Present:

John Jordan (chair)
Lynn Frank
Shirley Kane
Bill Bevis
Dick Gilbert
Paul Corcoran
Regina Bringolf

1. The minutes of 9-23-2002 were corrected regarding co-housing options:  While most of the 100-odd US co-housing developments are 'upscale', that need not be the case; depending on amenities, co-housing (like condominiums) can be less expensive than single-family homes. Co-housing is simply an extension of the 'condominium' concept, in which more than just the roof, exterior walls, and land is owned in common:  also commonly owned in co-housing developments are the garages, gardens, guest rooms, workshops and/or studios for crafts, maybe a playground or swimming pool, sometimes the laundry facility, and most uniquely a large common room and kitchen where residents have the option of sharing the evening meal and taking turns cooking it.  (Each unit also has its own small kitchen).   There is no obligation to share meals - but doing so offers a convenience to working people who are able to come home and find dinner prepared, and only have to take their turn cooking and washing up, two or three times a month.
   
   
2. We discussed the mission of this committee:
   
   
   1. To gather information
   2. To make recommendations
   3. ?To promote economic diversity? - - that would be one result of having more affordable housing available in town, but we did not agree on whether it should be stated as an official part of our mission.)
      
      
3. We discussed the evidence supporting a shortage of affordable housing in Hancock:
   
   
   1. The vacancy rate for rental housing in our area is less that 2 %. (2 % is considered in the real estate industry to be the 'turnover rate' and represents units briefly vacant between tenants, or during renovations.) 
   2. The least expensive house on the market today in Hancock is $175,00.
   3. In the entire Conval school district, only 18 houses are on the market for less than $200,000.
   4. 'Affordability' is defined by the new Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA) as no more than 30% of family income going to housing (either rent, or mortgage payments, taxes and insurance). Another definition, used by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, is 'able to be rented or purchased by families who earn no more than 80 % of the median income for the area.'
   5. A NHHFA survey in year 2000 identified many ordinary jobs as having yearly wages of $24,120 ($11.60/hr) or less:
      
      1. Pre-School Teachers
      2. Teacher Aides
      3. Emergency Medical Technicians
      4. Bank Tellers
      5. Retail Sales Persons
      6. Municipal Clerks
      7. Data Entry Keyers
      8. Nursing Aides and Orderlies
      9. Tool Grinders
      10. Precision Woodworkers
      11. Custom Tailors and Sewers
      12. Electronic Equipment Assemblers
          
          
   6. It is generally believed that many people who work in Hancock, cannot afford to live in Hancock; but we so not have hard data about this.
   7. Median 4-person family income in Hancock is $64,423.
   8. The 'poverty threshold' for New Hampshire families is $17,603.
   9. 2.7 % of Hancock families are below the poverty level. (=13 families)
   10. Median per capita income in Hancock is $29,445.
   11. The NH 'poverty threshold' for one person is $8,795.
   12. 3.75 % of adults in Hancock are below the poverty level (=65 persons).
   13. Before 1994, New Hampshire had more housing units than jobs; but since, jobs have grown faster than housing, and as of l998 NH had 575,000  jobs but only 542,000 housing units.
   14. The NHHFA Housing Market Analysis identifies municipal regulations and the current NH tax structure as major barriers to construction, and a significant factor in the failure of the marketplace to respond to the rental housing shortage in the state.  (New Hampshire towns that do choose to have affordable housing are penalized by higher school taxes, unlike many  other states where the state budget funds a larger share of local school costs, freeing towns to make appropriate planning and zoning decisions as needed.)
       

   Sources of the above statistics (mostly based on year 2000 census data) include:
   
   

   1. New Hampshire State Data Center (www.state.nh.us/osp/sdc/Home.html)
   2. New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (www.nhhfa.org)
   3. Hancock Town web site: (www.hancocknh.org)
   4. NH Laws ("Revised Statutes Annotated" or "RSA's"), available in the town office.
   5. The Mollers real estate office
      
      
4. Shirley and Dick presented a summary of their recent fact-finding visit to the Keene Housing Authority.  They brought back 120 pages of data from a recently-completed study of housing needs and recommendations for Keene.  Keene has relaxed its limitations on accessory apartments or so-called 'in-law units'.  These are now allowed for rental to a relative of the owner, and cannot be larger than 800 square feet in size.
   
   
5. We discussed the issue of whether any new affordable housing in Hancock should serve Hancock people primarily.  Government subsidies for new housing usually carry the requirement that people from anywhere can have an equal opportunity to live there. However we see our mission as meeting the needs of Hancock people. This raised the question of the extent to which the owner of any housing can discriminate in the choice of who gets to live there.  State law is applicable:  RSA 354 covers laws intended to prevent discrimination in housing, and one section, RSA 354-A:13, lists exemptions, i.e. situations where the owner can discriminate:
   
   
   1. "...in a building which contains housing accommodations for not more than 3 families living independently of each other, if the owner or members of his family reside in one of such housing accommodations...."
   2. "....a religious organization, association or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by a religious organization, association, or society...."

   
   In other words, owners of new housing units could choose to rent only to Hancock people (or to anyone of their choosing) if they had one or two additional apartments or an in-law unit in their home; or if they were a church-related entity.
   

6. We discussed Hancock's zoning ordinance, and ways in which it could be 'tweaked' to permit more rental units:
   
   f. Article V, section 2, could be changed to allow three-family residences.
   g. Article XII, section G, could be changed to allow 'guest cottages' and 'in-law units' to be
   rented to anyone, not just guests or members of the family.
   
   These changes would empower older couples or single people to consider putting in one or two apartments or an in-law unit, if they needed extra income or a helpful neighbor in order to stay out of a nursing home.  They would offer another option for those considering a move to Rivermead. Such changes would encourage more rental housing availability for all age groups in Hancock, at lower cost than for new construction.
   
   
7. More affordable new construction could be encouraged by easing the limitations on 'Flexible Lot Sizes' or so-called 'cluster zoning' as spelled out in Article VIII, section 9 of the zoning ordinance.
   
   
8. Although the need is clear, it remains to be determined whether the town wants more affordable housing.  To explore this, we revised and approved the 'Affordable Housing Committee Questionnaire.'  This will be mailed to all town residents.  Copies will also be available in the town office and at the market.
   
   
9. We also discussed doing another survey that would focus on the major employers in town, to learn their views on the need and desirability of in-town affordable housing for their employees.  The employees (whether or not they live in town) might also be surveyed.  No decision was made, but Paul was assigned to draft a business survey for discussion at our next meeting.
   
   
10. Next meeting:  Monday December 16th at 7:00 in the Daniels Room at the library.
    
    

Minutes prepared by
Paul Corcoran