Senior Housing Development

Last Updated February 22, 2022

SENIOR HOUSING BYLAW RESOURCES

 

LAST UPDATED FEBRUARY 22, 2022

 

The Harvard Planning Board is continuing to work on comprehensive senior housing development amendments to the Protctive Bylaw intended to encourage the measured and appropriate development of a limited amount of senior housing in response to recommendations of the 2016 Master Plan, the 2017 Harvard Housing Production Plan, and several recent and past public surveys. This work will provide a range of options for seniors to remain in the community where their friends, family, and resources are in place. This section shall provide further information on the Bylaw process and background:

 

The Planning Board will soon be conducting public outreach to discuss the the latest potential amendments and what to expect at Town Meeting in October 2022. At anytime, if you have comments or questions, please send them to Christopher Ryan at cryan@harvard.ma.us and we will get back to you.

Executive Summary: The 2016 Master Plan and 2017 Housing Production Plan for the Town of Harvard note the need for diversification of the existing housing stock beyond the market-rate, single-family homes situated on large lots.  Both documents call for affordable, smaller-scale housing targeted for the population of seniors wishing to downsize, but also to remain in town.  In response to these clearly articulated expressions of demand, the Harvard Planning Board has taken the initiative to prepare a zoning solution to increase the supply of housing for seniors.  Initially, the Board prepared a single draft bylaw that provided for eight (8) different senior housing production options under jurisdiction of a Special Permit. This 25-page bylaw, upon initial public review, was seen as both too long and onerous and also too far reaching. As a result, the Board determined that a more intensive public process was necessary, which will be articulated below. The result of this process was the proposal for a three-phase program to be implemented over the next three town meetings, to introduce for consideration a narrower scope of senior housing options that better fit the needs of seniors and the character of Harvard.

Gathering Public Opinion

The Planning Board assigned a working group of two members, staff, and the Chair of the Council on Aging to develop and execute a strategy for.  This senior housing working group  completed the following research:

  • Senior Housing Survey
  • Senior Housing focus Group
  • General Population Residential Survey
  • General Population Housing Focus Group
  • Visual Preference Survey (currently conducting follow up exercises)
  • Discussions with Massachusetts Planners and Developers.

Please see THIS PAGE for links to the results and summaries from these surveys.

Three-Phase Plan for Senior Housing - Based on Strategy Document

Based on the surveys and other outreach, the working group determined that there was sufficient support and interest in the following types of senior housing:

  1. Cottage or cluster housing either rural or near a village center
  2. Senior independent living in either smaller condo or rental apartments or townhouses
  3. Accessory apartments designed for seniors
  4. Consider keeping assisted living and also consider options for a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)
  5. Consider a conversion and/or infill provision

In pursuing these types, the Board would develop a senior housing bylaw that would ultimately either include the type of housing within that bylaw or make a reference to another part of the bylaw, e.g. accessory dwelling units, that already exists elsewhere. The idea was to have a much simpler and shorter bylaw and make use of what we already have to the extent possible. As a part of this, we would also need to create a few new definitions, adjust several other existing provisions in the bylaw, and create clearer and broader design guidelines. Therefore, the work group recommended and the Planning Board agreed to adopt the following three-phase plan to address senior housing:

PHASE 1: Senior Bylaw, Accessory Units, and Assisted Living (Annual Town Meeting 2021) COMPLETED

Phase 1 has been successfully completed and in in review with the Attorney General.

PHASE 2: Consider CCRC and modifications to Assisted Living, and Conversions (Special Town Meeting 2021) COMPLETED

It would look more closely at the Continuing Care Retirement Community concept to see whether a version could be appropriate for Harvard and reposition the assisted living provision from the current location as part of the Ayer Road Village Special Permit (125-52) to a better place under the senior bylaw. We were also considering ways to make residential conversions appropriate for seniors but felt that it was premature to consider this. It would be more appropriate to consider this as part of any discussion regarding creating a zoning district for Harvard Center (Land Use Recommendation #11, p. 165).

PHASE 3: OSRD (Fall Town Meeting 2022)

This phase will bring the long-awaited Open Space Residential Development (OSRD) bylaw to Town Meeting for consideration. The OSRD, intended to allow smaller clusters of well-designed residences on parcels surrounded by significant permanently protected open space, and facilitate the expressed desire for this type of development for seniors as well.

OTHER OPTIONS

The Board may look for options to consider expending the Hildreth House Overlay District, create a zoning district for the Center, create a Multifamily Residential district (as required by state law), and consider an inclusionary housing bylaw to take a more proactive stance related to affordable housing.

Background Information

Harvard retains limited housing stock amenable to seniors.  As the 2016 Master Plan notes, at least 96% of the housing units in Harvard are market-rate single-family homes on large lots. Residents have moved to Harvard for this development pattern, along with its farms and rural, small-town character. However, Harvard's population is growing older with 16.4% of the population over 65 years of age and seniors have expressed a desire to remain in town with their friends, families, and familiar places. The Population & Housing chapter of the 2016 Master Plan provides a good background on these trends and the growing demand for housing alternatives. Page 62 of that chapter specifically focuses on senior housing needs. It notes that since 1980, the percentage of the population in Harvard 65 and over more than doubled and this trend is expected to continue. Further, the Plan notes that, "As people age, their housing needs change. Many seniors bought large single-family homes in Harvard to raise families, and as empty-nesters today, they no longer have need of a large home or care little for the demands of house and yard maintenance. Health issues may also affect seniors’ ability to manage stairs. As noted previously, many seniors live alone and may desire a setting with greater social interaction."

These changes in need would typically be met with housing alternatives that respond to the differing desires and requirements of senior households such as, for example, 1) Smaller housing units for seniors who wish to stay in Harvard but no longer need a large single family home; 2) Assisted living or Continuum of Care developments, where low-level medical services can help seniors with less serious medical conditions to live semi-independently; and 3) Retirement housing, where seniors with common interests can enjoy social interactions and down-size to a smaller unit with minimal yard and house maintenance responsibilities.

Harvard's 2017 Housing Production Plan (HPP), a document that was developed to identify local housing needs and propose recommendations to address these needs, also highlights the need for senior housing and points to zoning as one of the obstacles to achieving this objective. In a survey of local needs, one key point was that, "In particular, respondents believe there is a need for housing that would allow older homeowners to move to a smaller unit and remain near-by even if it means increasing density in some locations" (p. 47). On Page 51 of the HPP, five (5) specific needs for seniors related to housing are identified. These include the need for smaller units, higher unit density, more housing options, and the need for assisted-living options. Thus, a key goal of the HPP is as follows, "Increase the supply of affordable units for seniors, and encourage the production of small units at a modest price that will allow seniors to downsize from large single-family homes. Ensure new units for seniors include universal design features that will allow residents to live independently."