This information is provided by Stacie Irizzary, a Trustee with the Winchester Affordable Housing Trust.
The TMMA takes no position on articles before Town Meeting.
Winchester Affordable Housing Trust
160 Forest Street Background Information
Town Meeting Articles 28 and 29
The Property & Its History
160 Forest Street is Classic New England Cape built in 1938. The 2-story home (1,624 SF)
has three bedrooms, one and one half baths. The lot (10,594 SF) has a lovely view as it sits up
on a small hill above Forest Street, with a steep slope behind leading down to Hinds Road. In
1958, it was purchased by Howard E. Chase Jr., the Director of Veterans Services for the Town
for many years. A constable in Town, Mr. Chase also performed many marriages in the home.
Mr. Chase’s daughter, Marsha Chase Rice, willed the home, vacant since 2020, to the Town on
her passing in November 2020. The will states “the land and the home situated” on it are “to
be known as “The Chase House” in memory of Howard Chase, Jr.”
The land was encumbered with a significant claim to MassHealth. The Town negotiated to
settle the claim by agreeing to restrict the property for affordable housing.
Actions by the Town and the Affordable Housing Trust
In November 2024, Town Meeting voted to authorize the Select Board to accept title to, and
convey an affordable housing restriction in, the property. A Town entity cannot legally hold the
restriction for town-owned property. The Affordable Housing Trust (AHT) secured the non-profit
Housing Corporation of Arlington (HCA) to hold the restriction. A deed restriction is now
recorded requiring occupancy by households below 80% of the Area Median Income (“AMI”).
At the Select Board’s request, the AHT developed a plan to put this vacant, deteriorating
property to use as affordable housing. The AHT’s efforts have included investigating the
property’s physical condition, contracting for a topographic and property line survey, touring the
property with contractors to develop a renovation scope, convening a community forum to
explain the project and get feedback, hiring a project management consultant, considering the
feasibility of adding an additional unit, and analyzing the availability of financial resources.
Plan for the Property
The AHT has voted to renovate the home to create one unit of affordable homeownership for a
first-time homeowner. In Winchester, there currently are over 200 rental units and only 14
homeownership units restricted to households below 80% of AMI.
Site investigations revealed the building is structurally sound, but substantial renovations are
needed - replacing all major systems (roof, plumbing, heating, electrical), installing new kitchen
and baths, remediating lead paint, insulating walls and ceilings, reconstructing the driveway
and retaining walls, etc. After evaluating site constraints and the time, risk, and costs
associated with the requisite Chapter 40B permitting process, the AHT voted to focus efforts on
the provision of one housing unit, rather than adding an ADU or other units to the site.
Based upon conversations with contractors and feedback from our project consultant, the AHT
has budgeted $600,000 for the project(inclusive of construction hard costs, site work, legal,
design, contingency, and other soft costs). The AHT submitted an application for $350,000 in
CPA funding and has committed up to $250,000 (the majority of AHT’s uncommitted funds), if
needed, to assure that a quality renovation of the property is completed in a timely manner.
Fall 2025 Town Meeting Warrant Articles
Two articles at Town Meeting will allow the execution of 160 Forest Street to move forward.
Article 28 authorizes $350,000 in CPA funding for 160 Forest
The development of affordable housing is one of the key pillars of the Community
Preservation Act, making the 160 Forest Street renovation an ideal application of CPA funding.
There are no state or federal funding sources for small, single unit, homeownership projects
like this. CPA funding is the primary source used by Massachusetts localities to support and
successfully develop affordable housing. The AHT is confident that the project budget provides
the resources needed to complete the work. Any excess funds will be retained by the AHT to
support affordable housing in Winchester.
Article 29 transfers care, custody, control, and ownership of 160 Forest to the Trust
Recognizing the purpose of the AHT and the Select Board’s need to spend its time attending to
other Town matters, the Select Board has proposed Article 29 to place responsibility for 160
Forest with a town entity that is focused solely on affordable housing and has the expertise to
get the work done. The AHT structure was created with the intent of taking on projects like this,
providing the flexibility to create public/private partnerships and the skills needed to execute
projects.
With funding through Article 28 and the authority to carry out the renovation thorough Article
29, the Trust will be able to take action and move quickly to return the degrading 160 Forest
Street property to use as a home and put it back on the Town’s property tax rolls.
About the Trust
The AHT is a Municipal Housing Trust created by Town Meeting in 2019 with a mandate to
“provide for the preservation and creation of affordable housing in the Town of Winchester for
the benefit of low- and moderate-income households.”
Over 140 Massachusetts towns have created Trusts - development oriented entities, taking
direct action to create affordable housing. In Weston, for example, their Affordable Housing
Trust has developed two projects. One seven-unit rental development is owned by the Trust on
former Town-owned land, and the AHT is now working in partnership with Habitat for Humanity
on a six-unit homeownership project on Town land that was transferred to the Trust. In
Sudbury, their Affordable Housing Trust, using CPA funding, purchased land, issued an RFP
for a development partner, and successfully created 3 affordable homeownership units.
The Winchester AHT members include one Select Board member, the Town Manager, one
member appointed by Winchester Housing Partnership, and up to six members appointed by
the Select Board. The Trust currently has eight members. The members of the Trust have
lending, development, architectural, and legal skills. With the Town Manager and one Select
Board member on the Trust, close coordination with the Town is assured.
For more AHT and 160 Forest Street information: https://www.winchester.us/656/Affordable-Housing-
Trustee-Committee
