State Grant Will Cover Chatham Housing Project Infrastructure

CHATHAM – The town has received a state grant to help cover the cost of public infrastructure improvements at the affordable housing project proposed for 1533 Main St.

 The $574,000 grant from the Community One Stop for Growth program will cover the cost of water and sewer connections, sidewalks, crosswalks, some utility work and landscaping. All of the work will be done on town property, according to Housing and Sustainability Director Gloria McPherson.

 “It’s a big grant,” she said. “It covers everything that is done in the public right of way that supports the property.”

 Developer Pennrose has an agreement with the town to develop 48 units of affordable housing at the West Chatham site, formerly owned by the Buckley family. The company is currently in the process of seeking a comprehensive permit for the development from the zoning board of appeals, which will meet today (Thursday, Nov. 13) to begin deliberating on conditions for the project.

 The grant is part of the town’s contribution to the project, one of two affordable housing developments in town that Pennrose was chosen to build. 

 Along with utility work, the grant will cover burying two electric connections, planting street trees and providing access via sidewalks and crosswalks. Some of the work will be done before construction on the housing project begins, such as sewer and water connections, McPherson said. Other work will be done concurrent with the project, and some will be completed later on.

 But don’t look for any of the work to begin soon. If its special permits are granted, Pennrose still has to go through a number of steps to secure tax credits and other financing, she said. A best-case scenario has site work, including demolition of several cottages on the property, beginning in early 2027, with construction starting that summer or fall. 

 The grant funding was provided through the state’s Housing Works Infrastructure Program, according to a press release from the town.

 The town previously secured a $175,000 state Site Readiness Grant to cover design, engineering and cost estimates for access to the other Pennrose project off Meetinghouse Road. Because of the topography of the property, an accessway must pass over a small depression, McPherson said. Securing that grant “makes us very, very likely to get another Housing Works grant to actually construct that accessway,” she said.

 “These types of grants make future asks from the developer less likely,” she added.

 The zoning board is also reviewing a comprehensive permit for the 42-unit Meetinghouse Road project.