Affordable Housing In Wayland Will Be Subject Of Community Forum

WAYLAND, MA — Residents interested in the expansion of affordable housing in Wayland can attend a community forum this week.

The town is about to begin an update of the housing production plan (HPP), a requirement under the state 40B affordable housing statute. The HPP needs to be updated after it expired on Sept. 19.

"A Housing Production Plan (HPP) is a community's proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing by: creating a strategy to enable it to meet its affordable housing needs in a manner consistent with the Chapter 40B statute and regulation," according to the state.

The town's HPP will look at the stock of a variety of housing types, from starter homes and workforce housing, to homes for retirees.

Earlier this year, Wayland took a big step toward a 10 percent affordable housing stock under 40B. The town closed on the sale of land to the developer behind the River's Edge project, which will bring 218 units affordable for families that earn less than 80 percent of the Wayland median household income. The project could be complete in 2022 or 2023.

Wayland's HPP forum starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday on Zoom.