City Councilor Brent Todd worries about stereotyping and the NIMBY syndrome.
He worries that residents in Ward 1 might be judging future tenants – for the 54 mostly low-income apartments earmarked for the old tannery site in Penacook – too harshly, believing they’d be a bad fit as the village continues to define and re-define itself, forever looking for ways to compete with Concord, build infrastructure, expand commerce, plant flowers and, of course, build a grocery store.
A real grocery store.
But, some residents say, there are altruistic reasons for this stance that have nothing to do with this acronym, the one that spells out “Not In My Backyard.”
They simply worry about the resources needed to support this influx of people. Things like access to reliable transportation and available food, and the burden placed on the school district and taxes and so on.
Their feelings have nothing to do with any preconceived notions about the behavior of lower-income people.
That and more were discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting in the Merrimack Valley High School library. There, a full house of about 75 people listened to officials – representatives from the city, CATCH and the state’s Housing Finance Authority – explain a confusing process that will greatly change the landscape of the village.
Funding for Phase I is in, and that means 34 apartments by next year. Drive by the former longtime eyesore and you’ll see heavy equipment digging and pushing dirt around.
Then comes Phase II, another 20 apartments, once the paperwork seeking funds is done, and that appears to be a sure bet.
So back to NIMBY. Those letters, residents like Carisa Corrow and Lorrie Carey say, don’t accurately portray their concerns. Go ahead, bring tenants in, give them a shot at the American Dream, let them develop a sense of independence and community.
But first, make sure that other stuff is in place.
“If you provide the appropriate support, you don’t have those issues,” Carey told me later by phone. “So providing social services for people needing them, there’s not a problem with anyone’s backyard because the problems were addressed by a functional social system.”
Added Corrow, “If you put in low-income housing without access to inexpensive food and transportation, that is a problem. You can not put above-market apartments in Concord and put the poor people in Penacook.”
Corrow cited the two categories of people who most likely will rent here: Young people starting out in life and seniors, on fixed incomes, reclining and putting their feet up. They’ll be the ones most affected. The CAT system doesn’t run nights or weekends. That makes a difference.
“There’s a bus route, but it’s not awesome,” Corrow said. “Is there adequate public transportation? If you are someone who works in a retail job, how will you get to work, because there are not many places to work in Penacook anymore.”
Then came the topic that’s on so many minds in this area: When, finally, will Penacook get its own grocery store? The land on Whitney Road is perfect, right?
Corrow said a local grocery store might sway her opinion on the matter. Then she said, “They’ve been saying they’d get one for a long time, and I’m not sure what the hold up is. You have poor people who won’t have access to quality food. They’ll have to do winters shopping at 30 Pines or Dollar General. This is just a promise that has not been fulfilled.”
Corrow and Carey have deep roots here, planted years ago. Carey graduated from Merrimack Valley High School and has raised four kids, one of whom is a freshman at MV.
She’s concerned that 54 new apartments – some of which might house more than one child – will mean more special-education children with special needs, and that costs money.
She mentioned that Concord no longer sends Penacook impact fees – money to support the school district after development has led to increased enrollment – to bolster its needs.
“We need more funding for that,” Carey said. “In special education, the difference between what the Federal Government gives schools and what schools must pay for education is what local taxpayers must pay.”
Added Corrow, “I have no problem with low-income housing. Folks need a place to live, for sure. The need is great, but just don’t put folks in Penacook without other resources. That’s not helping at all.”
Corrow’s words carried weight. She wore a sweatshirt that read, “Fight poverty,” a promotion for the Poor People’s Campaign, which will address systemic poverty on Oct. 11 in Concord, Manchester and Nashua.
Meanwhile, Ward 1 City Councilor Todd did his best to relay a positive message. He said the aforementioned supermarket will increase assessed property values. He said affordable housing is a feature to be appreciated, like a town pool or a community center.
He said the added strain on police and fire departments that supposedly will accompany the new development is overstated. And he said residents need to keep their focus on what’s really important.
“The real factors that contribute to the problem remain unsolved,” he told me. “Why doesn’t the Federal Government provide more funding for their educational mandates? Why doesn’t the state come up with a more equitable school funding solution.”
Why, indeed.
Todd is a straight shooter. He broached this delicate issue, the one about prejudgment and an acronym that has become increasingly common in recent years.
To Todd, NIMBY can be a powerful term. He readily acknowledged that he’s heard strong support for the concept in town.
“Some people are honest; they say they’re NIMBY and they’re proud of it,” Todd told me. “They’re not ashamed to say they don’t want this in their backyard.”
Todd wasn’t referring to people with genuine concerns for the welfare of incoming residents. People, apparently, like Corrow and Carey.
His words were meant for others, and he conveyed his thoughts during his opening remarks on Tuesday night.
“Because their wages are lower, they present a greater propensity for public service needs, a greater propensity for crime and drug use,” Todd told the crowd.
“These are stereotypes, folks.”