To the editor:
Yes! We all want affordable housing! Vote YES on zoning Amendment 15 to repeal Peterborough’s Traditional Neighborhood Overlay Zone II (TNOZ II), so we can then work together as a community to craft a zoning ordinance that offers realistic and innovative ways to achieve affordable housing.
The two projects currently approved under TNOZ II are not affordable. In one project, with homes on 5,000 square-foot lots, the least expensive home listed is $284,000, with others over $300,000. In the second project, listings have been in the $400,000 price range. Density does not guarantee affordability!
So let’s start over and create a sensible zoning ordinance that offers multiple ways to promote affordable housing, instead of the one-size-fits-all attempt of TNOZ II. We need to generate new ideas and get input from all of our community members (especially young people!) and residents of our varied neighborhoods. Can we repurpose some of our larger homes into multifamily residences, thus allowing more affordable housing without drastically changing the character of neighborhoods? Can we use “density bonuses” to grant developers greater density in return for guaranteed affordable units? What can we do to improve our ineffective Workforce Housing Ordinance? Can we collaborate with large employers in Town (e.g., RiverMead and the hospital) to build housing on their properties for employees? Can we put housing in the plazas or convert unused buildings? How can we incorporate community green spaces with our housing needs?
By listening to everyone in our community and by studying successful workforce housing projects in other towns, we can get actual affordable housing in Peterborough! On May 14, please Vote YES on Zoning Amendment 15 to repeal TNOZ II and start over to get to YES on affordable housing by creating a sensible ordinance that truly works for all!
David Bonacci
Peterborough