Cheryl M, ACT Supporter

My family and I have been active members of the Andover Community Trust for as long as I can remember. My first recollection of joining would probably be painting the River Road and Heather Drive homes, which was pretty early on.  Several factors went into my initial reasons for joining Andover Community Trust. I feel as though Andover, when I was growing up, was a homogenous community. Not to mention when my husband and I moved back from Boston to raise our children here, housing costs completely skyrocketed. I have continued to support ACT over the years through small, regular donations and coming to celebrate new ACT homeownership whenever I can. 

I would urge people to join ACT! It is a group of effective and dedicated people working to produce more affordable housing in Andover while enriching the town both culturally and aesthetically in the process. With Massachusetts housing costs being second only to California,  affordable housing is an obvious necessity, statewide. Access to good schools is important to parents of all income levels. We live in a wonderfully multicultural country, and as a parent, I wanted my children to experience the benefits of befriending people of all backgrounds. This is more challenging in affluent towns, so affordable housing creates both a fairer and more interesting community.

ACT has done an admirable job of identifying parcels of land that were unavailable for development without the 40B exemptions, working patiently through any neighborhood concerns, and building architect-designed homes. John Pearson's design on the Cheever Street ACT house is a great example of how an affordable home can enhance a neighborhood.

Andover has been gifted with people through the years who were both forward-thinking and action-oriented. We appreciate their vision and understanding of the importance of public open space for enjoying nature, maintaining a link to its agrarian past with community gardens, and working to provide some measure of equity in homeownership opportunities as costs continue to increase. We feel lucky to benefit from their efforts, and these are the things that keep us in town now that our children are grown.