Stow-Acton Development Takes Affordable Tack
The Sweeney Family has tried to develop a 42-acre parcel on the Stow-Acton line four times since 1972.
Now they are hoping the fifth time is a charm as they propose a 64-unit affordable housing complex for the land.
Unlike the four previous proposals that have been shot down by the local planning board, the most recent proposal takes advantage of the state's 40B affordable housing laws.
40B allows developers to force approval by local permitting boards if the community does not have at least 10 percent of its housing stock deemed "affordable" by the state.
Both Stow and Acton are under the 10 percent benchmark, meaning that the project, thanks to an affordable housing component, may finally get underway.
State Approval
MassHousing, a quasi-public state agency, is reviewing the application to determine if it qualifies under the 40B law, according to agency spokesman Thomas Farmer. Officials have already conducted a site plan review with local officials from both towns and abutters. A decision is expected in the next two to three months.
The 64-unit, $19 million housing complex dubbed Highgrove Estates is proposed to be built south of Route 111 on the town line between Stow and Acton.
About 56 of the units fall in Stow while the remaining eight are in Acton. Most of the units would be sold at market rate, while 25 percent of them would be sold to low- and moderate-income buyers who earn between 70 and 80 percent of the median income for the area.
The Stow planning board denied an almost identical plan by the same developers in 2008, the only difference being that the proposal called for 19 single-family homes. The newer proposal is almost the exact same layout, but instead of single-family homes, plans now call for two-family and three-family buildings.
Increasing the density, however, does not change any of the concerns the planning board had with the original proposal. The concerns, voiced by Stow Planning Board Chair Kathleen Willis and others, include the sharp grade of the access road on the Stow side, as well as environmental issues.
Now, if MassHousing approves the project under the 40B law the Stow and Acton planning boards would have much diminished authority to deny and specify terms of the development.
Christine Sweeney, whose family owns the land, said she's confident engineers have taken into account and adequately addressed all the concerns raised by the local permitting agencies.
The state's 40B law has helped create more than 56,000 affordable housing units since its inception in the 1970s. The number of communities that have more than 10 percent affordable housing increased from 24 in 1997 to 51 in 2009.
Paula Knibbe, chairman of the Acton Board of Selectmen, said she's not opposed to affordable housing developments. But, she said Acton planners have identified areas of the town that would be appropriate for development that are near major roads, in close proximity to the downtown and where there is already higher-density development. The town is trying to prevent "sprawl," she said.
But under the 40B provisions the town will have very little say in the development.
"We basically will not be able to say no," she said.
She said the development has no real benefit to Acton. Only two of the eight units that would be placed in Acton would be affordable, so it would not help the town reach the 10 percent threshold. Last year the town had about 6.6 percent of its housing qualify as "affordable." Stow had about 6.75 percent.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments