The HUC Board was approached by the Affordable Housing Trust (a volunteer town board) to consider support of their article, Article 23, that would allow (but not require) the Select Board to sell or lease the Lincoln School Apartments. After examining the issue, we would like to encourage community members to support this article, which has the unanimous support of the Select Board and Advisory Committee. 

The primary reasons the HUC supports this article are:

  1. The Lincoln School Apartments is one of the only affordable living options in our community. The units are only rented to seniors and persons with disabilities.
  2. Any sale to a third party would include deed restrictions that will require rentals remain  affordable(as defined by state law) and only be offered to seniors and persons with disabilities. 
  3. The Affordable Housing Trust would like to bring in financing through a Request for Proposals process to fund renovations and any expansion to  the existing building. Due to the deed restrictions, any additional units would maintain affordability status and be rented only to seniors and disabled persons. This is an opportunity to add units that are affordable, rather than a mix of affordable and market-rate units, and Hingham needs more affordable housing options
  4. Under the article, a required deed restriction would limit total building-to-lot development to 30%. 
  5. The Select Board, Advisory Committee and Affordable Housing Trust have determined a third party would more efficiently and cost effectively renovate, build, and manage ownership of these units in order to give the current residents the best possible quality of life, including much needed building preservation and improvements, such as a second elevator. 
  6. If the building is not sold or leased, the Town will need to cover the ongoing costs of repairs and renovations, which may result in future tax increases. Hingham is the only town in Massachusetts that owns its own multifamily apartment building. 

Please click here to learn more.

No matter what you decide about this issue, we encourage you to  read the Town Meeting warrant  and attend Town Meeting on Monday, April 27th and Tuesday, April 28th.  This is democracy in its purest form and your voice matters!

Thank you,

The HUC Board