If we want to have a sense of how affordable housing affects a town like ours, Kent’s long-time First Selectman, Bruce Adams, is the man to speak with.
When Kent’s first affordable housing development was built, Bruce, a teacher for 34 years, says that “some of my colleagues and I were worried about what kind of students the housing would bring into our school. We didn’t know how the new residents would affect the town. In the end our concerns couldn’t be farther from the truth… The workmanship of the housing has been good and the tenants have been nothing but a plus for the town.”
Kent now has 96 affordable rental apartments along with some accessory apartments and a parcel program making land available for families to build on, much like Salisbury’s Housing Trust properties. The Stuart Farm project for example, even won an Award of Merit in 2015 from the Connecticut Historic Preservation Trust for their adaptation of an 1828 farmhouse which was otherwise slated for demolition. Another project, South Common, has 24 one- two- and three-bedroom rental apartments within pleasant walking distance of the Village on an attractive 3.9-acre site.
Funding is always a challenge, especially for rental apartments. In the case of the Stuart Farm Apartments, funding came from the CT Department of Housing, two banks, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, private gifts and support from the people of Kent and the surrounding area. Operating expenses of the apartments are covered by the tenants' rent and occasional grants.
Many people worry about the loss of control over who will move in if government funds are involved. Bruce states that “there is a good tenant screening process and the people have been “good people, involved in the school… They have been a win/win for the town.” He “supports 100% what it’s done for Kent.”
This article was published in The Lakeville Journal on 8/29/19.