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Projects

About Lynne D. Sweet Representative Clients Articles Affiliations Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Program
LDS has been selected for the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Program as a consultant to provide Technical Assistance for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. Its first assignment is for the Town of SouthBridge. The goal of the work is to provide tools to encourage downtown property owners to improve their properties in order to increase occupancy to create a more vibrant downtown.

Feasibility Analysis
LDS performed 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 conducted four focus groups with different constituencies.

Community Development Block Grant Application
 LDS’s work on the 2006 Joint CDBG Application resulted in an $850,000 award for housing rehabilitation funds for the City of Newburyport and Towns of Georgetown and Newbury from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. LDS created a Community Needs survey that was mailed to 1,000 households in Newburyport, Newbury and Georgetown with an average response rate of 47% per community. LDS also created a customer satisfaction survey for future use for recipients of the housing rehabilitation funds. In addition to the loan application, LDS’s work included creating Community Development Strategies and EO418 Certifications for each municipality

LDS worked on a 2005 Joint Community Development Block Grant Application (CDF I) with the City of Newburyport and the Town of Georgetown totaling approximately $1,000,000 in program costs. The application was for four different projects including architectural access, home ownership rehabilitation, first time home buyer down payment and closing cost assistance and services to a rapid response team for survivors of domestic violence. In addition to the loan application, our work included creating Community Development Strategies and EO418 Certifications for each municipality.

Chapter 40B Technical Assistance
LDS has represented the Town of Framingham Zoning Board of Appeals on local need and financial issues in connection with a friendly Chapter 40B application for 150 units of elderly rental housing. The applicant is Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly, a not for profit coporation.

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, Rhode Island. LDS mailed out over 300 surveys and had a 42% response rate. LDS prepared a report for the municipality, outlining its methodology and survey results.