Representative Hannah E. Kane (R-Shrewsbury) and Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury) were joined by Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Moira Miller, and Assistant Town Manager, Kristen Las to testify before the Joint Committee on Housing in support of legislation filed on behalf of the town of Shrewsbury that is currently pending before the committee. “This legislation will simply allow manufactured homes that are truly affordable to be considered as part of affordable housing stock in the community and will work to ensure that future development within the town is able to be done responsibly, in partnership with local officials and on land that best suits residential development,” commented Representative Kane. “The town of Shrewsbury voted to file this legislation at a town meeting and only pertains to the classification of affordable homes within the town of Shrewsbury.”
Senate Bill 711, An Act relative to affordable housing in the town of Shrewsbury, will classify manufactured homes in the town as low or moderate- income housing, as defined by Chapter 40B. The legislation requires that a manufactured home be situated on the same parcel of land for at least twenty years before it is eligible to be considered as part of the affordable housing inventory in Shrewsbury. “I am proud to support this legislation which was filed at the request of the Town of Shrewsbury,” said Senator Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury). “The Massachusetts Comprehensive Permit Act, also known as Chapter 40B, requires the production of affordable housing in all communities throughout our Commonwealth. This bill would simply amend the existing law to enable the Town to classify manufactured homes as affordable housing for 40B purposes.”
Kristen Las, Assistant Town Manager noted, “Shrewsbury allows for all types of housing by right, from small and large single family homes, garden style apartments, duplexes and the approximately 40 manufactured homes located off Route 20 adjacent to Lake Quinsigamond. Passage of this legislation would recognize manufactured homes as low or moderate income housing for the purposes of meeting our 10% mandate of affordable housing under Chapter 40B.”. “For more than 50 years, manufactured homes have offered safe, ‘affordable’ housing to many of our residents and we are hopeful that the Joint Committee on Housing will act to revise the existing Chapter 40B criteria to reflect this classification for the Town of Shrewsbury,” commented Chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, Moira Miller.
This legislation has been filed in previous legislative sessions and the Joint Committee on Housing will review the testimony that they received relative to Senate Bill 711 prior to taking any action relative to the bill.
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