Board of Aldermen 12-28-2021 Page 4
appreciate you being people of honor to take this under consideration. All of those in favor, you know how | feel about
you. Thank you for your service.
Bob Keating
My name is Bob Keating, 5 Coburn Woods. I’m a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church, and Social Justice
Committee, and Granite State Organizing Project. Coming here today, | feel some sense to speaking to the choir
because the process on this inclusionary zoning I'm asking for your support on that has been to me a wonderful example
of a positive process. There was research done to demonstrate what was needed - a second research there. The Board
of Aldermen was actively engaged, Matt Sullivan, Tim Cummings, and Sarah Marchant | think educated the public.
What | think is created here is what we've been wanting to do is to increase more affordable housing. For every 10 unit
development, more units will be created or at least money set aside for it. It will also be done in such a way that will not
be a burden to the city or taxpayers. It will not be a burden to the developers because of the set asides. So it's really to
me it's sort of like a civics lesson and about how government can work and how a community can move through a
particular process. We know this doesn't create, you know, staggering amounts but it is one more method and it also
sends us an extremely positive message about we were willing to tackle an issue to move things along of it. Really what
we're doing is that we're going to reduce the burden of housing costs for some families and hopefully that in our upcoming
legislation with opera money, we'll be able to do more of that. I’m here. | didn't think a message needed to be said but |
wanted to continue the message that for GSOP and many others feel, this is good what has occurred and | wanted to be
part of what | believe will be a yes vote on this all the way through. So thanks again and Happy New Year to all of you
and we'll miss Linda and Alderman Caron for next year. With Skip up there, | don't see him, but I'll miss him too. And Jan
obviously from my Ward Alderman. Take care. So thanks again.
Rabbi John Spira-Savett
Good evening. | want to say I'm Jonathan Spira-Savett. | live at 39 Coburn Avenue. My best wishes to those of you who
are sick and healing, and my thanks to those of you finishing your terms of service, and all of you really for this intense
period of service you have been in. | served as Rabbi of Temple Beth Abraham on Raymond Street. I'm one of the
leaders of the Greater Nashua Interfaith Housing Justice Group and | represented Ward 1 on the Imagine Nashua Master
Plan Steering Committee.
I'm speaking in support like Bob of O-21-073 amending the inclusionary zoning supplementary use regulations to speak
as part of a group of religious leaders who meet every two weeks on affordable housing. For two years, we have been
working closely with the Community Development Department formerly Director Marchant, Manager Sullivan, as well as
Director Cummings, and other staff members of this Board, and Mayor Donchess. We've been there to advocate at the
Statehouse for affordable housing policies that you have sought to help the city innovate and collaborate with developers
and secured funding sources. We've been networking within our congregations, finding members of different connections
to housing issues and networking has cleared profit of real estate and business communities.
There are more of us speaking regularly at your meetings and communicating regularly with you about affordable housing
policies when they were a couple of years ago. Behind us are many more in our congregations. You can know that going
forward the work of adding more affordable housing with many more hands with new skills and perspectives to build not
just homes, more vibrant neighborhoods, and to find and carry through the creative and effective approaches that a city
like Nashua is uniquely poised to execute. Your city staff and your committees have set up this end of year victory for one
step among more than common to make our city a tighter community where fewer people spend more than they can
afford on rent and mortgage where we are less divided by how much we earn. The people who teach our kids, and take
care of our sick, and fight our fires and keep us safe, their whole lives here as resident would have to just commute here.
Because of a more interwoven way of living, we can all see the picture of the city and (inaudible) and bring better eyes to
the solutions, the challenges that we can see better because we'll see them together.
Donna Graham, Legislative Affairs Manager
30 seconds.
Bob Keating
The proposal in front of you O-21-073 responds to a moral necessity for housing in a way that is practical financially.
When you have those opportunities, you have to take them. Next year we'll work together on the harder parts and we'll
build on tonight's votes, and the values you affirm, and the partner standing behind it with you eager to work together with
you. Thank you.
