Ayer Affordable Housing Committee Advances Trust Articles for October Town Meeting

AYER — October 16, 2020 — Ayer's Affordable Housing Committee cleared two warrant articles for the October 26 town meeting, including a measure to establish the Ayer Affordable Housing Trust under MGL Chapter 44, Section 55C and a companion article to transfer $30,000 from the Community Preservation Fund's housing reserve to seed it. Chair Janet Providekas and members Ken Diskin, Karen Swanfeld, and newly appointed Sarah Withey — who replaced resigned member Steven Wetzel — reviewed both articles, each requiring only a simple majority vote. Diskin pressed for written clarification from town counsel after conflicting guidance emerged on whether the trust's bylaws must be formally incorporated into the town's bylaws, saying the ambiguity needed to be "clarified in writing" before the committee could proceed. The committee also discussed a potential 100-unit Chapter 40B affordable housing development on Fitchburg Road that, if built, would bring Ayer to the state's 10 percent affordable housing threshold and give the town significantly more control over future development approvals.