Chapter 40B Battles in Amesbury

The Boston Globe reported that Amesbury has appealed 2 recent decisions from the state Housing Appeals Committee, in an ongoing battle Amesbury has fought to prevent projects proposed under Chapter 40B, the Commonwealth’s affordable housing law.

The first project is a proposal to construct 269 townhouse condominiums on a 155-acre site off Kimball Road (Meadowbrook Estates).

The second proposal is a 56-unit rental development on a 10-acre site off Clark’s Road (Eagle Point).

According to the Globe, the recent rulings followed a decision by the Housing Appeals Committee against the city last October on another Chapter 40B project, a proposal to build 40 condominium units on Haverhill Road.

Read the entire Boston Globe article.

Whittier Bridge in Newburyport Need Repair

The Newburyport Current reported that the I-95 Whittier Bridge that spans the Merrimack River between Newburyport and AmesburyWhittier Bridge that spans the Merrimack River between Newburyport and Amesbury is a priority repair, according to State Treasurer Timothy Cahil.

Read the entire Newburyport Current article.

Amesbury Officials Compromise on 115 Split Tax Rate

The Newburyport Daily News reported that Municipal councilors and the mayor have struck a compromise to leave the town’s split tax rate as-is, with businesses paying a rate 15% higher than homeowners. The average homeowner’s bill will rise by 4% next year ($203). Commercial businesses will see their tax bills go up on average by 21% ($1,708). And industrial properties will see their bills go up on average 12% ($2,084) based on this year’s revaluation. The rate for homeowners is $14.59 per $1,000 of assessed value; for businesses it is $17.20.

The majority of the council had wanted to raise the rate on businesses to 20% more than what homeowners pay; Mayor Thatcher Kezer vetoed that and asked the council to reduce the difference to 10%. In 2006, Amesbury became the first community in the Greater Newburyport area to adopt a split tax rate for homeowners and businesses. Amid strong objections from the public and the mayor at the time — who vetoed last year’s tax rate as well — the Municipal Council adopted the tax rate of 115%.

Read the entire Newburyport Daily News article

Merrimack River Dredging Project Survives Presidential Veto

The Eagle Tribune reported recently that the U.S House of Representatives overrode President Bush’s veto for the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, which would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to study the possibility of dredging the Merrimack River from Newburyport to Haverhill, a 16-mile stretch.

According to the article, “Newly elected U.S. Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, D-Lowell, was among the lawmakers to cast an override vote. Tsongas said the dredging is important to Haverhill's downtown renaissance − deeper waters would allow larger boats to dock in Haverhill, bringing in more visitors to shop and eat downtown.”

Read the entire Eagle Tribune article. Photo courtesy of Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce

November 9, 2007 Legislative Breakfast

On Friday, November 9th, NSAR sponsored its 4th Legislative Breakfast in 2007, attended by State Senator Steven Baddour (D-1st Essex) and State Representative Harriett Stanley (D-2nd Essex).

The Breakfast was held at ABC Home Inspections, Inc. and ABC Real Estate Training Institute in Haverhill; NSAR would like to thank Affiliate Member Andy Consoli for allowing us to use his conference room and facilities (seen here).

MAR Associate Counsel, Margy Grant, presented the five legislative topics on the agenda and gave the legislators the Realtor® position on each issue. These issues included:

1. Transfer Taxes. Realtors® oppose real estate transfer taxes as bad tax policy for several reasons including: a community wide responsibility should be paid for by the entire community; a transfer tax is inequitable and discriminatory as it singles out a small segment of the population [specifically home buyers & sellers] to pay for a community wide need; a transfer tax is exclusionary because it would increase the cost of home ownership; a transfer tax would be an unstable source of revenue due to the instability of the real estate market; a transfer tax would subvert the Proposition 2 ½ override process; the state legislature has already given cities and towns many equitable tools to create affordable and workforce housing through passage of Community Preservation Act, Chapter 40B, and Chapter 40R and 40S.

2. An Act Protecting Children from Poisoning. Proposed legislation SB. 1230 would (a) require lead inspections on all sales of property, instead of at the buyer’s option; (b) require owners and sellers of property to abate lead in soil and tap water; and (c) require letters of compliance for rental units to be renewed every two years, regardless of whether children reside in the unit, or whenever there is a change in occupancy, if that is earlier.

3. An Act Providing Information to Real Estate Buyers. Proposed legislation H. 323, S. 201 is a little unclear but seems to suggest that a homeowner would be expected to review the databases of nearly a dozen different governmental agencies and then create some type of report or hire and pay someone to do it for them. It is not clear how many millions of dollars this could cost Massachusetts homeowners every year or that buyers and sellers could review this data and provide an accurate assessment of what implications, if any, information on one of these databases would have on a home.

4. An Act Relative to the Disclosure of Wetlands on Property. Proposed legislation H. 767 seeks to require that a real estate broker disclose to prospective buyers that a property to be sold may be in its entirety, or in part a wetland as defined in Chapter 131 of the General Laws of or any other regulation or local by-law of the municipality where the property is located. It is the Realtor® position that however well intentioned this proposal may be, it would create an impossible standard for real estate licensees to meet and generate confusion for consumers.

5. An Act Relative to Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund (S. 132) and An Act Relative to Financing the Smart Growth Housing Trust (H. 160). Realtors® support both these bills, as it would create a steady stream of revenue to support the continued success of 40R Smart Growth districts.

Affordable Housing in North Essex County

According to the Newburyport Daily News, here is breakdown of affordable housing percentages in many of the Northern Essex County communities:

Amesbury 11.1%
Georgetown 13.9%
Groveland 3.5%
Merrimac 6.5%
Newbury 3.6%
Newburyport 8.4%
Rowley 4.4%
Salisbury 8.3%
West Newbury 1.8%

SOURCE: State Department of Housing and Community Development

Next Legislative Breakfast: Friday, November 9, 2007, 8:30am

The next North Shore Association of Realtors® Legislative Breakfast will be held on Friday, November 9, 2007, from 8:30am to 10:00am. All NSAR members who live in Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Merrimac, Newburyport, North Andover, and/or West Newbury are encouraged to attend.

Topics will likely include:

1. Transfer Taxes.
2. An Act Protecting Children from Poisoning (SB. 1230)
3. An Act Providing Information to Real Estate Buyers. (H. 323, S. 201)
4. An Act Relative to the Disclosure of Wetlands on Property. (H. 767)
5. An Act Relative to Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund (S. 132) and An Act Relative to Financing the Smart Growth Housing Trust (H. 160).

Sign up today using this form, by calling 978-232-9410, or by emailing Jeff@NorthShoreRealtors.com!

Please note: this Legislative Breakfast will be at ABC Real Estate Training Institute, 21 Wingate Street in Haverhill.

For directions, click here.