WOBURN, Mass. — The Woburn City Council on Oct. 21 received an initial presentation of a draft housing production plan from consultant Jen Goldson of JM Goldson, who told the council the document is intended to help the city maintain and shape housing options over the next five years.

The plan, which is the city's update to the 2017 production plan, is designed to keep Woburn above the 10 percent threshold on the Subsidized Housing Inventory and to give the city a menu of strategies for meeting local needs, Goldson said. John Cashel, Woburn's planning director, introduced Goldson and described the session as the first formal presentation to the council.

Goldson said Woburn faces three linked challenges: demographic change, tight market conditions and a mismatch between the types of homes available and what local households need. She said household size in Woburn has shifted toward smaller households while a majority of the housing stock remains three-bedroom units. "It's all about freedom of choice and what options are out there," Goldson said, adding that by 2030 residents age 65 and older could make up about 24 percent of the population.

Goldson reviewed data the city included in meeting materials: a rental vacancy rate estimated at 3.4 percent (she said a healthy benchmark is about 6 percent), and an ownership vacancy estimated near 0.5 percent (vs. a 2 percent benchmark). She also described cost-burden patterns for lower-income households and said the standard affordability definition tied to 80 percent of area median income (AMI) does not reflect many Woburn residents' incomes. "The standard 40B affordability threshold is just not addressing Woburn's greatest needs," Goldson said, adding that the city could adopt local incentives or requirements to produce deeper affordability targeted to Woburn households.

Councilors used the presentation as an opportunity to press on state policy and local options. Councilor Demers asked whether Goldson had heard of any imminent changes to the 40B law or other state thresholds; Goldson said she had not heard of a change to the state's 40B goalposts. Councilwoman Sabra urged the plan to prioritize "starter homes" and housing that allows younger adults who grew up in Woburn to remain in the city. Councilor Popolato asked whether public input would be applied to the draft; Goldson said she was recording and would use the feedback to refine the strategy list.

Goldson described tools the city could use, including optional inclusionary provisions, incentives that trade additional density for deeper affordability, and adjustments to zoning to better reflect the built neighborhood character. She also noted practical limits and administrative burdens: for example, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) created under the state ADU law count as housing units for baseline totals, but converting ADUs to deed-restricted affordable units to count on the Subsidized Housing Inventory typically requires deed restrictions, annual income monitoring and state review — administrative tasks some municipalities have found onerous.

Next steps Goldson outlined include a Planning Board review scheduled for Nov. 12 and a hoped-for return to the council for further consideration on Dec. 2. Goldson said the online engagement period had closed the day before the council meeting and the project team had collected roughly 100 online responses plus interview and forum input to shape draft strategies.

Goldson and Cashel reiterated that the document is a draft and that approval of a housing production plan is voluntary; the city gains access to state technical assistance and stronger standing for certain state grant competitions if the plan is locally and state approved. "Whether you implement it or not," Goldson said, "the incentive of an approved plan is to help you stay above that 10 percent threshold and to be competitive for state funding."