What We’ve Done
Since its inception almost twenty years ago, Concord Housing Foundation, through special appeals and an annual fund drive, has raised almost $1,000,000. Funds raised by CHF have been used to support a variety of affordable housing projects, including:
purchase of home at 930 Main Street, since converted by Habitat into two owner occupied homes
purchase of land at Assabet Bluffs for five affordable units
7 new homes on Baker Avenue and Gifford Lane
3 new homes on Old Bedford Road
Lalli Woods houses, off Elm Street
buying down a unit in an Elm Street development to make it affordable
renovations at Peter Bulkeley Terrace (owned by the Concord Housing Authority)
Walden Homes (5 homes behind the Concord Police/Fire Station)
renovation of two housing units in the old McGrath Farmhouse for the farmers running Barrett’s Mill Farm (where the agricultural land is owned by the town)
Elm Brook, affordable small single family homes near Thoreau’s birthplace on Virginia Road
Renovated farmers’ housing at Barrett’s Mill Farm
Partnered with other non profits to renovate duplex on Main Street
Renovated entry at Peter Bulkeley Terrace
Recent Projects
Assabet Bluffs
Image showing the mix of land for affordable housing and preserved open space at Assabet Bluffs in West Concord
More recently, CHF provided $100,000 to fund the acquisition and development of a site on the bluffs overlooking the Assabet River near West Concord. The site will have five affordable units while preserving the undeveloped land near the river. Work is underway to upgrade the existing units on the site and to plan for three new units. This is an important precedent, Funds from CHF, the Concord Municipal Affordable Housing Trust and the Community Preservation Act funds were combined with monies from the Concord Land Conservation Trust to acquire the land for both housing and open space.
Affordable housing unit at Gerow Recreation Area
Affordable home on Commonwealth Ave
As part of its mission to provide community outreach and education that will increase the availability of affordable housing in Concord, CHF worked with the Town when it purchased the Gerow family land for a park on Warner’s Pond. Initially, there was no plan to preserve or replace the small house on this property. Although the existing house has been torn down to make way for the park, a small affordable home on a corner of the land is now under construction by Habitat for Humanity.
Main St affordable duplex
Main St home BEFORE
Renovated into affordable duplex
CHF contributed $70,000 towards the purchase of a small home on Main Street in West Concord, supplementing funds provided from the Town’s affordable housing budget allocation and Habitat for Humanity. Habitat renovated this building into two condominium units now occupied by qualifying low income buyers.
Cake welcoming two families to their new homes
Building permit policy
As the replacement of small, potentially affordable homes by 4,000 and 5,000 square foot mansions has accelerated, CHF has been active in the development of alternative policies and funding sources to preserve or create affordable homes. Former CHF President Charles Phillips researched and developed a plan to increase building permit fees to provide affordable housing funds. The proposal was approved at 2019 Town Meeting and reapproved at Special Town Meeting in January 2023. Our legislators have now filed the necessary home rule petition.
Real estate transfer and affordable housing trust fund
Discussions around the initial permit fee proposal led the Town to establish an Affordable Housing Funding Study Committee. A CHF Board Member served on this Committee, and CHF analyzed data to estimate the potential revenue from a fee on real estate transfers in Concord. The report of the Committee led to approval of a transfer fee, as well as an Affordable Housing Trust Fund (“CMAHT”), at 2019 Town Meeting. The by-laws for operation of the Trust Fund were developed by a Town Committee with CHF participation. Interim guidelines for the use of CMAHT funds were approved by the Select Board in March 2022.
At Special Town Meeting in January 2023, the transfer fee was re-approved with an increase to $1,000,000 in the amount of a sale exempt from the fee, This would yield close to $2 million per year for the Affordable Housing Trust. The necessary home rule petition has been filed again by our legislators.
Concord Housing Foundation is a a non-profit 501c3 corporation dedicated to community outreach, education, and fundraising for affordable housing.
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