More Details Emerge on Franklin Ridge -- and an Affordable Foreclosure is Discussed

Above, Chair Chris Vericker brings the Tuesday morning meeting to order.

The Municipal Affordable Housing Trust met on Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 10 AM via Zoom. While the chair waited for a quorum, those presents had a lively and impassioned discussion about the lack of interim housing – to help people who are lost between emergency shelters typically usable for a night or two and actual permanent housing. All expressed frustration at the lack of resources and a desire to connect with interested parties to see if a solution might be possible locally.

Chair Chris Vericker called the meeting to order when the full complement came onto the call. The first order of business was reviewing and approving minutes from the August meeting, which was quickly accomplished.

Vericker then discussed the bylaw change approved by the Town Council which changed the structure of the Trust board.

“I want to go ahead and make some suggestions; first anybody can nominate anyone for any position, including themselves. Anyone who's nominated should either accept that nomination or decline it and then we should have a vote after each position.

With that in mind, Vericker was renominated and approved for another term as chair.

Chris Feeley was then nominated and approved for Vice Chair.

Maxine Kinhart was nominated and approved for clerk-secretary.

The terms all run through June of 2023.

Probably the largest “news” at the meeting, other than the election of officers, was a report from Kinhart on what she had learned about plans for the Franklin Ridge Senior Housing, still some years from fruition.

According to Kinhart, existing residents of Eaton Place (also affordable senior housing) will not get any preference in getting into Franklin Ridge. Both properties have their own lottery system with 70 percent of the housing reserved in each for current Franklin residents (a percentage that may rise in the future). The only preference for Eaton Place of Franklin Housing Authority residents would be the fact that they live in town.

From those lotteries comes the wait list, she explained.

“It’s going to be important that we clarify that just because if you've applied at Eaton Place, or you're on the waiting list of the Housing Authority does not guarantee you any spot and Franklin Ridge is a separate application process,” she noted.

In terms of available units, Franklin Ridge is expected to total about 60 units with about 42 reserved for Franklin people.

Kinhart also noted that there are also five different categories of minorities and the lottery also incorporates consideration for those factors.

After discussing Franklin Ridge, the board had an informal discussion about a home purchased and owned under an affordability designation, that is facing a foreclosure process, likely because the owner accepted an illegal form of financing. Efforts are being made to rectify the situation and keep the homeowner housed.

It was also noted that the Trust could take steps to remind those in units bought and held under the affordable designation need to be reminded that sales of the property need to conform to those conditions – something that owners sometimes forget over time.