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V. AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEEDS & KEY FINDINGS North Andover is headed in the right direction in terms of analyzing the housing situation in the community and determining what is working and what needs to be changed. The town is faced with several challenges that include preserving open space and natural and historic resources, continuing to figure out ways to budget for and finance the public school system and of course, dealing with growth management issues. The town is aware that decisions need to be made about housing and that the choices will continue to influence the community decades into the future. The purpose of this section is to discuss North Andover’s housing needs based on the research conducted for this plan, the input of municipal staff and comments made at the public forum. Some of North Andover’s housing need priorities that were identified throughout this planning process include: • Preserving housing in the community that was built prior to 1940 (worker housing) that reflects on the town’s history as a former mill town. • Adopting new zoning (or changing/adding to what exists) to work towards an overall housing strategy that makes sense for the community. o Inclusionary Zoning o Open Space Cluster Bylaw o Demolition Delay Bylaw o Allow for Accessory Apartments • Continue to maintain existing and create smaller single family homes, they allow for diversity in the overall housing stock and are often more affordable. • Elderly housing, especially for low-income seniors. • Affordable rental apartments. North Andover’s housing needs are targeted towards the following population groups: • Elderly residents (includes those living on their own and those who need assisted living), • Low and Moderate Income Families and Households, • First Time Homebuyers, • Town Employees, • Residents wishing to downsize from a larger home to a more manageable residence (emptynesters), • Young adults, and • Residents, who already have a home or condo, but need assistance maintaining the property. The Need for Rental Housing There is an overwhelming need in North Andover create opportunities for additional affordable rental housing within the community. According to the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, there are fourteen typical indicators that demonstrate that a community is experiencing a rental housing North Andover Affordable Housing Plan Page 30 of 49
need, of which North Andover clearly meets eight. The indicators include looking at the subsidized housing inventory, vacancy rates, waiting lists at the Housing Authority and incomes of renters. The eight obvious areas that help highlight the community’s need for additional rental housing options and additional affordable rental housing options are: A vacancy rate below 5% or limited rental availability • The 2000 US Census showed that North Andover has a 2.2% (219 units) housing unit vacancy rate and of those units, only 28.8% are available for rent. A closed waiting list or a long waiting period for subsidized rental housing • The North Andover Housing Authority has a wait time that could exceed three years for North Andover residents and over ten years for non residents on the state family and Section 8 waiting list. Little or no multi-family housing production in the last decade Photo: Mary C. McCrann, December 2005 • Between 1990-2000, North Andover only produced 177 units or 6.7% of its entire rental housing stock. In 2003, the Building Department granted 27 multi unit building permits and in 2004 they granted 47 building permits. Those were the first permits applied for and granted since 1996 for multi unit construction. Rental housing that constitutes less then 30% of the housing stock • Only 26.9% of North Andover’s housing stock is renter occupied. More than 30% of renters pay more than 30% of their income for rent • 30.5% of North Andover renters pay more than 30% of their income for rent More than 15% of renters pay more than 50% of their income for rent • 16% of renters pay more than 50% of their income for rent More than 20% of renters are living in single family homes • In North Andover, only about 5.6% of the renters lease single-family homes which could be due in part to availability of single family housing as rental stock and the high cost of renting a single family home is not an option for many renters. North Andover Affordable Housing Plan Page 31 of 49
Page 1 and 2: Town of North Andover Affordable Ho
Page 3 and 4: CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS North An
Page 5 and 6: 3) Additional affordable rental hou
Page 7 and 8: equired to meet the needs identifie
Page 9 and 10: III. HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT North
Page 11 and 12: Table 1: Population History % Chang
Page 13 and 14: North Andover’s high percentage o
Page 15 and 16: Compared to the other surrounding c
Page 17 and 18: North Andover’s rental unit probl
Page 19 and 20: Residents who earn 80% of the media
Page 21 and 22: case-manager on such goals as educa
Page 23 and 24: Table 11A: Subsidized Housing In No
Page 25 and 26: other towns. For the most part (wit
Page 27 and 28: • Bedford, 2003 - $120,000: The P
Page 29: interest and that the municipality
Page 33 and 34: VI. HOUSING PLANNED PRODUCTION PLAN
Page 35 and 36: Table 13 above illustrates the esti
Page 37 and 38: VII. SHORT AND LONG TERM RECOMMENDA
Page 39 and 40: and town houses only by right in th
Page 41 and 42: what type of housing gets built, th
Page 43 and 44: Chapter 40R encourages communities
Page 45 and 46: extra income to help make mortgage
Page 47 and 48: Photo: Mary C. McCrann, December 20
Page 49: Adopt Accessory Apartment Bylaw 200

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