As part of its work on addressing the perceived need for senior housing, the Planning Board conducted two housing surveys at the end of 2020. The first—the senior survey—was open to residents over the age of 50 and explored the need for senior housing and seniors’ interest in various housing types. The second—the general residential survey—was open to residents of all ages and explored respondents’ opinions on a variety of housing types.
One of the hallmarks of a reliable market research survey, in my experience, is that the results include some accepted truths mixed in with new insights. The accepted truths provide some confidence that respondents are grounded and well informed, while the insights highlight new information that may be worth acting upon. The housing surveys provided a mixture of both. The following describes the highlights.
Accepted truths confirmed
Some seniors do anticipate having to leave. Over half of those who responded to the survey say they anticipate moving from their current home as they age. Two-thirds of those would prefer to remain in Harvard. Others cite a willingness to stay or go—wherever their needs are met would work for them. Only 10% report they would actually like to leave town.
High cost of too-big houses drives some out. Property taxes are the No. 1 reason seniors say they anticipate having to move, but two other reasons are close runners-up: the need to downsize, as homes and properties are now larger than seniors need, and the burden of maintaining these homes and properties. Seems safe to conclude that it’s not (just) our property tax rate that causes people to leave, but that rate applied to those now-too-big properties.
Few downsizing options available. The lack of housing alternatives in town prompts many to look elsewhere as they age. Harvard has a lot of large houses on large lots. It’s what we’re good at. But respondents to the senior survey tell us that when they do consider moving, they will be looking for any of a number of variations on the theme of smaller homes on smaller lots, whether they are cottages, small homes, condos, or townhouses.
Rural New England character is key. Residents of all ages love our town and in particular, love its rural New England character. Almost 90% of respondents to the senior survey cited this as what they enjoy about Harvard. The results of the broader general survey echo the sentiment. We love the open space, the conservation land, the farms and orchards, the pond, and the Common. We’ve all heard this before and said it ourselves so many times, it might seem like a truism. But both surveys reveal that this feeling is quite genuine and very deeply felt. And no one wants to detract from this—not younger residents and not seniors.
Some surprises revealed
Support for new housing types. There is, in fact, an appetite in town for diversifying the housing stock to provide homes for a broader mix of residents. When we asked this question in a general way, respondents showed lukewarm support for the concept; 60% agreed. But once the questions get specific, support grows substantially. The general residential survey results show that over 80% support housing for older residents. Almost 70% support “workforce housing”—that is, housing for those with moderate incomes, such as teachers, firefighters, and public employees.
Balancing act is achievable. The vast majority believes that we can add senior housing without detracting from Harvard’s rural New England character and gave thoughtful opinions on how to do so. The key, for most, is not simply “put it on Ayer Road,” although that suggestion did appear a few times. The key for most is a matter of design—building design, setbacks, screening, open space, and overall size.
Few naysayers. The genuine naysayers to senior housing and more diversified housing in general were few. A small number (9%) of respondents to the general residential survey argued that we cannot or should not try to achieve a balance, and therefore should do nothing. And, like those who responded to the senior survey, an equally small group thinks the scales have been weighted against seniors in Harvard for long enough. (As one respondent to the senior survey noted, “Phooey on the town’s rural character! How about actually assisting seniors?”)
Older and younger residents agree. There’s a lot of overlap between the types of housing that seniors are looking for and the types of senior housing that the broader population supports. This is where we could well have come to an impasse, but we didn’t.
What do older residents want?
Perhaps the reason respondents didn’t see a conflict between adding senior housing and preserving the rural character they love so much lies in the types of housing that respondents rank the highest. Older and younger residents alike suggest we should support smaller homes or cottages in small clusters, accessory apartments or detached accessory units on existing single-family home properties, and independent living condos or townhouses. In addition, conversions of existing homes were strongly favored in the general residential survey.
While one-quarter of the respondents to the senior survey noted they would be interested in moving to a continuing care retirement community, whether in Harvard or elsewhere, it is also notable that six of respondents’ top eight choices for senior housing were for independent living arrangements.
Informed by these survey results, the Planning Board has mapped out a multiphase plan to broaden the housing opportunities for seniors who wish to stay in town as they age. The first phase will include the introduction of two relatively minor bylaw changes at this spring’s Town Meeting. One would amend our existing accessory apartment bylaw to allow slightly larger units and streamline the permitting process for units that are designed to support aging in place. The other would be a new bylaw, one that establishes the basic requirements for any future senior housing types. We’ll describe these in more detail in subsequent articles in the Press. Please stay tuned.
The Planning Board encourages readers to attend the public hearing on these two bylaws on Monday, April 5, at 7:30 pm. Zoom meeting details for the hearing will be available by Thursday evening, April 1, on the Planning Board’s agenda, www.harvard.ma.us/planning-board. To see full results of the senior survey and the general residential survey, go to the town website, at https://tinyurl.com/3466w73p.
Jane Biering is a member of the Planning Board.
