Letter: Vote yes on affordable housing, Article 37, at Town Meeting

I support Article 37 in the Town Meeting coming up on May 9.

Article 37 adds an Affordable Housing Trust (AHT) representative to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The CPC decides what projects are to be proposed for Town Meeting approval for spending Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. Community housing (low and moderate income housing for individuals and families) is one of the three pillars of the CPA (the other two being, as we all know, open space and historic preservation).

The Grafton Housing Authority, with a representative on the CPC, is responsible for a narrow slice of what “community housing” is meant to include, while the AHT has responsibility for that entire topic. The full scope of community housing deserves not just a voice but an actual vote on the CPC, for equity with the other two pillars of CPA. I encourage you to vote Yes on Article 37 at Town Meeting on May 9.

David Robbins