On Thursday the Charlestown Affordable Housing Commission reviewed initiative grant requests for two projects. Initiative grants, part of an affordable housing bond approved by voters in 2006, provide funds to help projects work through the early stages of definition and design. The Affordable Housing Commission evaluates those grant requests according to a list of attributes and makes a recommendation to the Town Council.
Shannock Village Cottages is a non-profit project applying for a workforce affordable housing initiative grant to move forward. It will be an 11 unit rental project on an 8.4 acre site in Shannock Village north of the Baptist Church pastor's house. An existing home on the site will be converted to three units and four new buildings will be constructed with 8 additional units.
The Commission recommended that the Town Council to approve the $50,000 grant request. This grant will be used for some of the engineering and architectural design cost.
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| Conceptual site plan for Shannock Village Cottages |
ChurchWoods is an elderly rental affordable housing project on Old Post Road. The land for this project wraps around the Church of the Holy Spirit Episcopal church and is currently owned by the church. The grant is to better explore the feasibility of the project including aspects such as water supply, wastewater treatment and site planning. The existing laundromat building would be utilized for some units and community space. This type of project is one that is critically needed, providing affordable housing for elderly residents, and a project like this needs to be in the downtown area.
This grant request is also for $50,000 and the Commission recommended that the Town Council approve the request.
Consideration of these requests will be on the agenda for the August 10 Town Council meeting. Shannock Village Cottages is also submitting a land acquisition grant proposal that will also be on the August 10 meeting agenda. Acquisition grant requests go to the Town Council first before going to one of more Commissions.
The wonderful thing about these projects is that they are planned to be 100% affordable. It has really frustrated me how developers can propose affordable housing projects where only a small percentage of the units are classified as affordable. If we need 300 new affordable units and they get built in developments that are only 10% affordable then we will end up with 3000 new housing units in town. That is clearly ridiculous and I am happy to see that 100% affordable projects are possible.
Author: Tom Ferrio
