AGAWAM — The Agawam City Council railed against state mandates and a lack of local control around housing at its meeting Sept. 21.
As Councilor Ed Borgatti put it, between the housing authority and two economic development bills in the State House, the state is “gutting” Agawam’s authority zone.
Agawam Housing Authority Executive Director Maureen Cayer said the state, which funds housing authorities throughout Massachusetts, changed the law in 2014 to remove local control of tenant selection “in response to some of the not-above-board behaviors of some of … my colleagues.” She said, “I can’t use somebody’s influence to jump them on the waitlist. I can’t do that anymore. I can’t even take into consideration that this is somebody’s cousin or their brother.”
In 2019, the state introduced a single, universal application for housing programs. People who apply are put on the waitlist for all public housing and can select their top 25 preferred locations. The problem, Cayer said, was that there were an overwhelming number of people on the waitlist, many of whom live in far-flung communities.
The Agawam Housing Authority has 242 units, with 191 set aside for seniors and people of all ages with disabilities. Cayer said there are 24,554 people on the waitlist and five units available. Of the 52 units set aside for families, only three are unoccupied and there is a waitlist of 2,913 families.
Councilor Robert Rossi asked what the criteria were for tenancy. Cayer explained that the state requires people to be aged 60 or old, and/or have a documented disability. To be placed in family units, people must be related by blood, marriage or law. All tenants must meet low-income guidelines. Beyond those criteria, the prospective tenant must have a good rental history. If they owned their home of lived with family and no landlord references are available, professional references are used. Cayer said a criminal record is “a conversation, not a denial.”
Based on this, Rossi said there must be thousands of people eligible. He wondered aloud what the solution was. Cayer said, “Give me back local control.” She said that when there was local control, she had a waitlist of about 115 people for senior/disabled units and about 35 for families. With an “attentive … aware and honest” housing authority board, Cayer said directors’ behavior can be regulated.
Councilor George Bitzas recommended sending a resolution to the state urging it to return local control. Councilor Christine Rickmon said harnessing the power of multiple towns may have more impact. “There’s power in numbers,” Council President Anthony Russo agreed, adding that he would be happy to co-sponsor a resolution and reach out to other communities.
The council also debated whether to send a resolution to the Legislature opposing portions of two bills — one would allow duplexes to be built by right in all residential zones, the other would allow multifamily housing by right on properties owned by religious institutions.
“It’s dangerous. It’s not for the best interests of Agawam,” Bitzas said, referring to the state mandating zoning matters. He asked rhetorically what the purpose was of municipal zoning boards of appeal, planning boards and conservation commissions, if the state could make decisions on those issues. “We like to see housing, but not this kind of housing.”
Councilor Rosemary Sandlin said, “We cannot allow Beacon Hill to come in and tell us what we can put in our streets, on our street corners and our religious pieces of land.” Rossi agreed. He said, “This resolution … it gives Agawam back its authority to decide how we want to live here.”
Councilor Tom Hendrickson dissented. He lamented the “extraordinarily high” rental rates, and the challenges people face when trying to buy a home. “It’s a cost-of-living issue. It’s a housing issue,” he said, adding that “restrictive local zoning laws” are a contributing factor. Hendricksons argued that municipalities have had the chance to eliminate these problems through zoning but have not done so. Countering Bitzas’s comment, Hendrickson said he did not see a problem with duplexes or multifamily housing.
Russo and Councilor Peter McNair said they were sympathetic to people who were struggling to find homes they could afford, but Russo said, “It should be up to us and our residents what we accept here, and what we can bring in and what we want here.” He said towns want to retain their “character.”
The issue was less cut-and-dry for Rickmon. I understand not wanting to give up local control, but I also understand that there are entire generations who cannot afford housing — Millennials, Gen Z, some Gen X.” She also said she was unsure if the Legislature’s bills were the right solution. “They plan on putting tons of housing in Western Massachusetts and they don’t plan on giving us any money for it.”
Russo pointed out that the duplexes would likely be market rate homes, and not affordable housing.
The council voted 10-1 to send the resolution opposing the measures. Only Hendrickson voted against it.
