At the start of the Oct. 21 meeting the Affordable Housing Trust received program updates and a student research briefing, including a year‑round deed restriction pilot, state‑level comment opportunities and a Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) student project on adaptive reuse in the downtown commercial district.

Dylan (town staff) said the year‑round deed restriction pilot went live on Sept. 17. Eligible homeowners, property owners and home buyers may apply; the application deadline is Nov. 14 and award notices are expected by Dec. 15. Dylan said the pilot has limited funding, up to $2,000,000, and a member later confirmed a cap equivalent to 20% of appraised value could apply to awards (amounts and final program rules were described in the packet). Staff said the application and program materials are available on the town and trust websites.

Staff also reminded the board that the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities released draft seasonal communities regulations on Sept. 26 and is accepting public comment through Oct. 31; staff provided an email address and submission instructions in the public packet. Members reported local testimony to the joint committee on housing earlier in October in support of two bills related to seasonal communities and a transfer fee; written testimony remains open through Dec. 5, staff said.

WPI student team: The trust heard a brief introduction from a WPI student team (Jacob Boyle, Caleb Corcos, Elias Hanford and Sean Smith) conducting a short‑term research project to inventory second‑story spaces in the town’s commercial downtown and to assess the feasibility of converting underused upper‑floor spaces into year‑round housing. The students said their plan includes four steps: inventorying second‑story spaces; evaluating conversion feasibility; engaging stakeholders for perspectives; and researching comparable efforts in other communities. The students said their study will focus on the core commercial district around Town Hall as a starting point and will not attempt to cover the larger residential old historic district within the project timeline.

Why it matters: The deed restriction pilot and the student study both aim to explore tools for increasing year‑round housing supply without large new‑build footprints. Trust members welcomed the student project and asked clarifying questions about the project boundary and expected outputs.

Sources and attribution: Program dates, funding caps and application instructions were summarized aloud by Dylan and included in the public packet; student remarks are attributable to the named students who introduced themselves during the meeting.