North Harwich Affordable Housing Development Get First Airing

by William F. Galvin

            NORTH HARWICH – The appeals board got its first look at a 40B comprehensive permit request from the Lower Cape Cod Community Development Corporation to develop a dozen rental housing units on Main Street Extension on Wednesday night.

            The project is proposed on a long narrow strip of land under the jurisdiction of the housing authority, located 130 feet from the Dennis town line and the Eagle Pond Nursing Home complex.

            The initial issue was establishing who would sit on the board given that three of the permanent members were absent and one alternate would not be available from December to April. Attorney Peter Freeman consented to begin the hearing process with only four members sitting.

            Freeman said he was comfortable going forward because the town will embrace the project given that LCCCDC was selected from a request for proposals through the housing authority to develop the affordable housing. He also pointed out voters approved Community Preservation Act funding to assist with the project.

            Freeman presented an overview, which calls for 12 rental units to be constructed in four building at 35 Main Street Extension. The units will be rented to families who make less than 60 percent of the county median salary range.  Seventy percent of the units will be offered to Harwich residents. 

            The attorney said the Eastham-based nonprofit agency does housing work all over the Cape. Its executive director, Elizabeth Bridgewater, said they have built 71 units and manage 45, including 12 in Harwich.

            The housing authority has granted a 99-year ground lease to the agency, Freeman said and funding commitments have been extended by several state agencies, including a project eligibility letter from MassHousing Partnership. Both Freeman and Bridgewater said it is going to be a “friendly” 40B because they have made presentations to other town boards in advance of the hearing. 

            “It’s going to result in much needed, safe and affordable housing for town residents,” Bridgewater said.

            Bridgewater also said an independent survey conducted for the project confirmed the demand for the units. The ribbon of eligibility is wide enough to fill these units when they come up for occupancy. The plan is to develop eight two-bedroom and four three- bedroom units.

            The project has also been chosen for the Affordable Green Homes Initiative program which will provide reimbursements for green applications. The plan is to place photo voltaic panels on the southern roofs of the structures, she said.

            Architect Alison Alessi of A&E Architects of Brewster said they have provided a lot of south facing roofs and walls and the parking lots were placed on the southern side of the buildings to reduce shade trees, allowing more sunlight.

The solar panels are anticipated to produce 280 kW a month for each unit, enough energy, if residents are careful, to eliminate an electric bill. There will also be 40 percent more insulation and efficient framing techniques used to save on heating costs. She also said they have kept down the amount of lawn, because it requires maintenance and to make the site more drought tolerant.

            The four buildings will be the same design, a Cape Cod farmhouse design with a mix of white cedar shingles and siding to break up the units. The structures have been moved to the front of the lot to allow passive recreation on land to the rear.

            The project proponents have filed a hydrological study with the board of health showing there will be no adverse impact to the groundwater or tributaries. The conservation commission has determined no order of conditions will be necessary even though the project is within the 100-foot buffer to an overgrown bog, Freeman said, though the commission wants to be able to approve the landscaping plan.

            The attorney also said there is adequate sight clearance for traffic traveling along Main Street Extension. He said there is better than 250 feet in either direction, citing a traffic study submitted by the applicant. “It is very adequate,” Freeman said.

             Brown said it could take three to four meetings before the zoning board concludes the examination of the project. He said he would withhold public comment on the project until the board’s next meeting on Oct. 29. There were several residents of the area in the audience who expressed displeasure with that decision.

            One property owner outside the hearing room called the decision not to allow public comment “reprehensible.” He said he had driven four hours to get to the hearing.

            Board members framed several issues they would like to see the applicant address in the next meeting, including how maintenance will be paid and the monthly rental costs.

Bridgewater said they would have a professional maintenance firm to care for

the complex. She also said rents would be $949 for two-bedroom and $1,096 for three- bedroom units, but adjustable based on the salaries of the occupants. 

            The planning board raised issues about the number of parking spaces provided, questioning whether 20 would be adequate there. Whether the industrial zone is an adequate location for such housing was another question raised by the board.

            Brown instructed the applicant to be prepared to present their pro forma, showing that the finances for the project fit within the criteria of the comprehensive permit law.

10/2/08