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2024-4-18 CPC minutes CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD: Community Preservation Committee LOCATION: Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street, 3rd Floor Chambers DATE: April 18, 2024 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Derek Beckwith, Suzanne LaMont, Heather Richter, David Ershun, Jamie Jamieson BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Vice Chair Robert Buchsbaum, Christy Edwards, Nancy Marino OTHERS PRESENT: Darlene Wynne, Director of Planning and Development, Ellie Filyaaw, Girdler House RECORDER: Naomi Moca 1. Call to order Chair Beckwith opens the meeting at 7:08 p.m. The members welcome the newest Committee member, Jamie Jamieson of the Open Space and Recreation Department, and introduce themselves. 2. Consultation and Q&A with the CPC There is no one from the public present. The agenda was taken out of order. 3. CPC Project Extension Requests or Closeouts,if any a. Gruppe Mural Restoration—MOU Extension The Committee discusses the project to restore a mural depicting the Beverly waterfront that was formerly located at the McDonald's at One Water Street and painted by Emile Gruppe, a well- known artist from Gloucester, and his son Robert. Director of Planning and Development Darlene Wynne is present and says that since the last extension, which was voted by the CPC on February 2023, the restoration company has been working with the Historic Districts Commission to determine how to divide the heavy piece for ease of transport and the color of the frame around the art. Together with City staff, the HDC agreed that the piece would best be divided into three parts for display. Wynne notes that she emailed Williamstown Art Conservation Center, who is restoring the piece, seeking a status update and timeline, but she had not received a response by the meeting. LaMont asks if the display of the art work would be impacted by the recent vote regarding the Library's HVAC system project, since the mural is to be displayed at the Library. Wynne will ask the question to DPS. The Committee discusses how much time is appropriate to extend the MOU. LaMont: Motion to extend the MOU for the Gruppe Mural Restoration until October 18, 2024. Richter seconds. Motion carries (5-0). Beverly Community Preservation Committee April 18,2024 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 4. CPC Project Updates,if any a. Moraine Farm Conservation Restriction (CR) Wynne reminds the Committee that the CPC funded the purchase of a Conservation Restriction for the property and there were a number of public benefits proposed, including the relocation of the City's Community Garden from Cole Street to Moraine Farm. She informed the Committee that there will be a lottery for the garden plots on Saturday April 20, 2024. 5. Approval of minutes a. March 21, 2024 The members review and offer edits to the March 21, 2024 draft meeting minutes. LaMont: Motion to accept the March 21, 2024 meeting minutes as amended. Richter seconds. Motion carries (4-0-1). Jamieson abstains. 6. CPA Funding Round 11 —Continued review of applications a. Girdler House Kitchen Updates —Old Ladies Home Society, Inc. d/b/a Girdler House Ellie Filyaw of Girdler House is present to address the Committee's questions about how the project fulfills the purpose of affordable housing. Filyaw says that by providing three meals per day, 365 days per year, the housing is made affordable. The Girdler House is licensed as a rooming or boarding house. While not obligated to, the rent includes meals, housekeeping, cable, and utilities, among other things. The average monthly rent is from $3,000 to $3,800; typical long term or assisted care costs between $5,500 to $12,000, thus proving the housing at Girdler is affordable. Buying food in bulk to save on costs, accommodating cooks and serving staff, and safely storing food are essential to keep providing meals and thus keep the rent affordable. The space needs to be reconfigured to bring it up to code and to streamline processes that support the affordability of the housing. Filyaw comments that the residents benefit socially from the family-style meals around tables and that the cooks provide quality meals. LaMont comments that the math makes it look like it is more cost-effective to use a vendor for meal delivery instead of in-house cooks. Beckwith states that the expenditure is a one-time cost to improve the space and create more storage, thus it is a savings. Richter points out that there is a quality-of-life aspect to the family-style meals. LaMont comments that the project does not impact the affordability of the housing,just the convenience, and thus she feels it does not fit the definition of how CPA funds may be spent. Richter asks what items would be built. Filyaw answers that a kitchen island with lower storage cabinets, shelving, and wall cabinets is planned, mainly for food and equipment storage. Beckwith comments that while the community atmosphere of Girdler House is a benefit, it is not a necessity for affordable housing. Richter says that she feels that it supports affordable housing. Richter asks whether the improved kitchen space would result in an increase in rent prices. Filyaw says that it is a 501(c)(3) organization and that residents must be in a low-income category. 2 Beverly Community Preservation Committee April 18,2024 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 Richter: Motion to approve the Girdler House Kitchen Updates project under the category of Community Housing for the purpose of Support in the amount of $31,200. Ershun seconds. Motion carries (3-1-1). LaMont against. Jamieson abstains. b. Beverly Affordable Housing Affordable Housing Trust(AHT)Allocation— Mayor's Office Beckwith asks if the will of the Committee is to discuss tonight or continue to the next meeting. Richter asks if there is any new information. Wynne confirms there were no outstanding questions at the March 21, 2024 meeting. She notes that the Affordable Housing Trust met the day before and that the Trust members feel it would be easier to determine which projects to focus on if they knew how much funding there is to work with. Beckwith confirms the Trust has about$200,000 at the time and the request would increase it to $331,000. LaMont asks if Bootstraps would be eligible to apply for funding from the AHT, because the Executive Director is a member. Wynne says yes, but the Bootstraps Director would have to recuse herself from that AHT vote. Richter says that she feels there is a conflict of interest that Wynne is a City employee and has a seat on the AHT. Beckwith explains the reasoning behind and need for local expenditure on affordable housing projects and how both the CPC and the AHT have contributed to past projects. Beckwith points out that this funding round has relatively few applications, so he is willing to consider this application this year. Beckwith concedes that future funding rounds may have more applications and that there may be out-of-cycle applications that affect his vote in future years. Wynne ask Richter to clarify her concern. Wynne doesn't believe there is a conflict with the Planning Department as staff of the CPC, she notes the Planning Department has come before this Committee with applications previously. Richter clarifies that it is Wynne's voting role on the AHT that feels like a conflict, even if it may not be one. Richter notes that she is also concerned that the AHT does not have a specific project before the Committee to deliberate on. Beckwith says that the argument that the CPC cannot be nimble is a false argument. Wynne explains that the point is not that the CPC takes too long, but that the CPC's shortest time for review is about 8 weeks whereas the AHT can approve projects in as short as 4 weeks. She adds that this request is the most common means of funding an affordable housing trust in the Commonwealth. LaMont notes that in the example Wynne provided, the Town of Lincoln awarded their CPA funds to the AHT for a specific project. LaMont questions whether there is adequate public input. Wynne explains the public engagement process that the AHT undertakes. LaMont suggests they would hold another application to a higher standard. Wynne further explains that while the AHT can fund other activities, the CPA-designated funds must be spent on the same purposes. 3 Beverly Community Preservation Committee April 18,2024 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4 The Committee discusses whether there are other funding sources for AHT besides fee-in-lieu and CPA funds. The Committee discusses whether to continue the discussion to the May 16, 2024 meeting in light of its goal of presenting the City with a single package of projects for this funding Round. The goal is to have decisions finalized in May 2024 in time to present them to the City Council. Richter: Motion to continue to May 16, 2024. Ershun seconds. Motion carries (4-0-1). Jamieson abstains. 7. CPC Administration a. Update on use of Administrative Funds for CPC staff support Beckwith says interviews have started. Wynne adds that the interviews have concluded and a decision is pending. 8. Adjourn LaMont: Motion to adjourn. Richter seconds. The motion carries unopposed. Meeting adjourns at 8:48 p.m. Next regular CPC meeting: Thursday, May 16, 2024, at 7 p.m. 4