Community Preservation Committee Meeting

The Community Preservation Committee met on November 19, 2025. After roll call, the principal substantive item was a presentation by members of the Amesbury Housing Trust (AHT) on the Trust’s mission, priorities, accomplishments, and future goals. The AHT described its focus on production and preservation of affordable housing, targeting vulnerable populations, financial stability, and the use of flexible funding to bridge financing gaps and secure permanent affordability. Accomplishments noted included a rental assistance program, administration/monitoring of CDBG grants, a first‑time homebuyer program, and funding for home renovation and emergency repair. The Trust identified production for the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) and addressing cost‑burdened residents as top future priorities, and emphasized plans to strengthen financial planning and public engagement and to explore generating revenue streams.

Committee members asked questions about using Housing Production Plan maps, availability of shovel‑ready projects and utility assistance, the Trust’s finances, SHI/AMI questions, and potential overlap with the Amesbury Housing Authority. AHT representatives said the HPP maps would be useful, clarified that utility assistance is provided elsewhere, noted HUD sets the AMI categories, and described differences in mission and target households between the Housing Authority and the Trust while acknowledging opportunities for collaboration. No public comments were recorded in the minutes. The committee scheduled its next meeting for December 17, 2025, to invite stakeholders associated with Amesbury’s active recreation facilities.