revisions of plans and policies related to fair and affordable housing in Easton, including but not limited to:
• The Easton Fair Housing Plan, which should be updated every five years
• The Affordable Housing Plan Production Plan, which should be updated at least every five years
• The Housing section of the Easton Master Plan, which should be updated at least every 10 years
• Promote implementation of the above-referenced plans
• Receive complaints about possible fair housing violations and provide information and assistance, including referrals to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) and coordination of testing through the Fair Housing Center of Boston
• Undertake activities to increase the understanding of tenants, homeowners, landlords, realtors and lenders of their rights and responsibilities under state and federal fair housing laws. These activities include developing educational materials and conducting trainings and community outreach.
• Act as a resource to Easton residents as well as other Boards and Committees and undertake activities to increase awareness of existing housing programs for which Easton residents may already be eligible
• Undertake activities that promote goodwill and minimize discrimination in housing
• Review comprehensive permit applications and marketing plans to ensure compliance with Fair Housing Laws and consistency with Easton housing policies and plans.
• Submit an annual report for inclusion in the Town Report.

Read the full Housing Partnership Committee Charge here (amended December 9, 2009).

Affordable Housing Planned Production Plan 2005

In July of 2005, the Easton Board of Selectmen officially adopted an Affordable Housing Production Plan which was subsequently submitted to and accepted by the Commonwealth’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). In order to ensure that housing development in the Town of Easton meets the needs of the town while remaining in compliance with State requirements under Chapter 40B, the state Comprehensive Permit Law, the Town of Easton will need to demonstrate progress toward the objectives described in the Plan.

Comprehensive Permit Policy

The more clearly the needs of the Town can be articulated, the more likely we are to encourage Comprehensive Permit applications that meet them.

Read the complete Comprehensive Permit Policy here.

The main purpose of this policy is to encourage developments that address five local objectives:

• Provide permanently affordable housing for low- and moderate-income – households as defined by regulation (i.e., “low- and moderate-income” means households with income at or below 80% of area median income (AMI), adjusted for household size, for the Providence-New Bedford-Fall River-RI-MA MSA).
• Respect our natural resources;
• Contribute to the vitality and attractiveness of Easton’s villages and business districts;
• Minimize adverse fiscal impacts; and
• Reflect a collaborative approach by the developer and Town.

Toward these ends, the Town encourages applications for small-scale comprehensive permit developments that serve low- and moderate-income households, but not necessarily exclusively if possible. We would like to see developments that make use of existing structures or conform to the established architectural traditions in our community. We also prefer developments located on Route 138, Route 123, Route 106, Main Street from Rt. 138 to the Brockton line, or in North Easton Center. Small, attractive affordable housing developments in these areas will help us expand our inventory of low- and moderate-income housing in a manner that acknowledges the Town’s land use policies, development traditions and fiscal capacity.

 

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