Low vacancy rates, high percentage of cost-burden renters in Wareham

Planning Board hears housing assessment plan
Mar 15, 2022

Low vacancy rates, a growing number of smaller households and renters paying a high percentage of their income on rent are all factors in Wareham’s evolving Housing Assessment and Production Plan, which the Select Board heard pieces of on Tuesday night.

Director of Planning and Community Development Ken Buckland presented some key facts from the five-year plan to the board for a possible endorsement vote.

As some board members received documents pertaining to the report on Tuesday, chair Judith Whiteside proposed tabling the endorsement for the 72-page report until next week. 

A renter is cost-burdened if they spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent, and someone who pays more than 50 percent of their income on rent is severely cost-burdened, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Board members heard Buckland describe the housing climate of Wareham, which differs from its state categorization within the “Boston Metro area,” Buckland said.

Buckland summarized the report’s findings:

  • Wareham has a high percentage of elderly residents compared to the state average.
  • The number of smaller households are growing faster than the population itself, as more people are living alone.
  • Scarcity and demand are driving costs up for rental units.
  • A high percentage of renters are cost-burdened, and at least a quarter of renters are severely cost-burdened.

Strategies to combat housing scarcity, Buckland reported, include picking zoning districts for housing developments, participating in regional collaborations with other towns and promoting mixed-use projects, including adding residences to downtown Wareham. Creating a rental assistance program and promoting accessory units could also help, he said.

Board member Alan Slavin said that Governor Charlie Baker has put an emphasis on affordable housing throughout the state, though Wareham’s classification as a Boston metro area makes things harder for town officials.

“That’s one of the biggest problems we have,” Slavin said. 

He said that if the town could be classified within the New Bedford or Brockton zones, it’d be less of a problem, with Wareham’s rental prices more comparable to those areas than to Boston. Another problem for Wareham is that mobile homes don’t count toward the town’s subsidized housing inventory, board member Patrick Tropeano said.

Regardless, Select Board members thanked Buckland for his work and presentation, and set a vote on endorsement of the plan for next week’s meeting on March 22. 

Buckland said a public meeting on the housing plan is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 24 in Room 27 of Town Hall, before the report is sent to the state Department of Housing and Community Development.