Pennrose Files For Queen Anne Rd. Housing

 HARWICH – Developer Pennrose Monday filed a comprehensive permit application for a 60-unit affordable housing project on the former Marceline property along Route 124 and Queen Anne Road. 

The application calls for the development of 60 income-restricted housing units with a maximum of 90 bedrooms on six acres the affordable housing trust has agreed to lease to Pennrose for 99 years. The trust owns a total of 13 acres at the location.

An initial public hearing on the comprehensive permit is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. at town hall.

In a meeting with the trust on Monday, Pennrose requested a $500,000 contribution from the trust to assist in funding the project, which is estimated to cost $39,400,000. The trust could not act on the request because it was not listed on the agenda and will conduct another meeting later this month or will wait for its Jan. 5 meeting to address the request.  

 Pennrose continues to make adjustments to the plan, which currently calls for the construction of 14 townhouse-style buildings three to eight units per building. There will also be a clubhouse from which management will operate; it will also include a community room and small fitness facility, according to Pennrose Project Developer Ryan Kiracote. 

There was concern about how close the Queen Anne Road entrance to the development would be to the Route 124 intersection. The entrance has been relocated much further east on Queen Anne Road, Kiracote said Monday.

 Three major issues came out of discussions with the trust and town staff, he said, one of which was the location of the entrance. The fire department also wanted a straight path into the site and access provided to future development on the land. The third issue was preserving as much of a landscape buffer around the edge of the site as possible. Kiracote said that the development has been pushed further to the north on the property to provide a greater buffer of trees on the Queen Anne Road side.

 Pennrose has been busy conducting environmental site assessments and geo-technical testing to better determine where to build on the site, Kiracote said.

 Trust member Robert Spencer wanted to know the setback of the three structures that would be built along Route 124. Kiracote said they were designed to meet the sideline setback of 20 feet, but the road would be considered frontage which would require a 50-foot setback. Plantings would be used to buffer the units, Kiracote said, but that may be a location where a waiver would be requested as part of the comprehensive permit process.

 Spencer also said the movement of the development further north on the site would increase an opportunity for solar generation. He wanted to know if solar systems are planned.

Karmen Cheung, regional vice president with Pennrose, said there would be baseline solar use, but there would be infrastructure installed for connections should solar be installed as the project moves forward.

 Trust Chair Larry Ballantine said he appreciated the movement of the entrance further east on Queen Anne Road. He inquired about the timeframe of a traffic study done for the project. Kiracote said the study was done over two days in July. Ballantine noted concerns raised by residents challenging the two-day traffic study for the Pine Oaks Village IV project, questioning whether additional study was necessary. 

  Cheung said the traffic consultant would extrapolate from the data, placing it in a model, and see if additional data is necessary.

 Ballantine also had questions about the placement of a couple of larger buildings close to the new entrance. Kiracote said a couple of buildings were combined to avoid changing the grade, which would have required larger retaining walls at the entrance.

 “You will very rarely see the buildings in their entirety,” he said, explaining that the grade will block the view of the structures. 

 A septic system and leaching system is planned in the center green space of the development. Spencer asked if an innovative/alternative system is planned. Kiracote said that would take up less space, but it would cost more and there has been talk about it. The development will connect to town sewer when it is available, he added.

Housing committee member Art Bodin pointed out the units would be built on slabs and wanted to know about the availability of storage for residents. Kiracote said there would be sheds provided for each unit and there would be bicycle racks throughout the development.

Pennrose is planning to file for low income tax credits with the state by the March 16 deadline. If funding is approved at that time, construction could start at the site in 2027.