| Town of Georgetown Housing Production Plan |
| LDS prepared a Housing Production Plan for the Town of Georgetown ,MA in summer 2011 by updating the community’s 2003 Affordable Housing Needs Assessment and 2003 Affordable Housing Plan. Working with the Georgetown Affordable Housing Trust, LDS identified the supply and demand for affordable housing in the town and helped them determine how to best direct and leverage the Trust’s resources to meet the community’s housing needs. |
| Hingham Affordable Housing Trust: Chapter 40B Development Consulting |
| LDS is working with a team to provide development consulting services to the Hingham Affordable Housing Trust, in connection with the development of the Beal Street property. The team examined site layout and building options for the site and then applied for site plan approval for a comprehensive permit to develop eight homeownership units, including two affordable units. Site plan approval was granted in less than 60 days by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. LDS prepared the site plan approval application, drafted financial projections for the project and advised the community on Chapter 40B. LDS also prepared the application to the Town of Hingham Board of Appeals, which had its first hearing in July 2011 and the team expects the hearing to be closed in September 2011. The proposed development consists of small cottage homes in a pedestrian-friendly community, and it is expected to be used as a model project in Massachusetts. |
| Massachusetts Downtown
Initiative Program |
LDS served as project manager for a team studying the reuse of the Fibermark Building in South Hadley, MA. The work included studying the supply and demand for affordable housing, examining alternative residential and community uses for the building and creating a financing plan.
LDS conducted a housing study in downtown Danvers. Working with the Danvers Planning Department, LDS identified vacant and underutilized sites in the downtown area, interviewed stakeholders, examined the housing supply, analyzed demographics and identified funding mechanisms. LDS also presented its findings to the community and helped the Danvers Planning Department apply for Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) funding for site-specific predevelopment assistance. Further, LDS matched a project sponsor to a site, which is proposed to be developed into eight units of affordable rental housing.
As technical assistance consultant for the Massachusetts
Department of Housing and Community Developments Massachusetts
Downtown Initiative Program, LDS worked with the state Department
of Economic Development and Planning for the Town of Southbridge.
The study examined vacant building issues in the downtown area.
The report examined issues and solutions and provided funding
mechanisms and a case study. LDS also gave a public presentation
of its findings and recommendations to local business owners. |
| Milton Planning Board Project Review Services |
LDS provided project review services to the Milton Planning Board and Temple Redevelopment Advisory Board as they considered a range of proposed commercial and residential uses for the Temple Shalom site on Blue Hill Avenue. LDS reviewed the market demand and financial feasibility for the proposed uses, which included multifamily housing, assisted living and retail space. The Milton Planning Board recommended a zoning change for the site following a presentation by LDS. |
| Town of Wellesley
Affordable Housing Needs Assessment |
| LDS is working with the Wellesley Housing Development
Corporation on an inventory of existing affordable housing in
Wellesley and surrounding communities. LDS is also examining
demographics to determine the need for specific types of affordable
housing and looking at past lotteries in communities to study
preference matters. |
| Stow Community Housing
Corporation Strategic Planning |
LDS completed a study for the Stow Community Housing Corporation
to assist them with its strategic planning process regarding
the possible expansion of existing affordable elderly and multi-family
rental developments. The study involved researching supply
and demand and preparing a questionnaire for Stow residents
to get feedback on the need for affordable housing. |
| Town of Ashland Supply
& Demand Analysis |
| LDS was project director for
a supply and demand analysis for affordable housing in the Town
of Ashland. The analysis helped determine how to best position
two properties for disposition by the community. One site was
affordable rental housing over retail, and the other was affordable
elderly rental and mixed-income, for-sale town houses. LDS also
oversaw Sharon Loewenthal, who provided financial pro-formas,
and Lisa Davis, who provided a retail market analysis. |
| Harvard Housing Authority
Elderly Housing Needs Assessment |
LDS prepared a supply and demand analysis for Harvard Housing
Authority to help identify the need for affordable senior housing
in the Town of Harvard. |
| City of Marlborough
Feasibility Analysis |
| LDS was hired
to perform a feasibility analysis for the City of Marlborough
for the former Frye boot site. The goal of these services was
to help the City understand the need for various types of housing
on the site in order to prepare them to convey the site for some
type of housing use with an affordable component. In addition
to a supply and demand analysis for various types of housing
and interviewing community services providers, LDS will conduct
four focus groups with different constituencies. |
| A Somerville
Community Development Corporation — Zoning Overlay
Consultant |
| LDS was hired
by a Somerville Community Development Corporation to examine
proposed zoning changes to the Union Square Zoning as they related
to the creation of affordable housing in Somerville. LDS compared
existing zoning to the proposed zoning as to how it will impact
the costs for a development and therefore the number of affordable
units to be created. |
| Town of Framingham
Chapter 40B Technical Assistance |
LDS represented
the Town of Framingham Zoning Board of Appeals on local need
and financial issues in connection with a friendly Chapter
40B application for Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly
for 150 units of elderly rental housing. |
| Town of South
Kingstown, RI — Affordable Housing Needs Assessment |
In connection
with a federal funding application for the Peace Dale Village
neighborhood, LDS prepared an income level survey for the Town
of South Kingstown, RI. LDS mailed out over 300 surveys and
prepared a report based on a 42% response rate. |
